The Apocryphal Gospels of Mary in Anglo-Saxon England

This book provides an edition, with a facing translation and detailed commentary, of the three apocryphal gospels of Mary written in Old English. The gospels, which deal with Mary’s birth, childhood, death and assumption, are found in manuscripts in Oxford and Cambridge, but have rarely been treated as a group before and in fact have been almost totally neglected by English scholars. An extensive introduction explains the origins and development of the apocrypha from the second to the eleventh century, discussing the Syriac, Greek, Coptic and Latin evidence. Clayton goes on to consider in detail the influence of these apocrypha in Anglo-Saxon England by placing the Old English texts in a very broad context. Editions of Latin analogues from eleventh-century English manuscripts are also included in appendices.

• Editions, translations and commentary of all the Old English apocryphal gospels of Mary in one volume • First full account in English of the development of the apocryphal gospels of Mary • Provides editions of Latin analogues from English manuscripts

Acknowledgements; List of sigla and abbreviations; Editorial conventions; Introduction; 1. The birth and childhood of Mary: the development of a tradition; 2. The death and assumption of Mary: the Syriac and Greek traditions;3. The death and assumption of Mary: the Latin tradition; 4. The apocrypha of the Virgin in Anglo-Saxon England; 5. The manuscripts; 6. The Old English texts; The Old English Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew; The Old English assumption homily in Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, 41; The Old English assumption homily in Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, 198 (Blickling XIII); Appendices; Bibliography; Index.

‘… makes a valuable contribution to modern debates about editorial practices … it provides evidence for translation practices and competency in Latin; and, above all, it brings together for the first time a body of apocryphal material, so that it can be discussed in the context of the broader tradition of which it is part.’ Early Medieval Europe