Epistula Apostolorum

The text is commonly dated to the 2nd century, perhaps towards the first half of it. Charles E. Hill dates the Epistle to "just before 120, or in the 140s". Francis Watson dates it to around 170, after the Antonine plague, due to the references to death and disease as a sign of the end times. The work does not seem to assume a sharply differentiated or rigid church hierarchy, treats both gentile and Jewish Christians as part of the same group, and expects a 2nd-century return of Jesus: all signs of a 2nd-century origin. Most scholars favor an origin of Roman Egypt; other possibilities include Asia Minor and Roman Syria. It was probably originally composed in Koine Greek. No surviving ancient Christian writings seem to refer to it, suggesting its circulation was limited. The fragmentary Coptic manuscript is believed to be translated directly from the original Greek. The Ethiopic was also probably directly translated from Greek, although some have proposed it was translated from a Coptic or Arabic version instead. The original title of the work, if any, is unknown. The 1913 French-Ethiopic edition called it the (The Testament in Galilee of Our Lord Jesus Christ), but the name did not catch on. Schmidt used the Latin to name the text (with an 'o' rather than a 'u'), despite the work not having a strong affinity for Latin; that title has proven more popular in later works, and it is frequently translated into whatever language the author is using (Epistle of the Apostles, , etc.). == Content ==

The text is initially framed as an open letter from the 11 apostles after Jesus's resurrection but before his ascension, but it rapidly sheds this structure, and the work as a whole cannot be accurately described as an epistle. Rather, the work becomes a gospel that describes the life and miracles of Jesus, then becomes an apocalypse where the risen Christ tells of revelations of hidden truths in response to questions from the disciples. The first 10 chapters begin by describing the nativity, resurrection, and miracles of Jesus. The remainder of the text recounts a vision and dialog between Jesus and the apostles, consisting of about sixty questions, and 41 short chapters. It closes with a brief account of the Ascension of Jesus. "Simon" (probably Simon Magus) is also mentioned. Some later Christian writers indicated that Cerinthus was a Gnostic, although others accused him of other heterodox beliefs. The text also affirms that it is not a secret teaching (it is "written (...) for the whole world") and its content applies universally rather than to one group and that everyone can easily come to learn its content, contradicting the esoteric mysteries popular in Gnosticism. The Parable of the Ten Virgins is repurposed to more directly address Gnosticism in the Epistle of the Apostles. The apostles ask which of the virgins were wise and which were foolish; Jesus replies by saying that "The five wise are Faith and Love and Grace, Peace, and Hope" while the virgins who are shut out of the wedding are named "Knowledge (Gnosis) and Wisdom (Sophia), Obedience, Forbearance, and Mercy." In other words, Gnostics will not be granted entrance into the Kingdom of God. Carl Schmidt, the scholar who rediscovered the work, believed that the work was more intended to shore up the faith of non-Gnostics against conversion to Gnosticism than attack Gnosticism directly. Later scholars have generally not agreed with such a distinction, as the method which the work confirms early catholic views was precisely by refuting Gnosticism. In this view, Simon Magus and Cerinthus are simply archetypical villains who could serve as fictional antagonists-within-the-Church to any Christian story of the era, and the writer may well have not known any specifics of Gnosticism or Gnostic doctrines. Similarly, while there are predictions of false teachers who follow evil and desire glory, this could be a condemnation of anyone who denied the doctrines found in the Epistula Apostolorum, not merely Gnostics. And while it is clear that the work displays a strong emphasis on the importance of the flesh, this may have merely been an independent area of theological interest to the author and to 2nd century Christianity, and not necessarily an implication that there were rival docetists denying the flesh that the author was denouncing. Regardless of whether the targets were Gnostics or not, the work includes passages that make clear that simply being a Christian is insufficient for salvation. Various passages threaten severe punishment on Christians who diverge from Jesus's teachings or possess great wealth. On the flesh The Epistle of the Apostles includes polemics emphasizing the physical nature of the resurrection. This is presumably to counter docetism, the doctrine that Jesus had been a purely divine being separate from the corrupt mortal world common among Gnosticism, seen in works such as the Book of Thomas the Contender. The work does use a Gnostic-style construction of Jesus's descent through the heavens to Earth, but quickly affirms that he "became flesh" (Chapters 13–14). The story of the footprints is also in direct contradiction to a story in the docetic Acts of John where the disciples realize that Jesus does not leave any footprints. Prayers for the dead One passage in the Epistle of the Apostles appears to depend on the original form of the Apocalypse of Peter, suggesting that it may have been composed afterward. The Apostles tell Jesus that they are concerned on account of the damned; Jesus compliments them as the righteous too are anxious about sinners, and Jesus promises to hear requests concerning them. This particular theological idea, of the righteous being able to pray sinners into heaven, was later condemned during the Origenist Controversies, but seems to have been common in 2nd century Christianity, and prayer for the dead is still seen among various Christian groups, although beliefs on its theological efficacy varies. Errors In the gospel portion recounting Jesus's life, it is said that he suffered during the days of Pontius Pilate and Herod Archelaus. ==Galilean Discourse==

In the Ethiopic manuscripts discovered, many of them are codices which start with an Ethipioc version of the Testamentum Domini, and then feature a bridge section, likely originally composed in Ethiopic, that connects the Testamentum Domini with the Epistle of the Apostles. Guerrier called it the (Testament of Our Lord and Our Savior Jesus Christ), while others such as Francis Watson have called it the Galilean Discourse. Similar to the main work, it features a resurrected Jesus holding a discourse with his disciples and offering prophecies of the future. ==See also==