The T & T Clark Blog

Another New Title in JCT Series

We have just received an advance copy of The Son of Man in the Parables of Enoch and in Matthew by Leslie W. Walck, another volume in the Jewish and Christian Texts Series. There are a number of translations of the Book of Enoch, within which the Parables are found, though there are a few books that actually analyse it, especially in the context of the Son of Man theme.

Leslie W. Walck examines all the relevant passages that include the term “Son of Man” in both Matthew and the Parables of Enoch. Walck discusses the meaning and origin of the term “Son of Man” and deliberates over the possible influence of the Par. En on Matthew.

Walck examines the date, provenance and social setting for both texts and suggests that Matthew could have known Par. En. He employs various criticisms (i.e. literary, redaction, sociological and narrative), offers sets of characteristics of the Son of Man in both texts, conducts brief examination of the other Gospels, deliberates over similarities in vocabulary, as well as in the pattern of relationships – all these developments and suggestions make this line of thought intriguing and bring fresh conclusions to the on-going discussion in the field.

As I just mentioned – we have received an advance copy of this volume, though it won’t be too long before you can read this book as it is already available in the US. Readers in the UK will be able to purchase Walck’s book in June. I am sure you all will find it a fascinating read.

SBL

Just a quick shout-out to the blogosphere. I will be at SBL in New Orleans this year, so if any of you have book ideas you'd like to discuss do drop me a line to set up an appointment.

I'm particularly looking for ideas for coursebooks and introductory texts, but monographs are always good too!

Email me: dmattos 'at' continuumbooks.com

National Geographic respond to the critical Chronicle of Higher Education article on the Gospel of Judas

National Geographic have issued a response to the recently published Chronicle of Higher Education article which criticises them for their handling of the Gospel of Judas (see post of May 28). You can read it here.

Judas article in The Chronicle of Higher Education

A rather spicy article has appeared in The Chronicle of Higher Education (that may be difficult to accept, I know) charting the entire Gospel of Judas saga from the discovery of the gospel through to the Judas conference that took place recently at Rice University. It includes some rather revealing interviews with the leading scholars involved (and most of them aren't afraid to speak their mind in plain language, e.g. "that's a bunch of crap"). Worth a read: http://chronicle.com/free/v54/i38/38b00601.htm

April DeConick's New York Times Op-Ed piece

April Deconick's op-ed piece on the Gospel of Judas ran in the New York Times this Saturday. For those who didn't catch the print version, you can read it here.

April's book, The Thirteenth Apostle: what the Gospel of Judas really says, is available now in the US and will be published in the UK and rest of the world at the end of December.

Her sessions at SBL San Diego were extremely well attended (they were turning people away at the door - true!) and rumours abound that the controversy generated by her book has prompted National Geographic to consider revising their interpretation...

The Thirteenth Apostle

US News & World Report have written up a piece on The Thirteenth Apostle, which you can read here.

A warm reception for The Thirteenth Apostle

The Thirteenth Apostle was warmly received by the Biblical Archaeology Society in San Antonio this past weekend, where the author, April DeConick, delivered a paper outlining her new interpretation of the Gospel of Judas.

Also speaking was James D. Tabor, Professor and Chair of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Professor Tabor has subsequently written a glowing endorsment of April's book on his website, The Jesus Dynasty Blog. He is particularly impressed by April's discussion of Gnosticism in Chapter 2, which he says is "one of the dearest expositions on Gnosticism written for a non-specialist reader that I have ever seen". He concludes his review by saying, "I highly recommend this new book and look forward to the continued discussion of this fascinating text."

The Thirteenth Apostle

I'm thrilled to say that advance copies of April DeConick's new book The Thirteenth Apostle: What the Gospel of Judas Really Says have now come in. April, who is Professor of Biblical Studies at Rice University, offers a new translation of the Gospel of Judas which seriously challenges the National Geographic version, until now the only available English translation.

April takes issue with the National Geographic interpretation of a "good Judas", and with those scholars such as Bart Ehrman and Elaine Pagels who have endorsed this reading, and insists rather that the gospel presents a Judas who is as evil as he has ever been. She argues that the Gospel of Judas is not about a “good” Judas, or even a “poor old” Judas. It is a gospel parody about a “demon” Judas written by a particular group of Gnostic Christians – the Sethians.

Here are some of the endorsements that we have so far received:

Louis Painchard (Universite Laval, Canada): "April DeConick's new book provides solutions to major issues raised by this fascinating but frequently misunderstood text."

Jane D. Schaberg (Prof. of Religious Studies, University of Detroit, USA): "April DeConick makes a brilliant contribution to the conversation about this puzzling gospel, whose 'bitter voice' she hears as a sophisticated, ironic parody of mainstream Christianity. Her engagement with the gospel of Mark and with movie versions of Judas deftly bring first and second century sectarian conflicts into contemporary focus. I highly recommend this book to all those interested in the apocryphal and canonical gospels."

Prof. Madeleine Scopello (Director of Research at the National Center of Scientific Research, Sorbonne, France): "Turning upside down the most accepted understanding of the Gospel of Judas, April DeConick gives a radical new reading of this Coptic text, based on her fresh, personal translation. [...] A deep original insight is offered on the intense and troubled story of early Christianity with its rival, opposing streams. Those who are interested in the Gnostic adventure cannot miss The Thirteenth Apostle."

If you would like to know more I would encourage you visit to April's excellent blog. You may also read an interview with her here, in which she talks about the genesis of the book and explains her approach to the Gospel of Judas.

Please also note that April will be speaking about the Gospel of Judas at the upcoming SBL meeting in San Diego. She will be presenting a paper at the Nag Hammadi and Gnosticism session (S17-70, 1-3.30 PM, Saturday 17 November) and will also take part in the session 'Books on the Gospel of Judas: An Evening with the Authors' (S18-150, 7-8.30 PM, Sunday 18 November).

More immediately, she will be speaking at the Biblical Archaeology Society this Saturday in San Antonio, Texas.