Lost scriptures: books that did not make it into the New Testament (50 page)

forbid!

may hand them over to him in the same

5
For to do such a thing means to act

way as Moses handed over his office of

contrary to the law of God which was

a teacher to the seventy.

made known by Moses and was con

3
Wherefore also the fruit of his caufirmed by our Lord in its everlasting contion is to be seen up to this day. For those tinuance. For he said: “The heaven and

who belong to his people preserve everythe earth will pass away, but one jot or where the same rule in their belief in the

one title shall not pass away from the

one God and in their line of conduct, the

law.”3

Scriptures with their many senses being

6
This he said that everything might

unable to incline them to assume another

come to pass. But those persons who, I

attitude.

know not how, allege that they are at

4
Rather they attempt, on the basis of

home in my thoughts wish to expound

the rule that has been handed down to

the words which they have heard of me

them, to harmonise the contradictions of

better than I myself who spoke them. To

the Scriptures, if haply some one who

those whom they instruct they say that

does not know the traditions is perplexed

this is my opinion, to which indeed I

by the ambiguous utterances of the

never gave a thought.

prophets.

7
But if they falsely assert such a thing

5
On this account they permit no one

while I am still alive, how much more

to teach unless he first learn how the

after my death will those who come later

Scriptures should be used. Wherefore

venture to do so?

there obtain amongst them one God, one

law, and one hope.

In order now that such a thing may

3 not happen I earnestly beseech you

In order now that the same may

not to pass on the books of my preachings

2 also take place among us, hand which I send you to any one of our own over the books of my preachings in the

tribe or to any foreigner before probation,

same mysterious way to our seventy

but if some one is examined and found

brethren that they may prepare those who

are candidates for positions as teachers.

2
For if we do not proceed in this way,

our word of truth will be split into many

options. This I do not know as a prophet,

3Matt 24:35; 5:18.

THE “LETTER OF PETER TO JAMES” AND ITS “RECEPTION”

193

to be worthy, let them then be handed

generation, to the end that we might sin

over in the way

no more.

2
in which Moses handed over his office of a teacher to the seventy, in order And let him say: ‘As witness I in2

that they may preserve the dogmas and

voke heaven, earth, and water, in

extend farther the rule of the truth, interwhich everything is comprehended, and preting everything in accordance with

also in addition the all-pervading air,

our tradition and not being dragged into

without which I am unable to breathe,

error through ignorance and uncertainty

that I shall always be obedient to him

in their minds to bring others into the like

who hands over to me the books of the

pit of destruction.

preachings and shall not pass on to any

3
What seems to me to be necessary I

one in any way the books which he may

have now indicated to you. And what

give to me, that I shall neither copy them

you, my lord, deem to be right, do you

nor give a copy of them nor allow them

carry fittingly into effect. Farewell.

to come into the hands of a copyist, neither shall I myself do this nor shall I do it through another, and not in any other

The
Reception
of
the
Letter

way, through cunning or tricks, through

keeping them carelessly, through depos1 Now when James had read the iting them with another or through unepistle he called the elders toderhand agreement, nor in any other gether, read it to them and said: “As is

manner or by means of any other artifice

necessary and proper, our Peter had

will I pass them on to a third party.

called our attention to the fact that we

2
Only if I have proved someone to be

must be cautious in the matter of the

worthy—proving him as I myself have

truth, that we should pass on the books

been proved, or even more, in no case

of his preachings that have been forfor less than six years—if he is a religious warded to us not indiscriminately, but

and good candidate for the position of a

only to a good and religious candidate

teacher, I will hand them over to him as

for the position of a teacher, a man who

I have received them and certainly in

as one who has been circumcised is a

agreement with my bishop.

believing Christian, and indeed that we

should not pass on all the books to him

Otherwise, though he be either my

3

at once, so that, if he shows indiscretion

son or a brother or a friend or any

in handling the first, he may not be enother relation, if he is unworthy, I shall trusted with the others.

keep information away from him since it

2
He ought therefore to be proved for

does not befit him.

not less than six years. Thereafter, ac

2
I shall allow myself neither to be

cording to the way of Moses, let him be

frightened by persecutions nor to be debrought to a river or a fountain where ceived by gifts. And even if I should ever

there is living water and the regeneration

come to the conviction that the books of

of the righteous takes place; not that he

the preachings which have been handed

may swear, for that is not permitted, but

to me do not contain the truth, then also

he should be enjoined to stand by the

I shall not pass them on but shall hand

water and to vow, as we also ourselves

them back.

were made to do at the time of our re

3
When I am on a journey, I shall carry

194

NON-CANONICAL EPISTLES AND RELATED WRITINGS

with me all the books that are in my

whether he now is or is not, that I shall

possession. And if I purpose not to take

not proceed otherwise. In addition to all

them with me, I shall not leave them

that, if I am false to my word, I shall be

behind in my house, but shall consign

accursed living and dead and suffer eterthem to the care of my bishop, who is of nal punishment.’ And thereupon let him

the same faith and of like extraction.

partake of bread and salt with him who

4
If I am sick and see death before me,

hands over the books to him.”

I shall, if I am childless, proceed in the

5
When James had said this, the elders

same way. I shall do the like if at the

were pale with fright. Accordingly, obtime of my death my son is not worthy serving that they feared greatly, James

or is not yet of age. I shall deposit the

said, “Hear me, brethren and fellow-

books with my bishop that if, when my

servants.

son has come of age, he should prove to

2
If we pass on the books to all without

be worthy of the trust that he may hand

discrimination and if they are falsified by

them over to him as a father’s legacy

audacious people and are spoiled by in-

according to the terms of the vow.

terpretations—as indeed you have heard

that some have already done—then it will

And that I shall proceed in this

4

come to pass that even those who earway, I again invoke as witnesses nestly seek the truth will always be led

heaven, earth, and water, in which everyinto error.

thing is comprehended, and also in ad

3
On this account it is better that we

dition the all-pervading air without which

keep the books and, as we have said, hand

I am unable to breathe: I shall be obedient

them with all caution only to those who

to him who hands over to me the books

wish to live and to save others. But if any

of the preachings, I shall keep them in

one, after that he has made such a vow,

every respect as I have vowed and even

does not adhere to it, then will he rightly

beyond that.

suffer eternal punishment.

2
If now I observe the agreements, then

4
For why should he not go to ruin

will my portion be with the saints; but if

who has been guilty of the corruption of

I act against my vow, then may the uniothers?” Then were the elders pleased verse and the all-pervading ether and

with James’s conclusion and said,

God, who is over all and is mightier and

“Praised be he who has foreseen all

more exalted than any other, be hostile

things and destined you to be our bishop.”

to me.

And when they had said this, we rose up

3
And if even I should come to believe

and prayed to God the Father of all, to

in another god, then I swear also by him,

whom be glory forever. Amen

The Homilies of Clement

The “Homilies of Clement” is an example of a pseudonymous Christian writing produced in the name of a famous person living after the apostles: Clement, thought to be the third bishop of Rome at the end of the first century (for other examples, see 1 Clement and 2 Clement, pp. 167, 185).1

The Homilies consist of twenty legendary discourses allegedly delivered by Clement in Rome and sent to James the brother of Jesus and leader of the church in Jerusalem. In these discourses Clement narrates his family background, his search for truth, and, principally, his travels to the East, where he meets the apostle Simon Peter, whom he then accompanies, observing his words, deeds, and controversies.

As the following excerpts show, the Homilies embrace a Jewish-Christian perspective.2 Peter is shown to be the chief apostle, bearer of Christ’s power and leader of Christ’s church; he claims ascendancy over his arch-rival, the magician Simon Magus, whom scholars often understand to be a thinly veiled cipher for the apostle Paul in this text, who is attacked for his view that salvation can come apart from the Jewish Law. Not so for this author, who stands within the Jewish-Christian tradition that saw the ongoing importance of the Law of Moses for salvation.3

The author tries to show Peter’s (Jewish-Christian) understanding of the Gospel to be superior to Paul’s in a number of ways. In one section in particular, Peter is said to have developed the notion that in the plan of God for humans, the lesser always precedes the greater. And so, Adam had two sons, the murderer Cain and the righteous Abel; two also sprang from Abraham, the outcast Ishmael and the chosen one Isaac; and from Isaac came the godless Esau and the godly Jacob. Bringing matters down to more recent times, there were two that appeared on the Gentile mission field, Simon (� Paul) and Peter, who was, of course, the greater of the two, “who 1For more detail, see Ehrman,
Lost
Christianities
, 182–85. 2See also the “Letter of Peter to James and its Reception”; this letter served as an introduction to the Homilies. 3On Jewish-Christianity, see further, Ehrman,
Lost
Christianities
, 95–103.

Translation by Georg Strecker, in Wilhelm Schneemelcher,
New
Testament
Apocrypha
, vol. 2 (rev. ed.: Cambridge/Louisville: Lutterworth/Westminister/John Knox, 1991) 504–40; used with permission.

195

196

NON-CANONICAL EPISTLES AND RELATED WRITINGS

appeared later than he did and came in upon him as light upon darkness, as knowledge upon ignorance, as healing upon sickness” (
Homilies
2: 17).

The Homilies are closely related to another surviving work of the third century attributed to Clement, the
Recognitions;
both were evidently based on an earlier legendary account of Clement’s travels that is now lost.

Book
1

3
that every view has its friends and

opponents and counts as true or false

according to the qualification of its ad18 (Peter says to Clement:) The vocate, and in consequence different will of God has fallen into

opinions do not come to light as what

oblivion for many sorts of reasons,

they are, but receive the semblance of

2
above all in consequence of inadeworth or worthlessness from their quate instruction, careless upbringing,