Gender and purity in the Protevangelium of James
By: Lily C. Vuong
Series: Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament. 2. Reihe -- 358; Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament -- 358.
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
Published: 2013
Place of publication: Tübingen, Germany
Language: eng
Number of pages: 285
ISBN-13: 9783161523373
Subjects: Frau; Ritual Purity; Geschlechterrolle; Protoevangelium Jacobi; Criticism, interpretation; Protevangelium Jacobi; Reinheit; Mariologie; Sex
Description: The Protevangelium of James is arguably the earliest surviving source that exhibits profound interest in Mary, the mother of Jesus. Although frequently cited for later Christian reflections about Mary, gender, and virginity and its influence on popular Christian art, music, and literature, it is not well known outside academic circles and is rarely studied for its own sake. Lily C. Vuong offers a sustained analysis of the text's narrative and literary features in order to explore the portrayal and characterization of Mary through a focus on the theme of purity. By tracing the various ways purity is described and presented in the text, the author contributes to discussions on early Jewish and Christian ideas about purity, representations of women in the ancient world, the early history of Mariology, and the place of non-canonical writings in the history of biblical interpretation.
Notes: Revision of the author's thesis (Ph. D.)--McMaster University, Hamilton, 2010.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 247-268) and indexes.
Table of contents: title: Date, provenance, and genre; title: Mary, the Temple, and ritual purity; title: Mary and menstrual impurity; title: Mary and sexual impurity; title: Provenance revisited.; title: Introduction: A. Textual History and Witness; title: B. The Protevangelium of James in Modern Scholarship; title: C. Recent Research on Purity in Early Judaism and Christianity; title: D. Scope, Aims, and Structure; title: E. Terminology; title: Chapter One: Date, Provenance, and Genre: A. Dating the Protevangelium of James; title: B. Debates about Provenance; title: C. The Protevangelium of James and Judaism; title: D. Genre and Purpose; title: Chapter Two: Mary, the Temple, and Ritual Purity: A. Introduction; title: B. What is Ritual Purity/Impurity?; title: I. Ritual Purity/Impurity in the Hebrew Bible; title: II. Ritual Purity/Impurity in other Ancient Jewish Literature; title: III. Philo; title: IV. The Scrolls; title: V. Rabbinic Literature; title: VI. NT Gospels and Pauline Corpus; title: C. The View of Ritual Purity in the Protevangelium of James; title: I. The Jerusalem Temple and the Miraculous Conception; title: II. Mary as a Temple Sacrifice; title: Chapter Three: Mary and Menstrual Impurity: A. Introduction; title: B. What is Menstrual Purity/Impurity?; title: I. Menstrual Purity/Impurity in the Hebrew Bible; title: II. Menstrual Purity/Impurity in the Qumran Scrolls; title: III. The Damascus Document; title: IV. The Temple Scroll; title: V. QTohorot (Purities); title: VI. Rabbinic Literature; title: VII. Early Christian Sources; title: VIII. The Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus; title: IX. The Letter of Dionysius of Alexandria; title: X. Didascalia Apostolorum (DA); title: C. The View of Menstrual Purity/Impurity; title: I. Does Mary Menstruate? The Problem of Prot. James 8:4; title: II. Menstrual Impurity and the Image of Mary; title: III. The Literary Function of Prot. James 8:4; title: IV. Prot. Jas. 8:4 as a Narrative Pivot; title: Chapter Four: Mary and Sexual Impurity: A. Introduction; title: B. What is Sexual Purity/Impurity?; title: C. Virginity and Celibacy in Early Jewish Sources; title: I. Betulah and Parthenos; title: II. Virginity, Celibacy, and Marriage in the Hebrew Bible; title: III. Virginity, Celibacy, and Marriage in the Scrolls; title: IV. Virginity, Celibacy, and Marriage in Rabbinic Sources; title: D. Virginity, Celibacy, Asceticism, and Marriage; title: I. Jesus; title: II. Paul; title: III. Second and Third Centuries Views; title: E. The View of Sexual Purity/Impurity; title: I. Mary's Sexual Status and Role as the Virgin of the Lord; title: II. The Miraculous Conception of Mary; title: III. Pre-Testing; title: F. The Virginity Tests; title: I. Test One: Joseph Questions Mary's Pregnancy; title: II. Test Two: The High Priest Questions Mary's Pregnancy; title: III. Test Three: Salome Questions Mary's Pregnancy; title: Chapter Five: Provenance Revisited: A. Jews and Christians in Syria; title: B. Jews, "Jewish-Christians," and Christians in Syria; title: I. Antioch: A Test Case; title: C. The Protevangelium of James and Syrian Christianity; title: I. "Marcionism and Docetism:" Edessa; title: II. Asceticism and Marriage; title: III. Menstrual Purity: The Didascalia Apostolorum; title: IV. Mary and Women in Syrian Christianity; title: V. Final Thoughts on a Syrian Provenance; title: Conclusion: A. Mary's Purity and Characterization; title: B. Understanding Mary's Potential Menstrual Impurity.