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Assessing the Virgin: Gender and Purity in the Protevangelium of James

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Assessing the Virgin: Gender and Purity in the Protevangelium of James ACCESSING THE VIRGIN ACCESSING THE VIRGIN: GENDER AND PURITY IN THE PROTEVANGELIUM OF JAMES By LILY VUONG, Hons. B.A., M.A. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies In Partial Fulfilment of Requirements For the Degree Doctor of Philosophy McMaster University ©Copyright by Lily Vuong, January 2010 DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (2010) McMaster University (Religious Studies) Hamilton, Ontario TITLE: Accessing the Virgin: Gender and Purity in the Protevangelium ofJames AUTHOR: Lily Vuong, Hons. B.A. (University of Toronto), M.A. (Wilfrid Laurier University) SUPERVISOR: Professor Annette Yoshiko Reed NUMBER OF PAGES: vii, 318 11 Abstract My dissertation brings literary approaches to the study of purity in one of the most influential "apocryphal" texts about Mary the mother of Jesus. Specifically, I explore the place and function of ritual, menstrual, and sexual purity in the portrayal and characterization of Mary in the Protevangelium ofJames. In the narrative, Mary's exceptional ritual and sexual purity serves to set her apart as a woman unique and holy, but I argue that her ability to menstruate allows for reconnection with, and accessibility to, other women. Indeed, literary exploration into Mary's menstrual purity reveals the author's view that motherhood is to be praised alongside ascetic virginity. In addition, I also re-examine questions about the date and provenance of the text through its focus on purity, proposing that its narrative and ritual concerns are most fitting with a late second to early third century date and a West Syrian cultural context. By tracing the various ways purity is described and presented in the text, this study sheds light on early Jewish and Christian ideas about purity, representations of women in the ancient world, the early history ofMariology, and the place of non-canonical writings in the history of biblical interpretation. lll Acknowledgements I owe a profound debt of gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Annette Y oshiko Reed, whose expertise in the field taught me how to ask the right questions and whose passion for scholarship and undying enthusiasm for intellectual discourse pushed me to become a better writer and thinker. I consider it a privilege to have studied under Annette's tutelage during my studies as a graduate student and am thankful to her for sparking and holding my interest in issues surrounding ancient Jewish and Christian identity, Jewish-Christian relations, and the wonderful world of apocryphal literature. I am also extremely thankful to the other members of my supervisory committee, Dr. Anders Runesson and Dr. Eileen Schuller, for their intellectual support and unwavering dedication and commitment to their students. Anders provided me with invaluable teaching and thoughtful insights to help strengthen some of my analyses and structuring. Also, Eileen's important questions and careful eye for detail helped me tighten my arguments and put them into context. I am very appreciative of their comments and suggestions. I am deeply grateful to Dr. Karen Tmjesen who read my dissertation in its various stages and who provided important comments and shared critical insights into my work. I benefitted greatly from her support during my stay as a visiting scholar at Claremont Graduate University and my involvement with the School of Religion, Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, and the program for Women's Studies in Religion. I am most thankful for her guidance and friendship. I would like to thank my family and friends without whose support this work would have been impossible. Many thanks go out especially to Eileen Jankowski, Sarah Pelton, and Kevin McGinnis for reading drafts of the complete work and for offering many helpful suggestions both in written form and in conversation. Finally, I want to thank my loving husband James, who was there in the beginning and whose constant support, patience, and encouragement gave me the confidence to see this project through to the end. I dedicate this study to him. IV Table of Contents Abbreviations .................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 4 I.l Textual History and Witnesses ................................................................................ 10 I.2 The Protevangelium ofJames in Modem Scholarship ............................................ 18 I.3 Recent Research on Purity in Early Judaism and Christianity ................................ 26 I.3 .1 Jonathan Klawans ............................................................................................. 27 !.3.2 Christine Hayes ................................................................................................. 29 !.3.3 Hannah Harrington ........................................................................................... 30 !.3.4 Charlotte Fonrobert ........................................................................................... 33 I.4 The Scope, Aims, and Structure of this Study ......................................................... 34 I.S A Note on Terminology ........................................................................................... 40 Chapter One: The Date, Provenance, and Genre of the Protevangelium ofJames ... 43 1.1 Dating the Protevangelium ofJames ..................................................................... .44 1.2 Debates about the Provenance of the Protevangelium ofJames ............................ 53 1.3 The Protevangelium ofJames and Judaism ............................................................ 58 1.4 The Aim and Genre of the Protevangelium ofJames ............................................. 68 1.5 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 76 Chapter Two: Mary, the Temple, and Ritual Purity in the Protevangelium ofJames ........................................................................................................................................... 79 2.1 Aims of the Chapter ................................................................................................ 79 2.2 What is Ritual Purity/Impurity? .............................................................................. 79 2.2.1 Ritual Purity/Impurity in the Hebrew Bible ..................................................... 80 2.2.2 Ritual Purity/Impurity in other Ancient Jewish Literature .............................. 84 2.2.2.1 Philo .......................................................................................................... 84 2.2.2.2 The Scrolls ................................................................................................ 85 2.2.2.3 Rabbinic Literature ................................................................................... 87 2.2.2.4 NT Gospels and Pauline Corpus ............................................................... 88 2.3 The View of Ritual Purity in the Protevangelium ofJames ................................... 89 2.3.1 Ritual Purity Expressed Through an Overarching Interest in the Temple and its Sacrificial Cult: Anna's Miraculous Conception ofMary ......................................... 91 2.3.2 Mary as a Temple Sacrifice: The Birth and Infancy of Mary ........................ 112 2.4 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 130 v Chapter Three: Mary and Menstrual Impurity in the Protevangelium ofJames ... 134 3.1 Aims of the Chapter .............................................................................................. 134 3.2 What is Menstrual Purity/Impurity? ..................................................................... 134 3.2.1 Menstrual Purity/Impurity in the Hebrew Bible ............................................ 135 3.2.2 Menstrual Purity/Impurity in the Qumran Scrolls ......................................... 136 3 .2.2.1 The Damascus Document ....................................................................... 136 3.2.2.2 The Temple Scroll ................................................................................... 140 3.2.2.3 QTohorot (Purities) ................................................................................. 143 3 .2.3 Rabbinic Literature ........................................................................................ 144 3.2.4 Early Christian Sources .................................................................................. 147 3.2.4.1 The Apostolic Tradition ofHippolytus ................................................... 148 3.2.4.2 The Letter ofDionysius of Alexandria ................................................... 149 3.2.4.3 Didascalia Apostolorum (DA) ................................................................ 149 3.3 The View ofMenstrual Purity/Impurity in the Protevangelium ofJames ............ 150 3.3.1 Does Mary Menstruate? The Problem of Protevangelium ofJames 8:4 ....... 151 3.3.2 Menstrual Impurity and the Image ofMary ................................................... 157 3.3.3 The Literary Function of Protevangelium ofJames 8:4 ................................ 168 3.3.4 Protevangelium ofJames 8:4 as a Narrative Pivot ........................................ 173 3.4 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................
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