Did Ancients Know the Testaments Were Pseudepigraphic?: Implications for 2 Peter

Richard Bauckham argues for the pseudonymity of 2 Peter on the basis of its genre. He argues that 2 Peter was written as a "testament" of Peter, and since other ancient Jewish testaments are clearly pseudonymous, 2 Peter’s testamental genre indicates its pseudonymity. Moreover, since it wa...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Richards, E. Randolph 1958- (Author) ; Boyle, Kevin J. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Eisenbrauns 2020
In: Bulletin for biblical research
Year: 2020, Volume: 30, Issue: 3, Pages: 403-423
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Bible. Petrusbrief 2. / Testaments of the twelve patriarchs / Pseudepigrapha / Pseudepigraphy / Authorship / Kind / Will
IxTheo Classification:HC New Testament
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:Richard Bauckham argues for the pseudonymity of 2 Peter on the basis of its genre. He argues that 2 Peter was written as a "testament" of Peter, and since other ancient Jewish testaments are clearly pseudonymous, 2 Peter’s testamental genre indicates its pseudonymity. Moreover, since it was well known in antiquity that the testaments were pseudonymous, those who wrote them did not intend to deceive. Petrine authorship of 2 Peter is thus, in Bauckham’s words, a "transparent fiction." But did ancients know the testaments were pseudepigraphic? Bauckham provides no evidence. He only suggests that the pseudonymity of the testaments is so obvious that it was "self-evident." The authors of this paper examined ancient authors who cited material from the testaments or testamental-type material. They found no evidence the authors or their audiences knew the testaments were pseudepigraphic. Rather, they appear to cite the testamentary material as authentic, reliable, even authoritative material.
ISSN:2576-0998
Contains:Enthalten in: Bulletin for biblical research
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.5325/bullbiblrese.30.3.0403