"Pseudo" means "false" and "Clementines" refers to Clement, who supposedly received Peter's spiritual authority after Peter died.

Date of composition

• Scholars vary widely in their opinion, from the mid-100s to the 400s. The dating is made more difficult because an original document was made, which was then added to and altered numerous times over the years. It is difficult to determine which parts of the book were in the original (as early as the late second century) and which parts were added later.

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

• Error and some Heresy. The original document was probably orthodox (true teachings), but heretical authors later altered it.

Length

• 66 double-spaced pages. It contains many different documents.

Summary

• In the first document, Peter began by writing to James (the half-brother of Jesus and head of the churches in Jerusalem) to safeguard the writings that he sent him. He asked him to hand them over to seventy church leaders.
• In a second document, James instructed the seventy church leaders.
• In a third document, written by Clement, Peter, realizing he was about to die, appointed Clement to take his place as the bishop. Peter also stated that, when he died, the authority Jesus gave him (to bind what should be bound and that all he ordered on earth will be ordered in heaven) would pass to Clement. [This is one of the earliest or maybe the earliest descriptions of Peter's unique authority being passed to his successor.]
• In the following documents, Clement talked about his life and some of Peter's journeys. Clement told how he searched for truth in Rome and, hearing Barnabas speak to a crowd that the "Son of God" appeared in Judaea, he went there and met Peter. Peter and Simon the Sorcerer had a confrontation, with Simon leaving three days later. Peter then left to catch up and continue debating Simon. He passed through many cities, many people became Christian, he healed many people and raised some from the dead, he preached many long sermons, and he installed a bishop in some cities.

Noteworthy from the book

1. Refers to Peter as the foundation stone of the Church. [Note: Ephesians 2:20 states that Jesus is the cornerstone, and the prophets and apostles are the foundation.]
2. Jesus chose twelve Apostles because there are twelve months.
3. John the Baptist had thirty disciples, one of whom was Simon, who became the Sorcerer after John's death.
4. Peter gave an interesting description of the necessity of baptism: "When you are born again for God of water, then through fear you get rid of your first birth which came out of lust (or sexual desire), and thus can attain to salvation." This shows an early time period (in the late 200s to 400s) when some Christians linked the water of baptism with salvation.
5. Includes the Gnostic teaching that knowledge brings salvation.
6. The book seems to say that Peter's authority passed directly to Clement, but Catholic tradition states that Clement was the fourth pope, after Linus (the second pope) and Anacletus (the third pope).