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The Conversation
The Conversation
Christy Cobb, Associate Professor of Christianity, University of Denver

The apocrypha, Christianity’s ‘hidden’ texts, may not be in the Bible – but they have shaped tradition for centuries

Jesus Saint Peter Bible Matthew Christianity Hanukkah Rome
Not all versions of the Bible contain the same texts. oneclearvision/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Of Jesus’ 12 disciples, Saint Peter is one of the most important. In the Book of Matthew, Jesus declares that Peter is the “rock” on which “I will build my church,” and Catholic tradition considers him the first pope. Martyred in Rome in the first century, Peter asked to be crucified upside down so that he would not die in the same way as Christ.

However, that famous story is not in the Bible. It appears in a text called “Acts of Peter,” an “apocryphal” writing.

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