Editing First Apocalypse of James (section)

{{Short description|Christian Gnostic text}}
{{Gnosticism}}
{{New Testament Apocrypha}}
The '''First Apocalypse of James''' is a [[Gnostic]] [[Apocalypse|apocalyptic]] writing.<ref name="nhl">{{cite book |last1=Schoedel |first1=William R. |title=The Nag Hammadi library in English |date=March 1981 |publisher=Harper & Row |location=San Francisco |isbn=9780060669294 |pages=242 |url=https://archive.org/details/naghammadilibrar00jame/page/242/mode/2up |access-date=15 February 2023}}</ref> Its initial rediscovery was a [[Coptic language|Coptic]] translation<ref name="ecw">{{cite web |last1=Kirby |first1=Peter |title=1st Apocalypse of James |url=https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/apocalypsejames1.html |website=Early Christian Writings |access-date=15 February 2023}}</ref> as the third [[Masekhet|tractate]] of [[Codex]] V in the [[Nag Hammadi library]].<ref name="nhl"/><ref name="clare">{{cite web |last1=Schoedel |first1=William R. |title=Apocalypse of James, First |url=https://ccdl.claremont.edu/digital/collection/cce/id/161/ |website=The Coptic encyclopedia, volume 1 |publisher=Claremont Graduate University. School of Religion |access-date=15 February 2023}}</ref> Additional copies were later found in Coptic as part of the [[Codex Tchacos]]<ref>{{cite book | last=Smith | first=A.P. | title=A Dictionary of Gnosticism | publisher=Quest Books | year=2009 | isbn=978-0-8356-0869-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kigg-3Aehp8C&pg=PA60 | page=60f}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last1=Kasser | first1=R. | last2=Meyer | first2=M. | last3=Wurst | first3=G. | last4=Ehrman | first4=D. | last5=Gaudard | first5=F. | title=The Gospel of Judas | publisher=National Geographic | year=2008 | isbn=978-1-4262-0048-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-xVK_hJouWwC&pg=PA64 | access-date=22 June 2018 | page=64f}}</ref> and in [[Greek language|Greek]] among the [[Oxyrhynchus Papyri]].<ref name=Medrano>{{cite news|last= Medrano |first= Kastalia |title= First Copy of Jesus's Secret Writings to His Brother Recovered From Antiquity in Original Greek |date= 2017-11-30 |access-date= 2017-12-04 |website= [[Newsweek]] |url= http://www.newsweek.com/copy-jesus-writings-his-brother-recovered-antiquity-original-greek-727815 |quote= Greek, the language in which it was originally written}}</ref><ref name="GR120417">{{cite news|first1=Greg|last1=Ritchie|title=Heretical text of Jesus' brother found in Oxford|newspaper=Cherwell |url=http://cherwell.org/2017/12/04/heretical-text-of-jesus-brother-found-in-oxford/|access-date=9 December 2017|date=4 Dec 2017}}</ref> The text uses [[Valentinianism|Valentinian]] [[Theologoumenon|theologoumena]],<ref name="nhl"/><ref name="ecw"/> leading to the belief that the original document was written in c. 200 AD.<ref name="ecw"/> The content of the text is a dialogue between [[Jesus]] and [[James, brother of Jesus|James the Just]].<ref name="clare"/><ref name="mcd">{{cite book | last=McDowell | first=Sean | title=The Fate of the Apostles: Examining the Martyrdom Accounts of the Closest Followers of Jesus | publisher=Taylor & Francis | year=2016 | isbn=978-1-317-03190-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dIm1CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA126 | access-date=22 June 2018 | page=126}}</ref> The text takes a [[docetic]] view of Jesus via his statements "you are not my brother materially" and "never have I suffered in any way, nor have I been distressed."<ref name="mcd"/><ref name="1aj">{{cite web |last1=Schoedel |first1=William R. |title=The (First) Apocalypse of James |url=http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/1ja.html |website=The Gnostic Society Library |publisher=The Nag Hammadi Library |access-date=15 February 2023}}</ref> The text prepares James for his death as a [[martyr]]<ref name="mcd"/> by emphasizing spiritual redemption over material existence.<ref name="nhl"/>