The Variation in Depiction of Jesus Christ in the Gospels of Peter and Mark

The Gospels of Peter and Mark are very different in their retelling of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. While the general story stays the same (Jesus dies, rises into heaven after three days, and his empty tomb is found by Mary Magdalene) the witnesses of Christ’s resurrection are completely different, fully shaping each author’s, and thus the reader’s, view of Christ. Both the gospels of Peter and Mark solidify Jesus as fully human, fully God, but Peter uses Jesus as a magic missionary, converting non-believers through miraculous acts of power, but not allowing for a self sustained form of Christianity, while Mark uses Jesus as a leader, empowering the members of his flock and giving a venue for future generations of Christians to spread the Word of God.

The Gospel of Peter states that Christ’s assent into heaven was witnessed by Roman soldiers guarding the tomb: “while the soldiers stood guard two by two on their watch, a great voice came from the sky. They saw the skies open and two men descend from there…As they were explaining what they had seen, they saw three men emerge from the tomb, the two of them supporting the other, with a cross following behind them.” There are several important points to note in that selection, but two of them give major insight into Peter’s view of Jesus and the purpose of Christianity. Firstly, the two men are supporting Jesus, as if he is too weak to ascend to heaven alone. According to research by Pablo M. Edo in his journal article “A Revision of the Origin and Role of the Supporting Angels in the Gospel of Peter”, the use of divine beings to accompany the dead into the afterlife was a common motif in “the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha and in Early Christianity” as well as “pagan literature”. Using angels to guide Jesus into heaven may have been an appeal to reach out to audiences who did not believe in Jesus as the Son of God. Secondly, Peter makes an interesting choice in having his witnesses be Roman soldiers, but what’s even more interesting is their reaction. When confronting Pontius Pilate about Christ’s resurrection, they appear to be taking the crucifixion very personally, as if witnessing the resurrection had converted them: “[They] hurried to Pilate that night…Greatly agitated, they said ‘He actually was the Son of God.’” In converting the Roman soldiers, Peter tells the story of Jesus the missionary. His use of the angels and Roman soldiers sets up Christianity as a religion that welcomes non-believers to convert. However, the witnesses are not really active participants in their conversion. They witness a miracle and then they believe that Jesus was the Son of God. A reader of this text would assume that Jesus will come to the non-believers or let them see him instead of working through his followers.

Mark, however, does not show anyone directly witnessing the accent of Christ into heaven, but he does visit the story of Jesus coming to Mary Magdalene and later the twelve disciples: “Now after he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene…She went out and told those who had been with him, while they were mourning and weeping…Later he appeared to the eleven [disciples] themselves as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.’” Here, Jesus serves as a manager and a leader of his followers, initially giving Mary Magdalene the job of proclaiming the good news to comfort and support the disciples in their time of need. Like Peter, Mark’s telling of the story also pushes conversion and missionary work, but he shows Jesus delegating the work out to his followers instead of letting non-believers witness his power like he does in the Gospel of Peter. The focus is placed on the next line of followers instead of on the people alive during the time of Jesus’ teachings. According to the Suzanne Watts Henderson article “Discipleship After the Resurrection: Scribal Hermeneutics in the Longer Ending of Mark”, Mark’s account of the resurrection “forges clear lines of continuity between Jesus’ first followers and those who would ‘come after’ him in later generations.” Mark’s story also welcomes non-believers to convert, but opens up missionary work for generations of Christian’s to come. This perspective is seen throughout the Gospel of Mark in his focus on Jesus’ miracles. In earlier sections of the Gospel, Mark tends to talk the most about the miracles Jesus performed on others in need and the importance of their faith in him to be healed. For example, in chapter five of the Gospel of Mark, Mark tells the story of a woman who was hemorrhaging: “She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak…Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease…Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’…the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.’” These stories establish the importance of faith in what others have said of Christ very early on. One does not need to witness Jesus’ miracles in order to convert and be made well through Christ, like in the Gospel of Peter. Having faith in the story of another and finding Christ through them is enough.

It should be noted that only fragments of the Gospel of Peter remain for theological study and that those fragments focus on the end of Jesus’ life. Modern scholars cannot say how Peter may have felt about Jesus’ healing the sick or criticizing the Pharisees. This information may be a vital part in understanding Peter’s perspective on Jesus and Christianity, as it is in Mark. We may never know if the rest of Peter’s Gospel reflected his recounting of the resurrection or if his recounting of the resurrection reflected his true opinion at all.

It should also be noted that the Gospel of Mark is considered to be a part of the biblical canon while the Gospel of Peter is not. While there are many reasons why Mark was chosen over Peter, the effect that choice has had is much more interesting. Modern denominations of Christianity place much of their focus on mission. From the early crusades of the 11th century to the youth mission trip that has become such a quintessential part of the modern church, missionary work is one of, if not the, biggest focuses of Christianity today. The focus is very rarely about waiting for Christ to let you witness him, as we see in the Gospel of Peter, but seeking out Christ yourself through the missionary work of other Christians. The Gospel of Mark implies that Christ is a part of every Christian and to follow Jesus is to find Christ within yourself and other Christians. According to the Gospel of Peter, to follow Jesus is to witness his work and his power. Peter separates Christ from the Christians; Mark combines them. The Gospel of Peter does not translate as well into later incarnations of Christianity as it is much more difficult to witness the power of Christ when Jesus no longer walks the earth. One might even wonder if the Gospel of Peter would’ve allowed for Christianity to last for as long as it has with such veracity as it has in the same way that the Gospel of Mark has.

Mark and Peter are very different in their approaches towards Christ’s role in Christianity. Although they both agree that missionary work and converting non-believers should be the main focus of Christianity, the role of Christ himself differs greatly. Peter’s Gospel, while appropriate for the audience for which it was written, doesn’t stand the test of time, both physically and theoretically, putting too much emphasis on Jesus’ power as a God and the importance of witnessing that power to convert. Mark, on the other hand, puts the focus on spreading the word of God to others, implying that each follower of Jesus part of Christ and the Holy Spirit with them and to convert others is to show the part of them in which Christ lives on. In that way, Peter’s Gospel can convert only a few, but Mark’s Gospel can convert many.