Martyrdom of Blessed Peter the Apostle by Pseudo-Linus

Martyrium beati Petri apostoli a Lino episcopo conscriptum

Standard abbreviation: Lin. Mart. Pet.

Other titles: none

Clavis numbers: ECCA 573; CANT 191

Category: Apocryphal Acts

Compiled by Amanda Campbell (York University) under the supervision of Tony Burke, York University

Citing this resource (using Chicago Manual of Style): Campbell, Amanda. “Martyrdom of Blessed Peter the Apostle by Pseudo-Linus.” e-Clavis: Christian Apocrypha. Accessed DAY MONTH YEAR. https://www.nasscal.com/e-clavis-christian-apocrypha/martyrdom-of-blessed-peter-the-apostle-by-pseudo-linus/.

Created May 2018. Current as of January 2024.

1. SUMMARY

Lin. Mart. Pet. is a Latin revision of the Greek Martyrdom of Peter. The text is ascribed to Linus, noted as a successor of Peter as bishop of Rome in some accounts. The text covers several events leading up to his death and martyrdom. The narrative begins by introducing Peter’s teachings on the grace of charity and most importantly chastity. These teachings resonated with many women from different ages and social status across Rome; even Roman matrons. When Peter is placed in the Mamertine prison by Nero for his teachings on chastity, he is frequently visited by noble women of Roman, including four mistresses of the prefect Agrippa: Agrippina, Eucharia, Eufemia, and Dionis. Upon hearing his teachings about chastity the four women vow to devote themselves to Christ and no longer agree to share Agrippa’s bed. Xanthippe, wife of Albinus, also frequents Peter for his teachings on chastity; she too vows to remain chaste, and refuses every pleasure in her way of life.

When Agrippa and Albinus hear of this news they become enraged and together plot against Peter. Xanthippe overhears her husband and Agrippa speaking of their plans and warns Peter to leave Rome. She also reveals her husband’s conspiracies to a disciple of Peter named Marcellus and other followers. Marcellus and Peter engage in a dialogue in which Marcellus begs Peter to leave, and Peter explains why he must stay. Even the guards, Processus and Martinianus, who watch over Peter, had grown fond of his teachings and wanted Peter to flee Rome. Convinced, Peter readies himself to flee Rome but before he exits the gates of the city he sees Christ. Christ tells Peter he is on his way to be crucified again which Peter interprets as a message to stay in Rome and face his conviction in the name of the Lord.

Peter is seized by the solider Hieros and taken in front of Agrippa where he is sentenced to crucifixion. Devastated, Peter’s followers begin to rage against Agrippa and are on the brink of a riot. Peter calms the crowd to avoid a riot and is taken to his crucifixion site at a place called Naumachia. Feeling himself unworthy of a typical crucifixion, Peter requests for his head to be placed downwards. While on the cross Peter preaches a very lengthy sermon, then he takes his last breath and Marcellus immediately embalms him.

When Nero hears of Peter’s death he becomes enraged in his lost opportunity to fulfill his own plans to execute Peter and turns his rage on Peter’s followers. Peter appears in a vision to the people to warn them of Nero and also to Nero to scold him for bringing any harm to Peter’s followers. Frightened, Nero does nothing to the people and they rejoice together in worship.

Named Historical Figures and Characters: Agrippa (prefect), Agrippina, Albinus, Dionis, Eucharia, Eufemia (wife of Agrippa, Hieros, Jesus Christ, Marcellus (son of Marcus), Martinianus, Nero, Paulinus, Peter (apostle), Processus, Simon (Magus), Xanthippe (wife of Albinus).

Geographical Locations: Rome, Mamertine, Naumachia.

2. RESOURCES

2.1 Art and Iconography

Catacomb of Callixtus (Appian Way, Rome; ca. 4th cent.): includes a depiction of the water miracle of Peter.

Catacomb of Thecla (Ostian Road; ca. 4th cent.): located near the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls on the Ostian Road, this catacomb receives its name because it may be the location of a church and tomb of Thecla mentioned at the end of some Greek manuscripts of the Acts of Paul and Thecla. Among the images in the fresco is a depiction of the water miracle of Peter.

Ivory Plaques with Apostle Scenes: an ivory panel from a fifth-century casket or relic box includes a depiction of the water miracle of Peter.

Jonah Sarcophagus (Museo Pio Cristiano, Vatican City; ca. 290 CE): includes a depiction of the water miracle of Peter.

Lamp with Water Miracle of Peter (ca. end 4th cent.).

Sarcophagus of Marcus Claudianus (Museo Nazionale Romano al Palazzo Massimo, Rome; 4th cent.): includes a depiction of the water miracle of Peter.

3. BIBLIOGRAPHY

3.1 Manuscripts and Editions

3.1.1 Latin (BHL 6655)

The edition by Lipsius is based on seven manuscripts:

A Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, lat. 9737 (suppl. l. 1674), fols. 70^r–77^v (12th cent.)

B Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, lat. 12602 (Sangerman. 491 olim 473), fols. 6^r–12 (12th cent.)

C Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, lat. 12611 (Sangerm. 498 olim 470), fols. 145^r–151^v (12th cent.)

D Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, lat. 12615 (olim. Corbei. postea Sangerm. 490), fols. 10^r–17^v (12th/13th cent.)

E Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, lat. 5273 (olim D. D. de Bethune Reg. 3858, 2850), fols. 8^r–13^v (13th cent.)

G London, British Library, Add. 9959, fol. 25^r (12th cent.)

H Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Barb. lat. XXXIII 118 (perhaps Barb. Lat. 2598, fols. 101^r–110^r (17th cent.)

L London, British Library, Arundel 169, fol. 2^r (12th cent.) ~ CATALOG

Lipsius lists several additional manuscripts that he had not consulted but are used by Salonius:

M Brussell, Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique, 5519-26 (van den Gheyn 3170), fols. 54^v–59^r (12th cent.)

N Brussels, Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique, 7482, fols. 225–229 (13th cent.)

P Brussells, Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique, 9742, fols. 2^v–6^v (12th cent.)

R Brussells, Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique, 11550-1155, fols. 94^r–97^r (13th cent.)

T Liège, Université de Liège, 57, fol. 24^r–27^v (1366)

Poupon’s unpublished 1975 dissertation draws on the MSS used by Lipsius and Salonius, and an additional 12. All 22 form the basis of his French translation in EAC.

I Arras, Bibliothèque municipale, 600 (512) fols. 124^r–127^r (13th cent.) ~ BVMM

J Arras, Bibliothèque municipale, 344 (961) fols. 61^v–62^v (14th cent.) ~ BVMM

K Arras, Bibliothèque municipale, 813 (24) fols. 115^r–118^v (12th cent.)

O Avranches, Bibliothèque municipale, 231, fols. 67–74 (13th cent.)

Q Cambrai, Bibliothèque municipale, 809 (717), fols. 9v–15v (12th cent.)

S Cambrai, Bibliothèque municipale, 854 (758), fols. 2v–4v (10th cent.)

V Douai, Bibliothèque municipale, 836, fols. 151^v–154^v (12th cent.)

W Douai, Bibliothèque municipale, 837, fols. 5^r–7^v (12th cent.)

Douai, Bibliothèque municipale, 853, fols. 58^v–67^v (12th cent.) ~ a copy of W

X Douai, Bibliothèque municipale, 857, fols. 56^r–62^r (10th cent.)

Y Reims, Bibliothèque municipale, 1408, fols. 26^r–30^r (12th cent.)

Z Cambrai, Bibliothèque municipale, 855 (759), fols. 1v–4v (12th cent.)

Poupon also knew an additional six MSS that he did not consult:

Brussels, Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique, 5, fols. 3^v–6^r (12th cent.)

Châlons-sur-Marne, Bibliothèque municipale, 73 (81), fols. 63^v–70^r (11th cent.)

Cologne, Historisches Archiv der Stadt Köln, W.320, fols. 18^r–23^v (12th cent.)

Lincoln, Lincoln Cathedral Chapter Library, MS 150 (B.1.16) (12th cent.)

London, British Library, Gray’s Inn 3, fols. 153–156 (12th cent.)

Saint-Omer, Bibliothèque municipale, 715, fols. 1^r–5^v (12th cent.) ~ BVMM

Saint-Omer, Bibliothèque municipale, 716, vol. 4, fols. 5^r–8^r (13th cent.)

The following MSS have not been mentioned in previous scholarship:

Bamberg, Staatsbibliothek Bamberg, Msc. Hist.139

Brussels, Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique, 64 (3129), fols. 109^v–117^v (11th cent.)

Charleville-Mézières, Bibliothèque municipale, 254 II, fols. 2^r–5^v (1151)

Lincoln, Lincoln Cathedral Chapter Library, MS 7 (A.1.20), fols. 63^r–64^v (12th cent.)

Oxford, Bodleian Library, Add. D. 106 (SC 29645), fols. 120^v–126^r (12th cent.)

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, lat. 3799, fols. 212^v–220^r (10th cent.)

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, lat. 5306, fols. 138^v–141^v (14th cent.)

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, lat. 5343, fols. 39^r–46^v (11th cent.)

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, lat. 11552, fols. 147^v–151^v (13th cent.)

Lefevre d’Étaples, Jacques. S. Pauli Epistolae xiv. ex vulgata editione, adjecta intelligentia ex Graeco cum commentariis. Paris: Ex officina Henrici Stephani, 1512 (Editio princeps in the appendix from an unidentified manuscript from the Benedictine Abbey of Marmoutier near Tours, pp. 263–66).

Lipsius, Richard Adelbert, and Max Bonnet, eds. Acta apostolorum apocrypha. 2 vols. in 3 parts. Leipzig: Mendelssohn, 1889–1903; reprinted Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 1959; reprinted by the same in 1972 (vol. 1, pp. 1–22; manuscript listings, pp. xix–xxiii).

Piñero, Antonio, and Gonzalo del Cerro. Hechos apócrifos de los Apóstoles. 3 vols. Madrid: Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, 2011 (Latin edition based on Lipsius with facing Spanish translation, vol. 3, pp. 217–51).

Poupon, Gérard, ed. and trans. “La passion de saint Pierre apôtre: Introduction, texte et traduction.” Master’s thesis, Université de Genève, 1975 (Latin edition with facing French translation, pp. 63–99).

Salonius, Aarne H. Martyrium beati Petri apostoli a Lino episcopo conscriptum. Societas scientiarum fennica – Commentationes humanarum litterarum 1.6. Helsinki: Helsingfors, 1926 (pp. 22–58).

Eastman, David L. “Pseudo-Linus, Martyrdom of Blessed Peter the Apostle.” Pages 27–65 in The Ancient Martyrdom Accounts of Peter and Paul. WGRW 39. Atlanta: SBL Press, 2015. (Text and translation based on edition of Lipsius).

3.2 Modern Translations

3.2.1 English

Eastbourne, Andrew. “The Acts of Pseudo-Linus.” Archive.org.

3.2.2 French

Migne, Jacques-Paul. Dictionnaire des Apocryphes. 2 vols. 1856. Repr., Turnhout: Brepols, 1989 (vol. 2, cols. 459–70).

Poupon, Gérard, trans. “Passion de Pierre (dite de pseudo- Linus).” Pages 709–34 in vol. 2 of Écrits apocryphes chrétiens. Edited by P. Geoltrain and J.-D. Kaestli. Bibliothèque de la Pléiade 516. Paris: Gallimard, 2005.

__________, ed. and trans. “La passion de saint Pierre apôtre: Introduction, texte et traduction.” Master’s thesis, Université de Genève, 1975 (Latin edition with facing French translation, pp. 63–99).

3.2.3 Italian

Erbetta, Mario, trans. “La Passione di Pietro dello Ps. Lino.” Pages 169–77 in Atti e leggende. Vol. 2 of Gli apocrifi del Nuovo Testamento. Turin: Marietti, 1966.

3.2.4 Spanish

Piñero, Antonio, and Gonzalo del Cerro. Hechos apócrifos de los Apóstoles. 3 vols. Madrid: Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, 2011 (Latin edition based primarily Lipsius with facing Spanish translation, vol. 3, pp. 217–51).

3.3 General Works

Elliott, J. K. The Apocryphal New Testament: A Collection of Apocryphal Christian Literature in English Translation. Oxford: Clarendon, 1993 (p. 427).

Flamion, J. “Les Acts de Pierre.” RHE 11 (1910): 19–28.

Lipsius, Richard A. Die apokryphen Apostelgeschichten und Apostellegenden. 2 vols. in 3 parts. Braunschweig: Schwetschke, 1883–1890 (vol. 2.1:84–142).

Otero, Aurelio de Santos. “Later Acts of Apostles.” Pages 426–82 in New Testament Apocrypha. Vol. 2: Writings Relating to the Apostles; Apocalypses and Related Subjects. Edited by Wilhem Schneemelcher. Translated by R. McLachlan Wilson. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 1992 (see pp. 436–37).

Tajra, Harry W. The Martyrdom of St. Paul: Historical and Judicial Context, Traditions and Legends. WUNT 2.67. Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck), 1994 (pp. 138–42).

Verrando, Giovanni N. “Osservazioni sulla collocazione cronologica degli apocrifi Atti di Pietro dello Pseudo-Lino.” Vetera christianorum 20 (1983): 391–426.

Vouaux, L. Les Actes de Pierre. Introduction, textes, traduction et commentaire. Les Apocryphes du Nouveau Testament. Paris, 1922 (pp. 24–25, 135–40).