Apocryphon of James

Apocryphon Iacobi

Standard abbreviation: Ap. Jas.

Other titles: Secret Book of James, Epistula Jacobi Apocrypha

Clavis numbers: ECCA 495

Category: Revelatory Dialogue/Dialogue Gospels

Compiled by Julia Lindenlaub, Cambridge University Press

Citing this resource (using Chicago Manual of Style): Lindenlaub, Julia. “Apocryphon of James.” e-Clavis: Christian Apocrypha. Accessed DAY MONTH YEAR. https://www.nasscal.com/e-clavis-christian-apocrypha/apocryphon-of-james/.

Created January 2021. Current as of April 2024.

1. SUMMARY

The Apocryphon of James (NHC I,2) is the second tractate in Nag Hammadi Codex I, which is dated to the fourth century and also contains the Prayer of the Apostle Paul, the Gospel of Truth, the Treatise on the Resurrection, and the Tripartite Tractate. Despite damage at points where fragments are missing, the majority of the text is preserved. This single manuscript is the only extant version and does not include a title. Prospective dating for the composition of this text is somewhat debated but tends toward the latter part of the second century.

This relatively under-studied text is nonetheless an important example of writings featuring post-resurrection encounters between Jesus and the disciples. For this reason, it is often included among examples of revelatory dialogues/dialogue gospels. Despite a lack of overt “gnostic” character, this text also plays a part in the history of debates over a “gnostic dialogue” genre. The generic features of this text are multifaceted, however, beginning with an epistolary framing device before introducing the dialogue setting. A lacuna in this opening leaves the addressee incomplete (-thos); proposed reconstruction as Cerinthus is plausible but uncertain. The sender’s identity is likewise obscured but is clarified by James’ self-reference in what follows. It is ambiguous whether this James is the brother of Jesus or the disciple, but a degree of conflation is also possible. Interestingly, James refers to the text at hand as written in Hebrew, while also mentioning a previous text already sent. Both compositions are presented as intended only for a privileged few.

The epistolary framing device is interrupted by damage to the manuscript (2.1–7), resuming with a scribal setting in which the twelve disciples are writing their own accounts of Jesus. While Jesus does not hinder these compositions in any way, he singles out James and Peter as primary characters for the post-resurrection dialogue to follow. In this sequence, the two chosen disciples are the benefactors of special teaching from Jesus that features several noteworthy parallels with other traditions or gospels. This exchange comprises the bulk of the text, through which James’s interactions with Jesus positively advance the conversation, whilst Peter’s reveal comparative lack of understanding. With Jesus’ departure, the two disciples experience an ascension sequence that is halted by the reappearance of the other disciples. These disciples have an unsatisfactory response to Jesus’ revelation and are ultimately sent away by James when he goes up to Jerusalem. The text closes with a final address from James to the readers.

Though it is infrequently researched in comparison to several of its Nag Hammadi peers, this text is distinctive in several important respects. It is a noteworthy example of the complexities of genre in texts about Jesus and his disciples, with its combination of epistolary and dialogue features. It also attests several parallels with Jesus tradition in the canonical gospels and elsewhere, raising important questions about its relationship to the broader gospel tradition. Finally, it covers a number of topics prevalent in early Christian writings: the status of the apostles, the interpretation of Jesus’ parables, and the meaning of suffering. This text is thus equally significant for points of contact with other literature from Nag Hammadi, as well as further instances of books about Jesus written in the earliest centuries of Christianity.

Historical figures and characters: devil, Holy Spirit, James (brother/apostle), Jesus Christ, John (the Baptist), Peter (apostle), Satan.

Geographical locations: Jerusalem.

2. RESOURCES

“Apocryphon of James.” Wikipedia.

“L’épître apocryphe de Jacques (NH I, 2).” Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi. Administrator: Eric Crégheur (features a French translation by Donald Rouleau).

“The Apocryphon of James.” The Gnostic Society Library (English translations by Marvin W. Meyer, Francis E. Williams, and Ron Cameron).

“The Secret Book of James.” Early Christian Writings (with links to online translations and resources).

3. BIBLIOGRAPHY

3.1 Manuscripts and Editions

3.1.1 Coptic

Cairo, Coptic Museum, Inv. 10554+10589+10590 (Nag Hammadi Codex I), pp. 1–16 (4th cent.)

Rouleau, Donald. L’épître apocryphe de Jacques (NHC I,2). Bibliothèque Copte de Nag Hammadi Section «Textes» 18. Laval, Québec: Les Presses de l’Université Laval, 1987.

Williams, Francis E. “The Apocryphon of James.” Pages 13–53 in vol. 1 of The Coptic Gnostic Library: A Complete Edition of the Nag Hammadi Codices. 5 vols. Edited by James M. Robinson. NHS 22. Leiden: Brill, 2000.

———. “The Apocryphon of James.” Pages i. 13–53; ii. 7–37 in Nag Hammadi Codex I (The Jung Codex): Introduction, Texts, Translations, Notes. 2 vols. Edited by Harold W. Attridge. NHS 22–23. Leiden: Brill, 1985.

3.2 Modern Translations

3.2.1 English

Cameron, Ron. “The Letter of James.” Pages 673–81 in The Apocryphal New Testament: A Collection of Apocryphal Christian Literature in an English Translation. Edited by J. K. Elliott. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993.

———. “The Apocryphon of James.” Pages 55–64 in The Other Gospels: Non-Canonical Gospels Texts. Edited by Ron Cameron. Cambridge: Lutterworth Press, 1982.

Kirchner, Dankwart. “The Apocryphon of James.” Pages 283–99 in New Testament Apocrypha. Vol. 1: Gospels and Related writings. Edited by Wilhelm Schneemelcher. Translated by Robert McL. Wilson. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2003.

Mattison, Mark M. The Secret Book of James: How to be Whole. Grand Rapids: Luminescence, 2022.

Meyer, Marvin W. “The Secret Book of James.” Pages 23–30 in The Nag Hammadi Scriptures. Edited by Marvin W. Meyer, et al. New York: HarperOne, 2007.

———. “The Secret Book of James.” Pages 340–50 in The Gnostic Bible. Edited by Willis Barnstone and Marvin W. Meyer. Boston: Shambala, 2003.

Williams, Francis E. “The Apocryphon of James (I, 2).” Pages 29–31 in The Nag Hammadi Library in English. Edited by James M. Robinson. Leiden: Brill, 1996.

3.2.2 French

Rouleau, Donald. L’épître apocryphe de Jacques (NHC I,2). Bibliothèque Copte de Nag Hammadi Section «Textes» 18. Laval, Québec: Les Presses de l’Université Laval, 1987.

3.2.3 German

Hartenstein, Judith and Plisch, Uwe-Karsten. “B.VI.3 Der Brief des Jakobus (NHC I,2).” Pages 1093–1106 in Antike christliche Apokryphen in deutscher Übersetzung. Band 1: Evangelien und Verwandtes. Edited by Christoph Markschies and Jens Schröter. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2012.

———. “‘Der Brief des Jakobus’ (NHC I,2).” Pages 10–17 in Nag Hammadi Deutsch 1: NHC I,1–V,1. Edited by Hans-Martin Schenke, Hans-Gebhard Bethge, and Ursula Ulrike Kaiser. Berlin: de Gruyter, 2001.

Kirchner, Dankwart. Epistula Jacobi Apocrypha. Die zweite Schrift aus Nag-Hammadi-Codex I. TUGAL 136. Berlin: de Gruyter, 1989.

———. “Brief des Jakobus,” Pages 234–44 in Neutestamentliche Apokryphen in deutscher Übersetzung, I. Band: Evangelien. Fifth Edition. Edited by Wilhelm Schneemelcher and Edgar Hennecke. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1987.

Schenke, Hans-Martin. “Der Jacobusbrief aus dem Codex Jung.” OLZ 66 (1971): 117–30.

3.3 General Works

Bauckham, Richard. “Pseudo-Apostolic Letters.” JBL 107 (1993): 469–94.

Begrich, Gerhard. “‘Lasst das Himmelreich nicht welken!’ Jes 52,16 und EpJac 7,22.” Pages 175–80 in For the Children, Perfect Instruction: Studies in Honor of Hans-Martin Schenke on the Occasion of the Berliner Arbeitskreis für koptisch-gnostische Schriften’s Thirtieth Year. Edited by Hans-Gebhard Bethge, Stephen Emmel, Karen L. King, and Imke Schletterer. NHMS 54. Leiden: Brill, 2002.

Bockmuehl, Markus. Ancient Apocryphal Gospels. Interpretation. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2017.

Brakke, David. “Parables and Plain Speech in the Fourth Gospel and the Apocryphon of James.” JECS 7 (1999): 187–218.

Cameron, Ron. Sayings Traditions in the Apocryphon of James. HTS 34. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1984.

Coogan, Jeremiah. “Failed Gospels and Disciplinary Knowledge in Origen’s Hom. Luc. 1.” Forthcoming in Unruly Books: Rethinking Ancient and Academic Imaginations of Religious Texts. Edited by Esther Brownsmith, Marianne B. Kartzow, and Liv Ingeborg Lied. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2024.

———. “Imagining Gospel Authorship: Anonymity, Collaboration, and Monography in a Pluriform Corpus.” Forthcoming in Authorial Fictions and Attributions in the Ancient Mediterranean. Edited by Chance E. Bonar and Julia D. Lindenlaub. WUNT 2. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2024.

Dehandschutter, Boudewijn. “Himmlischer Aufstieg im Apokryphon des Jakobus (NHC I,2).” Pages 343–54 in Other Worlds and Their Relation to This World: Early Jewish and Ancient Christian Traditions. Edited by Tobias Nicklas, Joseph Verheyden, Erik M. M. Eynikel, Florentino García Martínez. Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism 143. Leiden: Brill, 2010.

———. “L’Epistula Jacobi apocrypha de Nag Hammadi (CG I,2) comme apocryphe néotestamentaire.” ANRW 2.25.6 (1988): 4529–50.

Dunderberg, Ismo. The Beloved Disciple in Conflict? Revisiting the Gospels of John and Thomas. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.

———. “The Beloved Disciple in John: Ideal Figure in an Early Christian Controversy.” Pages 243–72 in Fair Play: Diversity and Conflicts in Early Christianity: Essays in Honour of Heikki Räisänen. Edited by Ismo Dunderberg, Christopher Tuckett, and Kari Syreeni. NovTSup 103. Leiden: Brill, 2002.

Ehrman, Bart D. Forgery and Counterforgery: The Use of Literary Deceit in Early Christian Polemics. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.

Fewster, Gregory P. “Ancient Book Culture and the Literacy of James: On the Production and Consumption of a Pseudepigraphal Letter.” JAC/ZAC 20 (2016): 387–417.

Given, J. Gregory. “Four Texts from Nag Hammadi amid the Textual and Generic Fluidity of the ‘Letter’ in Late Antique Egypt.” Pages 201–20 in Snapshots of Evolving Traditions: Jewish and Christian Manuscript Culture, Textual Fluidity, and New Philology. Edited by Liv Ingeborg Lied and Hugo Lundhaug. TU 175. Berlin: de Gruyter, 2017.

Gregory, Andrew. “Non-canonical Epistles and Related Literature.” Pages 90–114 in The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Apocrypha. Edited by Andrew Gregory, Tobias Nicklas, Christopher M. Tuckett, and Joseph Verheyden. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015.

Hartenstein, Judith. “Erscheinungsevangelien (Gespräche mit dem Auferstandenen) im Kontext frühchristlicher Theologie: Anknüpfungspunkte und Besonderheiten der christologischen Vorstellungen.” Pages 305–32 in The Apocryphal Gospels within the Context of Early Christian Theology. Edited by Jens Schröter. BETL 260. Leuven: Peeters, 2013.

———. Die zweite Lehre: Erscheinungen des Auferstandenen als Rahmenerzählungen frühchristlicher Dialoge. TUGAL 146. Berlin: Akademie, 2000.

Hedrick, Charles W. “Kingdom Sayings and Parables of Jesus in the Apocryphon of James: Tradition and Redaction.” NTS 29 (1983): 1–24.

Helderman, Jan. “Anapausis in the Epistula Jacobi Apocrypha.” Pages 34–43 in Nag Hammadi and Gnosis. Edited Robert McL. Wilson. NHS 14. Leiden: Brill, 1978.

Hill, Charles E. The Johannine Corpus in the Early Church. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.

Jenott, Lance and Elaine Pagels. “Antony’s Letters and Nag Hammadi Codex I: Sources of Religious Conflict in Fourth-Century Egypt.” JECS 18 (2010): 557–89.

Kloppenborg, John S. “Literate Media in Early Christ Groups: The Creation of a Christian Book Culture.” JECS 22 (2014): 21–59.

Koester, Helmut. Ancient Christian Gospels: Their History and Development. London: SCM, 1990.

Lindenlaub, Julia D. “The Fictive Author and the Reading Community in the Apocryphon of James (NHC I,2).” Forthcoming in Authorial Fictions and Attributions in the Ancient Mediterranean. Edited by Chance E. Bonar and Julia D. Lindenlaub. WUNT 2. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2024.

———. “The Gospel of John as Model for Literate Authors and Their Texts in Epistula Apostolorum and Apocryphon of James (NHC I,2).” JSNT 43 (2020): 3–27.

Lundhaug, Hugo. “Fictional Books in Coptic Apocrypha.” JSP 32 (2023): 323–42.

Meyer, Marvin W. “Whom Did Jesus Love Most? Beloved Disciples in John and Other Gospels.” Pages 73–92 in The Legacy of John: Second-Century Reception of the Fourth Gospel. Edited by Tuomas Rasimus. NovTSup 132. Leiden: Brill, 2010.

Myllykoski, Matti. “James the Just in History and Tradition: Perspectives of Past and Present Scholarship (Part II).” CBR 5 (2007): 73–122.

Nagel, Peter. “Beiträge zur Gleichnisauslegung in der Epistula Jacobi apocrypha (NHC I,2).” Pages 157–74 in For the Children, Perfect Instruction: Studies in Honor of Hans-Martin Schenke on the Occasion of the Berliner Arbeitskreis für koptisch-gnostische Schriften’s Thirtieth Year. Edited by Hans-Gebhard Bethge, Stephen Emmel, Karen L. King, and Imke Schletterer. NHMS 54. Leiden: Brill, 2002.

Nagel, Titus. Die Rezeption des Johannesevangeliums im 2. Jahrhundert: Studien zur vorirenäischen Aneignung und Auslegung des vierten Evangeliums in christlicher und christlich-gnostischer Literatur. Arbeiten zur Bibel und ihrer Geschichte 2. Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 2000.

Oerter, Wolf B. “Form as a Vehicle of Authority? Some Remarks on the Apocryphon of James.” Pages 197–207 in The Process of Authority: The Dynamics in Transmission and Reception of Canonical Texts. Edited by Jan Dušek and Jan Roskovec. DCLS 27. Berlin: de Gruyter, 2016.

Pagels, Elaine. “Gnosticism and the New Testament: The Apocryphon of James (NHC I,2) from Nag Hammadi.” Pages 297–309 in Method and Meaning: Essays on New Testament Interpretation in Honor of Harold W. Attridge. Edited by Andrew McGowan and Kent Harold Richards. RBS 67. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2012.

Painter, John. Just James: The Brother of Jesus in History and Tradition. 2nd ed. Studies on Personalities of the New Testament. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2004.

Parkhouse, Sarah. Eschatology and the Saviour: The ‘Gospel of Mary’ among Early Christian Dialogue Gospels. SNTSMS 176. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019.

Perkins, Pheme. The Gnostic Dialogue: The Early Church and the Crisis of Gnosticism. New York: Paulist, 1980.

Perkins, Pheme. Peter: Apostle for the Whole Church. London: T&T Clark, 2000.

———. “Johannine Traditions in Ap. Jas. [NHC 1,2].” JBL 101 (1982): 403–14.

Pratscher, Wilhelm. Der Herrenbruder Jakobus und die Jakobustradition. FRLANT 139. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1987.

Schenke, Hans-Martin. “The Function and Background of the Beloved Disciple in the Gospel of John.” Pages 111–26 in Nag Hammadi, Gnosticism, and Early Christianity. Edited by Charles W. Hedrick and Robert Hodgson, Jr. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1986.

———. “Der Jacobusbrief aus dem Codex Jung.” OLZ 66 (1971): 117-30.

Unnik, Willem C. van. “The Origin of the Recently Discovered ‘Apocryphon Jacobi’.” VC 10 (1956): 149–56.

Watson, Francis. “Against the Twelve: The Apocryphon of James and the Status of the Apostles.” Pages 209–30 in Texts in Context: Essays on Dating and Contextualising Christian Writings from the Second and Early Third Centuries. Edited by Joseph Verheyden, Jens Schröter, and Tobias Nicklas. Leuven: Peeters, 2021.

Vliet, Jacques van der. “Spirit and Prophecy in the Epistula Iacobi Apocrypha (NHC I,2).” VC 44 (1990): 25–53.

Yadin-Israel, Azzan. “Christian, Jewish, and Pagan Authority and the Rise of the Christian Intellectual.” Pages 165–92 in The Rise of the Christian Intellectual. Edited by Lewis Ayres and H. Clifton Ward III. Arbeiten zur Kirchengeschichte 139. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2020.