(All data here per Dr. Ramelli from her Tome. Some of the analysis is mine not hers.)
In the widest available rescension of ApocPeter, one of the Ethiopian versions, Christ promises after He grants “to those who belong to me, the elect and the justified” the “bath and the salvation from which they have implored me” (in the Acherusian valley aka the Elysian fields – whether this is the site of the granting or where the implorment happened is unclear), and after He goes to rejoice together with them, “I shall have the people * enter my eternal kingdom, and I shall do for them what I and my heavenly Father had promised them.”
The reference to the Elysian Fields is very interesting, as that’s a Greek concept of post-mortem paradise (one of the more common expressions for such a relatively rare idea in Greek religious thought), and ApocPeter tends to have a rather Jewish tone. The passage might mean the author expects Christians to be in the Elysian Fields as a culturally useful analog to the paradise side of sheol in contemporary Judaism (before the resurrection), but that wouldn’t explain the bath and salvation promised by Jesus to them since presumably Christians would have already been bathed by Christ.
Consequently, there’s a reasonable argument that the author is talking about righteous non-Christians in the Elysian Fields being baptized by Christ and brought into fellowship post-mortem at the final judgment, as they have prayed for.
That wouldn’t mean the subsequent mention of “the peoples”, i.e. the nations or people-groups or tribes, are necessarily a further class not to be found yet among the elect and justified – the author might just be restating the idea again. But the phrase “the peoples” does tend to refer in Judeo-Christian thought to those currently outside the group of Israel/church, so a distinction might be implied. It’s also possible that the paragraph is talking about Christians praying to God/Jesus to save righteous pagans and beyond that even the peoples generally.
The Rainer Greek fragment from the 3rd century is more explicit, corresponding to chapter 14 of the Ethiopian text – the Akhmîm fragment completely lacks this section: “I shall grant to my summoned and elect all those whom they ask me to remove from punishment {parêsomai hon ean aitêsontai me ek tês kolaseôs}. And I shall grant them a beautiful baptism in salvation {en sôtêria} in the Acherusian Lake which is said to be in the Elysian valley, a sharing of justification {meros dikaiosunês} with my saints. And I and my elect will go and rejoice together with the Patriarch in my eternal kingdom, and with them I shall keep my promises, made by me and by my Father who is in heaven.”
Although this is the earlier text, it’s hard to say whether the Ethiopian text made the original material more neutrally obscure or whether this represents an early expansion/clarification of material preserved more accurately in the later Ethiopian rescension. Notably this version clarifies that Christian saints are asking for punished pagans (not righteous pagans already living in paradise) to be saved and baptized (in a cultural fashion they’d appreciate, via the Elysian Fields). But it even this version isn’t explicit about universal salvation per se, since there might be a limit to “all those whom they ask me to remove from kolasis”.
Even in the later Ethiopian rescension (where the term being translated as “eternal punishment” by Buchholz in his critical sourcework is itself translating “eonian” {aiônios}, which the Greek Fathers were even less likely to treat as meaning eternal than the NT authors), Jesus still announces the eventual salvation of the damned in chapter 14. Peter also pities the damned in chapters 3-4, and at 4:5 Jesus says that God has even more mercy than Peter and adds “there is nothing that perishes for God, nothing that is impossible for God” (perhaps an echo of the exchange “then who can be saved?” “With mankind it is impossible, but with God all things are possible” – itself echoed in a Petrine epistle!)
In the Ethiopic rescension of chapter 14 (found in the Ethiopic editions of the Pseudo-Clementines, specifically The Second Coming of Christ and the Resurrection of the Dead), Jesus and Peter discuss the final salvation of sinners after a period of torments. Jesus obesrves (140ra) that sinners will not repent if the threat of eternal damnation is removed. But God and Christ will have compassion for all their creatures (140rb) and Jesus will destroy the devil and punish sinners (140vb-141vb). But he adds to Peter, “You will have no more mercy on sinners than I do, for I was crucified because of them, in order to obtain mercy for them from my Father.” The Lord will therefore give each of them “life, glory, and kingdom without end”, since Jesus will interceded for them. But this outcome must not be made known, to avoid an upsurge in sin (141vb-142vb). Peter reports this dialogue of his to Clement (of Rome, 2nd or 3rd Roman pope), recommending secrecy in turn, since the doctrine might foment sin in immature people.
In the next Pseudo-Clementine tract, On the Judgment of Sinners, Peter reports to Clement being taught by Christ that “The Lord has not created Adam for the sake of punishment and correction, but for happiness and joy. Since Adam transgressed God’s commandment, death follows his life like darkness does light…] The Lord said to Adam, ‘You are dust’…] Now, after resurrecting him, will God destroy Adam again with death and hell? After punishing him in a way that is proportional to his crime, will the Lord destroy him again? Reflect and understand t hat God will not have Adam die again. And this discourse must remain a mystery for every human being, just as the proceeding one.”
In the mid-5th century (mid 400s) the ecclesiastic historian Sozomen attests (HE 7.9) that in his day some Palestinian churches still read ApocPeter once a year every year on Good Friday, which suggests a connection to the descent to hades.
ApocPeter also says babies who die are reared by angels in the other world.
In relation to this, Dr. R reports the 2nd or 3rd century Coptic Apocalypse of Elijah, which some scholars regard as incorporating parts of ApocPeter, the righteous contemplate sinners, including those who sinned against the righteous, and shall pray for their deliverance, while sinners contemplate where the righteous are and will take part in grace as the righteous are granted what they have often prayed for.
The Coptic and Ethiopian versions of the Epistula Apostolorum (based apparently on a Syrian original from the early 100s), which like many such texts purports to report the post-resurrection teaching of Jesus to the apostles, the apostles are concerned about the fate of sinners after death (notably a concern rather lacking in the NT canon!) and Jesus says that they’re doing what is right, because the righteous pray for dead sinners to be saved from punishment, and that He shall listen to and grant such prayers.
Dr. R goes on to talk about the Sibylline Oracles 2:330-338, which is verbally very similar to ApocPete’s longer description of God saving dead sinners from the unquenchable flame into the Acherusian Lake of the Elysian fields, as a gift to the pious who pray for them. (Clement and Origen both regarded ApocPete as inspired, along with the two earliest canons, and both had high regard for the oracles, Clement going so far to cite Paul from an apocryphal Acts of Paul as supposedly recommending the oracles in evangelism.) A late Latin version of the Apocalypse of Paul, from the early 500s, includes verbal echoes of sinners being saved post-mortem and being baptised in the Acherasan Lake, though the scope is not explicitly total. (The Greek original has been lost.) Dr. R seems to say (via a footnote) that the original Greek version of The Life of Adam and Eve had Adam being washed post-mortem in the Acherusian Lake.
From two of the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (known and respected by Origen though not deemed canonical), Test.Zebulon 9:18 and Test.Levi 18, Dr. R find evidence of a belief that the Lord will rise with mercy and healing and shall liberate everyone from enslavement to Beliar (Satan), and that all will reject evil after Christ has healed them spiritually. (Possibly not including the deceiving spirits who will be downtrodden.)
Dr. R also talks about the early 2nd century Odes of Solomon and Gospel of Nicodemus here (this being her section on early post-apostolic apocryphal texts before or parallel with the earliest surviving Fathers, where those were respected by some or many patristics), where Jesus saves all sinners from hell at his descent after death.
The Acts of Thomas, from shortly before or after 200, repeatedly testifies to such themes as the universal offer of salvation and Christ’s salvation of all from hell (also the apparent annihilation of Satan much as Irenaeus seems to have taught). It quotes Bardaisan, notably, the famous (in his day) Syrian Christian philosopher, possibly an immediate teacher of Clement, and Christian universalist. (Dr. R wrote a whole study on Bardaisan as the earliest known fully universalistic Church Father who can be demonstrated as such.)
Dr. R writes at great length about the non-Coptic Acts of Philip, which may be (or reflect) the origin of several Gnostic texts though the text itself is orthodox – one interesting detail is that Philip’s sister Mariamme is regarded not only as an apostle but a better one than Philip! (The shorter and later Coptic version replaces her with Peter. This is likely the source of, or parallel to, the Gnostic Gospel of Philip about which fragments several people made hay about some years ago, trying to suggest the Mary was Magdalene, competed with a jealous Peter, and had a sexual relationship with Jesus though this is not at all in the GosPhilip text and wouldn’t fit Gnostic theology anyway.) More interesting for our purposes is its portrait of Philip and Bartholomew having a lot of trouble accepting that Jesus will save all sinners from sin eventually, begrudgingly admitting it (while sending the high priest Ananias slowly sinking into an abyss for daring to debate with him at the invitation of Athenian philosophers) and slowly coming to terms with it. Jesus has trouble over the years transforming the murderous and vengeful heart of Philip (and Bart), and even as the martyrdom of Philip and Mariamme approaches she has the heart of charity to evil {andreia} while he still doesn’t. Philip weeps as the day approaches, fearing he will be unable to give up retaliation as Jesus demands. Even so, their martyrdom will be aimed at “the redemption of the whole world”. Even demons repent (their evil nature having been dried out) and Philip is amazed to see them converting to serve the Good! This doesn’t stop Philip from vindicatively casting pagans who are rude to him into hell, but he again grudgingly admits that Christ will still save them which Christ goes on to illustrate in front of Philip. Finally Christ gets a bit fed up with Philip and judges that after death Philip himself must be kept in the eons {aiônes} for forty days before entering Paradise, as punishment for being so unwilling to accept the utter scope and victory of Christ’s salvation of sinners! Philip acknowledges his sin and praises God who saves the whole world.
Frankly, that text sounds as epic as hell (so to speak). 
What struck me when reading Dr. Ramelli’s account of it was how in tone it comports with the attitudes of the apostles from the Gospels and how they are constantly being rebuked by Christ for those attitudes, even having difficulty accepting the full scope of their evangelical mission in Acts (for which reason Saul the Pharisee is called as an agent and example).*
UR in the Early Church (100-150AD) being one of them. Has anyone looked into this? To begin with it would be helpful to find out more information on the Ethiopian version…
Although it’s getting late so I’ll have to read & post about it tomorrow.
