doi: 10.5325/bullbiblrese.30.3.0403 Bulletin for Biblical Research, Vol. 30, No. 3, 2020 Copyright © 2020 The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA Did Ancients Know the Testaments Were Pseudepigraphic? Implications for 2 Peter ABSTRACT: Richard Bauckham argues for the pseudonymity of 2 Peter on the basis of its genre. He argues that 2 Peter was written as a “testament” of Peter, and since other ancient Jewish testaments are clearly pseudonymous, 2 Peter’s testamental genre indicates its pseudonymity. Moreover, since it was well known in antiquity that the testaments were pseudonymous, those who wrote them did not intend to deceive. Petrine authorship of 2 Peter is thus, in Bauckham’s words, a “transparent fiction.” But did ancients know the testaments were pseudepigraphic? Bauckham provides no evidence. He only suggests that the pseudonymity of the testaments is so obvious so that it was “self-evident.” We examined ancient authors who cited material from the testaments or testamental-type material. We found no evidence the authors or their audiences knew the testaments were pseudepigraphic. Rather, they appear to cite the testamentary material as authentic, reliable, even authoritative material. KEYWORDS: 2 Peter, testaments, Pseudepigrapha, pseudonymous, Peter, authorship 2 Peter has been called the problem child of the NT for several reasons, the question of authorship perhaps being chief among them. The prescript of the letter indicates the sender was Simon Peter. While 2 Peter was not widely known or used by the early church, many accepted it. 1 By the fourth century, its canonical status solidified along with the letter’s claim of Petrine authorship. With the rise of modern biblical criticism, several challenges have been raised against Petrine authorship of 2 Peter. Arguments tend to 1. For texts see Charles Bigg, Epistles of St. Peter and St. Jude, ICC (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1901; repr., 1978), 199–215; Robert E. Picirilli, “Allusions to 2 Peter in the Apostolic Fathers,” JSNT 33 (1988): 57–83. E. RANDOLPH RICHARDS AND KEVIN J. BOYLE Palm Beach Atlantic University