The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian ApocryphaLarry Hurtado, who notes the book here, has posted his essay in it at his blog: “Who Read Early Christian Apocrypha?”
Edited by Andrew Gregory and Christopher Tuckett
Tobias Nicklas and Joseph Verheyden
Oxford Handbooks in Religion and Theology
496 pages | 246x171mm
978-0-19-964411-7 | Hardback | 13 August 2015
Also available as: eBook
Price: £95.00
Description
- Consists of 25 authoritative essays by leading scholars in the field.
- Addresses issues and themes that arise in the study of early Christian apocryphal literature.
- Surveys of the main branches of apocryphal literature, such as gospels, acts, epistles, and apocalypses, considering keys issues that they raise.
- Contemplates 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.
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.
Readership: Students and scholars of biblical studies, particularly New Testament; of early Christianity.
The above HT Tony Burke on Facebook.