The Preaching of Peter survives only in fragments. It was probably written in Egypt during the early second century AD. Although the title does not say Peter wrote it, the early Christian teacher Clement of Alexandria (late second century AD) believed the apostle Peter was its author (Stromata 2.15.68). Most fragments of the Preaching of Peter are preserved as short quotations in the writings of Clement of Alexandria.
The fourth-century AD church historian Eusebius of Caesarea said that none of the ancient authorities had accepted the Preaching of Peter (Historia Ecclesiastica 3.3.1–4). He might not have known about its acceptance by Clement, or perhaps does not include him among the authorities. Even though only fragments of the document have survived, they are important because they show a transition stage in early Christian literature. In the first century AD, Christian literature, including all of the New Testament, was written for Christians. In the second century, Christian writers began to defend their faith against criticisms from non-Christians and from Jewish opponents.
During this period, a new kind of Christian writing appeared called an apology (meaning “defense”). The earliest Christian apologists included Quadratus and Aristides, who wrote in the early second century AD. The Preaching of Peter represents a transition from the kind of apologetic writing and sermons found in the Acts of the Apostles and the writings of the early apologists.
Since Clement of Alexandria only quoted short parts of the Preaching of Peter at different times, it is not possible to know the original order of these sayings. However, we can still see some of the main ideas from the quotations that survive.
According to Clement, Peter called the Lord both "Law and Word" in the "Preaching" (Stromata 1.29.182; 2.15.68). Humankind must recognize that one God created the beginning of all things and has the power to bring all things to an end (Stromata 6.5.39–41). The writer opposes the beliefs of the pagans, who said the universe had no beginning and would last forever.
The Preaching of Peter says that God is invisible, beyond human understanding, needs nothing, cannot be fully known, and is everlasting and uncreated. People must not worship God as the Greeks do, because they foolishly make images from wood or stone and call them gods. They also sacrifice animals to these idols, even though animals were meant to be food. The Preaching of Peter also warns that the worship of the Jews should not be imitated, because they honor angels, archangels, and even the moon and months as if they were divine. Yet, the author says that if any person from Israel repents, God will forgive them (Stromata 6.5.43).
In one place, the Preaching of Peter narrates how the Lord sent disciples to spread the good news worldwide after the resurrection (Stromata 6.6.48). It is not clear how this story connects to the earlier teaching sections. It may mean that the Preaching of Peter began with its own version of the command Jesus gave to his followers to go into all the world (see Matthew 28:18–20).
Elsewhere, also says that the prophets of the Old Testament spoke about Christ. Sometimes they used parables and riddles, but at other times they spoke very plainly (Stromata 6.15.128). In fact, the prophets predicted the major events of Christ's life in great detail: his coming, suffering, crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven.
The surviving fragments of the Preaching of Peter are important because they show how early second-century AD Christianity shifted from a defensive to an offensive position in its proclamation of the Gospel.
See also Apocrypha.