Selections from “The Preachings of Peter” (Selections from Pseudo-Clement, ”Homilies”)

ANONYMOUS
[Messenger of Satan] (ca. 200?)
The Letter of Peter to James

1 Peter to James the lord and bishop of the holy church. By the Father of all things through Jesus Christ (may you be) in peace always.

2 Knowing that you, my brother, eagerly pursue what is of common benefit to us all, I request and implore you not to impart the books of my preachings which I am sending you to any of the Gentiles, nor even to a fellow Jew before he is tested. But if someone, upon examination, is found worthy, then to him you may hand them over, in the same way as Moses handed on (the tradition) to the seventy who succeeded to his chair.

3 Because of this, the fruit of his precaution is apparent until the present. For his fellow nationals everywhere hold to the same rule of monotheism and the same moral constitution, since they cannot be led by the ambiguities of scripture to adopt any other viewpoint.

4 Rather they try to correct the disagreements of the scriptures according to the norm handed down to them, in case anyone who chances not to know the traditions should be shocked by the ambiguous statements of the prophets.

5 For this reason they permit no one to teach until he has learned how the scriptures ought to be used. Thus among them there is one God, one Law, one Hope.

6 In order then that the same situation may obtain among us, hand over the books of my preachings to our seventy brothers with similar secrecy, that they may prepare those who want to take up the office of teacher.

7 Otherwise, if this is not done, our word of truth will be divided into many opinions. It is not as a prophet that I know this; rather I already see the beginning of this evil.

8 For some of those of Gentile origin have rejected my lawful proclamation, accepting rather a lawless and silly teaching of "the enemy."6 9 And even while I am still alive some have undertaken to distort my words, by certain intricate interpretations, into an abolition of the law, as if I myself thought such a thing, but did not preach it openly-God forbid!

10 For to take such a position is to act against the Law of God which was spoken through Moses and whose eternal endurance was attested by our Lord. For he said: "Heaven and earth will pass away; not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law."

11 And he said this, "that everything might come to pass."7 But these people who have my mind at their disposal, I know not how, undertake to interpret the words which they heard from me more intelligently than I who spoke them. They tell those who are taking instruction from them that this is my opinion-something I never dreamed of.

12 if they dare to fabricate this kind of lies while I am still alive, how much more will they dare to do who come after me?

* * *
(Homily II, 16-17)
16
1 As in the beginning God, who is one, created first the heaven, then the earth, like a right and left hand, so he also arranged all the pairs in sequence. In the case of men, however, he no longer does this, but reverses all the pairs.

2 For while from him the first things are better, the second
inferior, in the case of men we find the opposite: the first things are worse, the second better.

3 Thus from Adam, who was made in the image of God, came first the unjust Cain, second the just Abel.

4 Again, from the one whom you call Deucalion symbols of two spirits were sent forth, an impure and a pure, that is the black raven and the white dove second.

5 And from the founder of our nation, Abraham, two different ones8 were born, first Ishmael, then Isaac who was blessed by God.

6 In the same way again two issued from Isaac, Esau the impious and Jacob the pious.

7 Thus in order came first, as firstborn in the world, the High Priest [sc. Aaron], then the Lawgiver [sc. Moses].

17
1 In the same way-for the pair pertaining to Elijah, which ought to come (next), was deliberately postponed until another time, to take it up according to plan at another, appropriate moment --

2 therefore he who is "among those born of women"9 came first, then he who is among the sons of men appeared second.

3 By following this sequence anyone can understand to whom "Simon" [i.e., Paul] belongs, who first went to the Gentiles, before me, and to whom I [sc. Peter] belong, who came after him, appearing as light after darkness, as knowledge after ignorance, as healing after sickness.

4 Thus, as the True Prophet told us, first a false gospel must come through a certain deceiver, and then, after the destruction of the holy place, a true gospel must be propagated secretly in order to rectify the existing heresies.

* * *
(Homily XI, 35, 3-6)

35
3 Our Lord and Prophet who commissioned us explained to us how the evil one, having disputed with him without success for forty days, promised to send apostles from his retinue for the purpose of deception.
4 Therefore remember above all not to receive any apostle or prophet or teacher who has not first presented his gospel to James-who is called the brother of the Lord and to whom the direction of the church of the Hebrews in Jerusalem was entrusted-and comes to you with witnesses.105 Otherwise the wickedness that disputed with the Lord for forty days and could do nothing, and which later "fell like lightning from heaven" to earth,11 would send against you a herald, as now he has sent "Simon" against us, preaching, under pretext of the truth, in the name of our Lord,12 but actually sowing error.

6 For this reason the one who commissioned us said, "Many shall come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves; by their fruits you shall know them."13

* * *
(Homily XVII, 13-19)

13
1 When "Simon" heard this, he interrupted [Peter] to say, "* * *.You assert that you thoroughly understand your teacher's concerns because, in his physical presence, you saw and heard him directly, but no one else could gain such understanding by means of a dream or a vision.

2 But I shall show that this is false. One who hears something directly cannot be quite certain about what was said, for the mind must consider whether, being merely human, he has been deceived by the sense impression. But the vision, by the very act of appearing, presents its own proof to the seer that it is divine. First give me an answer to this.”

14
1 And Peter said, "* * *

3 The prophet, once he has proved that he is a prophet, is infallibly believed in the matters which are directly spoken by him. Also, when his truthfulness has been previously recognized, he can give answers to the disciple, However the latter may wish to examine and interrogate him. But one who puts his trust in a vision or an apparition or dream is in a precarious position, for he does not know what it is he is trusting.

4 For it is possible that it is an evil demon or a deceitful spirit, pretending in the speeches to be what he is not.

5 Then if anyone should wish to inquire who it was who spoke, he could say of himself whatever he chose. Thus, like an evil flash of lightning,14 he stays as long as he chooses and then vanishes, not remaining with the inquirer long enough to answer his questions. * * *"

16
1 And Peter said, "***We know***

2 that many idolaters and adulterers and all kinds of sinners have seen visions and true dreams, while others have seen appearances of demons. For I assert that it is not possible to see the incorporeal form of Father or Son, because mortal eyes are dazzled by the great light.

3 Therefore it is not because God is jealous, but because he is merciful that he remains invisible to flesh-oriented man. For no one who sees can survive.154 For the extraordinary light would dissolve the flesh of the beholder, unless the flesh were changed by the ineffable power of God into the nature of light, so that it could see the light-or unless the light-substance were changed into flesh, so that it could be seen by flesh. For the Son alone is able to see the Father without being transformed. The case of the righteous is different: in the resurrection of the dead, when their bodies, changed into light, become like angels, then they will be able to see. Finally, even if an angel is sent to appear to a man, he is changed into flesh, that he can be Seen by flesh. For no one can see the incorporeal power of the Son or even of an angel. But if someone sees a vision, let him understand this to be an evil demon.

17
1 But it is obvious that impious people also see true visions and dreams, and I can prove it from scripture [The cases of Abimelech (Gen. 20:3 ff.), the Egyptian Pharaoh (Gen. 41), and Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 2) are adduced.] * * *

5 Thus the fact that one sees visions and dreams and apparitions by no means assures that he is a religious person. Father, to the pure and innate religious mind the truth gushes up, not eagerly courted by a dream, but granted to the good by intelligence.

18
1 It was in this way that the Son was revealed to me by the Father. Therefore I know what the nature of revelation is, since I learned it myself. [The following passage discusses Peter's Confession, as recounted in Matt. 16:13-16, then cites Num. 2:6-8.] * * *

6 You see how revelations of anger are through visions and dreams, while those to a friend are 'mouth to mouth,16 by sight and not by puzzles and visions and dreams, as they are to an enemy.

19
1 So even if our Jesus did appear in a dream to you, making himself known and conversing with you, he did so in anger, speaking to an opponent. That is why he spoke to you through visions and dreams-through revelations which are external.

2 But can anyone be qualified by a vision to become a teacher? And if you say it is possible, then why did the Teacher remain for a whole year conversing with those who were awake?

3 How can we believe even your statement that he appeared to you? How could he have appeared to you, when your opinions are opposed to his teaching?

4 No, if you were visited and taught by him for a single hour and thus became an apostle, proclaim his utterances, interpret his teachings, love his apostles-and do not strive against me, who was his companion. For you have 'opposed' me,17 the firm Rock, foundation of the church.185 If you were not an enemy, you would not slander me and disparage what is preached by me, as if I were obviously 'condemned'19 and you were approved.

6 If you call me 'condemned,' you are accusing God who revealed the Christ to me, and are opposing the one who blessed me because of the revelation.

7 Rather, if you really want to work together for the truth, first learn from us what we learned from him. Then, having become a disciple of the truth, become our fellow-worker."

Notes6. "The enemy," lit., "the hostile man"; the phrase is probably suggested by Matt. 13:25, 28. As Recog. 1, 71:3 (below) makes plain, Paul was meant in the original version of The Preachings.

7. Cf. Matt. 5:18, where however the last clause reads "until everything comes to pass."

8. Accepting Wieseler's emendation; the text reads "two first."

9. Cf. Matt. 11.11 = Luke 7.28.

10. So the Greek; the parallel passage in the Recognitions reads "testimonials." The Recognitions passage adds, in a sentence that may well go back to the original Kerygmata, a comparison of the twelve apostles with the twelve months of the year, thus tacitly declaring any "thirteenth" claimant to apostolicity, such as Paul, to be inauthentic.

11. Luke 10:18; probably understood here as an allusion to Paul's Damascus vision: see Acts 9:3 and below, Hom. XVII, 14,5.

12. This phrase shows that Simon Magus could not have been meant by the original Kerygmata, for Simon, who regarded himself as a manifestation of the Supreme Power, did not preach "in the name of (the) Lord."

13. Matt. 7:15 f.

14. This may be another allusion to Acts 9:3; see above, Hom. XI, 35, 5.

15.Cf. Exod. 33:20.

16. Exod. 33:11; Num. 12:8; Deut. 34:10.

17. Cf. Gal. 2: 11.

18. Cf. Matt. 16:18.

19. Gal. 2: 11.