Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2007 Shaping Christian Identity: The False Scripture Argument in Early Christian Literature Kevin M. (Kevin Michael) Vaccarella Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES SHAPING CHRISTIAN IDENTITY: THE FALSE SCRIPTURE ARGUMENT IN EARLY CHRISTIAN LITERATURE By Kevin M. Vaccarella A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Religion in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded Summer semester, 2007 Copyright © 2007 Kevin M. Vaccarella All Rights Reserved The members of the committee approve the dissertation by Kevin M. Vaccarella defended on June 7, 2007. ___________________________ Nicole Kelley Professor Directing Dissertation ___________________________ John Marincola Outside Committee Member ___________________________ David Levenson Committee Member Approved: ______________________________________ John Corrigan, Chair, Department of Religion ________________________________________________ Joseph Travis, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and confirmed the above named committee members. ii For Jenness iii ACKNOWLEGMENTS My dissertation began with an exploration of texts and a setting with which I was not very familiar. My eventual proficiency with the subject matter was due to a combination of my growing interest in the material and the patient guidance of my dissertation director, Nicole Kelley. It was she who first suggested I investigate the Pseudo-Clementine Homilies. Dr. Kelley’s enthusiastic direction through the Pseudo-Clementines has always been coupled with the freedom to explore comparisons with other writings – a freedom that eventually led me to the Didascalia Apostolorum and Ptolemy's Letter to Flora. I offer my sincere thanks to Dr. Kelley for inducting me into a realm of wonderful and obscure writings. I would also like to thank the remaining members of my dissertation committee, David Levenson and John Marincola. My years of classes with Dr. Levenson helped shape my graduate career. His wide range of expertise in all matters of the ancient Mediterranean region is evident not only in his proficiency with a staggering amount of texts but also in his ability to teach his students in a way that conveys his own academic curiosity. I am grateful for his guidance over the years and, more specific to this project, his help navigating the Syriac of the Didascalia. Dr. Marincola’s expertise in ancient rhetoric proved a welcome addition to my committee. His insights into the texts and attention to my Greek proficiency have been greatly appreciated. I am grateful to all of my committee members for tirelessly editing the various drafts of the project. Any remaining errors are mine. I would also like to thank the members of the Religions of Western Antiquity fall colloquiums for their contributions to the shape of my dissertation. No graduate candidate can survive the necessary years of schooling without the support of his fellow students. Although I appreciate the collegiality of numerous graduate students during my residency in Florida State’s Religion Department, I am particularly indebted to the friendship, encouragement, and scholarship of Jordan Smith, Scott Cason, and Jim Lehman. In addition, Chris Newcomb and Bill Lyons, as well as their families, generously shared their experience, guidance, and support during my initial years at Florida State University and continue to do so. Thanks are also due to both Florida State University and the Department of Religion for supporting my research and conference travel with various grants over the years. My family also deserves acknowledgment since they have filled my sails when there was no wind. My parents, Rick and Dee, brothers, Mike and Brian, as well as my entire Pittsburgh family have had to endure my accounts about the ups and downs of graduate life – not to iv mention the fortitude to listen to my project summaries and updates. My family’s interest in discussing my work, ability to help me relax, and the wisdom to know which of these two paths was needed at any given time has made all the difference. In particular, I would like to thank my parents who have always supported and encouraged my choices in life, whether academic or otherwise, and have sacrificed so much of themselves to ensure the happiness of their children. Finally, my life as I know it could not exist without the loving support of my amazing wife, Jenness. Her patient endurance during my many years of schooling and commitment to my goals has, at times, rivaled my own. I have been able to pursue and complete my education only through her infinite understanding and encouragement. I owe her a debt of gratitude that outweighs even my student loans. I dedicate this work to Jenness for all the love and laughs she has shared with me over the years and those that are yet to come. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ................................................................................................ viii Chapter 1: Introduction........................................................................................ 1 1. Interpretation of Scripture and Jewish Christian Relations .................... 1 1.1. The Interpretation of Scripture....................................................... 1 1.2. Conflict and Competition............................................................... 3 1.3. Struggling for Identity.................................................................... 8 2. Shaping Christian Identity: The False Scripture Argument.................... 13 2.1. Defining Identity............................................................................ 13 2.2. The False Scripture Writings ......................................................... 17 2.3. A History of Scholarship on the False Scripture Strategy............. 21 3. Project Outline ........................................................................................ 27 Chapter 2. Ptolemy's Letter to Flora and the Tripartite Division of the Law..... 34 1. Introduction............................................................................................. 34 2. Ptolemy: Biography and Influences........................................................ 35 2.1. Ptolemy and Flora .......................................................................... 35 2.2. Ptolemy and Valentinus ................................................................. 38 2.3. Ptolemy and Marcion..................................................................... 43 3. The Nature of the Law and the Three Lawgivers ................................... 47 3.1. Those Who Misunderstand the Law .............................................. 49 3.2. The tripartite Division of the Law ................................................. 58 3.3. Ptolemy and the Mosaic Law......................................................... 71 4. Ptolemy, False Scripture, and Christian Identity.................................... 75 4.1. Competing Interpretations of the Mosaic Law .............................. 75 4.2. Conclusion..................................................................................... 79 Chapter 3. The Second Legislation of the Didascalia Apostolorum .................. 81 1. Introduction............................................................................................. 81 1.1. Background .................................................................................... 82 1.2. The Meaning of deuterosis ............................................................ 85 2. Analysis of the Second Legislation......................................................... 87 2.1. The Original Law........................................................................... 88 2.2. The Second Legislation.................................................................. 91 2.3. The Role of Christ.......................................................................... 101 3. The Didascalia, the Second Legislation, and Christian identity............. 103 3.1. Internal Conflict in the Community............................................... 103 3.2. A Christian Audience..................................................................... 105 3.3. Markers of Identity......................................................................... 108 3.4. “the people”.................................................................................... 109 3.5. The Gentiles ................................................................................... 114 3.6. Conclusion..................................................................................... 117 vi Chapter 4. The False Passages of the Pseudo-Clementine Homilies .................. 119 1. A Brief History of the Pseudo-Clementines ........................................... 119 1.1. Source Criticism and the Pseudo-Clementines .............................. 119 1.2. Source Criticism and the False Passages ....................................... 122 2. The Homilies and the False Passages...................................................... 128 2.1. The Nature of the False Passages................................................... 129 2.2. The Purpose of the False Passages................................................. 132 2.3. Discerning the False Passages ......................................................