John the Baptist and the Jordan River: The Arrival of the Son of Man in the Testimony of Truth (NHC IX,3) and Parallels in the Paraphrase of Shem (NHC VII,1)

The Testimony of Truth (NHC IX,3) presents a relatively unique portrait of Christ, with little attention to his teachings or death; rather, the author emphasizes the Son of Man's arrival, both via a descent upon the Jordan River and through Mary, the virgin. This article argues that the pairing...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mullins Reaves, Pamela (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press [2019]
In: Journal of early Christian studies
Year: 2019, Volume: 27, Issue: 1, Pages: 55-83
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Paraphrasis of Sem / Testimonium veritatis / John the Baptist / Incarnation of Jesus Christ / Virgin birth / Appearance / Jordan
IxTheo Classification:BF Gnosticism
KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity
NBF Christology
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:The Testimony of Truth (NHC IX,3) presents a relatively unique portrait of Christ, with little attention to his teachings or death; rather, the author emphasizes the Son of Man's arrival, both via a descent upon the Jordan River and through Mary, the virgin. This article argues that the pairing of these seemingly disparate traditions emphasizes key interests: the rejection of water baptism and sexual desire. A comparison with the Paraphrase of Shem (NHC VII,1), particularly its reference to John the Baptist and its cosmology, further illuminates both texts; in addition to questioning modes of baptism, shared interest in bearing proper witness suggests common engagement in early Christian debates regarding martyrdom.
ISSN:1086-3184
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of early Christian studies
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1353/earl.2019.0002