Durham E-Theses Eschatology and the Risen Lord: Mary and the Dialogue Gospel Genre PARKHOUSE, SARAH,JANE How to cite: PARKHOUSE, SARAH,JANE (2017) Eschatology and the Risen Lord: Mary and the Dialogue Gospel Genre, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/12374/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 Eschatology and the Risen Lord: Mary and the Dialogue Gospel Genre Sarah Parkhouse Submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Durham University to the Department of Theology and Religion 2017 I Eschatology and the Risen Lord: Mary and the Dialogue Gospel Genre Abstract The dialogue gospel was a popular literary genre in early Christianity. Texts include the Apocryphon of John, the Pistis Sophia and the Epistula Apostolurum, all which depict the risen Christ appearing to select disciples and answering a series of questions on life, death and the cosmos. The revelation in dialogue gospels can vary greatly (from affirming the resurrection of the flesh to denying it completely), yet each text is based on the premise that their gospel contains new or clarified teaching from the risen or glorified Lord, often seen as a final revelation concerned with the disciples’ eschatological salvation. In Part One, I argue for an open view of genre in which disparate texts can be brought together for comparative analysis. A genre of 13 dialogue gospels is constructed as a base for examination of the genre itself, its individual texts and their literary neighbours. In chapter two, dialogue gospels are read alongside selected themes and traditions from the canonical gospels and Pauline epistles, demonstrating that they are all part of the same conceptual world. The breadth of the work in Part One sets the foundation for Part Two in which a single text is focused on: The Gospel of Mary. Chapter three analyzes the narrative frame of GMary, arguing that it does not just frame the dialogue but informs and shapes it. Chapters four and five focus on the gospel’s cosmic and individual eschatology, reading it christologically. Christ has come to dissolve the material cosmos; Christ has ascended so Christian souls can follow him into Rest. At points, GMary’s eschatology converges with Luke, John, GThom and 1ApocJas. The work ends with appendices with notes on how to read the MSS, texts and translations and a synopses of the Greek and Coptic recensions of GMary. II Declaration This thesis is the product of my own work and does not include work that has been presented in any form for a degree at this or any other university. All quotation from, and references to, the work of persons other than myself have been properly acknowledged throughout. Statement of Copyright The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published in any format, including all electronic formats, without the author's prior written consent. All information derived from it should be acknowledged. III Acknowledgements I am grateful to the AHRC for funding the ‘Fourfold Gospel and Its Rivals’ project. IV Table of Contents Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... ii Declaration ............................................................................................................................... iii Statement of Copyright ............................................................................................................ iii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................... v Abbreviations ......................................................................................................................... viii Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 PART ONE 1. What is a Dialogue Gospel? Defining a Genre. ..................................................................... 9 1.1. ‘Gnostic Dialogues’ and ‘Dialogevangelien’ ......................................................... 10 1.1.1. The Literature ................................................................................................. 10 1.1.2. The Taxonomies .............................................................................................. 20 1.2. The Genre Question ............................................................................................... 24 1.2.1. Genre for Interpretation and Comparison ...................................................... 24 1.2.2. Assigning Genres ............................................................................................ 26 1.3. The Dialogue Gospels ............................................................................................ 31 1.4. Revelations of the End ........................................................................................... 45 1.4.1. Revelation........................................................................................................ 45 1.4.2. The Revealer ................................................................................................... 49 1.4.3. Eschatology ..................................................................................................... 52 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 59 2. Why write a Dialogue Gospel? Dialogue Gospels and the New Testament ....................... 60 2.1. The Johannine Farewell Discourse (John 13.31–17.1) .......................................... 61 2.2. Canonical Resurrection Appearances .................................................................... 66 2.2.1. 1 Corinthians 15 and the hierarchy of disciples ............................................. 67 2.2.2. Matthew 28 and the Mission Charge .............................................................. 71 2.2.3. Mark LE and the description: ‘In Another Form’ .......................................... 75 2.2.4. The Freer Logion ............................................................................................ 79 2.2.5. Luke 24 and the Hidden Sense of Scripture .................................................... 80 V 2.2.6. Acts 1 and the Ascension ................................................................................ 85 2.2.7. John 20–21 and the Issue of ‘Physicality’ ....................................................... 88 2.3 The Pauline Effect................................................................................................... 92 2.3.1. The Risen Lord................................................................................................ 92 2.3.2. The Ephesian Cosmos ..................................................................................... 93 2.4. Parables and Mysteries .......................................................................................... 99 2.4.1. Parables ........................................................................................................... 99 2.4.2. Mysteries ....................................................................................................... 102 2.4.3. Who can be Weaned? ................................................................................... 104 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 108 PART TWO 3. The Narrative Frame of the Gospel of Mary ..................................................................... 112 3.1. The Beginning of GMary: The Missing Pages .................................................... 113 3.1.1. A Resurrection Account? .............................................................................. 114 3.1.2. The Location ................................................................................................. 118 3.1.3. The Disciples ................................................................................................. 121 3.1.4. The Appearance of the Saviour .................................................................... 122 3.1.5. The Missing Dialogue ................................................................................... 123 3.2. The Saviour’s Farewell Discourse ....................................................................... 124 3.2.1. The Double-Peace Farewell .......................................................................... 125 3.2.2. Instructions to the Individual Disciples ........................................................ 127 3.2.3. Preach the