The Apocryphal Acts of Peter: Magic, Miracles and Gnosticism

This is the first modern collection of studies on the most important aspects of the Acts of Peter, the source of the famous novel Quo Vadis ? by Henry Sienkiewicz. The collection of essays discusses many aspects of the Acts of Peter: its relationship with the Acts of John and the Acts of Paul, but also important themes such as the fascinating figure of Simon the Magician, Agrippa and his concubines. It looks at the nature of the theos aner, the role of women, the place of magic, the performance of miracles, the famous death of Peter upside-down, the regulae fidei and other early credal formulations. Finally it discusses the transmission and Latinity of the Acts, and the date and place of its publication.