Petrus Alexandrinus

At the beginning of the 20th century, F.H. Chase called for a study »that would have for its primary object the examination in detail of the relation [...] of 2 Peter to early Christian literature, and especially to the pseudepigraphical and apocryphal documents« as a precondition for identifying the historical context of 2 Peter. Acting on this suggestion, Wolfgang Grünstäudl analyzes the relationship of 2 Peter to other Petrine pseudepigrapha and investigates the use of this epistle by early Christian writers. As a result, 2 Peter is described as an Alexandrian text, probably written in the second half of the second century. Moreover, Grünstäudl argues that 2 Peter uses the Greek-Ethiopic Apocalypse of Peter and is to be read in the wider context of Clement of Alexandria's theology.