Material Apocrypha
Christian Apocryphal Narration beyond Text
Edited by Janet E. Spittler Edited by Robert Matthew Calhoun
Paperback (Forthcoming)
(September 2026)
ISBN: 9781800508255
7.01 x 10 inches
Price: $39.95
On back order
Hardback (Forthcoming)
(September 2026)
ISBN: 9781800508248
7.01 x 10 inches
Price: $100.00
On back order
Scholars have long noted the widespread presence of “apocryphal” or “non-canonical” elements in Christian art. Material Apocrypha examines both the physicality of apocryphal Christian texts (i.e. various aspects of the manuscripts or papyri themselves) and the representation of apocryphal narratives in other forms of material culture.
Scholars have long noted the widespread presence of “apocryphal” or “non-canonical” elements in Christian art. The most famous example is perhaps the consistent presence of the ox and the ass in visual representations of the nativity of Jesus, an element described in the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, but absent from the canonical birth narratives. While there is notable interest in this phenomenon–scholars of Christian apocrypha frequently illustrate lectures, essays, and monographs with these images, while scholars of Christian art regularly point readers to the texts–critical study has been surprisingly rare. Material Apocrypha examines both the physicality of apocryphal Christian texts (i.e. various aspects of the manuscripts or papyri themselves) and the representation of apocryphal narratives in other forms of material culture (e.g. frescos, mosaics, sculptures, icons, pilgrimage objects, reliquaries, etc.). It includes contributions from textual scholars and art historians. Beyond simply representing both perspectives, the essays in this volume are very much in conversation with each other. A recurring theme is the “fluidity” in the development of both text and image, and the ways in which these developments proceeded both independently and interconnectedly. The volume also looks at the differences made by emerging digital media, with its capacity to represent the fluidity of both text and image in ways that were simply impossible even just ten years ago, and to open fresh avenues of investigating the specific characteristics of apocryphal material.
Introduction Janet E. Spittler and Robert Matthew Calhoun Triptych: Text-Image-Legend 1. Testing the Virgin's Virginity in Christian Art Robin M. Jensen, University of Notre Dame 2. The Story of Joseph of Arimathea and the Story of Icons in the Christian Apocrypha: The Curious Case of the Icon of the Virgin at Lydda Bradley N. Rice, McGill University 3. A Glimpse of Hell: Artistic Inspiration and the Old English Penitence of Jannes and Mambres Stephen C. E. Hopkins, University of Virginia Diptych I: Real Worlds and Textual Worlds 4. What They Brought Back Home: Pilgrimage Souvenirs as Transmitters of Christian Apocrypha Tony Burke, York University, Toronto 5. What Has Ephesus to Do with Edessa? The Syriac History of John, Ephesus, and the Interface between Textuality and Material Culture Jacob A. Lollar, Durham University Diptych II: Manuscripta Apocryphorum 6. Theologies of Everyday Life: Symbolic Materialities in the Protevangelion of James and in the Byzantine Kokkinobaphos Homiliaries on the Life of Mary Maria Evangelatou, University of California, Santa Cruz 7. Apocrypha in the World's Oldest Dated Book F. Stanley Jones, California State University, Long Beach Diptych III: Manuscript Culture in the Digital World 8. The Medieval Social Network of the Gospel of Pseudo Matthew Brandon W. Hawk, Rhode Island College 9. Digitized Manuscripts and the Preservation of Material Culture: Syriac Manuscript ACK 213 as a Case Study J. Edward Walters, Hill Museum and Manuscript Library
- Edited by Janet E. Spittler
- Edited by Robert Matthew Calhoun
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