A Sanctifying Myth: The Syriac History of John in Its Social, Literary, and Theological Context

A Sanctifying Myth: The Syriac History of John in Its Social, Literary, and Theological ContextSyriaca.org: The Syriac Reference PortalThe National Endowment for the HumanitiesThe International Balzan Prize FoundationDavid A. Michelsoncbsc_adminRecord added to Zotero bycbsc_adminSyriaca.org: The Syriac Reference Portalhttp://syriaca.org/cbss/7LDMW9WD/tei

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2024-08-15-04:00

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CREATED: This bibl record was autogenerated from a Zotero record.Jacob A.LollarA Sanctifying Myth: The Syriac History of John in Its Social, Literary, and Theological Contexthttp://syriaca.org/cbss/7LDMW9WDhttps://www.zotero.org/groups/a_comprehensive_bibliography_on_syriac_studies/items/7LDMW9WDhttps://www.zotero.org/groups/4861694/items/7LDMW9WD2018This dissertation consists of two parts. The first part is a compiled Syriac text and English translation of a fourth-century document from Edessa known as the History of John, which appears in the appendix of this project. This original Syriac narrative traces the acts of the apostle John the son of Zebedee in the city of Ephesus. I have combined all extant Syriac witnesses and have updated the old English translation from the nineteenth century. The second part—which is the main body of this project—consists of the first detailed analysis of the text since its publication in 1871. I argue that the narrative originated in fourth-century Edessa and is a product of a Nicene Christian community in a struggle with other religious traditions in the city. Using Bruce Lincoln’s theories of myth, I argue that the History of John should be understood as an ideological narrative that attempted to establish the primacy and authority of Nicene Christianity as the only true religion at Edessa. In particular, the narrative targets groups like Manichaeans and the cult of Atargatis in establishing the dominance of Nicene Christianity over these groups and their traditions. The authors of the History of John sanctified early traditions about the apostle and invented a new history for Edessa, situating themselves and the Nicene community at the center. Lollar, Jacob A. “A Sanctifying Myth: The Syriac History of John in Its Social, Literary, and Theological Context.” Ph.D. dissertation, The Florida State University, 2018. Jacob A. Lollar, A Sanctifying Myth: The Syriac History of John in Its Social, Literary, and Theological Context” (Ph.D. dissertation, The Florida State University, 2018).Acts of JohnEdessaIV CEIV-VII CENT apocryphaapostlesbaptismpaganismprimary sources [Syriac] + English translation