Eschatology and the Saviour
The 'Gospel of Mary' among Early Christian Dialogue Gospels

Focusing on dialogue gospels and the 'Gospel of Mary', this book highlights the complexity and diversity of early Christian literature.

Sarah Parkhouse (Author)

9781108712866, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 15 October 2020

307 pages
21.4 x 13.8 x 2.8 cm, 0.412 kg

This book focuses on the 'Gospel of Mary' in the context of a broader analysis of early Christian dialogue gospels - a popular literary genre used to present Jesus as conversing with select disciples and answering a series of questions on life, death and the cosmos at the conclusion of his earthly career. Jesus' teachings in these texts can vary greatly, from affirming the resurrection of the flesh to denying it completely. This book highlights the diversity of perspective within this genre, bringing together New Testament, 'gnostic' and (proto-)orthodox texts. Yet each text is based on the premise that it contains new or clarified teaching from the risen or glorified Lord, often in the form of a final revelation concerned with the disciples' eschatological salvation. This book offers a fresh and in-depth analysis of the 'Gospel of Mary' in the context of the dialogue gospel genre, concentrating on the narrative frame, the eschatological teachings, and the relationship between the two.

Part I: 1. What is a dialogue Gospel? Defining a genre
2. Why write a dialogue Gospel? Themes from the New Testament
Part II: 3. The narrative frame of the 'Gospel of Mary'
4. The cosmos and its undoing: the cosmic eschatology of the 'Gospel of Mary'
5. The journey of the soul: the individual
Conclusion
Appendix 1. The 'Gospel of Mary': Coptic and Greek MSS
Appendix 2. The 'Gospel of Mary': text and translations
Appendix 3. The Gospel of Mary: synopses of the Greek and Coptic MSS.

Subject Areas: Christian theology [HRCM], Biblical studies & exegesis [HRCG], Christianity [HRC], Religion & beliefs [HR], Humanities [H]