Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 20:44, 8 January 2018

This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "Second Apocalypse of James" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2015)

Part of a series on Gnosticism
Gnostic concepts Adam kasia Adam pagria Aeon Anima mundi Archon Barbelo Demiurge Five Seals Gnosis Kenoma Luminary Manda Monad Ogdoad Pleroma Sophia Uthra World of Light World of Darkness Yaldabaoth
Gnostic sects and founders List of Gnostic sects Proto-Gnosticism Maghāriya Thomasines Judean / Israelite Adam Mandaeism Elksai Elkasaites Samaritan Baptist Dositheos Simon Magus (Simonians) Menander Quqites Christian Gnosticism Apelles Cerinthus Justin Marcion Marcionism Nicolaism Perates Saturninus Ophites Sethianism Basilides Basilideans Valentinus Valentinianism Marcus Marcosians Florinus Naassenes Thomasine Barbelo Borborites Carpocratians (Gnostic sect) Cerdo (Gnostic) Persian Gnosticism Mani Manichaeism Chinese Gnosticism Chinese Manichaeism Islamic Gnosticism Druze Nusayrism Modern Modern schools
Scriptures List of Gnostic texts Texts Nag Hammadi library Pseudo-Abdias Clementine literature Gnosticism and the New Testament Mandaean scriptures Codices Codex Tchacos Cologne Mani-Codex Askew Codex Bruce Codex Berlin Codex Codex Nasaraeus
Influenced by Apocalyptic literature Early Christianity Christology Docetism Paul and Gnosticism Merkabah mysticism Middle Platonism Philo Wisdom (personification)
Influence on Carl Jung Esoteric Christianity Christian theosophy Gnosticism in modern times Neoplatonism and Gnosticism Perennial philosophy Thelema Theosophy (Blavatskian) Western esotericism René Guénon Rudolf Steiner
v t e

Part of a series on
New Testament apocrypha
First page of the Gospel of Judas (Page 33 of Codex Tchacos)
Apostolic Fathers 1 Clement 2 Clement Epistles of Ignatius Polycarp to the Philippians Martyrdom of Polycarp Didache Barnabas Diognetus The Shepherd of Hermas
Apocryphal gospels Jewish–Christian gospels Ebionites Hebrews Nazarenes Infancy gospels James Thomas Arabic Pseudo-Matthew History of Joseph the Carpenter Gnostic gospels Judas Mary Philip Truth Secret Mark The Saviour Other gospels Thomas Marcion Nicodemus Peter Barnabas Lost gospels Bartholomew Matthias Cerinthus Basilides Mani Gospel of the Hebrews
Apocalypses Paul Peter Pseudo-Methodius Thomas Stephen 1 James 2 James 2 John
Epistles Apocryphon of James Apocryphon of John Epistula Apostolorum Pseudo-Titus Peter to Philip Paul and Seneca Lost epistles Alexandrians Laodiceans
Acts Andrew Andrew and Bartholomew Barnabas John Mar Mari The Martyrs Paul Peter Peter and Andrew Peter and Paul Peter and the Twelve Philip Pilate Thaddeus Thomas Timothy Xanthippe, Polyxena, and Rebecca
Misc. Other apocrypha Clementine literature Diatessaron Doctrine of Addai Pilate cycle Prayer of the Apostle Paul Questions of Bartholomew Resurrection of Jesus Christ Related topics Nag Hammadi library
Christianity portal
v t e

The Second Apocalypse of James is an apocalyptic text of the Nag Hammadi library, and it is the fourth tractate placed right after the First Apocalypse of James of what is now known as Codex V. The text narrates the trial and martyrdom of James the Just. It is believed to have been written around the second century CE, and then buried and lost until it was rediscovered amongst 52 other Gnostic Christian texts spread over 13 codices by an Arab peasant, Mohammad Ali al-Samman, in the Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi late in December 1945.

The gnostic text contains many Jewish-Christian themes, making many scholars think it to be one of the earlier texts, originally from the early or mid-second century. One of the most curious features of the second apocalypse of James is that this range of dating, of its original text, assigned to it by scholars, requires that it was written before the First Apocalypse of James.

A number of differences are seen from the more canonical history that the text describes. For example, it names James' father Theudas rather than Joseph, who is presented as the biological father of James by the mid-second-century Protevangelium of James. The wife of this Theudas is named Mary, but whether this Mary is the same woman as the mother of Jesus, or whether this wife of Theudas named Mary is supposed to be the biological mother of James, is not clear from the text. The First Apocalypse of James explicitly claims that James and Jesus are not biological brothers.

The text features a kiss between James and Jesus, recalling the canonical Gospels' kiss of Judas to Jesus, only here it is a kiss of gnosis, or spirit. "Hail, brother!" (Apocalypse, James to Jesus) replaced by "Hail, Master!" (Mark 14:45 and Matthew 26:49) as the canonical Gospels' have the greeting from Judas to Jesus in the betrayal scene kiss is another curious parallel, given orthodox virgin-birth theology. Other matching lines between the two sources are "stripped and rising naked" (Mark 14), "multitudes seizing" (John 18), and "bring me from a tomb alive" (Matt. 28:6-8).

The text ends with the rather gruesome death of James by stoning, possibly reflecting an early oral tradition of what became of James:

They decided to throw him down from the height, and they cast him down... They seized him and struck him as they dragged him on the ground. They stretched him out and placed a stone on his abdomen. They all placed their feet on him, saying: 'You have erred!' Again they raised him up, since he was alive, and made him dig a hole. They made him stand in it. After having covered him up to his abdomen, they stoned him.

References

1. Brown, S. Kent (July 1975). Novum Testamentum Vol. 17, Fasc. 3. Provo, Utah: BRILL. pp. 225–237.

Sources

• Online text of The Second Apocalypse of James

• Christian apocalyptic writings
• Apocryphal revelations