Description
Book SynopsisAll four canonical gospels identify the resurrection of Jesus, yet none detail the exact moment of its happening. The absence of this narrative detail was hotly contested in the second century, when critics derided a resurrection account without credible witness. Thus, the discovery of the Akhmim fragment at the end of the 19th century, which purports to provide exactly that detail, is a huge and surprisingly under-utilised addition to Biblical scholarship of the Apocryphal gospels. Johnston examines both the impact of this discovery on the scholarship at the time, and argues for the dating of the fragment to the second century AD. He identifies shared characteristics with other documents from this period, including a rise in anti-semitic feeling, and developments in concepts of the afterlife, and makes a claim for this fragment being the text that aided the development of these movements. The Second Century was the key time in which the non-canonical Biblical texts were established.
Trade ReviewProvides a fresh assessment of the fragment's history and the value for studying a crucial point in Christianity's evolution. * Journal for the Study of the New Testament *
Table of ContentsDedication Table of Contents List of Abbreviations Foreword Series Editors’ Preface Acknowledgments Chapter One: Introduction Chapter Two: A Resurrection Narrative Unearthed from an Ancient Tomb: The Discovery of the Akhmîm Codex Chapter Three: Scope, Purpose, and Primary Materials Chapter Four: Post-Mortem Beliefs in the Hebrew Bible Chapter Five: The Emergence of the Concept of Resurrection in Late Second Temple Judaism: Raised to Life or Damned to Hell Chapter Six: Resurrection in New Testament Texts: From Resuscitation to Resurrection Chapter Seven: Putting the Akhmîm Gospel Fragment in its Place I:Polemic and Apologetics Chapter Eight: Putting the Akhmîm Gospel Fragment in its Place II: Narrative and Imagination Chapter Nine: Summary and Conclusions Bibliography Index
