What Scripture says
The New Testament speaks seriously about final judgment and hell:
- “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:46, ESV).
- Jesus speaks of “the outer darkness” where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12).
- Revelation describes “the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:10–15).
But it does so in restrained terms. It never gives a guided tour of specific punishments for specific sins (see 8.7).
What the evidence says
History
What it contains
The Apocalypse of Peter was written in the first half of the 2nd century, perhaps around AD 135. In it, the risen Jesus, on the Mount of Olives, shows Peter visions of the end, then of heaven and hell.
Hell is described in graphic detail, with punishments matched to sins:
- Blasphemers hang by their tongues over fire.
- Those who denied righteousness are in a pit of fire.
- Murderers are thrown into a place of crawling creatures.
- Women who had abortions are tormented in a pool, while their children watch.
Heaven is a radiant garden, filled with fragrant flowers and light, where the righteous dwell.
It survives in an Ethiopic version, closer to the original, and a Greek fragment found in 1886–87 at Akhmim in Egypt, in the same manuscript as the Gospel of Peter (see 3B.20).
Its influence
The Apocalypse of Peter is the earliest Christian text to describe a detailed tour of hell, and it strongly shaped later Christian imagination: the Apocalypse of Paul, medieval visions of hell, and eventually Dante’s Inferno.
Its reception
Some early Christians valued it:
- Clement of Alexandria (c. 200) quoted it as Scripture.
- The Muratorian Fragment (probably late 2nd century) says: “We receive only the apocalypses of John and Peter, though some of us are not willing that the latter be read in church.”
- Eusebius (c. 325) listed it among the rejected (spurious) books.
So even early, it was disputed. Over time the church settled on Revelation alone. Interestingly, a 5th-century historian, Sozomen, reported it was still read once a year, on Good Friday, in some churches in Palestine.
| Witness | View |
|---|---|
| Clement of Alexandria | Quoted as Scripture |
| Muratorian Fragment | Accepted by some; others refused to read it in church |
| Eusebius | Rejected |
| Later church | Not Scripture |
Where they meet
The Apocalypse of Peter shows the early church distinguishing between apostolic prophecy and later visionary writing. Its graphic hell scenes go well beyond Scripture’s restraint, which is one reason it was set aside.
What’s still open
Its exact date and its relationship to other apocalyptic works.
Bottom line
The Apocalypse of Peter is a 2nd-century tour of heaven and hell. Even early lists noted some churches refused to read it publicly, so leaving it out is rated Settled.