Abstract
Bovon and Matthews have done a great service to the scholarly community and to the reading public by publishing this first full translation of the Acts of Philip into English. The Acts of Philip is a collection of stories about the apostle Philip, most of which were probably composed in the fourth or fifth centuries CE. Highlights include a converted leopard and goat kid who walk on their hind feet and request the Eucharist, a gruesome tour of hell, and Philip’s Martyrdom. The Acts are also interesting because of the ethics espoused. Characters are urged to renounce wealth, adopt a vegetarian diet, practice chastity within marriage, and pursue other forms of self-control. The apostolic ministry of Philip’s sister Mariamne is also noteworthy.
The volume includes a concise, readable introduction by Bovon, who describes the manuscripts and gives a brief history of research. The introduction also includes an overview of Philip traditions in late antiquity, and a discussion of how the composite Acts of Philip may have come to exist in its current form. There are comprehensive footnotes and a bibliography for those who would like to learn more.
The translation itself is based on the critical edition of Bovon, Bouvier, and Amsler (CChrSA, Brepols, 1999). It has been formatted with readability in mind, and there are few footnotes. Readers should be aware that the translation draws on several different manuscripts in order to provide the fullest possible representation of the work, which means that the English version differs from any known version in Greek. The style of translation leans toward being a word-for-word rendering of the Greek rather than a dynamic equivalent in colloquial language. Hopefully the availability of this fascinating tradition in English for the first time will inspire scholars to familiarize themselves with these stories about Philip and with the unique interests of the Christian communities they represent.