The Didascalia Apostolorum: A Mishnah for the Disciples of Jesus
The article reexamines the Jewish character of the Syriac translation of the Didascalia Apostolorum. Whereas this text is commonly read as a Jewish-Christian text, the authorial voice never identifies itself in these terms. The very category of Jewish Christianity can be questioned in light of the D...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Johns Hopkins Univ. Press
2001
|
| In: |
Journal of early Christian studies
Year: 2001, Volume: 9, Issue: 4, Pages: 483-509 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
|
| Summary: | The article reexamines the Jewish character of the Syriac translation of the Didascalia Apostolorum. Whereas this text is commonly read as a Jewish-Christian text, the authorial voice never identifies itself in these terms. The very category of Jewish Christianity can be questioned in light of the Didascalia. The Jewish character of the document is doubly reflected in the voice of the author(s) as well as among the heretics against whom it polemicizes. The Didascalia's heresiology clearly indicates a diversity of Jewish heterodox practices which are partially echoed in the rabbinic tradition. Based on the author's familiarity with some of the rabbinic traditions, the paper suggests that the Didascalia can be read as a counter-Mishnah for the disciples of Jesus. In addition, the article explores the parallelisms between the Didascalia's biblical hermeneutic and some of the rabbinic midrashic tradition. This provides grounds for reading the Didascalia's voice as a Jewish voice. Ultimately, the Didascalia provides further evidence that, even in the fourth century, rabbinic Judaism was still in the process of establishing itself as the representative form of Judaism. Simultaneously, the process of the separation between Judaism and Christianity still remained in flux. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1086-3184 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of early Christian studies
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1353/earl.2001.0056 |