But Could Peter Write Anything?

Episode Outline:
0:00 Could Peter, a rural Galilean fisherman, really have written books?
1:18 Bart and Megan on heat, climate, London blog dinners, and still never having met in person
4:20 Who Peter was in the New Testament, and why “Peter” is really a nickname meaning “rock”
6:09 What we know about Peter’s background before following Jesus
7:37 What archaeology at Capernaum tells us about Peter’s likely social class and education
9:57 How literacy actually worked in the ancient world, and why Peter probably could not read or write
12:55 Course promo: Bart’s online courses, debates, and Gospel studies
13:32 Could Peter have learned to write later in life after becoming a missionary?
16:25 What writings were later attributed to Peter inside and outside the New Testament
18:06 Why the Greek style of 1 Peter already rules out Peter as the author
20:56 Did Peter dictate 1 Peter to a secretary who polished it up?
23:11 Does the author of 1 Peter know the Hebrew Bible, or only the Greek Septuagint?
24:57 The only real argument for Petrine authorship: the book says “Peter”
26:41 Another reason against Peter: calling Rome “Babylon” only makes sense after 70 CE
29:40 How ancient people recognized and rejected forged writings
32:34 Weekly Update: Bart’s recent YouTube appearance on the Gospel of Judas
35:10 Bart’s Books: Albert Schweitzer’s The Quest of the Historical Jesus and why it still matters
40:37 Final summary: Peter almost certainly did not write 1 or 2 Peter, and many later Christians wrote in his name for authority

Episode Description

1 and 2 Peter, other letters allegedly by him, a Gospel, three apocalypses. But Really? Could Peter even write? Today we take it for granted that an important and influential person can write. Not so for the ancient world. Would a fisherman from rural Galilee have been able to write well enough to compose whole texts? Elegantly phrased, not in his language? Could he have learned to write in later life? If in fact Peter couldn't write, then who composed the works attributed to him?

Also watch these episodes:
Paul and Jesus at Odds
Paul and Jesus at Odds

Were Early Christians Known to Be Moral Reprobates?
Were Early Christians Known to Be Moral Reprobates?

Who Really Chose the Books of the New Testament?
Who Really Chose the Books of the New Testament?

Megan asks Bart:

- Who is Peter? What does the NT say about him?

- Do we know anything about his background prior to Jesus?

- Archaeologists have associated Capernaum with the archaeological site of Tell Hum - does the site suggest that its inhabitants would have been educated people?

- Would anyone in the village have had any education?

- What about after Jesus’ death? Is it reasonable to think that he may have acquired a literary education later in life?

- What writings have been attributed to him?

- Does the language or style used give us clues as to what kinds of people could have written them?

- Does the author seem familiar with the Hebrew scriptures that Peter would have known?

- Is there anything about any of these texts that suggests the apostle Peter is a likely author?

- Is there another reason for thinking Peter didn’t write these?

- How did ancient people try to differentiate between forgeries like these, and legitimate writings?