A paper read to the Society by Professor Keith Elliott (Dept of Theology & Religious Studies, University of Leeds) on 20 January 2010. Summarized by Ann Eccleston
The Theological Significance of the Apocryphal New Testament
Professor Keith Elliott began his lecture by explaining that the number of books which could be called the Apocryphal New Testament was not fixed – they were early Christian non-canonical writings. Apocryphal often means spurious, but it can mean hidden. But these books are neither spurious or hidden. Some are written in the style of a gospel, Acts, or an epistle. The best title for these books is perhaps Early Non-canonical Christian writings.
The Gospel of Thomas is probably the most famous. The Gospel of James has birth narratives. The Acts of Peter and the Acts of Paul tell of the works of Peter and Paul. There is correspondence of Paul. There is an Apocalypse of Peter and well as one of Thomas. These books are written in the names of famous New Testament characters. They date from the second century onwards. They are written in the genre of the New Testament, but not all are written this way.
Professor Elliott continued by explaining the types of material to be found in these books. In the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, there is the story of Jesus and the birds of clay – Jesus and two boys make birds out of clay, but only one can actually fly – this story is told in pictures. In the Apocalypse of Peter, Peter has tours of heaven and hell. Peter is seeking the punishments for earthly misdeeds. Professor Elliott continued by retelling amusing stories found in these books.
When asking how enduring these stories are, the instinct is to dismiss them as irrelevant, but many conveyed the beliefs of early Christians – Peter’s shadow could heal, Paul’s handkerchief could heal. Intellectuals may choose to overlook these books in favour of the Early Fathers. However, they were common reading matter and referred to by the Early Church Fathers such as Tertullian. Augustine, warns against the orthodoxy of Thomas. There is evidence of the use of these writings in the Early Church. However, some wanted to authorise a set of books, because there were so many books in existence. There was a moneyed literate leisured class who could read these books. But then there was censorship, so some non-approved books actually were read, some were rewritten and made in line with orthodox teaching. They continued to be circulated for centuries.
The Gospel of Thomas only survives in one Coptic manuscript. There are one hundred manuscripts of the Gospel of James in Greek, but it was also in Coptic, Arabic, and Old Church Slavonic, so it had a wide readership. These books shaped Christian theology, as well as being popular reading matter.
These books fuelled curiosity of Mary. Mary’s parents appear at the presentation of Mary in the Temple, her childhood, as well as conveying the idea that she was a ward of the Temple. Mary’s ascension into heaven gave rise to the doctrine of the assumption, her continuing virginity – even after the birth of Jesus. She is declared as ever Virgin in the Gospel of James.
Celibacy is a virtue in the New Testament, but is promoted in the Apocryphal writings.
In the Acts of Thomas, Jesus appears and gives a sermon to the couple, to refrain from sexual intercourse and become celibate and pure – most children are unprofitable, they are good for nothing. Peter is praised for allowing his daughter to remain paralytic rather than become a temptation to men.
John continually fasts and prays, only has one coat, renouncing wealth, beauty and possessions.
The Saint is the representation of Christ. Jesus reappears and the reader does not identify the figure as being different from the apostle to whom they are listening. This is the beginning of patron saints.
There is a theme of anti-Judaism, which becomes dominant. In the Gospel of Peter, Jews are responsible for Jesus’ crucifixion, and giving him more suffering by breaking his legs and so on. It is here that the Christian interest in the veneration of relics begins. In the Gospel of Thomas chapter 170, the sepulchre is opened by a King who took dust to put round his son’s neck to cure him.
The Creed states that Jesus descended into hell – I Peter 3.19 is not clear. However in the Gospel of Nicodemus it is made quite clear that Jesus preached to the departed spirits between death and resurrection. Jesus breaks the gates of Hades and takes Adam first, then Patriarchs and Prophets. In the York Mystery plays, the Saddlers used to perform this.
Most books were written by orthodox Christians, but some were written by the unorthodox. They contain teachings which had not become mainstream. In the Acts of John, Jesus does not really die and suffer. The Gospel of Peter also gives this impression. As he was the Son of God, he could not. The Church Fathers debated all this.
Some of the influences of these writings can be found in the Arts. There are many inverse crucifixions – taken from the Acts of Peter, but also Philip. Peter performs a water miracle. There is the story a palm tree bending down so that the holy family who are hungry and thirsty can have dates. There is the Annunciation of Mary at the well. Dante’s Inferno has a great deal of knowledge of these apocryphal stories, as does Milton’s Paradise Lost. The Mystery Plays convey many of these stories. Gustav Holst, in 1927 writes the Hymn of Jesus which comes from the dance of Jesus in the Acts of John.
These Apocryphal writings moulded Christian thought. They were used in reflection, theology, art and the Arts. It might not be great literature but it does tell a racy story and provide a rich seam that incorporates a lot of Christian tradition, thought and doctrine.
Summary by Ann Eccleston
