The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Apocrypha

by Tobias Nicklas, Andrew Gregory (Editor), Christopher Tuckett (Editor), Joseph Verheyden

Overview

The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Apocrypha addresses issues and themes that arise in the study of early Christian apocryphal literature. It discusses key texts including the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, the Gospel of Peter, letters attributed to Paul, Peter, and Jesus, and acts and apocalypses written about or attributed to different apostles. Part One consists of authoritative surveys of the main branches of apocryphal literature (gospels, acts, epistles, apocalypses, and related literature) and Part Two considers key issues that they raise. These include their contribution to our understanding of developing theological understandings of Jesus, the apostles and other important figures such as Mary. It also addresses the value of these texts as potential sources for knowledge of the historical Jesus, and for debates about Jewish-Christian relations, the practice of Christian worship, and developing understandings of asceticism, gender and sexuality, etc. The volume also considers questions such as which ancient readers read early Christian apocrypha, their place in Christian spirituality, and their place in contemporary popular culture and contemporary theological discourse.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198801252
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	03/25/2018
Series:	Oxford Handbooks
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	496
Product dimensions:	9.50(w) x 6.60(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Andrew Gregory is Chaplain and Fellow of University College, Oxford.

Christopher Tuckett was Professor of New Testament Studies at University of Oxford.

Tobias Nicklas is Professor of New Testament Exegesis and Hermeneutics at the University of Regensburg.

Joseph Verheyden is Professor of New Testament at the University of Leuven.

Table of Contents

List of ContributorsList of FiguresPart I: Introduction and overview1. Introduction, Christopher Tuckett2. Texts About Jesus: Non-canonical Gospels and Related Literature, Jorg Frey3. Apocryphal Texts About Other Characters in the Canonical Gospels, Charlotte Touati and Claire Clivaz4. Narratives About the Apostles: Non-canonical Acts and Related Literature, Richard Pervo5. Non-canonical Epistles and Related Literature, Andrew Gregory6. Non-canonical Apocalypses and Prophetic Works, Richard BauckhamPart II: Key Issues and Themes7. The Influence of Jewish Scriptures on Early Christian Apocrypha, Tobias Nicklas8. Who Read Early Christian Apocrypha?, L. W. Hurtado9. The Formation of the New Testament Canon and Early Christian Apocrypha, Jens Schrter10. 'Useful for the Soul': Christian Apocrypha and Christian Spirituality, François Bovon11. Christology and Soteriology in Apocryphal Gospels, Pheme Perkins12. Christology and Soteriology in Apocryphal Acts and Apocalypses, Paul Foster13. The Gospel of Thomas and the Historical Jesus, Stephen J. Patterson14. Other Apocryphal Gospels and the Historical Jesus, Simon Gathercole15. Christian Apocrypha and the Developing Role of Mary, J. K. Elliott16. The Apocryphal Mary in Early Christian Art, Robin M. Jensen17. The Role of the Apostles, Richard I. Pervo18. Judaism and Anti-Judaism in Early Christian Apocrypha, Petri Luomanen19. Eschatology and the Fate of the Dead in Early Christian Apocrypha, Outi Lehtipuu20. Liturgy and Early Christian Apocrypha, Harald Buchinger21. Roman Imperialism: The Political Context of Early Christian Apocrypha, Candida R. Moss22. Encratism, Asceticism, and The Construction of Gender and Sexual Identity in Apocryphal Gospels, Judith Hartenstein23. Encratism and the Apocryphal Acts, Yves Tissot24. Early Christian Apocrypha in Popular Culture, Tony Burke25. Early Christian Apocrypha in Contemporary Theological Discourse, Tony Burke

Editorial Reviews

"an excellent survey of the material and current discussions." — Christoph Stenschke, Journal of Early Christian History

"Andrew Gregory and Christopher Tuckett's Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Apocrypha is a welcome resource for students and scholars interested in better understanding the role, place, and function of early apocryphal literature in the development of nascent Christianity." —Lily Vuong, Religious Studies Review

"This book is a suitable resource for students and scholars looking for an overview of current research on non-canonical texts, and for anyone who wants to get an impression of the fascinating things these texts contain. Given the wide range of texts and topics covered, even people already working on non-canonical texts will encounter new ideas essays are readable and accessible for advanced undergraduates."—Julia A. Snyder, Theologische Literaturzeitung

"Andrew Gregory and Christopher Tuckett have provided scholars and students alike with a valuable new resource for the study of apocryphal literature. . . . this volume offers a welcome reconsideration and reappraisal of many of our long-held, often misguided notions concerning apocryphal texts."—Janet Spittler, Review of Biblical Literature

"This volume is a welcome introductory resource for students and scholars seeking to situate themselves in the rather large (if not to say daunting) corpus of early Christian apocrypha and current scholarship on it. The contributions of each author, all of them well-established scholars in this field of study, are relatively brief yet highly informative. . . . The work is highly recommended for those looking to become familiar with the key texts and scholarly perspectives of the early Apocrypha."—Callie Callon, Religious Studies Review

"[T]he papers in this Handbook permit its readers to orient themselves in the sometimes bewildering original texts and occasionally equally bewildering secondary literature on this fascinating corpus. Accessible and serious in equal measure, the Handbook can sit alongside its companions in the OUP catalogue on biblical studies, early Christian studies, and the reception history of the bible, with all of which it has numerous points of crossover or intersection."—Paul Bishop, Religion

From the Publisher