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Delighting in the Sufferings of Others: Early Christian Schadenfreude and the Function of the Apocalypse of Peter


 Fantasies of eschatological retribution in early Christian literature seem incongruous with Jesus' teachings about forgiveness and the love of enemies. This paper proposes that the Christian victims of violence addressed by the Apocalypse of Peter were conflicted. On the one hand they were aware that Jesus expected them to respond lovingly to their persecutors, but on the other they experienced a very normal emotional response known as Schadenfreude—finding joy in the sufferings of others. It is argued here that 'Peter' attempts to justify his/their violent fantasies by demonstrating the propriety of finding pleasure in the expectation that the wicked would be punished.