top Apocalypse of Peter
1   ... πολλοὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἔσονται ψευδοπροφῆται, καὶ ὁδοὺς καὶ δόγματα ποικίλα τῆς ἀπωλείας διδάξουσιν· 1 ... many of them shall be false prophets, and they shall teach diverse ways and doctrines of destruction.
2   ἐκεῖνοι δὲ υἱοι τῆς ἀπωλείας γενήσονται. 2 And they shall become sons of destruction.
3   καὶ τότε ἐλεύσεται ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ τοὺς πιστούς μου τοὺς πεινῶντας καὶ διψῶντας καὶ θλιβομένους καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ βίῳ τὰς ψυχὰς ἑαυτῶν δοκιμὰζοντας, καὶ κρινεῖ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῆς ἀνομίας. 3 And then God shall come unto my faithful ones—those who hunger and thirst and are afflicted, and who test their own souls in this life—and He will judge the sons of lawlessness.
4   Καὶ προσθεὶς ὁ κύριος ἔφη· ἄγωμεν εἰς τὸ ὄρος, εὐξώμεθα. 4 And adding to this, the Lord said: "Let us go unto the mountain; let us pray."
5   ἀπερχόμενοι δὲ μετ' αὐτοῦ‎ ἡμεῖς οἱ δώδεκα μαθηταὶ ἐδεήθημεν, ὅπως δείξῃ ἡμῖν ἕνα τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν [τῶν] δικαίων τῶν ἐξελθόντων ἀπὸ τοῦ κόσμου, ἵνα ἴδωμεν ποταποί εἰσι τὴν μορφὴν καὶ θαρσήσαντες παραθαρσύνωμεν καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντας ἡμων ἀνθρώπους. 5 And going away with Him, we the twelve disciples entreated Him that He might show us one of our righteous brothers who had departed from the world, so that we might see what manner of form they are, and, taking courage, encourage also the people who hear us.
6   καὶ εὐχομένων ἡμῶν ἄφνω φαίνονται δύο ἄνδρες ἑστῶτες ἔμπροσθε τοῦ κυρίου πρὸς οὓς οὐκ ἐδυνήθημεν ἀντιβλέψαι· 6 And as we were praying, suddenly there appeared two men standing before the Lord, upon whom we were not able to look intently.
7   ἐξήρχετο γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς ὄψεως αὐτῶν ἀκτὶν ὡς ἡλίου καὶ φωτεινὸν ἦν αὐτῶν τὸ ἔνδυμα, ὁποῖον οὐδέποτε ὀφθαλμὸς ἀνθρώπου εἶδεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ στόμα δύναται ἐξηγήσασθαι ἢ καρδία ἐπινοῆσαι τὴν δόξαν ἣν ἐνεδέδυντο καὶ τὸ κάλλος τῆς ὄψεως αὐτῶν. 7 For a ray like the sun went forth from their countenance, and their raiment was shining, such as the eye of man never saw; for no mouth is able to declare nor heart to conceive the glory which they had put on, and the beauty of their countenance.
8   οὓς ἰδόντες ἐθαμβώθημεν· τὰ μὲν γὰρ σώματα αὐτῶν ἦν λευκότερα πάσης χιόνος καὶ ἐρυθρότερα παντὸς ῥόδου. 8 Whom when we saw, we were amazed; for their bodies were whiter than any snow and ruddier than any rose.
9   συνεκέκρατο δὲ ἐρυθρὸν αὐτῶν τῷ λευκῷ, καὶ ἁπλῶς οὐ δύναμαι ἐξηγήσασθαι τὸ κάλλος αὐτῶν. 9 And their red was mingled with the white, and, quite simply, I am unable to declare their beauty.
10   ἥ τε γὰρ κόμη αὐτῶν οὔλη ἦν καὶ ἀνθηρὰ καὶ ἐπιπρέπουσα αὐτῶν τῷ τε προσώπῳ καὶ τοῖς ὤμοις ὥσπερ εἷς στέφανος ἐκ νάρδου στὰχυος πεπλεγμένος καὶ ποικίλων ἀνθῶν ἢ ὥσπερ ἶρις ἐν ἀέρι· τοιαύτη ἦν αὐτῶν ἡ εὐπρέπεια. 10 For their hair was curly and blooming, and exceedingly comely upon their face and their shoulders, just like a single crown woven of wild nard and diverse flowers, or like a rainbow in the air; such was their comeliness.
11   Ἰδόντες οὖν αὐτῶν τὸ κάλλος ἔκθαμβοι γεγόναμεν πρὸς αὐτούς, ἐπειδὴ ἄφνω ἐφάνησαν. 11 Seeing therefore their beauty, we became astonished at them, since they had suddenly appeared.
12   καὶ πρoσελθὼν τῷ κυρίῳ εἶπον· τίνες εἰσὶν οὗτοι; 12 And drawing near to the Lord, I said: "Who are these?"
13   λέγει μοι· οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἀδελφοὶ ὑμῶν οἱ δίκαιοι ὧν ἠθελήσατε τὰς μορφὰς ἰδεῖν. 13 He says to me: "These are your righteous brothers whose forms you wished to see."
14   κἀγὼ ἔφην αὐτῷ· καὶ ποῦ εἰσι πάντες οἱ δίκαιοι ἢ ποῖός ἐστιν ὁ αἰὼν ἐν ᾧ ᾧ εἰσι ταύτην ἔχοντες τὴν δόξαν; 14 And I said to Him: "And where are all the righteous, or what is the eon (world) in which they are, possessing this glory?"
15   καὶ ὁ κύριος ἔδειξέ μοι μέγιστον χῶρον ἐκτὸς τούτου τοῦ κόσμου ὑπέρλαμπρον τῷ φωτί, καὶ τὸν ἀέρα τὸν ἐκεῖ ἀκτῖσιν ἡλίου καταλαμπόμενον καὶ τὴν γῆν αὐτὴν ἀνθοῦσαν ἀμαράντοις ἄνθεσι καὶ ἀμωμάτων πλήρη καὶ φυτῶν εὐανθῶν καὶ ἀφθάρτων καὶ καρπὸν εὐλογημένον φερόντων. 15 And the Lord showed me a very great region outside this world, exceedingly radiant with light, and the air there was illuminated by the rays of the sun, and the earth itself was blooming with unfading flowers and full of spices and plants well-blossomed and incorruptible, bearing blessed fruit.
16   τοσοῦτον δὲ ἦν τὸ ἄνθος ὡς καὶ ἐφ' ἡμᾶς ἐκεῖθεν φέρεσθαι. 16 And so great was the bloom that the perfume was borne thence even unto us.
17   οἱ δὲ οἰκήτορες τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου ἐνδεδυμένοι ἦσαν ἔνδυμα ἀγγέλων φωτεινόν, καὶ ὅμοιον ἦν τὸ ἔνδυμα αὐτῶν τῇ χώρᾳ αὐτῶν. 17 And the inhabitants of that place were clothed in the shining raiment of angels, and their raiment was like unto their land.
18   Ἄγγελοι δὲ περιέτρεχον αὐτοὺς ἐκεῖσε. 18 And angels were running about them there.
19   ἴση δὲ ἦν ἡ δόξα τῶν ἐκεῖ οἰκητόρων, καὶ μιᾷ φωνῇ τὸν κύριον θεὸν ἀνευφήμουν εὐφραινόμενοι ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ τόπῳ. 19 And equal was the glory of the inhabitants there, and with one voice they were praising the Lord God, rejoicing in that place.
20   λέγει ἡμῖν ὁ κύριος· οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τόπος τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν τῶν δικαίων ἀνθρώπων. 20 The Lord says to us: "This is the place of your brothers, the righteous men."
21   Εἶδον δὲ καὶ ἕτερον τόπον καταντικρὺς ἐκείνου αὐχμηρότατον. καὶ ἦν τόπος κολάσεως. καὶ οἱ κολαζόμενοι ἐκεῖ καὶ οἱ κολάζοντες Ἄγγελοι σκοτεινὸν εἶχον [τὸ ἔνδυμα] αὐτῶν, ἐνδεδυμένοι κατὰ τὸν ἀέρα τοῦ τόπου. 21 And I saw also another place over against that one, exceedingly squalid; and it was a place of punishment. And those who were punished there, and the angels punishing them, had their raiment dark, being clothed according to the air of the place.
22   Καί τινες ἦσαν ἐκεῖ ἐκ τῆς γλώσσης κρεμάμενοι· οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν οἱ βλασφημοῦντες τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης. καὶ ὑπέκειτο αὐτοῖς πῦρ φλεγόμενον καὶ κολάζον αὐτούς. 22 And there were some there hanging by their tongues; and these were those who blasphemed the way of righteousness. And beneath them was a blazing fire tormenting them.
23   Καὶ λίμνη τις ἦν μεγάλη πεπληρωμένη | βορβόρου φλεγομένου, ἐν ᾧ ἦσαν ἄνδρωποί τινες ἀποστρέφοντες τὴν δικαιοσύνην, καὶ ἐπέκειντο αὐτοῖς Ἄγγελοι βασανισταί. 23 And there was a certain great lake filled with blazing mire, in which were certain men who perverted righteousness, and tormenting angels were set over them.
24   Ἦσαν δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι· γυναῖκες τῶν πλοκάμων ἐξηρτημέναι ἀνωτέρω τοῦ βορβόρου ἐκείνου τοῦ ἀναπαφλάζοντος· αὗται δὲ ἦσαν αἱ πρὸς μοιχείαν κοσμηθεῖσαι· οἱ δὲ συμμιγέντες αὐτῶν τῷ μιάσματι τῆς μοιχείας ἐκ τῶν ποδῶν ἦσαν κρεμάμενοι καὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς εἶχον ἐν τῷ βορβόρῳ, καὶ φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ἔλεγον· οὐκ ἐπιστεύομεν ἐλεύσεσθαι εἰς τοῦτον τὸν τόπον. 24 And there were others also: women suspended by their tresses above that mire which surged up; and these were those who adorned themselves for adultery. And the men who had mingled with them in the defilement of adultery were hanging by their feet, and had their heads in the mire, and with a great voice they were saying: "We did not believe that we would come into this place."
25   Καὶ τοὺς φονεῖς ἔβλεπον καὶ τοὺς συνειδότας αὐτοῖς βεβλημένους ἔν τινι τόπῳ τεθλιμμένῳ καὶ πεπληρωμένῳ ἑρπετῶν πονηρῶν καὶ πλησσομένους ὑπὸ τῶν θηρίων ἐκείνων καὶ οὕτω στρεφομένους ἐκεῖ ἐν τῇ κολάσει ἐκείνῃ· ἐπέκειντο δὲ αὐτοῖς σκώληκες ὥσπερ νεφέλαι σκότους. αἱ δὲ ψυχαὶ τῶν πεφονευμένων ἑστῶσαι καὶ ἐφορῶσαι τὴν κόλασιν ἐκείνων τῶν φονέων ἔλεγον· ὁ θεός, δικαία σου ἡ κρισις. 25 And I saw murderers and those complicit with them cast into a certain narrow place, filled with evil reptiles, and being smitten by those beasts, and so turning about there in that punishment; and worms were set upon them like clouds of darkness. And the souls of those who had been murdered stood and looked upon the punishment of those murderers and were saying: "O God, righteous is Your judgment."
26   Πλησίον δὲ τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου εἰδον ἕτερον τόπον τεθλιμμένον ἐν [ ᾧ ] ὁ ἰχὼρ καὶ ἡ δυσωδία τῶν κολαζομένων κατέρρεε καὶ ὥσπερ λίμνη ἐγίνετο ἐκεῖ· κἀκεῖ ἐκάθηντο γυναῖκες ἔχουσαι τὸν ἰχῶρα μέχρι τῶν τραχήλων, καὶ ἀντικρὺς αὐτῶν πολλοὶ παῖδες, οἵτινες ἄωροι ἐτίκτοντο, καθήμενοι ἔκλαιον, καὶ προήρχοντο ἐξ αὐτῶν φλόγες πυρὸς καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας ἔπλησσον κατὰ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν· αὗται δὲ ἦσαν αἱ ἀγάμως τὰ βρέφη τεκοῦσαι καὶ ἐκτρώσασαι. 26 And near that place I saw another narrow place into which the discharge (ichor) and the stench of those being punished ran down, and it became like a lake there; and there sat women having the discharge up to their necks, and over against them many children, who were born untimely (abortively), sat weeping, and flashes of fire went forth from them and smote the women upon the eyes; and these were those who bore children out of wedlock and caused abortions.
27   Καὶ ἕτεροι ἄνδρες καὶ γυναῖκες φλεγόμενοι ἦσαν μέχρι ποῦ ἡμίσους αὐτῶν καὶ βεβλημένοι ἐν τόπῳ σκοτεινῷ καὶ μαστιζόμενοι ὑπὸ πνευμάτων πονηρῶν καὶ ἐσθιόμενοι τὰ σπλάγχνα ὑπὸ σκωλήκων ἀκοιμήτων· οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν οἱ διώξαντες τοὺς δικαίους καὶ παραδόντες αὐτούς. 27 And other men and women were burning up to their middle, and were cast into a dark place and scourged by evil spirits, and their inward parts were eaten by sleepless worms; and these were those who persecuted the righteous and handed them over.
28   Καὶ πλησίον ἐκείνων πάλιν ἐπιστρέψας γυναῖκες καὶ ἄνδρες μασώμενοι αὐτῶν τὰ χείλη καὶ κολαζόμενοι καὶ πεπυρωμένον σίδηρον κατὰ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν λαμβάνοντες· οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν οἱ βλασφημέσαντες καὶ κακῶς εἰπόντες τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης. 28 And near them again, turning around, I saw women and men gnawing their own lips and being punished, and receiving white-hot iron upon their eyes; and these were those who blasphemed and spoke evil of the way of righteousness.
29   Καὶ καταντικρὺ τούτων ἄλλοι πάλιν ἐπιστρέψας ἄνδρες καὶ γυναῖκες τὰς γλώσσας αὐτῶν μασώμενοι καὶ πῦρ φλεγόμενον ἔχοντες ἐν τῷ στόματι· οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν οἱ ψευδομάρτυρες. 29 And over against these, turning around again, I saw other men and women gnawing their tongues and having blazing fire in their mouth; and these were the false witnesses.
30   Καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ τινὶ τόπῳ χάλικες ἦσαν ὀξύτεροι ξιφῶν καὶ παντὸς ὀβελίσκου, πεπυρωμένοι· καὶ γυναῖκες καὶ ἄνδρες ῥάκη ῥυπαρὰ ἐνδεδυμένοι ἐκυλίοντο ἐπ' αὐτῶν κολαζόμενοι· οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν οἱ πλουτοῦντες καὶ τῷ πλούτῳ αὐτῶν πεποιθότες καὶ μὴ ἐλεήσαντες ὀρφανοὺς καὶ χήρας, ἀλλ' ἀμελήσαντες τῆς ἐντολῆς τοῦ θεοῦ. 30 And in another certain place were pebbles sharper than swords and any spit, white-hot; and women and men clothed in filthy rags were rolling upon them, being punished; and these were those who were rich and trusted in their wealth, and did not have mercy upon orphans and widows, but neglected the commandment of God.
31   Ἐν δὲ ἑτέρᾳ λίμῃ μεγάλῃ πεπληρωμένῃ πύου καὶ αἵματος καὶ βοβόρου ἀναζέοντος ἱστήκεισαν ἄνδρες καὶ γυναῖκες μέχρι γονάτων· οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν οἱ δανείζοντες καὶ ἁπαιτοῦντες τόκους τόκων. 31 And in another great lake, filled with pus and blood and boiling mire, stood men and women up to their knees; and these were those who lent money and demanded usury upon usury.
32   Ἄλλοι ἄνδρες καὶ γυναῖκες ἀπὸ κρημνοῦ μεγάλου καταστρεφόμενοι ἤρχοντο κάτω καὶ πάλιν ἐπιστρέψας ἠλαύνοντο ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπικειμένων ἀναβῆναι ἄνω | ἐπὶ τοῦ κρημνοῦκαὶ κατεστρέφοντο ἐκεῖθεν κάτω, καὶ ἡσυχίαν οὐκ εἶχον ἀπὸ ταύτης τῆς κολάσεως· οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν οἱ μιάναντες τὰ σώματα ἑαυτῶν ὡς γυναῖκες ἀναστρεφόμενοι, αἱ δὲ μετ' αὐτῶν γυναῖκες αὗται ἦσαν αἱ συγκοιμηθεῖσαι ἀλλήλαις ὡς ἄν ἀνὴρ πρὸς γυναῖκα. 32 Other men and women, being cast down from a great precipice, came to the bottom, and turning around again, were driven by those set over them to go up again onto the precipice, and were cast down from thence to the bottom, and they had no rest from this punishment; and these were those who defiled their bodies, behaving as women, and the women with them were those who lay with one another as a man with a woman.
33   Καὶ παρὰ τῷ κρημνῷ ἐκείνῳ τόπος ἦν πυρὸς πλείστου γέμων· κἀκεῖ ἱστήκεισαν ἄνδρες οἵτινες ταῖς ἰδίαις χερσὶ ξόανα ἑαυτοῖς ἐποίησαν ἀντὶ θεοῦ. Καὶ παρ' ἐκείνοις ἄνδρες ἕτεροι καὶ γυναῖκες ῥάβδους πυρὸς ἔχοντες καὶ ἀλλήλους τύπτοντες καὶ μηδέποτε παυόμενοι τῆς τοιαύτης κολάσεως [οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν οἱ...]. 33 And beside that precipice there was a place filled with much fire; and there stood men who with their own hands had made carved images for themselves instead of God. And beside them were other men and women having rods of fire and striking one another, and never ceasing from such punishment [and these were those who...].
34   Καὶ ἕτεροι πάλιν ἐπιστρέψας ἐγγὺς ἐκείνων γυναῖκες καὶ ἄνδρες φλεγόμενοι καὶ στρεφόμενοι καὶ τηγανιζόμενοι· οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν οἱ ἀφέντες τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ θεοῦ 34 And others again, turning around near them, women and men burning and turning and being fried; and these were those who abandoned the way of God.
This is a substantial portion of the Apocalypse of Peter (specifically from the Greek Akhmim Fragment, discovered in Egypt in 1886/87). This 2nd-century apocryphal work is incredibly significant for church history, as it represents one of the earliest Christian adaptations of detailed visions of both Paradise and the specific, retributive punishments of Hell (concepts that heavily influenced later medieval literature, up to Dante's Inferno).
1. Theological Structure: The Talionic Principle
The text explicitly showcases the Lex Talionis (the law of retaliation/proportional punishment) applied to the afterlife. The architecture of this Hell is designed so that the instrument of sin, or the nature of the earthly crime, dictates the eternal torment:

Sins of Speech: Blasphemers hang by their tongues (v. 22); false witnesses chew their tongues with fire in their mouths (v. 29).

Sins of Vanity/Lust: Women who vaineries led them to adorn their hair for adultery hang by their tresses (v. 24).

Social/Economic Sins: The wealthy who ignored the poor roll on sharp, hot pebbles (v. 30), while usurers who accumulated muddy wealth stand in boiling mire and pus (v. 31).


2. Lexical & Philological Gems

The Presence of Ichor (ἰχώρ) in Verse 26: It is incredibly striking to see the word ἰχῶρι (which you parsed in your iota list!) showing up contextually here as ὁ ἰχὼρ. In Homeric classical Greek, ichor is the ethereal fluid that flows in the veins of the gods instead of blood. By the Hellenistic and Koine period, however, its meaning degraded to signify anatomical discharge, serous fluid, or purulent matter running from wounds. Here, it denotes the foul liquid byproduct of eternal torment.

Hapax Legomena & Rare Vocabulary:

ἀναπαφλάζοντος (v. 24) comes from ἀναπαφλάζω, a vivid, onomatopoeic verb meaning "to bubble up" or "froth over."

ἀμαράντοις (v. 15) gives us our English word amaranth—literally "unfading" (α- privative + μαραίνω), a standard vocabulary staple for describing the vegetative foliage of Paradise.

The "Turning Around" Idiom: The writer frequently uses phrases like πάλιν ἐπιστρέψας (verses 28, 29, 32) without a perfect grammatical handle, using it almost as a cinematic transitional device: "turning around, I saw..."


3. Early Christian Context & Eschatology

Historically, this text walked a razor's edge regarding orthodoxy. It was cited by Clement of Alexandria and listed in the Muratorian Fragment (c. 170 AD) as a text that some churches refused to have read publicly.


Notice how carefully it bridges Judaism, Platonism, and early Christianity. The description of Paradise in verses 15–20 heavily mimics the Greek ideas of the Elysian Fields (pure air, glowing flowers, radiant light), yet superimposes the Christian concepts of the "Twelve Disciples" (v. 5) and the praise of the "Lord God" (v. 19). Meanwhile, the active presence of the victims watching their murderers suffer (ἐφορῶσαι τὴν κόλασιν, v. 25) underscores an early, highly visceral hunger for divine justice among a heavily persecuted 2nd-century Christian minority.