T&T Clark Studies in Apocryphal and Pseudepigraphal Writings (7 vols.)

While a variety of editions of the New Testament Apocrypha exist in English, German, French, Spanish, and Italian, the actual Greek texts have remained difficult to access until now. This book brings together these Greek non-canonical Christian texts in an accurate and comprehensive collection. Including over 200 high quality images of the papyri and indicating where they are housed in the world today, this volume provides a highly valuable reference to facilitate the study of these important texts.

This volume examines what are traditionally seen as “non-canonical” texts and the role they played in early Judaism and Christianity. The contributors discuss several important Jewish and Christian apocryphal and pseudepigraphal texts and describe their ancient functions and socio-cultural and religious context. The texts treated include the Oxyrhynchus papyri, the Enochic library of the author of the Epistle of Barnabas, the Coptic, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions of the Testament of Abraham, and the Testaments of Isaac and Jacob. It is argued that these texts show the fluidity of the notion of Scripture in the early centuries of the Church and in the Judaism of late antiquity. These studies demonstrate the value of examining the ancient religious texts that weren’t included in the Jewish or Christian biblical canons. Because ancient texts were not created in a vacuum, these non-canonical writings aid in our interpretation not only of many canonical writings, but also shed considerable light on the context of early Judaism and Christianity.

In December 1945, at the base of cliffs that run along the Nile River near the modern-day town of Nag Hammadi, an Egyptian farmer discovered a sealed jar containing the ancient text of the Gospel of Thomas. At the time, this discovery represented arguably the most significant manuscript discovery of the twentieth century for the study of the New Testament and Christian origins. The Gospel of Thomas is among the most controversial writings related to early Christianity. Some scholars argue that it attests to a lost Christianity, while others argue that it is a later Gnostic offshoot. This debate directly impacts the doctrine of inspiration, canon formation, and the very essence of the message of Jesus.

This classic book presents the best text and the best translation of Thomas in user-friendly form. Additional chapters provide a general introduction to the Gospel of Thomas and tell the fascinating story of that discovery itself by one who was directly involved in bringing this new text to light. This new edition features updated material which takes account of recent research on the Gospel of Thomas. The translation has been refined at points, and the bibliographical material updated. This new edition also includes an annotated bibliography for further reading to provide readers with a guide to the most important current research on this important document.

This book examines all the relevant passages containing the term “Son of Man” in both Matthew and the Parables of Enoch. Depictions of the Son of Man in the Gospel of Matthew and in the Parables of Enoch raise questions about their relationship. The meaning and origin of the term “Son of Man” is discussed and its use by Matthew and the Parable of Enoch is thoroughly examined. Introductory questions of date, provenance, and social setting are addressed for both Matthew and the Parables of Enoch. Based on dating considerations and a comparison of the Son of Man’s characteristics in each, it is argued that the author of the Matthew could have been aware of and influenced by the Parables of Enoch. Walck utilizes literary, redaction, sociological, and narrative criticism to explore the relationship between these two important texts of antiquity.

Parables of Enoch is an interdisciplinary study of the state of the current debate surrounding the Parables of Enoch with regard to their dating as well as their Jewish character and potential contribution to aspects of early Christian thought. The role of 1 Enoch in the context of Christian origins is much discussed amongst Second Temple and New Testament scholars, with the former often attaching more importance to them than the latter. The contributors to the present volume stem from both areas, and together explore the relative significance of the Parables of Enoch. The important issues discussed include the significance of the parables for a deeper understanding of Second Temple thought, Jesus’ message, the development of the kerygma, and the traditions embodied and edited in canonical texts, especially the Gospels. The extremely impressive list of contributors includes Geza Vermes, Richard Bauckham, James Dunn, Larry Schiffman, James VanderKam, Francis Moloney, and Loren Stuckenbruck.

Micah Kiel discusses the overly simplistic designation of “deuteronomistic” given to Tobit’s perspective on retribution. By coordinated analysis with Sirach and parts of 1 Enoch, Kiel contends that Tobit’s view is much more complex than is normally asserted. He argues that the return of Tobit’s sight is a catalyst that ushers in new theological insight, specifically, that the world does not run to the tightly mechanized scheme of act and consequence. Kiel’s close comparison between Tobit and selected contemporaneous literature provides context and support for such narrative observations. Sirach and parts of 1 Enoch demonstrate how authors at the time of Tobit were expressing their views of retribution in the realm of creation theology. The created order in Tobit is unruly and rises up in opposition to God’s righteous characters. By way of this quirky tale, the author of Tobit suggests that God doesn’t function strictly according to old formulae. Instead, a divine incursion into human reality is necessary for the reversal of suffering.

Maria Haralambakis provides a wide-ranging study of the pseudepigraphal Testament of Job. She begins with textual issues, considering the recent publication of a 4th century Coptic codex of the text, as well as the more well-known Byzantine Greek manuscripts and a much larger number of Slavonic manuscripts. Rather than working backwards from the most recent manuscripts to a hypothetical original text, Haralambakis presents the manuscripts from earliest to latest as a succession of witnesses to the text of the Testament of Job, each valuable as evidence of its contemporary world.

Haralambakis moves on to examine the structure of the Testament as a remarkable literary work, employing narrative theory to demonstrate how the composition works as a well-crafted story. Gleaning insights from the text’s widespread presence in Byzantine and Slavonic Christian churches, Haralambakis examines its reception history, asserting that, in these contexts, the story came to be viewed as something akin to the life of a saint.