Page:The Apocryphal Acts of Paul, Peter, John, Andrew and Thomas.djvu/74

 Christ he gave of the bread to every one of them; and after having distributed it, he rose and went into the house.

Note.—It is evident that the narrative given above forms a part of a larger work. This is already clear from the beginning "on the first day of the week."

A copyist detached it from the entire work for a certain purpose which he had in view. The piece was much too small to be considered as an independent whole. The postscript in the Coptic presupposes a Greek original, "praxis Petru." The entire work must accordingly have had this title, and we have thus a hitherto unknown portion of the ancient Acts of Peter, first mentioned by Eusebius (Hist. eccles., III, 3, 2).

Of the paralytic daughter of Peter we read in Augustine Contra Adimantum Manichcci discipuhim, 17, 5; also Jerome ad Jovin., I, 26. The Acta Philippi (II, 2 p. 81) also mention this fact and it is possible that the author of the Acts of Philip perused the Acts of Peter. The story of Peter's daughter was further developed in the Acts of Nereus and Achilles, where her name is given as Petronilla, and not Ptolemy but Flaccus is mentioned.