Receiving apostles, rejecting forgeries, and the mixed gospel of Peter

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Serapion, bishop of Antioch, opens his letter to the church at Rhossus by stating the principle that he and the church receive the apostles as Christ but reject writings falsely attributed to them, then recounts his earlier permission and his later discovery of heresy and of additions in the gospel attributed to Peter.

For we, brothers and sisters, receive Peter and the other apostles as we receive Christ, but as people with experience we reject the forgeries written in their name, knowing that we did not receive such things. When I was with you, I was supposing that all of you were conducting yourselves in right faith, and without examining the gospel they were putting forward under Peter's name, I said, "If this is the only thing that seems to cause you smallness of soul, let it be read." But now, having learned from what was told to me that their mind was harboring some heresy, I will make haste to come to you again. So, brothers and sisters, expect me soon.

But we, brothers and sisters, having grasped what kind of heresy Marcion belonged to—he who was even contradicting himself, not understanding what he was saying, as you will learn from what has been written to you—we were able, from others who had studied this very gospel, that is, from the successors of those who originated it, whom we call Docetists (for most of their thoughts come from that teaching), to borrow it from them and go through it, and to find that most of it agrees with the true teaching of the Savior, but some things have been added, which we have also listed for you.

Greek

Ἡμεῖς γὰρ, ἀδελφοί, καὶ Πέτρον καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἀποστόλους ἀποδεχόμεθα ὡς Χριστόν· τὰ δὲ ὀνόματι αὐτῶν ψευδεπίγραφα ὡς ἔμπειροι παραιτούμεθα, γινώσκοντες ὅτι τὰ τοιαῦτα οὐ παρελάβομεν. ἐγὼ γὰρ γενόμενος παρ᾽ ὑμῖν ὑπενόουν τοὺς πάντας ὀρθῇ πίστει προσφέρεσθαι, καὶ μὴ διελθὼν τὸ ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν προφερόμενον ὀνόματι Πέτρου εὐαγγέλιον εἶπον ὅτι εἰ τοῦτό ἐστι μόνον τὸ δοκοῦν ὑμῖν παρέχειν μικροψυχίαν, ἀναγινωσκέσθω· νῦν δὲ μαθὼν ὅτι αἱρέσει τινὶ ὁ νοῦς αὐτῶν ἐνεφώλευεν ἐκ τῶν λεχθέντων μοι, σπουδάσω πάλιν γενέσθαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς· ὥστε, ἀδελφοί, προσδοκᾶτέ με ἐν τάχει. ἡμεῖς δὲ, ἀδελφοί, καταλαβόμενοι ὁποίας ἦν αἱρέσεως ὁ Μαρκιανός, ὃς καὶ ἑαυτῷ ἠναντιοῦτο μὴ νοῶν ἃ ἐλάλει, ἃ μαθήσεσθε ἐξ ὧν ὑμῖν ἐγράφη. ἐδυνήθημεν γὰρ παρ᾽ ἄλλων τῶν ἀσκησάντων αὐτὸ τοῦτο τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, τουτέστι παρὰ τῶν διαδόχων τῶν καταρξαμένων αὐτοῦ, οὓς Δοκητὰς καλοῦμεν (τὰ γὰρ φρονήματα τὰ πλείονα ἐκείνων ἐστὶ τῆς διδασκαλίας), χρησάμενοι παρ᾽ αὐτῶν διελθεῖν καὶ εὑρεῖν τὰ μὲν πλείονα τοῦ ὀρθοῦ λόγου τοῦ Σωτῆρος, τινὰ δὲ προσδιεσταλμένα, ἃ καὶ ὑπετάξαμεν ὑμῖν.

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About this text

Serapion of Antioch, on the so-called Gospel of Peter: the surviving fragment, quoted by Eusebius.

Serapion of Antioch (fl. c. 190–211) wrote this letter to the church at Rhossus, a Christian community in Syria. He was the eighth bishop of Antioch and served as a pastor concerned with the sound teaching of the churches under his care. He wrote to correct an earlier decision he had made during a visit to Rhossus, when he had allowed the community to read a gospel attributed to the apostle Peter.

The occasion for the letter was Serapion's discovery that the gospel being read at Rhossus was being used to support Docetic teaching, which denied the true humanity of Christ. He had initially assumed the church held right faith and had permitted the reading. After learning that the community's mind was harboring heresy, he now writes to set matters right and announces his plan to return to them soon. He explains that he obtained the gospel from the successors of those who had originated it, whom he calls Docetists, and found that most of it agrees with the true teaching of the Savior, but some things have been added.

A reader should know that Serapion distinguishes between the apostles themselves, whom he and the church receive as they receive Christ, and writings falsely attributed to them, which he calls forgeries. The letter refers to another document written to the Rhossus community, but its contents are unknown.

Printed text used

Translated from Greek Gospel of Peter (Greek)
Translated from Reliquiae Sacrae (Routh 1846) DjVu machine-read text (Greek/Latin)
Also checked Eusebius HE 6.12 (Greek)

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