The Dormition and Assumption Apocrypha [Studies on Early Christian Apocrypha, 15]

XII-368 p. This volume gathers a dozen essays by the author on the ancient traditions of Mary's Dormition and Assumption, all of which expand on the work published in his major study on this topic, The Ancient Traditions of Mary's Dormition and Assumption (Oxford, 2002). The essays were originally published between 1999 and 2011 and cover a broad range of topics in relation to traditions about the end of Mary's life, from ancient gnostic Christianity to Christian anti-Judaism to the beginnings of Marian veneration. Although each of these items was previously published in another venue, for the first time this volume makes these writings on the Virgin's Dormition available together, offering an important supplement and in some cases update of the earlier monograph. While its chapters remain largely faithful to the original publications in their content, when appropriate, they have been selectively updated to account for more recent research.