The Apocryphal New Testament (1924)

For works with similar titles, see The Apocryphal New Testament.

Layout 2

 

THE

APOCRYPHAL

NEW TESTAMENT

 

THE

APOCRYPHAL

NEW TESTAMENT

BEING THE

APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS, ACTS, EPISTLES, AND APOCALYPSES

WITH OTHER NARRATIVES AND FRAGMENTS NEWLY TRANSLATED BY

MONTAGUE RHODES JAMES

Litt.D., F.B.A., F.S.A.

PROVOST OF ETON; SOMETIME PROVOST OF KING’S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE

 

 

OXFORD

AT THE CLARENDON PRESS

1924

 

Oxford University Press

London⁠Edinburgh⁠Glasgow⁠Copenhagen

New York⁠Toronto⁠Melbourne⁠Cape Town

Bombay⁠Calcutta⁠Madras⁠Shanghai

Humphrey Milford Publisher to the University

 

Printed in England

 

CONTENTS

page
PREFACE		xi
Object of this collection		xi
Existence and purpose of the apocryphal writings. Their inadequacy. Their importance and interest		xii
The meaning and use of the words apocrypha and apocryphal		xiii
Homer’s Apocryphal New Testament, misleading and unoriginal, based on a false view of the history of the Canon. The true state of the case		xiv
The test of Canonicity, viz. use of books in public worship of Catholic congregations. Books which were so used but failed to obtain permanent recognition		xvii
This collection not absolutely complete. Classes of writings not included in it: Gnostic Apocrypha, Books of Church Order, Liturgies, the Clementine literature, The Pseudo-Dionysian writings, books bearing names of Old Testament worthies, other late and unimportant compositions		xxii
Note.—Titles are italicized in the case of texts of which an abstract, not a full translation, is given.
FRAGMENTS OF EARLY GOSPELS, ETC.
The Gospel according to the Hebrews		1
The Gospel of the Ebionites		8
The Gospel according to the Egyptians		10
The Gospel of Philip		12
The Gospel or Traditions of Matthias		12
The Gospel of Peter (ancient testimonies)		13
The Gospel of Thomas (ancient testimonies)		14
The Preaching of Peter		16
LOST HERETICAL BOOKS:
The Birth of Mary		19
The Lesser Questions of Mary		20
The Ascents of James and other lost books		20
The Memoria of the Apostles		21
Lists of Apocryphal Books:
The Gelasian Decree		21
The List of the Sixty Books		23
The Stichometry of Nicephorus		23
The Synopsis of Pseudo-Athanasius		24
FRAGMENTS OF GOSPELS, ETC., preserved in manuscripts discovered in recent years:
A. Greek Fragments:
The Fayoum Gospel-fragment		25
The Oxyrhynchus Sayings of Jesus		25
Fragment of a Gospel		28
Fragment of another Gospel		29
B. Coptic Fragments:
The Strasburg papyrus		30
Fragment preserved with the Pistis Sophia		31
Fragment preserved with the Acts of Paul		31
AGRAPHA		33
A. Agrapha found as additions to the text of the Gospels		33
A. The Freer-logion		34
B. Agrapha preserved in quotations		34
INFANCY GOSPELS		38
The Book of James, or Protevangelium		38
The Gospel of Thomas. Greek text A		49
Greek text B		55
Latin text		58
Appendixes to the Gospel of Thomas. I. From the Pistis Sophia		66
II. Miracles of the Dyer, The Children in the Oven, The Boy in the Tower		66
The Liber de Infantia, or Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew		70
The Gospel of the Birth of Mary		79
The Arabic Gospel of the Infancy		80
The Armenian Gospel of the Infancy		83
The History of Joseph the Carpenter, or Death of Joseph		84
Coptic Lives, &c., of the Virgin		87
Discourse by Evodius?		87
Discourse of Cyril of Jerusalem		87
Discourse of Demetrius of Antioch		88
Discourse of Cyril of Alexandria		88
A modern Infancy Gospel, and other modern forgeries		89
PASSION GOSPELS		90
The Gospel of Peter, Fragment I		90
The Gospel of Nicodemus, or Acts of Pilate		94
Part I		96
Part II. The Descent into Hell. Latin text A		117
Greek		119
Latin text B		119
Letter of Pilate to Claudius		146
Coptic Narratives of the Ministry and Passion: thirteen fragments		147
The Book of the Cock		150
An Ethiopic fragment		151
Other Appendixes to the Acts of Pilate		153
Letter of Pilate to Tiberius		153
Report and Paradosis of Pilate		153
Letters of Pilate and Herod		155
Letter of Tiberius to Pilate		156
The Death of Pilate		157
The Vengeance or Avenging of the Saviour		159
The Story of Joseph of Arimathaea		161
The Gospel of Bartholomew		166
The Book of the Resurrection of Christ by Bartholomew		181
The Book of John the Evangelist		187
The Assumption of the Virgin		194
Coptic Texts. The Narrative of Evodius		194
The Discourse of Cyril of Jerusalem		197
The Discourse of Theodosius		198
A Sahidic fragment		200
Greek Narrative, of John the Evangelist		201
of John of Thessalonica		209
Latin Narrative of Pseudo-Melito		209
of Joseph of Arimathaea		216
Syriac Narratives. 1. The Six (Five) Books		219
2, 2a. Fragmentary Narratives		222
3. The History of the Virgin		222
4. Obsequies of the Virgin		224
ACTS		228
The Acts of John		228
The Banishment		228
The Episode of Lycomedes		229
The Temple of Artemis		236
The Parricide		239
The Partridge		241
The Episode of Drusiana		242
The Discourse of John concerning the Lord		250
The Latin episodes. Atticus and Eugenius		257
Aristodemus: the Poison-cup		262
The Greek fragment from Oxyrhynchus		264
The fragment in the Epistle of Titus		266
The Death of John		266
The Acts of Paul		270
The Episode of Panchares		271
The Story of Thecla		272
The Episode of Hermocrates of Myra		281
The Episode of Sidon		284
The Episode of Tyre		285
The Episode of Frontina		287
The Correspondence with Corinth (Third Epistle to the Corinthians)		288
The Fight with Beasts at Ephesus		291
The Prophecies of Cleobius and Myrte		293
The Martyrdom		293
Unplaced and Uncertain Fragments		297
The Acts of Peter		300
The Coptic Fragment		300
The Gardener’s Daughter		303
The Vercelli Acts		304
The Martyrdom		(330) 332
The Acts of Andrew		337
The Miracles, by Gregory of Tours		337
Detached fragments of the Acts		349
Fragment of Andrew’s discourse in prison		350
The Martyrdom		357
The Acts of Thomas		364
i.	The Sale, and the Wedding Feast	365
ii.	The Palace in Heaven	371
	Note by Professor Burkitt	378
iii.	The Serpent	378
iv.	The Ass’s Colt	383
v.	The Devil and the Woman	385
vi.	The Youth that murdered the Woman	388
vii.	The Captain (Siphor)	393
viii.	The Wild Asses	396
ix.	Mygdonia the wife of Charisius	402
	The Hymn of the Soul	411
x.	The Baptism of Mygdonia	417
xi.	Tertia the wife of Misdaeus	422
xii.	Iuzanes the son of Misdaeus	425
	The Prayer of Thomas	428
xiii.	The Baptism of Iuzanes and the rest	430
(xiv).	The Martyrdom	434
THE SECONDARY ACTS		438
The Acts of Philip		439
i.	The Widow	439
ii.	At Athens	439
iii.	In Parthia	442
iv.	The daughter of Nicocleides	442
v.	At Nicatera	443
vi.	Ireus and Aristarchus	444
vii.	Nerkela and Ireus	446
viii.	The Leopard and the Kid	446
ix.	The Dragon slain	447
xv.	The Martyrdom	448
	The Syriac Act	450
The Acts of Andrew and Matthias (Matthew)		453
The Acts of Peter and Andrew		458
The Martyrdom of Matthew		460
The Apostolic History of Pseudo-Abdias		462
Book I. Peter. Book II. Paul. Book III. Andrew. Book IV. James the Great		462
Book V. John		464
Book VI. (a) James the Less		464
Book VI. (b) Simon and Jude		464
Book VII. Matthew		466
Book VIII. Bartholomew		467
Book IX. Thomas		468
Book X. Philip		469
NOTICES OF MINOR ACTS		469
Acts of John by Prochorus: Syriac History of John		469
Acts of Barnabas, of James the Great, of Thomas		470
Acts and Passions of Peter and Paul		470
Acts of Thaddaeus, of disciples of the Apostles		471
On the Oriental Acts, Coptic, Arabic, and Ethiopic		471
Acts of Andrew and Paul		472
Fragmentary story of Andrew		473
Slavonic Acts of Peter		474
EPISTLES		476
The Letters of Christ and Abgarus		476
The Letter of Lentulus		477
The Epistle to the Laodiceans		478
A fragment, perhaps of an Epistle		479
The correspondence of Paul and Seneca		480
The Epistle of the Apostles		485
APOCALYPSES		504
The Apocalypse of Peter		505
A. Ancient Quotations		506
B. The Akhmim Fragment (or Fragment II of the Gospel of Peter)		507
C. The Bodleian Leaf		510
D. The Ethiopic Text		510
E. Appendix. The Sibylline Oracles II, 190–338		521
The Apocalypse of Paul		525
The Apocalypse of Thomas		555
A. Text of Verona and Munich MSS. (Wilhelm)		556
B. Text of Munich and Vienna MSS. (Bihlmeyer)		559
The Apocalypse of the Virgin. A. Greek		563
B. Ethiopic		563
The Revelation of Stephen		564
INDEXES:
Of Apocryphal Writings mentioned		569
Of Writers cited. I. Ancient and Mediaeval		572
Of Writers cited. II. Modern		573
Of Proper Names. I. Persons		574
Of Proper Names. II. Places		579
Of Subjects		581

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

References to less important works will be found in the body of the book, Antiquated publications are omitted.

COLLECTIONS OF TEXTS

Fabricius, Jo. Albert. Codex Apocryphus Novi Testamenti. 8vo. 3 vols. in 2. Hamburg, 1719, 1743.
⁠The first really good book: still indispensable.

Thilo, Jo. Car. Codex Apocryphus N. T. Vol. I (all published). Leipzig, 1832.
⁠Excellent commentaries.

Tischendorf, Const. Evangelia Apocrypha. Ed. 2. 1876.

——— (Acta Apostolorum Apocrypha. 1851. Superseded: see below.)

——— Apocalypses Apocryphae. 1866. (Apoc. of Paul. Assumption of the Virgin.)

Hennecke, Edgar (and others). Neutestamentliche Apokryphen. 1904. Introductions and translations.

——— Handbuch zu den NTlichen Apokryphen. 1904. Commentaries and notes.

FRAGMENTS OF EARLY GOSPELS, ETC.

Preuschen, E. Antilegomena. Giessen, 1901.
Evelyn Waite, H. G. The Sayings of Jesus from Oxyrhynchus. Cambridge, 1920.
Resch, A. Agrapha, 1889, &c.	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	Both in Texte und Untersuchungen
Ropes, J. H. Die Sprüche Jesu. 1896
(Select Agrapha.)

GOSPELS

Amann, E. Le Protévangile de Jacques et ses remaniements latins. 1910. In Les Apocryphes du N. T., Bousquet and Amann. Full commentary.

Michel, C., and Peeters, P. Évangiles apocryphes I. 1911. (Protev. and History of Joseph.)

——— Évangiles apocryphes II. 1914. (Syriac, Arabic, and Armenian Infancy-Gospels): in Textes et Documents, Hemmer and Lejay.

Swete, H. B. Gospel of Peter. Macmillan, 1893.

Bonwetsch, N. Die apokryphen Fragen des Bartholomäus. Göttinger Nachr., Philos.-Philol. Kl. 1897. (Greek and Slavonic).

Wilmart, Dom A., and Tisserant, E. Fragments grecs et latins de l’Évangile de Barthélemy. Revue Biblique, 1913.

Moricca, U. Un nuovo testo dell’ Evangelo di Bartolommeo. (The complete Latin version.) Ibid. 1921–2.

Robinson, Forbes. Coptic Apocryphal Gospels. Cambridge, 1896. In Texts and Studies.

Revillout, E. Apocryphes coptes. In Patrologia Orientalis, Graffin and Nau. II. fase. 2, IX. fase. 2.

Lacau, P. Fragments d’Apocryphes coptes. Mém. de l’Inst. Archéol. du Caire. 1904.

Budge, Sir E. A. Wallis. Coptic Apocrypha.

——— Coptic Martyrdoms.

——— Miscellaneous Texts.

British Museum, 1912, 1914, 1915. (Containing the Book of Bartholomew, Apoc. of Paul, &c.)

ABGARUS AND VERONICA LEGENDS

Dobschütz, E. von. Christusbilder, 1899. (Texte u. Untersuchungen.)

ASSUMPTION OF THE VIRGIN

(Tischendorf, C. Apocalypses Apocr., above.)

Wright, W. Contributions to the Apocryphal Literature of the N.T. 1865.

Lewis, Mrs. A. S. Apocrypha Arabica. (Studia Sinaitica XI.) Cambridge, 1902.

Budge, Sir E. A. W. History of the B.V.M., &c. 1899. In Luzac’s Semitic Text and Transl. Series.

ACTS

Lipsius, R. A. Die apokryphen Apostelgeschichten, 1883. Supplement, 1890. (4 vols.) Studies of the literature.

(Tischendorf, C. Acta Apost. Apocr., 1851, is superseded by)

Lipsius, R. A., and Bonnet, Max. Acta Apostolorum Apocrypha.
I. Peter, Paul and Thecla, Thaddaeus. 1891.
II. 1. (Bonnet.) Andrew, Bartholomew, John, Matthew. 1898.
II. 2. Philip, Thomas, Barnabas. 1903.

Zahn, Th. Acta Joannis. Erlangen, 1880.
(The complete text of Prochorus.)

Schmidt, C. Acta Pauli. 1904. The Coptic text, &c.

——— Die alten Petrusakten. 1903. In Texte und Untersuchungen. Has the Coptic fragment, and an important study of the whole subject.

Vouaux, L. Les Actes de Paul et ses lettres apocryphes. 1913.

——— Les Actes de Pierre. 1922.
Both in Les Apocryphes du N. T.

Flamion, J. Les Actes apocryphes de l’Apôtre André. Louvain, 1911. A study of these Acts.

Wright, W. Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles (Syriac). 2 vols. Text and translation. 1871.

Budge, Sir E. A. W. Contendings of the Apostles (Ethiopic). 2 vols. Text and translation. 1901.

Lewis, Mrs. A. S. The Mythological Acts of the Apostles (Arabic). Horae Semiticae IV. Cambridge, 1904.

EPISTLES.

Dobschütz, E. von. Christusbilder, 1899. (Above.)

Vouaux, L. Actes de Paul, above.

Guerrier, L. Testament de N.-S.en Galilée. (Epistle of the Apostles, Ethiopic.) In Patrologia Orientalis IX, fase. 3. 1913.

Schmidt, C. Gespräche Jesu mit seinen Jüngern, &c. (Epistle of the Apostles.) In Texte u. Unters. 1919.

APOCALYPSES

James, M. R. A new text of the Apocalypse of Peter, Journal of Theol. Studies, 1910–11.

——— Apocrypha Anecdota I (Texts and Studies). Cambridge, 1893. (Apoe. of Paul, Latin, and of the Virgin.)

WRITINGS NOT INCLUDED

Schmidt, C. Koptisch-gnostische Schriften I. (Pistis Sophia, Books of Jeû.) 1905.

Schwartze and Petermann’s earlier edition of the Pistis Sophia has a Latin version.

The Teaching of the Apostles (Didache), ed. Harnack 1886, Funk 1887, &c.

The Apostolic Church Order. Ed. Bickell, Geschichte des Kirchenrechts, 1843

The Didascalia. Bunsen, Analecta Ante-Nicaena. 1854.

——— Gibson, Mrs. Horae Semiticae I. 1903.

——— Hauler, E. Fragmenta Veronensia. 1900.

The Apostolic Constitutions. Ed. F. X. Funk, 1905.

The Testament of our Lord. Cooper and Maclean, 1902.

Clementine Literature. Homilies. Lagarde, 1865.

——— Recognitions. Gersdorf, 1838.

English translations of some of the above will be found in T. & T. Clark’s Ante-Nicene Christian Library.

Lives of John Baptist. Ed. F. Nau. Patrologia Orientalis IV, fasc. 5.

Gospel of Barnabas. Ed. L. and L. Ragg. Oxford, 1907.

Sibylline Oracles. J. Geffcken. Berlin, 1902.