Walter Richard Cassels

The Gospel According to Peter Walter Richard Cassels

Walter Richard Cassels' superb explanation of the Gospel of Peter remains one of the best evaluations yet committed to paper. This edition includes Cassel's original notes.

The original manuscript was discovered in Egypt in the late 19th century by French archaeologist Urbain Bouriant, in a monk's grave which showed signs of a dignified burial. The unearthing of a new document dating to the time of the New Testament caused a sensation among theologians, who eagerly awaited its initial publication in 1892.

Two years after The Gospel of Peter first appeared, W. R. Cassels published this translation, with a close reading and analysis. The controversial elements - among them Pontius Pilate being exonerated of condemning Jesus to death - are discussed along with the unusually detailed descriptions of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. Cassels also makes comparative analyses of this document with the canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

In the modern day, the Gospel of Peter is considered by scholars to apocryphal; the name it bears is likely not the true composer. However, given that it is referenced by the historian Eusebius, it is likely that the paper dates to around the mid-to-late 2nd century. The work's origins and its exact relation to the other Gospels of the New Testament remain a mystery and a source of fascination for Biblical scholars.