Saturday, June 8, 2019

Verse 39 of the Martyrdom of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul being an Interpolation to Bolster Petrine and Roman Primacy


In their book, The See of Peter, James Shotwell and Louise Loomis discuss the Martyrdom of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, a document dating from the fourth to fifth century and one that “represent the orthodox response to the first Judaistic or Gnostic accounts of the labors and death of the apostle Peter” (James T. Shotwell and Louise Rope Loomis, The See of Peter [New York: Octagon Books, 1965, 168). In verse 39 of the Latin text, we read of Nero’s questioning of Peter:

Nero said: “What say you, Peter”? He answered and said, “All that Paul has said is true. For during many years I have received letters from our bishops, who are in all the Roman world, and the bishops of almost every city have written me of his deeds and words . . . “ (Ibid., 174)

Interestingly, this is a later interpolation to the text in an attempt to bolster claims to Petrine Primacy, and as a result, the primacy of the See of Rome:

This sentence is in the Latin version but not in the Greek. The Roman translator aims to make Peter out as already the head and center of an established system of bishoprics, covering “all the Roman world.” As the head, he vouches for Paul. (Ibid., 174 n. 115)