The early church wavered on whether or not the Gospel of Peter could be used in church services. Discuss ways that the Gospel could be read as "orthodox" and ways that it could reflect a docetic Christology.

Question

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The Answer is The Gospel of Peter was popular in parts of Syria, and the bishop of Antioch, Serapion, approved its use in worship. As discussed in the response to essay question 2, Peter has many similarities to the New Testament Gospels, in particular to Matthew. These similarities may have influenced Serapion's opinion. Other early Christian leaders, though, thought that the Gospel could be interpreted as docetic: at his crucifixion, Jesus "was silent as if he had no pain" and cried out, "My power, my power, you have left me." After this, the Gospel says that he was taken up, though his body remained on the cross. Some docetists believed that the divine Christ entered into, and then left, the human Jesus. The Gospel of Peter may reflect this type of docetism.

The Early Church Wavered on Whether or Not the Gospel