Nag Hammadi Codex V and Late Antique Coptic Hagiographies

420 Pages·2017·3.73 MB·French

Nag Hammadi Codex V and Late Antique Coptic
Hagiographies : A Comparative Approach
Thèse
Julio César Dias Chaves
Doctorat en sciences des religions
Philosophiæ doctor (Ph. D.)
Québec, Canada

© Julio César Dias Chaves, 2018
Nag Hammadi Codex V and Late Antique Coptic
Hagiographies:
A Comparative Approach
Thèse

Julio Cesar Dias Chaves
Sous la direction de :

Louis Painchaud, directeur de recherche
Résumé
Cette thèse porte sur le Codex V de Nag Hammadi en tant que produit d’une compilation
copte dans l’Antiquité tardive. Nous le comparons à un autre groupe de textes qui circulaient
à la même époque en copte, les hagiographies. Cette comparaison démontre l’existence de
plusieurs thèmes et motifs littéraires communs aux deux corpora. Cela illustre qu’un lecteur
copte connaissant les hagiographies en question pouvait également avoir de l’intérêt pour les
textes du Codex V, étant donné que ce dernier contenait plusieurs thèmes et motifs en
commun avec ce corpus. Ainsi, loin d’être un livre à saveur gnostique et hétérodoxe, étranger
à la culture copte chrétienne – comme généralement suggéré par la recherche – le Codex V
était un livre bien intégré à l’ambiance littéraire de l’Égypte de l’Antiquité tardive. De plus,
suivant la théorie de la réception telle que théorisée par Jauss – en particulier son concept de
« horizon of expectations » – nous utilisons ces thèmes et ces motifs littéraires pour
interpréter les textes du Codex V à la lumière de leur contexte copte. Autrement dit, nous
offrons une lecture copte du Codex V, et non pas une lecture « gnostique ».
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Abstract
The present dissertation deals with Nag Hammadi Codex V as the product of a late antique
Coptic compilation. We compare it to another group of late antique Coptic texts, the
hagiographies. This comparison shows the existence of many points of contact concerning
literary themes and motifs between both of the corpora in question here. This demonstrates
that a given Coptic reader – who knew the hagiographies in question – could also be
interested in Codex V, since it displays many literary themes and motifs to which he was
accustomed when reading Coptic hagiographies. Consequently, far from being a volume
with a Gnostic and heterodox taste and alien to a Coptic context – as generally pictured by
scholars – Codex V was very well placed in the literary environment of late antique Egypt.
Moreover, following the theory of reception as it was theorized by Jauss – in particular the
concept of “horizon of expectations” – we make use of these literary themes and motifs to
interpret Codex V in the light of its Coptic context. In other words, we offer a Coptic reading
of Codex V, instead of a “Gnostic” one.

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Table of Contents
Résumé ............................................................................................................................................. iii
Abstract............................................................................................................................................ iv
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ v
List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................. viii
Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................... xii
1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1
2. Status Quaestionis ........................................................................................................... 16
2.1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 16
2.2. Books and Literacy in Fourth-Fifth century Egypt .............................................. 17
2.3. Studies on the Material Aspects of the Nag Hammadi Codices .......................... 37
2.4. Gnosticism and Monasticism or Monasticism and the Nag Hammadi Codices .. 45
2.5. The Possibility of Literary Contacts between the Nag Hammadi Codices and
Fourth-Fifth Century Egyptian Literature ................................................................... 68
2.6. Sub-collections ..................................................................................................... 85
2.7. Linguistic Features ............................................................................................... 94
2.8. Final Considerations ............................................................................................ 96
3. Theoretical Framework and Methodology................................................................. 101
3.1. Introducion ......................................................................................................... 101
3.2. Reception Theory ............................................................................................... 103
3.2.1. Origins, Definition and Diversity of Approaches .................................. 103
3.2.2. The Approach of Hans Robert Jauss ..................................................... 104
3.3. The Comparative Literary Analysis ................................................................... 106
3.3.1. The importance of the Socio-Historical Context ................................... 109
3.3.2. Translations............................................................................................ 110
3.4. The Literary Genres ........................................................................................... 113
3.5. The Elements of Comparison ............................................................................. 117
4. Codex V ......................................................................................................................... 120
4.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................ 120
4.2. Some Considerations on Material Aspects of Codex V ..................................... 121
4.2.1. Paratextual Evidence ............................................................................. 124
4.2.2. The Titles in the Codex V Manuscript .................................................. 129
4.3. Codex V Characters in the Late Antique Coptic Context .................................. 136
4.3.1. Paul ........................................................................................................ 139
4.3.2. James...................................................................................................... 143
4.3.3. Adam...................................................................................................... 153
5. Delimitation, Justification and Description of the Comparative Literary Corpus 162
5.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................ 162
5.2. Monastic Lives ................................................................................................... 169
5.2.1. Lives of Abbots ................................................................................. 169
5.2.1.1. The Lives of Pachomius........................................................ 169
5.2.1.2. The Letter of Ammon ............................................................ 174
5.2.1.3. The Life of Shenoute ............................................................. 176
5.2.2. Lives of Anchorites ........................................................................... 178
5.2.2.1. The Life of Antony ................................................................ 178
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5.2.2.2. ‘Journey’ Monastic Lives ..................................................... 182
5.2.2.2.1. The Life of Apa Pambo .............................. 183
5.2.2.2.2. The History of the Monks of Upper Egypt and
the Life of Onnophrius ............................................... 185
5.3. Coptic Martyrdoms ............................................................................................ 188
5.4. Works Outside the Scope of this Dissertation ................................................... 201
5.5. Final Considerations: Notes on Quotations and References .............................. 204
6. Some Considerations on the Egyptian Social-religious Milieu in the Fourth and
Fifth Centuries .................................................................................................................. 206
6.1. The Great Persecution and the Meletian Schism ............................................... 208
6.2. Theological Controversies ................................................................................. 211
6.3. Monasticism in Late Antique Egypt .................................................................. 218
6.4. Final Considerations ......................................................................................... 229
7. The Comparison Between Codex V and Fourth/Fifth Century Egyptian
Hagiographies ................................................................................................................... 232
7.1. Ascension to the Heavens .................................................................................. 233
7.1.1. Being Snatched Up ................................................................................ 236
7.1.2. “Whether in the Body or out of the Body” ........................................... 241
7.1.3. The Visionary is Greeted (ⲁⲥⲡⲁⲍⲉ) by Heavenly Beings ...................... 245
7.1.4. The ⲧⲉⲗⲱⲛⲏⲥ in Codex V: from the Toll Collector in Late Antique Egypt
to the Heavenly Beings who Disturb the Ascension of Souls ......................... 259
7.2. Angelology and Mediated Revelations .............................................................. 266
7.2.1. Epiphanies.............................................................................................. 266
7.2.1.1. The Old Man in the Apocalypse of Paul (NH V 22, 25-30) 266
7.2.1.2. Jesus’ Second Appearance in the First Apocalypse of James
(NH V 30, 28-31, 6) and Jesus’ encounter with James in the Second
Apocalypse of James (NH V 56, 14-20) ........................................... 281
7.2.1.3. Three Celestial Beings in the Apocalypse of Adam (NH V 65,
22-34) ............................................................................................... 284
7.2.2. Angels and Other Celestial Beings ........................................................ 287
7.2.2.1. Otherworldly Mediators ....................................................... 288
7.2.2.2. Other Angels and Celestial Beings ....................................... 292
7.3. Motifs Associated with Accounts of Visionary Experiences ............................. 298
7.3.1. Preparation for Visionary Experiences .................................................. 298
7.3.2. Dreams ................................................................................................... 306
7.3.3. Mountains as a Favourable Place for Revelations ................................. 309
7.3.4. The Reactions in Relation to the Experience ......................................... 331
7.3.5. Secrecy and Transmission ..................................................................... 334
7.4. Other Motifs Generally Associated with Apocalyptic Literature ...................... 338
7.4.1. Judgment and Final Destiny of Souls .................................................. 338
7.4.2. Clairvoyance and Prophecy ................................................................. 343
7.5. Other Themes and Motifs .................................................................................. 348
7.5.1. The Conversation between Master and Disciple ................................. 348
7.5.2. The “Ten Heavens” Scheme in the Apocalypse of Paul ..................... 354
7.6. Final Considerations .......................................................................................... 355
8. Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 357
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8.1. From the Apocalypse of Paul to Eugnostos .......................................... 358
8.2. Monastic Links ...................................................................................... 361
8.3. Selective Perception and Selective Reading ......................................... 364
Bibliography ...................................................................................................................... 369
Appendices ........................................................................................................................ 402

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List of Abbreviations

2 Ieu – Second Book of Ieu
AB – Analecta Bollandiana
ARAL – Atti della Reale Accademia dei Lincei
BA – Biblical Archaeologist
BAISSP – Bulletin de l’Académie impériale des sciences de Saint-Pétersbourg
BASP – Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists
BCNH – Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi
BETL – Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium
BG – Berolinensis Gnosticus
BIFAO – Bulletin de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale
BIHBR – Bulletin de l’Institut historique belge de Rome
BSR – Bulletin for the Study of Religion
CBC – Cahiers de la bibliothèque copte
C.I.M. – Centro Italiano Microfiches
CPR – Corpus Papyrorum Raineri
CRSSTA – Cassiodorus: Rivista di studi sulla tarda antichità
CCSA – Corpus Christianorum, Series Apocryphorum
CSCO – Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium
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C.V. – Codex vaticanus
C.V.C. – Codex vaticanus copticus
EJL – Early Judaism and Its Literature
Eranos-JB – Eranos Jahrbuch
HCO – Histoire des conciles oecuméniques
HThR – Harvard Theological Review
IFAO – Institut français d’archéologie orientale
JA – Judaïsme Ancien - Ancient Judaism
JARCE – Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt
JbAC – Jahrbuch für Antike und Christentum
JBL – Journal of Biblical Literature
JECS – Journal of Early Christian Studies
JJP – Journal of Juristic Papyrology
JJPS – Journal of Juristic Papyrology Studies
JSNT – Journal for the Study of the New Testament
LThPh – Laval théologique et philosophique
Muséon – Le Muséon
NH – Nag Hammadi
NHC – Nag Hammadi Codices
NHMS – Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies
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NHS – Nag Hammadi Studies
NT – Novum Testamentum
NTS – New Testament Studies
NTTSD – New Testament Tools, Studies, and Documents
OECS – Oxford Early Christian Studies
OCA – Orientalia Christiana Analecta
OCP – Orientalia Christiana Periodica
PTRSL – Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London; Biological
Sciences
REAug – Revue des études augustiniennes
REG – Revue des études grecques
REgypt – Revue d’égyptologie
RHR – Revue de l’histoire des religions
RSEHA – Revue sémitique d’épigraphie et d’histoire ancienne
SC – Sources chrétiennes
SCJ – Studies in Christianity and Judaism
SNTS – Society for the New Testament Studies
SR – Sciences religieuses/Studies in Religion
STAC – Studien und Texte zu Antike und Christentum
SVTQ – St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly
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