Abstract
The latest instalment in the highly valuable series Studies on Early Christian Apocrypha offers a collection of twelve essays, annotated texts, and a detailed bibliography focused on the early Christian writing known in scholarship as the Protevangelium of James. The studies bring to published form papers presented at a conference held in Innsbruck on 23-25 October 2017. The initial three chapters cover a range of standard introductory questions and topics. The next seven analyse the portrayal of various characters and probe a variety of facets of the text. The final two chapters discuss annunciation scenes respectively in wider Christian and Islamic literature.
Karmann’s opening chapter (pp. 1-48) is a detailed and scholarly study of the early reception of the Protevangelium of James in the late antique and early Medieval period. Next Bremmer probes the standard questions of authorship, date and provenance for fresh clues concerning the origin and purpose of the text. It is noted that the author although adopting a simple style was ‘a well-read, erudite man, who liked to intersperse his seemingly simple style with highly unusual words’ (p. 60). The text is dated to the period 180-190, and for location ‘Alexandria is a reasonable suggestion’ (p. 69). Studies follow by Mihoc on ‘The Mary-Temple Correlation in the Protevangelium of James’ (pp. 96-109). There is wonderfully clear and perceptive essay by Boris Repschinski on the representation of Joseph: ‘From Theology to Entertainment: Joseph in the Gospel of Matthew and the Protevangelium of James’ (pp. 110-132). Tobias Nicklas examines the theological perspectives in the text especially in relation to Israel and the Temple. The collection continues with a variety of thematic and textual studies. It is worth mentioning the two appendices. Both the annotated texts and the rich bibliography provide resources for further study.
This is a wonderful collection of essays. Their foci generate new and stimulating insights on what remains a surprisingly understudied text. This is a very helpful addition to scholarship on Protevangelium of James.