Irish Biblical Apocrypha: Selected Texts in Translation

231 Pages·1989·6.24 MB·English

by  Máire Herbert

IRISH
BIBLICAL
APOCRYPHA

SELECTED TEXTS IN TRANSLATION
edited
by
Maire Herbert
and
Martin McNamara MSC
T&TCLARK
EDINBURGH
Copyright @ Maire Herbert, Martin McNamara
and T & T Clark Ltd. 1989
T & T Clark Ud, 59 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2LQ, Scotland
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without the prior permission of T&T Clark Ltd.
First Published 1989
ISBN 0 567 09524 X
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Herbert, Maire
Irish Biblical Apooypha.
1. Bible. Apocryphal books. Irish versions
I. Title II. McNamara, Martin
229* .05'9162
Printed and boimd in Great Britain by Billing & Sons Ltd, Worcester.
Dedicated to the memory of
St. John D. Seymour,
Montague Rhodes James
and to other pioneers in the study of the
Irish Biblical Apocrypha.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The editors and publisher gratefully acknowledge the financial support
of the Irish Biblical Association in the preparation and publication
of this work.
The editors and publishers would like to acknowledge their
indebtedness to Michael Gordon and Donai Kingston of
Computer Bureau University College Cork for technical assistance, and
to Peter Moreau of Laser Graphics, 8 Merrion Square, Dublin 2, for
production of camera ready copy.

CONTENTS
Preface "i
Professor J. H. Charlesworth
Introduction xiii
Martin McNamara, MSC
Texts XXXV
Maire Herbert
OLD THSTAMENT
1. The Creation of Adam 1
2. Creation and Fall 2
3. The Penance of Adam 8
4. The Death of Adam 12
5. Adam and his Descendants 17
6. TheTwoSorrowsof the Kingdom of Heaven 19
7. Story of David 22
8. The Power of Women 23
9. The Deaths of the Chief Prophets 25
NEW TESTAMENT
10. Infancy Gospel 27
n. The Wonders of the Night of the Nativity 33
llA. Additional Related Text 35
12. The Magi 36
13. Anecdote Concerning the Magi 43
14. Infancy Gospel of Thomas 44
15. The Abgar Legend 48
16. Letter of Jesus on Sunday Observance 50
17. The Mystical Tree 55
18. The Death of John the Baptist 56