INNER CIRCLE: Levi Rebukes Peter

INNER CIRCLE: Levi Rebukes Peter January 17, 2025

IMAGE: Keith Giles

“In response, Peter spoke out with the same concerns. He asked them concerning the Savior: “He didn’t speak with a woman without our knowledge and not publicly with us, did he? Will we turn around and all listen to her? Did he prefer her to us?”” [The Gospel of Mary]

When Peter’s brother Andrew rejects Mary’s message, he does so on the basis that “these teachings seem like different ideas.” But, as I have pointed out in my commentary on the Gospel of Thomas, this very same objection could be used to disqualify the Gospel of John, since roughly 90 percent of what it tells us about Jesus and what he said has no parallel to anything we read in the Synoptic Gospel of Mark, Matthew or Luke.

Peter’s rejection is less academic than his brother’s. He objects to Mary’s Gospel based entirely on the fact that she is a woman and he questions whether or not Jesus would really have spoken things to her in private and left them – the male disciples – out of the loop. Essentially, Peter’s objection is based on his patriarchal sensibilities, as revealed when he says, “Did he prefer her to us?”

After Mary briefly defends herself saying, “My brother Peter…do you think I have thought this up myself in my heart? Or that I am lying about the Savior?”, Levi leaps to her defense by rebuking Peter for his hot-tempered response.

As some scholars point out, Levi goes even further than this. For example, in Christopher Tuckett’s commentary on the final section of Mary’s Gospel, he points out:

[Levi’s comment] “…about Peter being hot-headed, may reflect a tradition of Peter as an impulsive individual: certainly the traditions recorded in the canonical gospels can be put together to produce a picture of Peter as somewhat reckless, blundering, speaking before thinking, etc. However, the word used here in the Coptic text is the same as that used to qualify the reference to Wisdom as the seventh ‘form’ of the fourth power – Wrath – encountered by the soul in Mary’s vision. And indeed this may be the catchword linking this to the name Wrath itself. Is there then a suggestion in Levi’s words that Peter’s opposition is akin to that of the hostile powers mentioned earlier?”[1]

This adds a unique perspective to Peter’s reaction, as Levi connects the Apostle’s response to the very powers that oppose the soul’s ascent. Not only does Levi compare Peter to “the adversaries” who crucified Jesus, he also makes a comparison to spiritual forces that resist the enlightenment of the human soul.

Of course, this echoes the rebuke of Peter by Jesus himself who famously said to him, “Get behind me, Satan!” in Matthew 16:23 and Mark 8:33.

Next, Levi reminds Peter, and the other disciples, that Mary was chosen by Jesus , that Jesus “made her worthy” and, additionally, that Jesus “loved [her] more than us,” which appears to have settled the argument. At least, in this specific case. But, as we know, the friction between Peter and Mary continued to escalate until these competing factions eventually found it impossible to meet on common ground.

Finally, Levi ends his response by urging them all to “put on the perfect man”

We know, thanks to the excellent scholarship of Elizabeth Schrader Polczer and others, that an organized attempt was made to literally erase Mary Magdalene from the Gospel of John, and to diminish her position of authority in the early Jesus movement. This effort, sadly, was largely successful and was further exacerbated by the eventual suppression of Mary’s Gospel, and the violence done to the text itself in order to obscure her voice among Christians in the second and third centuries.

It’s important to emphasize that, contrary to popular opinion, The Gospel of Mary is not a feminist Gospel or text. Mary is not held up as a leader in any sense. She is seen as an equal among the Apostles, but she is not given authority over them. Nor is there any argument made [at least in the fragmented text as we have it now] that women should be given authority over men.

In fact, Mary cries after Peter’s rebuke. Levi leaps to defend her. These are very traditional male/female roles in the ancient world. So, yes, Mary’s Gospel does elevate the position of a woman to that of one equal to a male, but it doesn’t go further than this. And sadly, even this was too far for most early Christian Church Fathers like Tertullian and Irenaeus who did everything in their power to silence women and enthrone the male as leader in the centuries after Jesus and Paul attempted to create a more level playing field.

Interestingly, the fact that Mary’s Gospel ends with this debate my, in itself, provide evidence to suggest that it was, indeed, written much earlier than many scholars might think. As Christopher Tuckett explains:

Indeed, the very existence of the debate at all may suggest that any competing groups are still in dialogue with each other. Strict boundary lines have evidently not yet been drawn, and any ‘us versus them’ mentality seems to be at a fairly early stage of development. The gospel does clearly come down on the side of Mary and Levi against the views of Peter and Andrew. But the debate seems to stay at the level of views: the level of personal animosity remains relatively low-key. All this may, then, suggest an earlier, rather than a later, date for the gospel.”[2]

Ultimately, as several scholars note, the main issue at the end of Mary’s Gospel is the answer to the question, “Who can be relied upon to preach the gospel?”, and the answer appears to be, “In…the absence of clear criteria or norms in terms of agreed ‘rules of faith’ or a canon of scripture, the Gospel of Mary puts forward its claim by (implicitly) referring to the character of Mary. Thus ‘the Gospel of Mary argues for the truth of its teaching based on a contrast between Mary’s character and Peter’s” [3]

Mary’s character is on full display alongside Peter’s character in the Gospel of Mary. When the disciples are distraught, she strengthens, blesses and kisses them. When asked, she shares the personal and private revelation she received from Jesus directly.

Peter’s character is also on display. After hearing Mary share her story, he brings her to tears. Where she comforted him in his distress, he brings Mary to the point of tears without any compassion. He questions her truthfulness. He insults her reputation, and he belittles her for being a woman.

If we are asked to make a choice about who is more qualified to preach the Good News of the Son of Man, the answer is clear.

If the “one whom Jesus loved” is given ultimate authority to proclaim the story of Jesus in the Gospel of John, then the woman whom Jesus loved more than all of the disciples should be extended the very same authority to proclaim the Gospel of Mary. Especially if this authority rests on the character of the author and their position as one beloved by Jesus.

[1] The Gospel of Mary, Christopher Tuckett, Oxford University Press, pg. 190

[2] IBID, pg. 203

[3] IBID, pg. 196

NOTE: Excerpted from the forthcoming book, THE QUANTUM SAYINGS OF MARY AND THE LOST GOSPEL OF TRUTH by Keith Giles [Quoir Publishing]

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The newest book from Keith Giles, “The Quantum Sayings of Jesus: Decoding the Lost Gospel of Thomas” is available now on Amazon. Order HERE>

Keith Giles is the best-selling author of the Jesus Un series. He has appeared on CNN, USA Today, BuzzFeed, and John Fugelsang’s “Tell Me Everything.”

He co-hosts The Heretic Happy Hour Podcast and his solo podcast, Second Cup With Keith which are both available on Spotify, Amazon, Apple, Podbean or wherever you find your podcast fix.

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