This is an open access publication distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), a copy of which is available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. The ancient Dormition and Assumption traditions are a collection of over sixty different narratives, preserved in nine ancient languages, that commemorate the end of the Virgin Mary's life. These traditions have long been overlooked by scholars of early Christianity, no doubt largely because this complicated corpus was insufficiently well known. The present study aims to remedy this situation with a detailed analysis of the earliest traditions of Mary's death, including liturgical and archaeological evidence as well as the numerous narrative sources. Several of the most important narratives are translated in appendices, many appearing in English for the first time. The book will be of interest to all scholars of early Christian literature.
The last dogma defined by the Church is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heavenly glory. This dogma is the gateway to answer one of the greatest problems that has ever faced the human race. What is the meaning of life? Is death the end of everything? Mary's Assumption tells us that eternal life with God is the final evolution of every man and woman who dies in the friendship of God. At the end of time all will be taken up and transformed, the body and the soul, the corporeal and the spiritual. For all that God created is sacred and loved. Where Mary is, all the elect will be. Whoever contemplates this mystery learns much about God, Christ, Mary, the Church and oneself. The Virgin Mary is one who walked in the darkness of faith and never despaired, one who obeyed and never deserted, one who loved and was never unfaithful. She is an example of the perfect disciple. Mary was Jesus' first and the most perfect disciple of Christ. The Virgin Mary, taken up into heaven after her earthly life, remains for us the symbol of all that we should be, and of all that we will be, if only we are faithful to Christ. She is the woman in the life of Christ and the woman in the life of all who follow him. On earth Mary was the mother of Jesus and his wholehearted companion, his comfort and joy. Now in heaven close to Jesus, she watches over us with a mother's care and intercedes for us. She is our life, our sweetness and our hope. She is our shining example. Where she is, we shall be. God knows we need the woman clothed in glory. The purpose of this book is to contemplate the Virgin Mary in her heavenly glory. The book's reflections go beyond the mystery of the Assumption in itself to contemplate the Mother of God in glory in relation to Christ and the Church. For Mary in glory is close to Christ and the people of God. We hope to penetrate more deeply this twofold mystery. To facilitate this task, the book is divided the study into two parts: The Assumption in the Mystery of Christ, and the Assumption in the Mystery of the Church. The first part follows the model of Chapter eight of the Constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council. There as here, Mary is considered first in the mystery of Christ and then in the mystery of the Church. The first part is actually a commentary on the Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus that defined the dogma of the Assumption. It is here we perceive that the Assumption is not an isolated privilege granted to Mary, but one that is intimately joined with the person and mission of Christ. Her triumphal entrance into glory is part of Christ's victory over sin and death. The second part goes beyond the Constitution and ponders the Immaculate Virgin in heaven in relation to the mystery of the Church. The first consideration is Mary in heaven as the model, image and beginning of the pilgrim Church. This is followed by her relation to the suffering and heavenly Church. The final chapter ponders the texts of the liturgical feast of the Assumption. It is in the liturgy of the feast that we experience God's love for the human family; Mary's inseparable union with Christ her Son and Savior, and the joy that we are called to experience once our pilgrimage of faith is over. For, taken up to heaven we join Mary in the communion of saints in union with Christ our Lord.
Rooted in real world observations, this book questions the concept of tradition - whether contemporary globalization will prove its demise or whether there is a process of simultaneous ending and renewing. In his introduction, Nezar Alsayyad discusses the meaning of the word 'tradition' and the current debates about the 'end of tradition'. Thereafter the book is divided into three parts. The three chapters in part I explore the inextricable link between 'tradition' and 'modern', revealing the geopolitical implications of this link. Part II looks at tradition as a process of invention and here the three chapters are all concerned with the making of landscapes and landscape myths, showing how the spectacle of history can be aestheticized and naturalized. Finally, Part III shows how traditionis a regime, programmed and policed and how it has been deployed, resisted, and reworked through hegemonic struggles that seek to create both built environments and citizen-subjects.
What do all the doctrines that God has revealed about the Blessed Virgin Mary have to do with me personally? How do these revealed truths about the Mother of Jesus affect my own spiritual life? How do I explain to my friends the truth about Mary and Marian devotions?Introduction to Mary helps us to answer these questions and more by presenting the fundamental elements of authentic Catholic doctrine and devotion regarding the Blessed Virgin and offers answers to ten of the more common objections to Marian doctrine and devotion.Easy to read and understand Introduction to Mary is designed to serve as a basic tool for both the parish study group and the college classroom, for both the inquiring non-Catholic and the long-standing Catholic.Dr. Mark Miravalle, husband and father of eight children, is Professor of Theology and Mariology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, an internationally known conference speaker and author of several Marian publications.In our present “Age of Mary” Dr. Miravalle offers us the opportunity, by learning the heart of Marian doctrine and devotion, to experience the truth about the person of Mary, our Spiritual Mother. For authentic love of Mary must be based on the truth about Mary.
This collection of apocryphal writings supersedes the best-selling edition by M. R. James, first published in 1924. Since then, several new works have come to light, and the textual base for some of the works previously translated by James is now more secure. In this volume, J. K. Elliott presents new translations of the texts into modern English, together with a short introduction and bibliography for each of them. The collection is designed to give readers the most important and famous non-canonical Christian writings, many of them popular legends with an enormous influence on later, particularly medieval, art and literature, as well as on later beliefs and practices of the Church.
A baffling triptych of murder mysteries by the author of I Am Not Sidney Poitier Ogden Walker, deputy sheriff of a small New Mexico town, is on the trail of an old woman's murderer. But at the crime scene, his are the only footprints leading up to and away from her door. Something is amiss, and even his mother knows it. As other cases pile up, Ogden gives chase, pursuing flimsy leads for even flimsier reasons. His hunt leads him from the seamier side of Denver to a hippie commune as he seeks the puzzling solution. In Assumption, his follow-up to the wickedly funny I Am Not Sidney Poitier, Percival Everett is in top form as he once again upends our expectations about characters, plot, race, and meaning. A wild ride to the heart of a baffling mystery, Assumption is a literary thriller like no other.
The present volume provides for the long-felt need for a new critical edition of, and a full commentary on the Assumption of Moses, a Palestinian Jewish pseudepigraphon from the first century A.D. The book consists of four parts: I. Critical edition; II. Description of the Latin used in the text; III. The history of research on As. Mos., including the author's conclusions with regard to the literary-historical questions; IV. Detailed commentary. A bibliography and indices complete the book. This edition and commentary greatly enhance the accessibility of one of the most important witnesses of first-century Judaism, the matrix of earliest Christianity.
The New "Mary" Question Mary--Another Redeemer? explores Roman Catholic teachings about Mary from a biblical and historical perspective. Skilled and knowledgeable author James White traces how the Mary of the Bible--esteemed mother of the Lord, obedient servant and chosen vessel of God--has become the Immaculately Conceived, Bodily Assumed Queen of Heaven, viewed as Co-Mediator with Christ, and now widely recognized as Co-Redeemer by many in the Catholic Church. A calm, even-handed look at the woman the Bible calls "blessed among women"--and an invitation to single-minded devotion to God's truth.
The Synoptic Gospels contain traditions about Jesus which differ in some respects from Gospel to Gospel and, it is presumed, from the very earliest Christian traditions. Scholars often seek to establish the earliest form of each tradition and the methods and criteria they use are of the greatest importance. Dr Sanders here provides a reassessment of this whole problem. His study deals directly with the question of determining the reliability of the Synoptic Gospels.
Mark Yarbrough assesses the question of whether traditional ‘preformed' material contributes to the message and understanding of Paul's first letter to Timothy. The issue is addressed in three sections. Part one evaluates previous works interacting with ‘traditional' material in the New Testament. Through a critique of historically proposed criteria, Yarbrough identifies eight criteria as the primary tools by which to discern units of preformed material. In the second part of the book Yarbrough evaluates nineteen passages in 1 Timothy according to the criteria previously determined. From this base he embraces twelve of the nineteen passages as preformed material. These passages are subsequently examined in depth according to the author's distinct methodology. Part three demonstrates four functions of the preformed traditions in 1 Timothy. Firstly, that they may be seen as strengthening the literary cohesion of the letter. Secondly, that the traditional units afford the author rhetorical leverage which may be best identified as the provision of authority, the establishment of an instant rapport with the primary audience, and the assistance conferred in addressing this implied audience. Thirdly, they present theological directives that confront the character and belief of the false teachers. Finally, Yarbrough asserts that the preformed traditions exist as a combatant against counter-mission doctrine. In conclusion, this study displays that the traditional material which may be discerned within the letter contributes significantly to the overall message and understanding of 1 Timothy.