The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Apocrypha, edited by Andrew Gregory and Christopher Tuckett

Abstract

For various reasons and with different agendas driving the quest, the past two decades have seen an increasing interest in early Christian apocrypha. Excellent critical editions and fresh translations in the major languages are available, as is a steady stream of monographs and articles. The present collection of 25 essays offers an excellent survey of the material and current discussions. The volume combines surveys of the major issues and genres (gospels, acts, epistles and apocalypses) with studies which are representative of the current state of research, asking questions such as which ancient readers read early Christian apocrypha, and of their significance for Christian spirituality in contemporary theological discourse and popular culture. Part one, “Introduction and Overview,” starts with Christopher Tuckett’s essay “Introduction: What Is Early Christian Apocrypha?” (3–12, including discussions of definitions and terminology; following a recent trend, the editors refer to early Christian apocrypha rather than New Testament apocrypha). Tuckett emphasises that the category of “early Christian apocrypha” is fluid, and that attempts to pin down the category with precise definitions are doomed to failure. He notes that