Why the Gospel of Peter Didn’t Make It Into the Bible
The Gospel of Peter is an early non-canonical gospel, known primarily from a fragment discovered in Egypt in 1886. It provides a unique account of Jesus’s trial, crucifixion, and resurrection. Despite being an early text, it was not included in the biblical canon due to several key issues.
Here is a list of reasons why the Gospel of Peter was not included in the Bible.
- (❌) Pseudepigraphal and Unreliable Authorship: The book’s name suggests it was written by the Apostle Peter. However, scholars believe it was composed in the 2nd century, long after Peter’s death. The text’s attribution to an apostle was seen as a way to give it false authority, and this unreliability was a major reason for its rejection by the early Church.
- (❌) Anti-Canonical and Un-Historical Narrative: The Gospel of Peter contains a number of details that contradict the canonical Gospels. It presents a narrative that completely exonerates Pontius Pilate, stating that he washed his hands and had nothing to do with Jesus’s death, while placing all the blame on the Jewish people. This runs contrary to the more balanced, complex accounts found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
- (❌) Hints of Heretical Christology: The text contains subtle hints of an early Christian heresy known as Docetism, which taught that Jesus was a purely divine being who only “seemed” to have a physical body and did not truly suffer. The gospel describes Jesus remaining silent during his crucifixion, as if he felt no pain, which contradicts the biblical accounts of his agony and final words.
- (❌) Fantastical and Unbelievable Resurrection Account: The book’s description of the resurrection is highly dramatic and unlike anything in the canonical Gospels. It includes a speaking cross, angels who descend from heaven, and the cross walking out of the tomb. These fantastical and mythological elements were seen as lacking the historical credibility of the canonical accounts.
In summary, the Gospel of Peter was excluded from the Bible because it was a pseudepigraphal text with a forged attribution, it contained a problematic and historically questionable narrative of Jesus’s death, and its theology hinted at a heretical view of Jesus’s humanity.