The Apocryphal Gospels of Mary in Anglo-Saxon England

by Mary Clayton

Overview

This book provides an edition, with a facing translation and detailed commentary, of the three apocryphal gospels of Mary written in Old English. The gospels, which deal with Mary's birth, childhood, death and assumption, are found in manuscripts in Oxford and Cambridge, but have never been treated as a group before, and have been almost totally neglected by English scholars. An extensive introduction covers the origins and development of the apocrypha and their influence in Anglo-Saxon England.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521031196
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	11/23/2006
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Anglo-Saxon England , #26
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 8.98(h) x 0.79(d)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; List of sigla and abbreviations; Editorial conventions; Introduction; 1. The birth and childhood of Mary: the development of a tradition; 2. The death and assumption of Mary: the Syriac and Greek traditions;3. The death and assumption of Mary: the Latin tradition; 4. The apocrypha of the Virgin in Anglo-Saxon England; 5. The manuscripts; 6. The Old English texts; The Old English Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew; The Old English assumption homily in Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, 41; The Old English assumption homily in Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, 198 (Blickling XIII); Appendices; Bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"This book is an edition, and yet, in keeping with the title and character of the series it appears in, Cambridge Studies in Anglo-Saxon England, it is also a great deal more...Clayton's work here quietly makes its own unique contribution to an ongoing feminist reappraisal of all the literature and culture of Anglo-Saxon England." Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies

"The scholarship in this book is exceptionally good, reflecting years of patient scrutiny of a difficult topic and demonstrating a sound grasp of editorial procedures in Latin and Old English. It will serve as a model for many studies of medieval apocrypha to come." Thomas N. Hall, Jrnl of Eng & Germanic Philology

From the Publisher