Homily on the Virgin Mary and Her Birth by Pseudo-Cyril of Jerusalem

Oratio de dormitione B. V. Mariae, auctore Pseudo-Cyrillo Hierosolymitano

Standard abbreviation: Hom. Vir. Birth

Other titles: On the Virgin Mary, Discourse on Mary Theotokos and her Birth, Homily on the Dormition of the Virgin

Clavis numbers: ECCA 798; CANT 132, CANT 145, CANT 152; CPG 3603

Category: Dormition Narratives, Pseudo-Apostolic Memoirs

Related literature: Book of the Transitus by Joseph of Arimathaea; Dormition of the Virgin by the Apostle John; Homily on the Life and the Passion of Christ, by Pseudo-Cyril of Jerusalem; Homily on the Assumption of the Virgin, by Pseudo-Cyril of Jerusalem; Homily on the Virgin Mary and Her Birth, by Pseudo-Cyril of Jerusalem; Homily on the Dormition of the Virgin, by Pseudo-Cyril of Alexandria; Homily on the Assumption of the Virgin, by Pseudo-Cyriacus of Behnesa.

Compiled by Tony Burke, York University

Citing this resource (using Chicago Manual of Style): Burke, Tony. “Homily on the Virgin Mary and Her Birth by Pseudo-Cyril of Jerusalem.” e-Clavis: Christian Apocrypha. Accessed DAY MONTH YEAR. https://www.nasscal.com/e-clavis-christian-apocrypha/homily-on-the-virgin-mary-and-her-birth-by-pseudo-cyril-of-jerusalem/.

Created March 2020. Current as of January 2024.

1. SUMMARY

This homily, attributed to Cyril of Jerusalem, is said to be delivered in the Church of the Virgin Mary in Jerusalem for the feast of the Commemoration of Mary on 21 Ṭūbah (January 16, Julian). The goal of the text is to refute a heresy promulgated by Ebion and Harpocratius (perhaps Carpocrates) that Mary was a “force of God which took the form of a woman”—a view opposed in several Coptic homilies on the dormition. The homilist seeks to show Mary was indeed human and does so by drawing upon material about her birth and childhood from the Protevangelium of James. Some new features are introduced here: the Virgin Mary is said to be also Mary Magdalene (since she was born in Magdala, identified here as a village in the district of Jerusalem), as well as Mary of Cleopas, and Mary of James. More is said also of Mary’s family. Her father was named Joachim, as in Prot. Jas., but he was also named Cleopas, Joachim was born to a rich and pious man named David and his wife Sara, Mary’s mother is named both Anna and Mariham, and she is the daughter of Joachim’s brother Aminadab. Cyril also adds that Elizabeth visited Mary in the temple before she conceived Jesus.

In the middle section of the text, Cyril recounts an encounter with a monk named Annarikhus from Maiuma, near Gaza. Annarickhus was influenced by Sator (Saturninus?), Ebion, and Harpocratius and was preaching heresy in the neighborhood. He tells Cyril that his beliefs are based on the Gospel of the Hebrews, which he summarizes. It describes Mary as a “force” in the heavens named Michael, brought to earth to carry and raise Jesus. The gospel finishes with an apparent docetic view of Jesus’ death: after being put on the cross, his Father saved him by bringing him up to heaven. Cyril convinces Annarickhus that the Gospel of the Hebrews should not be read because it was created by the Jews to “cast a blemish upon our purity and honor.” Annarickhus repents, anathematizes the heretics, receives baptism, and hands over his books to Cyril to be burned.

Cyril next turns to the subject of Mary’s death. Much of this material is presented also in another Coptic memoir text: the Homily on the Dormition of the Virgin by Pseudo-Evodius (though, significantly, in Cyril’s homily Mary directs the activities related to her burial, not Jesus as in Ps.-Evodius). Cyril’s account begins with John and Mary living together in Jerusalem. She tells him to summon Peter and James and tells them Jesus came to her three days earlier to announce to her that he will take her soul to heaven; her body will be hidden in the earth and a church will be built over it. Mary calls for the virgins and appoints Mary Magdalene as their leader. Then she prepares for her burial, telling Peter to fetch garments from his disciple Bibros and James to bring perfumes. Mary’s preparation for death and burial are paralleled in the Liber Requiei Mariae 67 (particularly the Ethiopic text) and an unpublished acrostic hymn on Mary’s death from the Monastery of the Archangel Gabriel at Naqlun; they are similar also to the death of Joseph in the History of Joseph the Carpenter 21–25.

Jesus tells the apostles to take the body to Jehoshaphat. But their efforts are frustrated by the Sanhedrin, who vow that Mary will not be buried in the city because they worry that mighty deeds will occur at her tomb. They come after the apostles with fire, so they drop the bier in the valley. Mary’s body vanishes from sight and a voice announces that no one will find it and the Sanhedrin flee ashamed. Cyril finishes the homily with a summary and an epilogue: in the time of Constantine a church was built on the spot where Mary vanished.

Named Historical Figures and Characters: Aaron, Abraham (patriarch), Adam (patriarch), Aminadab (brother of Joachim), Anna (mother of Mary), Annarikhus, Augustus (emperor), Berberos/Bibros (disciple of John), Cleopas, Constantine (emperor), Cyril of Jerusalem, Daniel (prophet), David (king), Ebion, Elizabeth, Epiphanius (of Salamis), Gabriel (angel), Gastor, Habakkuk (prophet), Harpocratius (Carpocrates?), Herod (the Great), Irenaeus of Lyon, Isaac (patriarch), Isaac (the Samaritan), Jacob (patriarch), James (son of Zebedee), Jesus Christ, Joachim (father of Mary), John (son of Zebedee), Joseph (of Nazareth), Josephus, Joshua (patriarch), Judah (patriarch), Levi (patriarch), Mary Magdalene, Mary (Virgin), Michael (angel), Moses (patriarch), Paraclete, Paul (apostle), Peter (apostle), Sator (Saturninus?), Simeon, Zechariah (priest).

Geographical Locations: Babylon, Bethlehem, Dorine, Egypt, Gaza, Jerusalem, Magdala, Maiuma, Mount of Olives, Nazareth, temple (Jerusalem), Valley of Jehoshaphat/Josaphat.

2. RESOURCES

3. BIBLIOGRAPHY

3.1 Manuscripts and Editions

3.1.1 Arabic (CANT 145)

Cairo, Coptic Museum, 445, fols. 79^v–99^r(1691–1693)

Cairo, Coptic Museum, 471, fols. 70^r–85^v(1741)

Cairo, Coptic Museum, 564, fols. 119^v–146^v (1717)

Cairo, Coptic Museum, 730, fols. 47^r–62^v(17th cent.)

Graf, Georg. Geschichte der christlichen arabischen Literatur. 5 vols. Studi e testi 118, 133, 146–147, 172. Vatican: Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, 1944–1953 (witnesses listed in vol. 1:336).

3.1.2 Coptic (Sahidic; CANT 132; CPC 0119; PAThs entry)

Manuscript A (PAThs entry):

London, British Library, Or. 6784, pp. 1–26, 29–48 (=MERC.AB; 10th/11th cent.)

Budge, E. A. Wallis. Miscellaneous Coptic texts in the Dialect of Upper Egypt. London: British Museum, 1915 (BL Or. 6784 with English trans., pp. 49–73, 626–51; images pls. III–V of fols. 3^r, 1^r, 23^v).

Manuscript B:

New York, Morgan Library and Museum, M583, fol. 139^r–157^r (=MICH.BP)

Campagnano, Antonella. Ps. Cirillo di Gerusalemme: Omelie copte sulla Passione, sulla Croce e sulla Vergine. Testi e documenti per lo studio dell’ Antichità 65. Milan: Cisalpino-Goliardica, 1980 (MLM M583 with Italian translation, pp. 151–95).

Manuscript C:

New York, Morgan Library and Museum, 597, fols. 46^r–74^v (913/914) (=MICH.BH)

Bombeck, Stefan. “Pseudo Kyrillos In Mariam Virginem: Text und Übersetzung von Pierpont Morgan M597 fols. 46–74.” Or 70 (2001): 40–88 (MLM M597 with German translation).

Manuscript D (MONB.FD; PAThs entry):

pp. 47–48: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Copte 131¹, fol .13

pp. 51–52: Cairo, Coptic Museum, 9229

pp. 63–64: Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Papyrussammlung K9504

pp. 67–78: Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Borg. copt. 109 cass. 25.120, fols. 1–6

pp. 79–80: Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Borg. copt. 109 cass. 129.18.132

unplaced: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Copte 129¹⁸, fol. 132

unplaced: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Copte 129¹⁸, fol. 134

Munier, Henri. Catalogue général des Antiquités Égyptiennes du Musée du Caire. Vol. 74: Manuscrits Coptes nos. 9201–9304. Cairo: Impr. de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale, 1926 (description and edition of Cairo 9229, pp. 21–23).

Revillout, Eugène. Apocryphes coptes du Nouveau Testament. Vol. 1: Textes. Études Égyptologiques 7. Paris: F. Vieweg, 1876 (transcription of Vat. Borg. copt. 109.25.120, pp. 15–27).

Robinson, Forbes. Coptic Apocryphal Gospels. Translations Together with the Texts of Some of Them. TS 4.2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1896 (text and English translation of Vat. Borg. copt. 109.25.120, pp. 24–41).

Manuscript E (PAThs entry):

Cairo, IFAO, Copte 159–160 sup.

Cairo, IFAO, Copte 302–304 sup.

Nakano, Chiemi. “Fragments d’une homélie copte sur la Vierge Marie attribuée à Cyrille de Jérusalem [CPG 3602] (Le Caire, Ifao Copt 159–160, 302–304).” JCoptS 14 (2012): 1–26.

Unpublished Sahidic inscription on the wall of the burial vault of Archbishop Georgios of Old Dongola (d. 1113); contains the section on the death of Mary (Compagnano, p. 188, l. 5–27). Partial translation given in van der Vliet, “Literature,” 561.

3.1.3 Ethiopic (CANT 152)

London, British Library, Or. 604, fols. 92^r–104^r (1716–1721)

London, British Library, Or. 606, fols. 111^r–127^v (18th cent.)

Arras, Victor. De Transitu Mariae Aethiopice. 2 vols. CSCO 342–43, 351–52. Leuven: Secrétariat du CorpusSCO, 1973 (Ethiopic text based on BL Or. 604 in CSCO 342, pp. 1–33; Latin translation in CSCO 343, pp. 1–25).

3.2 Modern Translations

3.2.1 English

Budge, E. A. Wallis. Miscellaneous Coptic texts in the Dialect of Upper Egypt. London: British Museum, 1915 (BL Or. 6784 with English trans., pp. 49–73, 626–51).

3.2.2 French

Dulaurier, Édouard. Fragments des révélations apocryphes de saint Barthélemy et de l’histoire des communautés religieuses de saint Packhôme. Paris: Imprimerie royale, 1835 (translation of Vat. Borg. copt. 109.25.120, pp. 20–22).

3.3.3 Italian

Erbetta, Mario. Gli apocrifi del Nuovo Testamento. 3 vols. Italy: Marietti, 1975–1981 (vol. 1.2, pp. 604–15 [Arabic], pp. 616–18 [Ethiopic]).

3.2.3 German

Bombeck, Stefan. “Pseudo Kyrillos In Mariam Virginem: Text und Übersetzung von Pierpont Morgan M597 fols. 46–74.” Or 70 (2001): 40–88 (MLM M597 with German translation).

3.3 General Works

Broek, Roelof van den. Pseudo-Cyril of Jerusalem, On the Life and the Passion of Christ. A Coptic Apocryphon. Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae 118. Leiden: Brill, 2013 (pp. 93–98).

———. “Der Bericht des koptischen Kyrillos von Jerusalem über das Hebräerevangelium.” Pages 142–56 in Roelof van den Broek, Studies in Gnosticism and Alexandrian Christianity. Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies 39. Leiden: Brill, 1996.

Lantschoot, Arnold van. “L’Assomption de la Sainte Vierge chez les Coptes.” Gregorianum 27 (1946): 493–526 (see pp. 500–502).

Mimouni, Simone C. Dormition et Assumption de Marie. Histoire des traditions anciennes. Théologie Historique 98. Paris: Beauchesne, 1995 (see p. 188f).

———. “Genèse et évolution des traditions anciennes sur le sort final de Marie: Étude de la tradition littéraire copt.” Marianum 42 (1991): 69–143 (see pp. 123–33).

Müller, Caspar Detlef Gustav. Die alte koptische Predigt: Versuch eines Überblicks. Berlin: Darmstadt, 1954.

Shoemaker, Stephen. “The Coptic Homily on the Theotokos Attributed to Cyril of Jerusalem.” Pages 217–34 in The Reception of the Virgin in Byzantium: Marian Narratives in Texts and Images. Edited by Thomas Arentzen and Mary B. Cunningham. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019.

__________. Ancient Traditions of the Virgin Mary’s Dormition and Assumption. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002 (pp. 57–63).

Suciu, Alin. The Berlin-Strasbourg Apocryphon: A Coptic Apostolic Memoir. WUNT 370. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2017 (p. 136).

Vliet, Jacques van der. “Literature, Liturgy, Magic: A Dynamic Continuum.” Pages 555–74 in Christianity in Egypt: Literary Production and Intellectual Trends. Studies in Honor of Tito Orlandi. Edited by Paolo Buzi and Alberto Camplani. SEAug 125. Rome: Institutum Patristicum Augustinianum, 2011.