The Gospel According to Peter: A Study by Walter Richard Cassels

(5 User reviews)   2721
By Charlotte Girard Posted on Nov 15, 2025
In Category - Adventure
Cassels, Walter Richard, 1826-1907 Cassels, Walter Richard, 1826-1907
English
Ever wondered what the Bible might look like if we only had Peter's version of events? That's the fascinating question at the heart of this old but radical book. Written in the 19th century, Cassels presents a fictional 'lost gospel' attributed to Peter, imagining a version of Jesus's life that's more human and less divine. The book isn't just a story—it's a bold thought experiment that questions how history gets written and rewritten. It was controversial when published, and it still makes you think about faith, history, and who gets to tell the story. If you're curious about the 'what-ifs' of religious history, this is a mind-bending read.
Share

Read "The Gospel According to Peter: A Study by Walter Richard Cassels" Online

This book is available in the public domain. Start reading the digital edition below.

START READING FULL BOOK
Instant Access    Mobile Friendly

Book Preview

A short preview of the book’s content is shown below to give you an idea of its style and themes.

at once pass to the more recent, with which we have particularly to do. In the course of explorations carried on during the winter of 1886-87 by the order of M. Grébaut, then Director of the Museums of Egypt, two Greek manuscripts were discovered in the necropolis of Akhmîm, the ancient Panopolis, in Upper Egypt. The first of these was a papyrus, which was really found by some Fellahs who quarrelled regarding the partition of their precious booty and thus allowed the secret to leak out. It came to the knowledge of the Moudir, or Governor of the Province, who promptly settled the dispute by confiscating the papyrus, which he forwarded to the Museum of Gizeh at Boulaq. This MS. is a collection of problems in arithmetic and geometry, carefully written out, probably by a student, and buried with him as his highest and most valued achievement. The second manuscript was of much higher interest. It was discovered in the tomb of a “monk.” It consists of thirty-three pages in parchment, measuring 6 inches in height by 4-½ inches in breadth, without numbering, bound together in pasteboard covered with leather, which has become black with time. There is no date, nor any other indication of the approximate age of the MS. than that which is furnished by the characteristics of the writing and the part of the cemetery in which it was discovered. These lead to the almost certain conclusion, according to M. Bouriant, who first transcribed the text, that the MS. cannot be anterior to the eighth century or posterior to the twelfth. The ancient cemetery of Akhmîm stretches along to the north and west of the hill on which have been discovered tombs of the eighteenth to the twentieth dynasties, and it has served as a burial-place for the Christian inhabitants of the neighbourhood from the fifth to the fifteenth centuries, the more ancient part lying at the foot of the hill and extending gradually upward for about 700 metres. The tomb in which the MS. was found is in a position which approximately tallies, as regards age, with the date indicated by the MS. itself.(1) Of course, these indications refer solely to the date of the MS. itself, and not to the age of the actual works transcribed in its pages. The thirty-three sheets of parchment, forming sixty-six pages, commence with an otherwise blank page, bearing a rough drawing of a Coptic cross, upon the arms of which rise smaller crosses of the same description, and the letters [symbol] and [symbol] stand the one on the left, the other on the right of the lower stem of the large cross. Over the page commences a fragment of the “Gospel of Peter,” which continues to the end of page 10, where it abruptly terminates in the middle of a sentence. Pages 11 and 12 have been left blank. Pages 13 to 19 contain a fragment of the “Apocalypse of Peter,” beginning and ending abruptly, and these have, either by accident or design, been bound in the volume upside down and in reverse order, so that, as they actually stand, the text commences at page 19 and ends at page 13. Page 20 is again blank, and the rest of the volume is made up of two fragments of the ’Book of Enoch,’ the first extending from the 21st to the 50th page, and the second, written by a different hand, from the 51st to the 66th page. Finally, on the inside of the binding, and attached to it, is a sheet of parchment on which is written in...

This is a limited preview. Download the book to read the full content.

This book isn't a typical novel or a dry history text. It's a unique piece of 19th-century religious speculation that caused a real stir.

The Story

Walter Cassels, writing under a pseudonym, presents what he claims is a newly discovered 'Gospel of Peter.' He frames it as a translation of an ancient manuscript that gives us Peter's direct, eyewitness account of Jesus's life. The narrative he constructs focuses on Jesus as a wise teacher and moral leader, downplaying the supernatural miracles and the divine resurrection. It's a version of the story that feels more grounded in everyday human experience.

Why You Should Read It

What's gripping isn't just the fictional gospel itself, but the audacity of the project. Cassels was exploring big ideas about how sacred texts are formed and how a single perspective can shape a religion. Reading it today, you get a front-row seat to a major religious debate of the Victorian era. It feels less like an attack on faith and more like a passionate, if unorthodox, attempt to understand its foundations. You're constantly aware you're reading a clever fabrication, but it makes you ponder the very real power of storytelling in faith.

Final Verdict

This is a niche but rewarding read. It's perfect for history buffs interested in 19th-century religious thought, or for anyone who enjoys books that play with the line between fiction and scripture, like The Red Tent or The Book of Longings. It requires some patience with its older style, but the core idea is as provocative now as it was then. Don't read it for a thrilling plot—read it to have a fascinating, centuries-old conversation about truth, memory, and belief.



🟢 Copyright Free

This masterpiece is free from copyright limitations. It is available for public use and education.

Charles Johnson
1 year ago

My professor recommended this, and I see why.

Elizabeth Davis
2 months ago

Five stars!

Karen Anderson
1 year ago

Amazing book.

Logan Perez
7 months ago

Not bad at all.

Mark Miller
1 month ago

Great digital experience compared to other versions.

5
5 out of 5 (5 User reviews )

Add a Review

Your Rating *
There are no comments for this eBook.
You must log in to post a comment.
Log in


Related eBooks