Otherwise known as the Apocalypse of Peter
The Revelation of Peter was listed in the Muratorian Canon among the two apocalypses (the other being the Revelation of John). It was also supported by Clement of Alexandria. The translation that follows comes from the Ethiopic text. A Greek fragment discovered at Akhmîm differs considerably (cf. chs. 2, 4), but seems less supported—the Ethiopic thought to be older. Two other small Greek fragments have been found (Bodleian and Rainer).
The second coming of Christ and resurrection of the dead who died because of their sins, for that they did not keep the command of God their creator. And he [(Peter)] pondered thereon, that he might perceive the mystery of the Son of God, the merciful and lover of mercy. And when the Lord was seated on the Mount of Olives, His disciples came to Him. And we implored and entreated Him separately and pleaded [to] Him, saying to Him, “Declare to us what are the signs of Your coming and of the end of the world, that we may perceive and mark the time of Your coming and instruct them that come after us, to whom we preach the word of Your good news, and whom we set over Your Assembly, that when they hear it they may take heed to themselves and mark the time of Your coming.” And our Lord answered us, saying, “Take heed that no man deceive you, and that you not be doubters and serve other gods. Many will come in My Name, saying, I am the Christ. Do not believe them, neither draw near to them. For the coming of the Son of God will not be plain, but as the lightning that shines from the east to the west, so I will come on the clouds of Heaven with a great host in My majesty; I will come in My majesty with My cross going before My face; I will come in My majesty—shining sevenfold more than the sun—with all My holy ones, My messengers. And My Father will set a crown on My head, that I may judge the quick and the dead and reward every man according to his works. And you, take the likeness thereof from the fig tree: so soon as the shoot thereof has come forth and the twigs grown, the end of the world will come.” And I, Peter, answered and said to Him, “Interpret to me concerning the fig tree, whereby we will perceive it; for throughout all its days the fig tree sends forth shoots, and every year it brings forth its fruit for its master. What, then, does the allegory of the fig tree mean? We do not know it.” And the Master answered and said to me, “Do you not understand that the fig tree is the house of Israel? Even as a man that planted a fig tree in his garden, and it brought forth no fruit. And he sought the fruit thereof many years and when he did not find it, he said to the keeper of his garden: Root up this fig tree [so] that it does not make our ground to be unfruitful. And the gardener said to God: [Allow us] to rid it of weeds and dig the ground around it and water it. If then it does not bear fruit, we will immediately remove its roots out of the garden and plant another in place of it. Have you not understood that the fig tree is the house of Israel? Truly I say to you, when the twigs thereof have sprouted forth in the last days, then pretend Christs will come and awake expectation, saying, I am the Christ that has now come into the world. And when they [(Israel)] will perceive the wickedness of their deeds, they will turn away after them and deny him [whom our fathers praised], even the first Christ whom they crucified and therein sinned a great sin. But this deceiver [(the Antichrist)] is not the Christ. And when they reject him, he will slay with the sword, and there will be many martyrs. Then the twigs of the fig tree—that is, the house of Israel—will shoot forth; many will become martyrs at his hand. Enoch and Elijah will be sent to teach them that this is the deceiver which must come into the world and do signs and wonders to deceive. And therefore, they that die by his hand will be martyrs, and will be reckoned among the good and righteous martyrs who have pleased God in their life.” And He showed me in His right hand the souls of all men, and on the palm of His right hand the image of that which will be accomplished at the last day: and how the righteous and the sinners will be separated, and how they do that are upright in heart, and how the evildoers will be rooted out throughout all ages. We beheld how the sinners wept in great affliction and sorrow, until all that saw it with their eyes wept, whether righteous or messengers, and He Himself also. And I asked Him and said to him, “Lord, permit me to speak Your word concerning the sinners: It were better for them if they had not been created.” And the Savior answered and said to me, “Peter, why do you speak thus, that it were better for them to not have been created? You resist God. You would not have more compassion than He for His image, for He has created them and brought them forth out of not being. Now because you have seen the lamentation which will come on the sinners in the last days, therefore your heart is troubled; but I will show you their works, whereby they have sinned against the Most High. Now behold what will come on them in the last days, when the Day of God and the Day of the decision of the judgment of God comes. From the east to the west all the children of men will be gathered together before My Father that lives forever. And He will command Hades to open its bars of adamant and give up all that is therein. And He will command the wild beasts and the birds to restore all the flesh that they have devoured, because He wills that men should appear; for nothing perishes before God, and nothing is impossible with Him, because all things are His. For all things come to pass on the day of decision, on the Day of Judgment, at the word of God: and as all things were done when He created the world and commanded all that is therein, and it was done—even so will it be in the last days; for all things are possible with God. And, therefore, He says in the Writing: Son of man, prophesy on the several bones and say to the bones: Bone to bone, in joints, sinew, nerves, flesh, and skin, and hair thereon, [[and soul, and spirit]]. And the great Uriel will give them soul and spirit at the command of God; for God has set him over the rising again of the dead at the Day of Judgment. Behold and consider the corns of wheat that are sown in the earth. As things dry and men sow them in the earth without soul, so they live again and bear fruit, and the earth restores them as a pledge entrusted to it. [[And this that dies, that is sown as seed in the earth, and will become alive and be restored to life, is man.]] How much more will God raise up on the Day of Decision them that believe in Him and are chosen of Him, for whose sake He made the world? And the earth will restore all things on the Day of Decision, for it will also be judged with them, and the Heaven with it. And at the Day of Judgment this will come on them that have fallen away from faith in God and that have committed sin: floods of fire will be let loose, and darkness and obscurity will come up and clothe and veil the whole world, and the waters will be changed and turned into coals of fire, and all that is in them will burn, and the sea will become fire. Under the sky will be a sharp fire that cannot be quenched, and [it] flows to fulfill the judgment of wrath. And the stars will fly in pieces by flames of fire, as if they had not been created, and the powers [[or expanses]] of the heavens will pass away for lack of water and will be as though they had not been. And the lightnings of the sky will no longer be, and by their enchantment they will frighten the world [[or The sky will turn to lightning and the lightnings thereof will frighten the world. The spirits of the dead bodies will also be like to them]] and will become fire at the command of God. And so soon as the whole creation dissolves, the men that are in the east will flee to the west, [and those in the west] to the east; they that are in the south will flee to the north, and they that are in the [north to the] south. And in all places the wrath of a fearful fire will overtake them, and an unquenchable flame driving them will bring them to the judgment of wrath, to the stream of unquenchable fire that flows, flaming with fire, and when the waves thereof part themselves from one another, burning, there will be a great gnashing of teeth among the children of men. Then they will all behold Me coming on a continuous cloud of brightness—and the messengers of God that are with Me. And I will sit on the throne of My glory at the right hand of My heavenly Father; and He will set a crown on My head. And when the nations behold it, they will weep, every nation apart. Then He will command them to enter into the river of fire while the works of each of them will stand before them—to every man according to his deeds. As for the chosen ones that have done good, they will come to Me and not see death by the devouring fire. But the unrighteous, the sinners, and the hypocrites will stand in the depths of darkness that will not pass away, and their discipline is the fire, and messengers bring forward their sins and prepare for them a place wherein they will be punished agelong [[everyone according to his transgression]]. Uriel, the messenger of God, will bring forth the souls of those sinners who perished in the flood, and of all that dwelt in all idols, in every molten image, in every [object of] love, and in pictures, and of those that dwelt on all hills, and in stones, and by the wayside, whom men called gods: they will burn them with them in continuous fire; and after that, all of them—with their dwelling places—are destroyed. They will be punished agelong.”
“Then men and women will come to the place prepared for them. By their tongues with which they have blasphemed the way of righteousness they will be hanged up. There is spread under them unquenchable fire, and they do not escape it. Behold, another place: therein is a pit, great and full. In it are they that have denied righteousness; and messengers of punishment punish them and there they kindle on them the fire of their torment. And again, behold—women: they hang them up by their neck and by their hair; they will cast them into the pit. These are they which plaited their hair, not for good [[or not to make them beautiful]] but to turn them to fornication, that they might ensnare the souls of men to perdition. And the men that lay with them in fornication will be hung by their loins in that place of fire; and they will say to one another: We did not know that we should come to continuous punishment. And the murderers and them that have made common cause with them they will cast into the fire, in a place full of venomous beasts, and they will be tormented without rest, feeling their pains; and their worms will be as many in number as a dark cloud. And the messenger Azrael will bring forth the souls of them that have been slain, and they will behold the torment of them that slew them, and say to one another: Righteousness and justice is the judgment of God. For we heard, but we did not believe, that we should come into this place of continuous judgment. And near by this flame will be a great and very deep pit, and into it flows from above all manner of torment, foulness, and issue. And women are swallowed up therein up to their necks and tormented with great pain. These are they that have caused their children to be born untimely and have corrupted the work of God that created them. Over against them will be another place where their children sit alive, and they cry to God. And lightnings go forth from those children and pierce the eyes of them that for fornication’s sake have caused their destruction. Other men and women will stand above them, naked; and their children stand over against them in a place of delight, and sigh and cry to God because of their parents, saying, These are they that have despised, and cursed, and transgressed Your commands and delivered us to death: they have cursed the messenger that formed us, and have hanged us up, and withheld from us the light which You have given to all creatures. And the milk of their mothers flowing from their breasts will congeal, and from it will come beasts devouring flesh, which will come forth, and turn, and torment them agelong with their husbands, because they forsook the commands of God and slew their children. As for their children, they will be delivered to the messenger Temlakos. And they that slew them will be tormented continuously, for God wills it so. Azrael, the messenger of wrath, will bring men and women—the half of their bodies burning—and cast them into a place of darkness, even the Gehenna of men; and a spirit of wrath will punish them with all manner of torment, and a worm that does not sleep will devour their entrails: and these are the persecutors and betrayers of My righteous ones. And beside them that are there, will be other men and women, gnawing their tongues; and they will torment them with red-hot iron and burn their eyes. These are they that slander and doubt of My righteousness. Other men and women whose works were done in deceitfulness will have their lips cut off, and fire enters into their mouth and their entrails. These are the false witnesses [[or these are they that caused the martyrs to die by their lying]]. And beside them, in a place near at hand, on the stone will be a pillar of fire, and the pillar is sharper than swords. And there will be men and women clad in rags and filthy garments, and they will be cast thereon, to suffer the judgment of a torment that does not cease: these are they that trusted in their riches and despised the widows and the woman with fatherless children . . . before God. And into another place hard by, full of filth, they cast men and women up to the knees. These are they that lent money and took usury. And other men and women cast themselves down from a high place and return again and run, and devils drive them. And they put them to the end of their wits, and they cast themselves down. And thus they do continually, and are tormented continuously. These are they which have cut their flesh as [apostles] of a man: and the women that were with them . . . and these are the men that defiled themselves together as women. And beside them will be a brazier, and beneath them the messenger Azrael will prepare a place of much fire: and all the idols of gold and silver, all idols, the work of men’s hands, and the semblances of images of cats and lions, of creeping things and wild beasts, and the men and women that have prepared the images thereof, will be in chains of fire and will be punished because of their error before the idols, and this is their judgment forever. And beside them will be other men and women, burning in the fire of the judgment, and their torment is continuous. These are they that have forsaken the command of God and followed the persuasions of devils.”
“And there will be another place—very high. [[There will be a furnace and a brazier wherein fire will burn. The fire that will burn will come from one end of the brazier.]] The men and women whose feet slip will go rolling down into a place where fear is. And again, while the fire that is prepared flows, they mount up, and fall down again, and continue to roll down. Thus they will be tormented continuously. These are they that did not honor their father and mother, and of their own accord withheld themselves from them. Therefore, they will be punished continuously. Furthermore, the messenger Azrael will bring children and maidens to show them those that are tormented. They will be punished with pains, with hanging up, and with a multitude of wounds which flesh-devouring birds will inflict on them. These are they that boast themselves in their sins, and do not obey their parents, and do not follow the instruction of their fathers, and do not honor them that are more aged than they. Beside them will be girls clad in darkness for a garment and they will be severely punished, and their flesh will be torn in pieces. These are they that did not keep their virginity until they were given in marriage, and with these torments they will be punished, and will feel them. And again, other men and women, gnawing their tongues without ceasing, and being tormented with continuous fire—these are the servants which were not obedient to their masters; and this then is their continuous judgment. And hard by this place of torment will be men and women mute and blind, whose raiment is white. They will crowd on one another and fall on coals of unquenchable fire. These are they that give alms and say, We are righteous before God, whereas they have not sought after righteousness. Azrael, the messenger of God, will bring them forth out of this fire and establish a judgment of decision. This then is their judgment: a river of fire will flow and all [those in] judgment will be drawn down into the middle of the river. And Uriel will set them there. And there are wheels of fire and men and women hung thereon by the strength of the whirling thereof. And they that are in the pit will burn: now these are the sorcerers and sorceresses. Those wheels will be in a decision by fire without number. Thereafter the messengers will bring My chosen ones and righteous which are perfect in all uprightness, and bear them in their hands, and clothe them with the raiment of the life that is above. They will see their desire on them that hated them, when he punishes them, and the torment of everyone will be continuous according to his works. And all they that are in torment will say with one voice: Have mercy on us, for now we know the judgment of God, which He declared to us formerly, and we did not believe. And the messenger Tatirokos will come and punish them with yet greater torment, and say to them: Now do you convert, when it is no longer the time for conversion, and nothing of life remains. And they will say: The judgment of God is righteous, for we have heard and perceived that His judgment is good; for we are repaid according to our deeds. Then I will give to My chosen ones and righteous the immersion and the salvation for which they have implored Me, in the field of Acherusa [[or Elysium]]. They will adorn the portion of the righteous with flowers, and I will go . . . I will rejoice with them. I will cause the peoples to enter into My continuous Kingdom and show them that continuous thing [[or life]] whereon I have made them to set their hope, even I and My Father which is in Heaven. I have spoken this to you, Peter, and declared it to you. Therefore, go forth and go to the land [[or city]] of the west. [[And enter into the vineyard which I will tell you of, in order that by the sufferings of the Son who is without sin the deeds of corruption may be sanctified. As for you, you are chosen according to the promise which I have given you. Therefore, spread My good news throughout all the world in peace. Truly men will rejoice: My words will be the source of hope and of life, and suddenly the world will be ravished.]]”
1 And my Lord Jesus Christ our King said to me, “Let us go to the holy mountain.” And His disciples went with Him, praying. And behold, there were two men there, and we could not look on their faces, for a light came from them, shining more than the sun, and their raiment was also shining, and cannot be described, and nothing is sufficient to be compared to them in this world. And the sweetness of them . . . that no mouth is able to utter the beauty of their appearance, for their aspect was astonishing and wonderful. And the other, great, I say, shines in his aspect above crystal. Like the flower of roses is the appearance of the color of his aspect and of his body. Their head was a marvel. And on his [[or their]] shoulders and on their foreheads was a crown of nard woven of fair flowers. As the rainbow in the water [[or in the time of rain]], so was their hair. And such was the comeliness of their countenance, adorned with all manner of ornament. And when we saw them all of a sudden, we marveled. And I drew near to the Lord Jesus Christ and said to Him, “O my Lord, who are these?” And He said to me, “They are Moses and Elijah.” And I said to Him, “[What about] Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the rest of the righteous fathers?” And He showed us a great garden, open, full of fair trees and blessed fruits, and of the fragrance of perfumes. The fragrance thereof was pleasant and came even to us. And thereof I saw much fruit. And my Lord and God Jesus Christ said to me, “Have you seen the companies of the fathers? 2 As is their rest, such also is the honor and the glory of them that are persecuted for My righteousness’ sake.” And I rejoiced, and believed, and understood that which is written in the scroll of my Lord Jesus Christ. And I said to Him, “O my Lord, will You that I make three shelters here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah?” And He said to me in wrath: “Satan makes war against you and has veiled your understanding; and the good things of this world prevail against you. Your eyes, therefore, must be opened and your ears unstopped that [you may perceive] a dwelling place not made with men’s hands, which My heavenly Father has made for Me and for the chosen ones.” And we beheld it and were full of gladness. 3 And behold, suddenly there came a voice from Heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” And then came a great and exceeding white cloud over our heads and carried away our Lord, and Moses, and Elijah. And I trembled and was afraid: and we looked up and the sky opened, and we beheld men in the flesh, and they came and greeted our Lord, and Moses, and Elijah and went into another heaven. And the word of the Writing was fulfilled: “This is the generation that seeks Him and seeks the face of the God of Jacob.” And great fear and commotion was there in Heaven and the messengers pressed on one another that the word of the Writing might be fulfilled which says: “Open the gates, you princes.” 4 Thereafter the sky that had been open was shut. 5 And we prayed and went down from the mountain, glorifying God, who has written the names of the righteous in Heaven in the Scroll of Life.