Date of composition

• 150 to 225.
• It was included in the Nag Hammadi Gnostic collection of the 300s.

Type of Apocrypha (heretical or in error (made up))

• Heresy and Error

Length

• 6 double-spaced pages. The first part is missing.

Summary

• The writing claims the Apostle Peter as the author, and it begins sometime soon after the ascension of Jesus.
• The Apostles were together and took a ship to a city on an island. They saw a man shouting, "Pearls, Pearls!" The man told them he would give them the pearls in another city, but the journey would be extremely difficult. The Apostles made the journey amidst great perils and dangers. Once there, the man revealed himself to be Jesus. Jesus told them to return to the city and teach and heal through miracles. He especially warned them not to befriend the rich. They worshipped him, and he left.

Noteworthy from the book

1. "Pearls" is probably used as a reference to the parable of "The Pearl of Great Price" in Matthew 13:45-46.
2. This type of difficult journey to receive a secret knowledge (pearl) was typical of Gnostic Christianity.
3. This story supposed happened after the resurrection of Jesus, which means that Judas was dead. The book does not tell who the twelfth Apostle is.