“I Will Never Disown You” (Mk. 14:31): A Psychological Perspective on Peter’s Denials

Abstract

This article attempts to explore the effects of memory retention, phantom recollection, and recollection rejection on the quest for the Apostle Peter’s denials (Mt. 26:31–35, 69–75; Mk 14:27–31, 66–72; Lk. 22:31–34, 54–62; Jn. 13:37–38, 18:15–18, 25–27). Phantom recollection refers that sometimes gist-based false memories at high levels are strong enough to elicit falsely recalled experiences. While individuals retrieve true recognition of their instantiating studied scenarios rather than false-but-gist-consistent lures by detecting relevant signal via a memory-editing operation called recollection rejection. This article examines the extent to which Peter’s memory retention sustains and moreover presumes that phantom recollection leads Peter to override his own promise, but with the assistance of detecting the crucial signals (i.e., the rooster crows, Mt. 26:74b, Mk. 14:72a, Lk. 22:60b, Jn. 18:27b; Jesus straightforwardly looks at him, Lk. 22:61a) that evokes the recollection rejection process, he retrieves his true memories. For the first time, if any, the attempt to interpret the pericope of Peter’s denials through the lens of the false memory theory could elucidate our hermeneutical understandings from the nature of humankind perspective.