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Nag Hammadi Codex V and Late Antique Coptic Hagiographies : a Comparative Approach

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Nag Hammadi Codex V and Late Antique Coptic Hagiographies : a Comparative Approach Nag Hammadi Codex V and Late Antique Coptic Hagiographies : A Comparative Approach Thèse Julio César Dias Chaves Doctorat en sciences des religions Philosophiæ doctor (Ph. D.) Québec, Canada © Julio César Dias Chaves, 2018 Nag Hammadi Codex V and Late Antique Coptic Hagiographies: A Comparative Approach Thèse Julio Cesar Dias Chaves Sous la direction de : Louis Painchaud, directeur de recherche Résumé Cette thèse porte sur le Codex V de Nag Hammadi en tant que produit d’une compilation copte dans l’Antiquité tardive. Nous le comparons à un autre groupe de textes qui circulaient à la même époque en copte, les hagiographies. Cette comparaison démontre l’existence de plusieurs thèmes et motifs littéraires communs aux deux corpora. Cela illustre qu’un lecteur copte connaissant les hagiographies en question pouvait également avoir de l’intérêt pour les textes du Codex V, étant donné que ce dernier contenait plusieurs thèmes et motifs en commun avec ce corpus. Ainsi, loin d’être un livre à saveur gnostique et hétérodoxe, étranger à la culture copte chrétienne – comme généralement suggéré par la recherche – le Codex V était un livre bien intégré à l’ambiance littéraire de l’Égypte de l’Antiquité tardive. De plus, suivant la théorie de la réception telle que théorisée par Jauss – en particulier son concept de « horizon of expectations » – nous utilisons ces thèmes et ces motifs littéraires pour interpréter les textes du Codex V à la lumière de leur contexte copte. Autrement dit, nous offrons une lecture copte du Codex V, et non pas une lecture « gnostique ». iii Abstract The present dissertation deals with Nag Hammadi Codex V as the product of a late antique Coptic compilation. We compare it to another group of late antique Coptic texts, the hagiographies. This comparison shows the existence of many points of contact concerning literary themes and motifs between both of the corpora in question here. This demonstrates that a given Coptic reader – who knew the hagiographies in question – could also be interested in Codex V, since it displays many literary themes and motifs to which he was accustomed when reading Coptic hagiographies. Consequently, far from being a volume with a Gnostic and heterodox taste and alien to a Coptic context – as generally pictured by scholars – Codex V was very well placed in the literary environment of late antique Egypt. Moreover, following the theory of reception as it was theorized by Jauss – in particular the concept of “horizon of expectations” – we make use of these literary themes and motifs to interpret Codex V in the light of its Coptic context. In other words, we offer a Coptic reading of Codex V, instead of a “Gnostic” one. iv Table of Contents Résumé ............................................................................................................................................. iii Abstract............................................................................................................................................ iv Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ v List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................. viii Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................... xii 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 2. Status Quaestionis ........................................................................................................... 16 2.1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 16 2.2. Books and Literacy in Fourth-Fifth century Egypt .............................................. 17 2.3. Studies on the Material Aspects of the Nag Hammadi Codices .......................... 37 2.4. Gnosticism and Monasticism or Monasticism and the Nag Hammadi Codices .. 45 2.5. The Possibility of Literary Contacts between the Nag Hammadi Codices and Fourth-Fifth Century Egyptian Literature ................................................................... 68 2.6. Sub-collections ..................................................................................................... 85 2.7. Linguistic Features ............................................................................................... 94 2.8. Final Considerations ............................................................................................ 96 3. Theoretical Framework and Methodology................................................................. 101 3.1. Introducion ......................................................................................................... 101 3.2. Reception Theory ............................................................................................... 103 3.2.1. Origins, Definition and Diversity of Approaches .................................. 103 3.2.2. The Approach of Hans Robert Jauss ..................................................... 104 3.3. The Comparative Literary Analysis ................................................................... 106 3.3.1. The importance of the Socio-Historical Context ................................... 109 3.3.2. Translations............................................................................................ 110 3.4. The Literary Genres ........................................................................................... 113 3.5. The Elements of Comparison ............................................................................. 117 4. Codex V ......................................................................................................................... 120 4.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................ 120 4.2. Some Considerations on Material Aspects of Codex V ..................................... 121 4.2.1. Paratextual Evidence ............................................................................. 124 4.2.2. The Titles in the Codex V Manuscript .................................................. 129 4.3. Codex V Characters in the Late Antique Coptic Context .................................. 136 4.3.1. Paul ........................................................................................................ 139 4.3.2. James...................................................................................................... 143 4.3.3. Adam...................................................................................................... 153 5. Delimitation, Justification and Description of the Comparative Literary Corpus 162 5.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................ 162 5.2. Monastic Lives ................................................................................................... 169 5.2.1. Lives of Abbots ................................................................................. 169 5.2.1.1. The Lives of Pachomius........................................................ 169 5.2.1.2. The Letter of Ammon ............................................................ 174 5.2.1.3. The Life of Shenoute ............................................................. 176 5.2.2. Lives of Anchorites ........................................................................... 178 5.2.2.1. The Life of Antony ................................................................ 178 v 5.2.2.2. ‘Journey’ Monastic Lives ..................................................... 182 5.2.2.2.1. The Life of Apa Pambo .............................. 183 5.2.2.2.2. The History of the Monks of Upper Egypt and the Life of Onnophrius ............................................... 185 5.3. Coptic Martyrdoms ............................................................................................ 188 5.4. Works Outside the Scope of this Dissertation ................................................... 201 5.5. Final Considerations: Notes on Quotations and References .............................. 204 6. Some Considerations on the Egyptian Social-religious Milieu in the Fourth and Fifth Centuries .................................................................................................................. 206 6.1. The Great Persecution and the Meletian Schism ............................................... 208 6.2. Theological Controversies ................................................................................. 211 6.3. Monasticism in Late Antique Egypt .................................................................. 218 6.4. Final Considerations ......................................................................................... 229 7. The Comparison Between Codex V and Fourth/Fifth Century Egyptian Hagiographies ................................................................................................................... 232 7.1. Ascension to the Heavens .................................................................................. 233 7.1.1. Being Snatched Up ................................................................................ 236 7.1.2. “Whether in the Body or out of the Body” ........................................... 241 7.1.3. The Visionary is Greeted
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