The Coptic meta-genre “apostolic memoirs”: The Investiture of the Archangel Michael and the Investiture of the Archangel Gabriel (the apocrypha)

Abstract

The aim of the study is to identify the genre of the “apostolic memoirs” in Coptic literature, as well as to reveal the artistic peculiarity of two apocryphal texts belonging to the “apostolic memoirs”, i.e. the Investiture of the Archangel Michael and the Investiture of the Archangel Gabriel. The paper examines the originality of the Coptic “apostolic memoirs” and characterises the two aforementioned texts from a literary point of view. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that, firstly, an original meta-genre, unknown in other ancient Christian traditions, has been identified in Coptic literature and, secondly, on the basis of a philological analysis of the two Investitures, it is revealed how the texts functioned differently in certain aspects within the same meta-genre. The results show that, firstly, “apostolic memoirs” fulfil the criteria of a meta-genre, albeit with a caveat, since Coptic literature is ancient, not modern, and has its own specifics. Secondly, within this literary phenomenon, an analysis of the composition and content of the two texts in honour of the archangels reveals a latent conflict of different opinions about the high status of Michael, which led to the writing of the later Investiture of Gabriel in response to the Investiture of Michael.

References

1. Авгеева Е. А., Мещерская Е. Н., Рождественская М. В., Турилов А. А. Апокрифы // Православная энциклопедия: в 69-ти т. / под ред. Патриарха Московского и всея Руси Алексия II. М.: Церковно-научный центр «Православная энциклопедия», 2001. Т. 3.
2. Лейдерман Н. Л. Движение времени и законы жанра: жанровые закономерности развития советской прозы в 60-70-е годы. Свердловск: Средне-Уральское книжное издательство, 1982.
3. Романова С. В. Метажанр как литературоведческая проблема // Известия Смоленского государственного университета. 2019. № 2 (46).
4. Dobschütz E. von. Das Decretum Gelasianum de libris recipiendis et non recipiendis / in kritischem Text herausgegeben und untersucht. Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs, 1912.
5. Ehrman B., Pleše Z. The Apocryphal Gospels: Texts and Translations. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011.
6. Hagen J. The Diaries of the Apostles: “Manuscript Find” and “Manuscript Fiction” in Coptic Homilies and Other Literary Texts // Coptic Studies on the Threshold of a New Millennium: Proceedings of the Seventh International Congress of Coptic Studies (Leiden, August 27 – September 2, 2000): in 2 vols. Leuven, 2004. Vol. 1.
7. Jenott L. The Investiture of the Archangel Gabriel // New Testament Apocrypha: More Noncanonical Scriptures: in 3 vols. / ed. by T. Burke. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2020. Vol. 2.
8. Lundhaug H. The Investiture of the Archangel Michael // New Testament Apocrypha: More Noncanonical Scriptures: in 3 vols. / ed. by T. Burke. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2020. Vol. 2.
9. Müller D. G. Die Bücher der Einsetzung der Erzengel Michael und Gabriel. Leuven: Secrétariat du CorpusSCO, 1962.
10. New Testament Apocrypha: More Noncanonical Scriptures: in 3 vols. / ed. by T. Burke. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016. Vol. 1.
11. New Testament Apocrypha: More Noncanonical Scriptures: in 3 vols. / ed. by T. Burke. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2020. Vol. 2.
12. New Testament Apocrypha: More Noncanonical Scriptures: in 3 vols. / ed. by T. Burke. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2023. Vol. 3.
13. Orlandi T. Gli Apocrifi copti // Augustinianum. 1983. Vol. 23.
14. Piovanelli P. Thursday Night Fever: Dancing and Singing with Jesus in the Gospel of the Savior and the Dance of the Savior around the Cross // Early Christianity. 2012. Vol. 3.
15. Schmidt J. Studien zur Geschichte des griechischen Apokalypse-Textes: in 2 Teilen. Munich: Zink, 1955. 1. Teil. Der Apokalypse-Kommentar des Andreas von Kaisareia. Text. Einleitung.
16. Suciu A. The Berlin-Strasbourg Apocryphon: A Coptic Apostolic Memoir. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2017.

Author information

About this article

Publication history

• Received: July 21, 2023.
• Published: October 2, 2023.

Keywords

• коптская традиция
• мемуары апостолов
• метажанр
• архангел Михаил
• архангел Гавриил
• Coptic tradition
• apostolic memoirs
• meta-genre
• Archangel Michael
• Archangel Gabriel

Copyright

© 2023 The Author(s)
© 2023 Gramota Publishing, LLC

User license

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)