The Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles refer to a collection of writings dating from the second to fifth centuries that claim to recount the lives and works of various apostles after the ascension of Jesus. These texts are called “apocryphal” because they are not considered part of the inspired biblical canon. While valuable for understanding early Christianity, they contain legendary and fictional elements alongside some historically plausible material.
The genre of Apocryphal Acts emerged in the second century as Christians sought to fill in the gaps of the New Testament record concerning the apostles. The canonical Acts of the Apostles ends abruptly with Paul under house arrest in Rome. The apocryphal acts purport to pick up the story from there. They trace the later missionary journeys of figures like Paul, Peter, John, Andrew, and Thomas to various destinations inside and outside the Roman Empire.
Scholars have identified over a dozen different Apocryphal Acts from antiquity. The most well-known are the Acts of Paul, Acts of Peter, Acts of John, Acts of Andrew, and Acts of Thomas. Each text narrates the martyrdom of its central apostolic figure in graphic detail. Common themes include miraculous wonders performed by the apostles, dangerous travels to exotic places, conflicts with pagan philosophers, the conversion of kings and nobles, and the founding of early churches.
While these accounts may contain kernels of historical truth, on the whole they are highly imaginative and legendary. Many stories echo familiar tropes and motifs from Greco-Roman novels. Supernatural phenomena abound, including talking animals and crosses, resurrections from the dead, and fantastic visions. The apostles deliver long speeches and homilies on theological topics that reflect the development of doctrine in the post-apostolic era.
Several features make the Apocryphal Acts stand out from biblical texts:
- Sensational miracles and dramatic spectacle
- Elaborate and fanciful narrative details
- Anachronistic content reflecting later theology and church practice
- Glamorized portrayals of the apostles as wonder-workers and romantic heroes
- Anti-Jewish and misogynistic tendencies at times
- Encouragement of ascetic lifestyles
Most scholars date the Apocryphal Acts to the late second and third centuries, though some texts may contain older source material. They were extremely popular in the early church and seem to have met a need for stories about apostolic origins at a time when the memory of living eyewitnesses had faded. The Acts were also useful for countering heretical groups like the Gnostics by bolstering orthodox apostolic authority.
However, church leaders viewed these texts with ambivalence. Eusebius in the fourth century acknowledged their widespread circulation but considered them spurious fictions. Athanasius condemned them as scriptural forgeries. Nevertheless, the Apocryphal Acts influenced medieval art and literature in the West. Episodes from them can be found embedded in works like the Golden Legend, a popular compilation of saints’ lives.
While not on par with inspired Scripture, the Apocryphal Acts provide intriguing evidence for Christianity in the post-apostolic era. They illustrate early Christian interests and ideals, even if their historical claims are dubious. Modern scholars mine them for insights into the development of doctrine, church structure, asceticism, martyrdom, and perceptions of the apostles in the generations after their deaths.
In summary, the Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles are a collection of ancient Christian texts that narrate the later exploits of apostles like Paul, Peter, and John. Claiming to fill in biblical gaps, they weave imaginative stories about miracles, missionary travels, doctrinal speeches, and martyrdoms. Though historically dubious and incorporating legendary elements, they were very influential in the early church and remain valuable for understanding the era after the apostles.
While not canonical Scripture, they provide a window into post-apostolic Christianity and its ideals surrounding the apostles as wonder-workers and founders of churches. Modern scholarship continues to study them for what they reveal about early Christian piety, theology, and perceptions of the apostolic age after the firsthand witnesses passed from the scene.
The Acts of Paul
The Acts of Paul is likely the earliest of the Apocryphal Acts, dating to the second half of the second century. It draws on an even earlier Greek text known as the Acts of Paul and Thecla. Thecla was a young woman who encountered Paul in Iconium and dedicated herself to a life of virginity. Her story was tremendously influential in early Christianity for promoting female asceticism.
The Acts of Paul includes other companion stories about the apostle interspersed between segments of Thecla’s narrative. It traces Paul’s interactions with churches in Asia Minor and Greece. The apostle performs miracles like causing blindness, healing the sick, and even raising the dead. He delivers speeches and homilies emphasizing themes of sexual renunciation and rejection of worldly passions.
The text highlights conflicts between Paul and other charismatic preachers or pagan philosophers. It also incorporates several correspondences purportedly between Paul and the Corinthian church addressing issues like marriage, veiling, and the resurrection. The Acts of Paul concludes with the apostle’s martyrdom in Rome during persecution under Nero.
While likely containing some historical kernels, the Acts of Paul is predominantly a legend designed to promote celibacy and other countercultural Christian teachings. It proved hugely influential in the patristic era and helped establish the veneration of Thecla as one of the most important female saints in Orthodoxy.
The Acts of Peter
The Acts of Peter stems from the late second century, perhaps originating in Asia Minor. It focuses on Peter’s ministry in Palestine, Syria, and Asia Minor following the events of the canonical book of Acts. Attributed to a pseudonymous author named Marcellus, it was never widely accepted as authentic and was condemned by Bishop Serapion of Antioch in the late second century.
Nevertheless, the Acts of Peter remained popular for its sensational miracle stories. These include a talking dog who exposes the deception of a sorcerer in Rome. Peter makes a smoked tuna fish come back to life to refute skepticism about the resurrection. He even causes the immediate death of a couple that lies to him about donating money to the church.
The Acts of Peter includes doctrinal discourses on topics like predestination, God’s foreknowledge, and the Genesis flood. It incorporates correspondence between Peter and the apostle Paul. The text culminates with an elaborate account of Peter’s crucifixion in Rome, during which he requests to be crucified upside down because he is unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus.
While replete with legendary embellishments, the Acts of Peter appears to preserve some memories of Peter’s later travels and influence in western Asia Minor prior to his martyrdom under Nero around 65 AD. Nevertheless, its supernatural stories and exaggerated portraits of Peter make it historically suspect.
The Acts of John
The Acts of John comes from the latter half of the second century. It contains extensive philosophizing along with incredible tales of the apostle’s wonders and exploits. John is portrayed almost as a divine mystic with transcendent insights.
The text describes John’s missionary travels to Ephesus and surrounding regions of Asia Minor. He performs supernatural deeds like making demons submit, raising the dead, healing sickness, and turning stones into bread. John delivers moving homilies and prayers emphasizing Jesus’ divine nature and the rejection of passions.
One famous episode describes John causing a temple of the goddess Artemis to collapse through prayer alone. The apocryphal Acts incorporates a popular hymn used in early Christian worship known as the “Acts of John Dance Hymn.” It also includes correspondence purportedly between John and a converted pagan priest.
John’s martyrdom is not recounted. The Acts of John was condemned as heretical by some ancient authors for its docetic portrayal of Jesus and exaltation of John as a mystical wonderworker. Nevertheless, it remains an important witness to traditions surrounding the “beloved disciple” near the end of the first century.
The Acts of Andrew
The Acts of Andrew stems from the turn of the third century. It circulated widely in Greek, Latin, Syriac, and Coptic. It contains manifestly legendary stories mixed with hints of historical foundation concerning the apostle’s missionary travels.
The text describes Andrew’s journeys to places as diverse as Macedonia, Syria, Byzantium, and Greece. He faces angry mobs, overcomes demons, and thwarts pagan sacrifices. In one episode, Andrew is said to rescue the wife of a Roman proconsul from being seduced by a sorcerer.
The Acts of Andrew emphasizes the apostle’s teachings against marriage and pagan idolatry. Traditions suggest Andrew met his martyrdom by crucifixion on an X-shaped cross in Patras around 60 AD for antagonizing the proconsul Aegeates. The apocryphal Acts contains an account of his final imprisonment and death on the cross.
While highly embellished, the Acts of Andrew seems to preserve some reminiscences of the apostle’s missionary travels in Greece and the Peloponnese prior to his execution. Parts of the text may date back to the mid-second century.
The Acts of Thomas
The Acts of Thomas presents the missionary adventures of the apostle Thomas in India. It likely reached its final form in the early third century, perhaps in Syriac-speaking Edessa. The text secured Thomas’ association with evangelization in India, though this is probably not historical.
The Acts describes Thomas’ travels to the court of King Gondophares in northwestern India. Thomas encounters talking animals, demons, and other sorcerers whom he refutes and converts. The apostle baptizes many new believers including the king’s brother. He emphasizes strict sexual morality, persuading even newly married couples to take vows of abstinence.
The Acts of Thomas incorporates hymns and remarkable sayings of Jesus known as the “Sayings of the Living Jesus.” Some traditions suggest Thomas reached as far east as China before returning west to evangelize Persia. There he angered the king and was martyred with a spear around 65 AD.
While the Indian mission is legendary, the Acts of Thomas seems to preserve some memories of early Christian penetration east of the Roman frontier. It combines theological sophistication with fantastical tales in relating the eastern apostolic exploits of Doubting Thomas.
Other Notable Apocryphal Acts
In addition to the major Apocryphal Acts, several other pseudonymous texts recounting later apostolic adventures have survived though attracted less attention:
- The Acts of Barnabas – Traces Barnabas’ travels to Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, and Cyprus where he is martyred.
- Acts of Philip – Covers Philip’s missionary work in Greece, Syria, and Phrygia where he dies in Hierapolis.
- Acts of Matthias – Relates the travels and death of the apostle Matthias in Ethiopia.
- Acts of Peter and Andrew – Traces the united travels of these apostles on various missionary journeys.
- Acts of Thaddeus – Follows Jude (Thaddeus) on his evangelistic efforts into Mesopotamia and Persia.
- Acts of Simon and Jude – Recounts the adventures of the apostles Simon the Zealot and Jude together.
While these other apocryphal Acts were less influential, they demonstrate the proliferation of legend surrounding the later lives of many apostles besides just the major figures. They shed additional light on early Christian interest in elaborating the incomplete biblical record of the apostles’ fates after the book of Acts.
Conclusion
In summary, the Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles comprise a collection of ancient Christian texts that seek to fill in the gaps about the apostles’ lives left by the canonical New Testament. Claiming to continue their stories after the book of Acts, they weave imaginative tales of miraculous adventures, missionary journeys, doctrinal speeches, conflicts, martyrdoms and church foundings.
The Acts of Paul, Peter, John, Andrew, and Thomas are the most well-known and influential of these accounts that circulated widely in the second to fourth centuries. Though replete with legendary embellishments, they provide insights into how post-apostolic generations perceived these important early Christian figures. The Apocryphal Acts remain invaluable witnesses to early piety, theology, and conceptions of apostolic authority after the deaths of the first eyewitnesses.