Letter of Peter to James

Clemens Romanus. Clementis Romani quae feruntur homiliae. Schwegler, Albert, editor. Stuttgart: A. Becheri, 1847.

Open Greek and Latin · CC BY-SA 4.0

Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.

This work is a letter written in the name of the Apostle Peter to James, pleading for the preservation and proper transmission of his teachings. Peter urgently requests that the books containing his preachings be handed down to others only through a strict method modeled after the Mosaic tradition. He insists that these writings should be carefully entrusted only to those who have been thoroughly tested and proven worthy. The background to this plea is Peter's fierce condemnation of false teachers who distort his true intentions and spread unlawful doctrines. He warns James to remain highly vigilant so that the true teachings are not corrupted by these deceivers. Ultimately, the letter conveys a passionate appeal and practical guidelines to protect the integrity of the apostolic message from distortion.