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.
Industry 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, RBL *
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 *
This is an absolutely excellent volume, which fills a real need and is likely to serve as the standard reference work on the Apocrypha for decades to come. * Susan E. Doherty, Journal for the Study of the New Testament *
[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 *
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