Apocalypse of Peter

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The Apocalypse of Peter, also called the Revelation of Peter, is an early Christian text of the 2nd century and a work of apocalyptic literature. It is not included in the standard canon of the New Testament, but is classed as part of New Testament apocrypha. The Apocalypse of Peter is mentioned in the Muratorian fragment, a 2nd-century list of books thought to be canonical in Christianity. The Muratorian fragment expresses some hesitation on the work, saying that some authorities would not have it read in church. The text is extant in two incomplete versions based on a lost Koine Greek original: an edited Greek version and an Ethiopic version, which diverge considerably. It is influenced by both Jewish apocalyptic literature and Hellenistic philosophy from Greek culture. The Apocalypse of Peter is the earliest-written extant document depicting a Christian version of heaven and hell in detail.

The work's author is unknown, although it is purportedly written by the disciple Peter (pseudepigrapha). The Apocalypse of Peter describes a divine vision experienced by Peter through Christ. After inquiring for signs of the Second Coming of Jesus (parousia), the work delves into a katabasis (vision of the afterlife), and details both heavenly bliss for the saved and infernal punishments for the damned. In particular, the punishments are graphically described in a physical sense, and loosely correspond to lex talionis ('an eye for an eye'): blasphemers are hung by their tongues, liars who bear false witness have their lips cut off; callous rich people are made to wear rags and be pierced by sharp fiery stones as would beggars; and so on. It is an early example of the same genre of the more famous Divine Comedy of Dante, wherein the protagonist takes a tour of the realms of the afterlife.