What Scripture says
The four Gospels describe the resurrection through its effects: the empty tomb and the appearances of the risen Jesus (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20–21). None describes the moment of rising itself.
They stress that Jesus’ body was real: he was hungry and tired during his ministry (Matthew 4:2, John 4:6), suffered on the cross (“I thirst”, John 19:28), and after rising, ate fish and invited Thomas to touch his wounds (Luke 24:39–43, John 20:27, ESV).
What the evidence says
History
The discovery
A large fragment of the Gospel of Peter was found in 1886–87 in a monk’s grave at Akhmim in Egypt, in a manuscript from around the 8th or 9th century. It covers Jesus’ trial, death, burial and resurrection, narrated in the first person by Peter. The beginning and end are missing.
What it says
- Blame. It puts the blame on Herod and the Jewish leaders more than on Pilate, who washes his hands.
- Jesus’ suffering. On the cross, Jesus “was silent, as if he felt no pain.” His cry is “My power, my power, you have forsaken me.”
- The resurrection. In its most striking scene, the soldiers guarding the tomb see two young men descend from heaven. They bring a third out of the tomb: the two are giants whose heads reach to heaven, and the one they support has a head reaching beyond the heavens. A cross follows them. A voice from heaven asks, “Have you preached to those who are sleeping?” The cross answers, “Yes.”
Date and sources
Most scholars date it to the mid-2nd century. It appears to know the canonical Gospels and expand them with legendary detail and anti-Jewish polemic. A minority, notably John Dominic Crossan, argued that part of it preserves an early passion narrative older than the Gospels; most scholars reject that view.
Serapion’s judgment
Around AD 200, Serapion, bishop of Antioch, first allowed a church in nearby Rhossus to read it, without examining it closely. After reading it, he wrote that it contained false additions and reflected docetism, the teaching that Jesus only seemed to have a body and didn’t truly suffer, and he withdrew his permission. Eusebius preserves his letter. Lines like “as if he felt no pain” may be what Serapion had in mind.
| Feature | Canonical Gospels | Gospel of Peter |
|---|---|---|
| The moment of resurrection | Not described | Giants and a talking cross |
| Jesus’ suffering | Real pain and thirst | Silent “as if he felt no pain” |
| Date | 1st century | Mid-2nd century |
Where they meet
The Gospel of Peter is a good example of how later writers embellished the resurrection story. The restraint of the canonical Gospels, which report the empty tomb and the appearances without describing the rising itself, contrasts sharply with it (see 7.8). That restraint is one sign that the Gospels weren’t inventing freely.
What’s still open
Whether any part of it preserves an independent early tradition. Most scholars say no.
Bottom line
The Gospel of Peter is a 2nd-century account with a talking cross. Bishop Serapion rejected it around AD 200 for false teaching about Christ’s body, so leaving it out is rated Settled.