Piovanelli Gospel of Thomas 2010 (original) (raw)

Over the course of the last fifteen years, Jan N. Bremmer has constantly promoted, and made a significant contribution to, the study of Christian apocryphal texts, especially the second and third-century Acts of John, Acts of Paul, Acts of Peter, Acts of Andrew, and Acts of Thomas, to which the prestigious series he founded in  and still directs, 'Studies on Early Christian Apocrypha' , was originally dedicated. 1 In spite of the lack of external evidence, the anonymity of their authors, and the great fluidity of the texts, Bremmer was able to identify a plausible setting for at least four of these 'magnificent five' apocryphal acts of the apostles, originally written in Greek between the middle (Acts of John and Acts of Paul) and the end (Acts of Peter and Acts of Andrew) of the second century, probably in Pisidia and Bithynia (central and northern Asia Minor), the only exception being the Acts of Thomas, which was written in Syriac in the s, almost certainly in Edessa (Osrhoene). 2 As in the case of ancient novels, the apocryphal acts of the apostles were particularly appreciated by upper-class and well-educated women; 3 in contrast however, their