Sources and Influences

Klauck argues that the redactor of the Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles was well-acquainted with New Testament traditions, although in a form that differs from modern Scriptures (Klauck, “The Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles,” 181–92). The story of the pearl reflects the parable of the pearl in Matt 13:45–46, but also that of logion 76 of the Gospel of Thomas. Sell argues that Lithargoel/Jesus’ “I am” statement indicates a connection to Peter’s confession in Matt 16:13–19—particularly since Peter is the instrument by which Jesus reveals his identity (Sell, “Simon Peter’s ‘Confession’ and the Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles,” 344–356). The text also describes a young disciple at Lithargoel’s side who may be Paul.

Molinari argues that the closest parallels to the text lie in Valentinian sources such as the Tripartite Tractate, rather than in the New Testament. He proposes the missing lines of the introduction would have narrated the pre-existent souls of the apostles entering bodies and beginning their journey to the world (see Molinari, The Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles). This is plausible only if a gnostic reading is assumed. Nothing within the tractate itself requires the reader to identify it as gnostic. Furthermore, Codex VI also includes non-gnostic material, including Plato and Hermetic texts. If the work is not gnostic, it more likely had a simple introduction that presented the text’s setting and purpose (see Parrott, “The Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles,” 289).

Molinari conjectures that the text is composed from two sources:

1. A tale of the pearl merchant (1.1–9.1)

2. A resurrection appearance story (9.2–29)

In this view, the final pages are the narrator’s theological explanation (9.30–12.19).