Male and Female in the Protevangelium Jacobi

Research output: Contribution to Book/Report typesChapterpeer-review

Abstract (may include machine translation)

The Protevangelium of James (Protevangelium Jacobi) is a second-century text usually classified as a “childhood gospel.” The title is a misnomer since it is neither a gospel nor about Christ’s childhood. Rather, it is a narrative theological treatise written with the help of the Alexandrian cento technique, compiled from scriptural themes and literary elements. Another Alexandrian element is that its message is in two layers: a narrative surface and implied secondary meanings, which address debated contemporary issues. One of these issues is the relationship between the male and the female principles, ultimately going back to Platonic philosophical ideas. Acosmic Gnostic treatises of the period reinterpreted the creation story of Genesis (1:27-28). They proposed an escape from the sexual division in material humanity in favor of returning to the original unity of the divine. In return, the Protevangelium proposes a counter-narrative against the Gnostic views by defending the equality of the sexes and the importance of fertility and procreation.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationSoul, Body, and Gender in Late Antiquity
Subtitle of host publicationEssays on Embodiment and Disembodiment
PublisherTaylor and Francis
Pages141-160
Number of pages20
ISBN (Electronic)9781003818779
ISBN (Print)9780367744274
DOIs
StatePublished - 30 Oct 2023

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