Hugo Lundhaug
University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology, Faculty Member
- Church History, Manuscript Studies, Monasticism, Gnosticism, Coptic Studies, Early Christian Apocryphal Literature, and 70 moreConceptual Metaphor Theory, Blending Theory, knowlege representation systems, Shenoute of Atripe, Nag Hammadi Codices, Early Christianity, Late Antiquity, Social Cognition, Embodied Cognition, Patristics, Late Antique and Byzantine History, Graeco-Roman Egypt, Christology, Papyrology, Byzantine Literature, Codicology of medieval manuscripts, Apocrypha/Pseudepigrapha, Codicology, Extended Mind, History of Biblical Interpretation, Literary Approaches to Biblical Studies, Roman Egypt, Byzantine monasticism, Reception Theory, History of Monasticism, Early Medieval Monasticism, Coptic (Languages And Linguistics), Dead Sea Scrolls Nag Hammadi Codices, Texts and transmission, Coptic (Archaeology), Reception History, Canon Formation, Reception of the Bible, Origen, Sahidic Coptic, Coptic Monasteries, Conceptual Blending, Coptic History, Coptic art, Nag Hammadi, Cultural Transmission, Textual Transmission, Coptic dialects, Valentinianism, Apocrypha, Canonicity, Ancient monasticism, History of Early Christian Literature, Textual Fluidity, Material philology, Eastern Roman Empire, Early monasticism, Jews In the Roman and Byzantine Empire, Jewish Epigraphy and Archaeology, Roman and Byzantine Social and Economic History, Jewish and Christian Pseudepigrapha and Apocrypha, Orthodox Monasticism and Mt. Athos, Byzantine Studies, Cognitive Historiography, Manuscript digitization, Coptic Bible, History of Reception of Biblical Texts, Audience and Reception Studies, Classical Reception Studies, Early Christian Liturgy, Early Christian Literature, Coptic liturgy, Liturgy, History of Liturgy, Patristic Exegesis, Historical Theology, and Manuscripts and Early Printed Booksedit
- Professor of Biblical Reception and Early Christian Literature at the University of Oslo. Principal Investigator of t... moreProfessor of Biblical Reception and Early Christian Literature at the University of Oslo. Principal Investigator of the project "Storyworlds in Transition: Coptic Apocrypha in Changing Contexts in the Byzantine and Early Islamic Periods" (APOCRYPHA), funded by an ERC Consolidator Grant (2020-2025). (For information on the APOCRYPHA-project, see: https://www.tf.uio.no/english/research/projects/apocrypha/index.html) Previously Principal Investigator of the project "New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in Fourth- and Fifth-Century Egypt (NEWCONT)," funded by an ERC Starting Grant (2012-2016). For information on the NEWCONT-project, see: http://www.tf.uio.no/english/research/projects/newcont. Scientific Director of the ATTR Research School (Authoritative Texts and Their Reception) 2017-2020. For Information on the ATTR Research School, see: http://www.tf.uio.no/attr. Director of the research group Coptic Texts and Manuscripts at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology. For information on the Coptic Texts and Manuscripts research group, see: https://www.tf.uio.no/english/research/groups/coptic-texts-and-manuscripts/index.htmledit
Hugo Lundhaug and Lance Jenott offer a sustained argument for the monastic provenance of the Nag Hammadi Codices. They examine the arguments for and against a monastic Sitz im Leben and defend the view that the Codices were produced and... more
Hugo Lundhaug and Lance Jenott offer a sustained argument for the monastic provenance of the Nag Hammadi Codices. They examine the arguments for and against a monastic Sitz im Leben and defend the view that the Codices were produced and read by Christian monks, most likely Pachomians, in the fourth- and fifth-century monasteries of Upper Egypt. Eschewing the modern classification of the Nag Hammadi texts as "Gnostic,” the authors approach the codices and their ancient owners from the perspective of the diverse monastic culture of late antique Egypt and situate them in the context of the ongoing controversies over extra-canonical literature and the theological legacy of Origen. Through a combination of sources, including idealized hagiographies, travelogues, monastic rules and exhortations, and the more quotidian details revealed in documentary papyri, manuscript collections, and archaeology, monasticism in the Thebaid is brought to life, and the Nag Hammadi codices situated within it. The cartonnage papyri from the leather covers of the codices, which bear witness to the monastic culture of the region, are closely examined, while scribal and codicological features of the codices are analyzed and compared with contemporary manuscripts from Egypt. Special attention is given to the codices’ scribal notes and colophons which offer direct evidence of their producers and users. The study ultimately reveals the Nag Hammadi Codices as a collection of books completely at home in the monastic manuscript culture of late antique Egypt. The book was written at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology, under the aegis of project NEWCONT (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in 4th- and 5th-Cent. Egypt), funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) / ERC Grant agreement no 283741.
Research Interests: Gnosticism, Papyrology, Patristics, Early Christianity, Manuscript Studies, and 16 moreCodicology, Coptic Studies, Church History, Early Christian Apocryphal Literature, Dead Sea Scrolls Nag Hammadi Codices, Apocrypha/Pseudepigrapha, Monasticism, History of Monasticism, Patristics and Late Antiquity, Coptic Monasteries, Nag Hammadi, Early Christian Literature, Coptology, Nag Hammadi Codices, Christian Apocryphal Literature, and Early Christian Papyri and Inscriptions
This book offers fresh readings of the Gospel of Philip (NHC II.3) and the Exegesis on the Soul (NHC II.6) from new theoretical and historical perspectives. Eschewing the category of “Gnosticism” and challenging common categorisations,... more
This book offers fresh readings of the Gospel of Philip (NHC II.3) and the Exegesis on the Soul (NHC II.6) from new theoretical and historical perspectives. Eschewing the category of “Gnosticism” and challenging common categorisations, the book analyses the preserved Coptic texts as coherent Christian compositions contemporary with the production and use of the Nag Hammadi Codices. A methodological framework based on Cognitive Poetics is outlined and applied to illuminate how the texts present a soteriology of transformation through religious rituals and practices using complex conceptual and intertextual blends with important polemical and paraenetic functions. The analysis highlights the use of metaphors and allusions in (re-)interpretations of authoritative Scripture, ritual and dogma. Complete Coptic texts and translations are included.
Research Interests: Gnosticism, Patristics, Cognitive Semantics, Early Christianity, Intertextuality, and 18 moreMetaphor, History of Biblical Interpretation, Early Christian Apocryphal Literature, Dead Sea Scrolls Nag Hammadi Codices, Apocrypha/Pseudepigrapha, Biblical Interpretation, Cognitive Poetics, Cognitive Theory of Metaphor, Blending Theory, Nag Hammadi, Valentinianism, Conceptual Blending, Conceptual Metaphor Theory, Blending Theory, knowlege representation systems, Nag Hammadi Codices, Shenoute of Atripe, Apocryphal Gospels, Conceptual Blending Theory, and Gospel of Philip
This book contains an introductory essay and new Norwegian translations of the Investiture of the Archangel Michael; Pseudo-Timothy's Encomium On Abbaton the Angel of Death; Pseudo-Athanasius On the Resurrection of Lazarus; the Book of... more
This book contains an introductory essay and new Norwegian translations of the Investiture of the Archangel Michael; Pseudo-Timothy's Encomium On Abbaton the Angel of Death; Pseudo-Athanasius On the Resurrection of Lazarus; the Book of Thomas, the Teachings of Silvanus, and the Exegesis on the Soul from the Nag Hammadi Codices; Who Speaks Through the Prophet, And It Happened One Day, and I Am Amazed by Shenoute of Atripe; Dioscorus of Alexandria's Letter to Shenoute; Historia Horsiesi; the Life of Aphu of Pemdje; and the Martyrdom of Apa Nahroou. The book was completed under the aegis of project NEWCONT (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in 4th- and 5th-Cent. Egypt) at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology. The project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) / ERC Grant agreement no 283741.
Research Interests: Gnosticism, New Testament, Coptic Studies, Early Christian Apocryphal Literature, Dead Sea Scrolls Nag Hammadi Codices, and 9 moreMonasticism, Coptic Monasteries, Nag Hammadi, Coptology, Nag Hammadi Codices, Shenoute of Atripe, Christian Apocryphal Literature, Nag Hammadi Library, and Early Christian Literature and History
OPEN ACCESS: https://www.mohrsiebeck.com/buch/the-nag-hammadi-codices-as-monastic-books-9783161622335?no_cache=1 Since their discovery in 1945, the significance of the texts contained in the thirteen papyrus manuscripts now known as the... more
OPEN ACCESS: https://www.mohrsiebeck.com/buch/the-nag-hammadi-codices-as-monastic-books-9783161622335?no_cache=1
Since their discovery in 1945, the significance of the texts contained in the thirteen papyrus manuscripts now known as the Nag Hammadi Codices has been fiercely debated. In the history of scholarship, the texts have primarily been analyzed in light of the contexts of their hypothetical Greek originals, which in a majority of cases have been thought to have been authored in the second and third centuries CE in a variety of contexts. The articles in this volume take a different approach. Instead of focusing on hypothetical originals, they ask how the texts may have been used and understood by those who read the Coptic papyrus codices in which the texts have been preserved and take as their point of departure recent research indicating that these manuscripts were produced and used by early Egyptian monastics. It is shown that the reading habits and theological ideas attested historically for Upper Egyptian monasticism in the fourth and fifth centuries resonate well with several of the texts within the Nag Hammadi Codices.
Since their discovery in 1945, the significance of the texts contained in the thirteen papyrus manuscripts now known as the Nag Hammadi Codices has been fiercely debated. In the history of scholarship, the texts have primarily been analyzed in light of the contexts of their hypothetical Greek originals, which in a majority of cases have been thought to have been authored in the second and third centuries CE in a variety of contexts. The articles in this volume take a different approach. Instead of focusing on hypothetical originals, they ask how the texts may have been used and understood by those who read the Coptic papyrus codices in which the texts have been preserved and take as their point of departure recent research indicating that these manuscripts were produced and used by early Egyptian monastics. It is shown that the reading habits and theological ideas attested historically for Upper Egyptian monasticism in the fourth and fifth centuries resonate well with several of the texts within the Nag Hammadi Codices.
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This volume showcases the recent trend in scholarship to treat the Nag Hammadi Codices as sources for Christianity and monasticism in late antique Egypt rather than for Gnosticism. The essays situate the Nag Hammadi Codices and their... more
This volume showcases the recent trend in scholarship to treat the Nag Hammadi Codices as sources for Christianity and monasticism in late antique Egypt rather than for Gnosticism. The essays situate the Nag Hammadi Codices and their texts in the context of late antique Egypt, treating such topics as Coptic readers and readings, the difficulty of dating early Greek and Coptic manuscripts, scribal practices, the importance of heavenly ascent, asceticism, and instruction in Egyptian monastic culture, the relationship of the texts to the Origenist controversy and Manichaeism, the continuity of mythical traditions in later Coptic literature, and issues relating to the codices' production and burial. Most of the essays were originally presented at the conference “The Nag Hammadi Codices in the Context of Fourth- and Fifth-Century Christianity in Egypt,” organized by the ERC-financed project New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in Fourth- and Fifth-Century Egypt (NEWCONT; ERC Grant Agreement No. 283741), at the University of Oslo in December 2013.
Research Interests: Gnosticism, Papyrology, Patristics, Early Christianity, Magic, and 16 moreManuscript Studies, Codicology, Coptic Studies, Church History, Early Christian Apocryphal Literature, Monasticism, Palaeography, Manichaeism, Heresy and Orthodoxy, Nag Hammadi, Hermeticism, Coptology, Nag Hammadi Codices, Christian Apocryphal Literature, Apocryphal Texts, and Nag Hammadi Library
Scholars of early Christian and Jewish literature have for many years focused on interpreting texts in their hypothetical original forms and contexts, while largely overlooking important aspects of the surviving manuscript evidence and... more
Scholars of early Christian and Jewish literature have for many years focused on interpreting texts in their hypothetical original forms and contexts, while largely overlooking important aspects of the surviving manuscript evidence and the culture that produced it. This volume of essays seeks to remedy this situation by focusing on the material aspects of the manuscripts themselves and the fluidity of textual transmission in a manuscript culture. With an emphasis on method and looking at texts as they have been used and transmitted in manuscripts, this book discusses how we may deal with textual evidence that can often be described as mere snapshots of fluid textual traditions that have been intentionally adapted to fit ever-shifting contexts. The emphasis of the book is on the contexts and interests of users and producers of texts as they appear in our surviving manuscripts, rather than on original authors and their intentions, and the essays provide both important correctives to former textual interpretations, as well as new insights into the societies and individuals that copied and read the texts in the manuscripts that have actually been preserved to us.
Research Interests: Philology, Gnosticism, Patristics, Textual Criticism, Biblical Studies, and 12 moreManuscript Studies, History of Religions, Church History, Apocrypha/Pseudepigrapha, Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Pseudepigrapha, Nag Hammadi, Textual Fluidity, Nag Hammadi Codices, Apophthegmata Patrum, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and New Philology
In Coptic apocrypha pseudepigraphy is ubiquitous. This article outlines the various types and layers of pseudepigraphy employed in this literature, and describes the ways in which authorship is attributed to both biblical characters and... more
In Coptic apocrypha pseudepigraphy is ubiquitous. This article outlines the various types and layers of pseudepigraphy employed in this literature, and describes the ways in which authorship is attributed to both biblical characters and later patristic figures, often in combination. It also discusses its various possible functions, ranging from bestowing texts and teachings with authority and authenticity, to contributing to readers' or hearers' constructions of the biblical storyworld. The article concludes that considering the ubiquity of the device in the literature under scrutiny, and the various functions of its use, it is not helpful to view the practice of pseudepigraphy in Coptic apocrypha primarily in terms of forgery or deception.
Research Interests: Coptic Studies, Early Christian Apocryphal Literature, Apocrypha/Pseudepigrapha, Biblical Exegesis, Paratext, and 11 moreParatexts, Nag Hammadi, Coptology, Pseudepigraphy, Paratextuality, History of Reception of Biblical Texts, Apocryphal Gospels, Storyworlds, Jewish and Christian Apocryphal Texts, Worldbuilding, and Pseudo-Documentary Fiction
Pages 135–55 in The Nag Hammadi Codices as Monastic Books. Edited by Hugo Lundhaug and Christian H. Bull. Studien und Texte zu Antike und Christentum 134. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2023. The entire book is available here:... more
Pages 135–55 in The Nag Hammadi Codices as Monastic Books. Edited by Hugo Lundhaug and Christian H. Bull. Studien und Texte zu Antike und Christentum 134. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2023.
The entire book is available here: https://www.mohrsiebeck.com/en/book/the-nag-hammadi-codices-as-monastic-books-9783161622335?no_cache=1
The entire book is available here: https://www.mohrsiebeck.com/en/book/the-nag-hammadi-codices-as-monastic-books-9783161622335?no_cache=1
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Coptic literature abounds with references to books that never existed as physical objects in their own right. This article explores the role of fictional books specifically in a selection of Coptic apocrypha deriving from the entire... more
Coptic literature abounds with references to books that never existed as physical objects in their own right. This article explores the role of fictional books specifically in a selection of Coptic apocrypha deriving from the entire period of Coptic literary production. Whether presented as apostolic, prophetic, or angelic; earthly or heavenly; historical or contemporary, references to fictional books could function as veracity devices, authority claims, or as materials for storyworld creation. Taking as its points of departure recent work on pseudo-documentarism, transnarrative storyworlds, and the cognitive effects of fiction, this article explores implicit claims to authority and authenticity, as well as the fuzzy boundaries and interrelationships between fictional and factual references in meaning-and world-making.
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Pages 161–74 in The Chester Beatty Biblical Papyri at Ninety: Literature, Papyrology, Ethics. Edited by Garrick Vernon Allen, Usama Ali Mohamed Gad, Kelsie Gayle Rodenbiker, Anthony Philip Royle, and Jill Unkel. Manuscripta Biblica 10.... more
Pages 161–74 in The Chester Beatty Biblical Papyri at Ninety: Literature, Papyrology, Ethics. Edited by Garrick Vernon Allen, Usama Ali Mohamed Gad, Kelsie Gayle Rodenbiker, Anthony Philip Royle, and Jill Unkel. Manuscripta Biblica 10. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2023.
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Pages 351–65 in The Rediscovery of Shenoute: Studies in Honor of Stephen Emmel. Edited by Anne Boud’hors, David Brakke, Andrew Crislip, and Samuel Moawad. Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta 310. Leuven: Peeters, 2022.
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Pages 107–43 in The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Codices. Edited by Dylan M. Burns and Matthew Goff. Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies 103. Leiden: Brill, 2022.
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Pages 115–33 in Origenes im koptischen Ägypten: Der Traktat des Schenute von Atripe gegen die Origenisten. Edited by Alfons Fürst. Adamantiana 26. Münster: Aschendorff, 2022.
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Pages 139–53 in Coptic Literature: Proceedings of the Ninth International Symposium of Coptic Studies by the Saint Mark Foundation, Monastery of St. Bishoi (Wadi al-Natrun), 10–14 February, 2019. Edited by Samuel Moawad. Cairo: Saint Mark... more
Pages 139–53 in Coptic Literature: Proceedings of the Ninth International Symposium of Coptic Studies by the Saint Mark Foundation, Monastery of St. Bishoi (Wadi al-Natrun), 10–14 February, 2019. Edited by Samuel Moawad. Cairo: Saint Mark Foundation, 2022.
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Pages 212–33 in The Use and Dissemination of Religious Knowledge in Antiquity. Edited by Catherine Hezser and Diana V. Edelman. Sheffield: Equinox, 2021.
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Pages 117–42 in Texts in Context: Essays on Dating and Contextualising Christian Writings of the Second and Early Third Century. Edited by Jos Verheyden, Jens Schröter, and Tobias Nicklas. Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum... more
Pages 117–42 in Texts in Context: Essays on Dating and Contextualising Christian Writings of the Second and Early Third Century. Edited by Jos Verheyden, Jens Schröter, and Tobias Nicklas. Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium 319. Leuven: Peeters, 2021
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Pages 481–98 in New Testament Apocrypha: More Noncanonical Scriptures: Volume 2. Edited by Tony Burke. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2020.
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Pages 499–554 in New Testament Apocrypha: More Noncanonical Scriptures: Volume 2. Edited by Tony Burke. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2020.
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MS 193 in the Schøyen Collection, also known as the Crosby-Schøyen Codex, is a unique Coptic papyrus codex that has previously been dated by scholars from the second to the sixth centuries CE. This article presents the results of recent... more
MS 193 in the Schøyen Collection, also known as the Crosby-Schøyen Codex, is a unique Coptic papyrus codex that has previously been dated by scholars from the second to the sixth centuries CE. This article presents the results of recent radiocarbon analysis of a fragment of one of the leaves of the codex, while discussing the radiocarbon dating method itself and the remaining uncertainties relating to the interpretation of the results of such analysis.
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This article discusses the long history of the production and use of Coptic apocrypha in Egyptian monasteries and the mechanisms governing the fluidity of apocryphal texts and traditions. The article draws upon recent theoretical work... more
This article discusses the long history of the production and use of Coptic apocrypha in Egyptian monasteries and the mechanisms governing the fluidity of apocryphal texts and traditions. The article draws upon recent theoretical work within media studies on modern fanfiction as well as cognitive perspectives on readers' mental creation and simulation of storyworlds. These perspectives are combined with insights from new/material philology, especially regarding the inherent textual fluidity of the transmission of texts in a manuscript culture, thus shedding new light on the functions, significance, and development of apocrypha in Coptic Egypt.
Pages 213–27 in Coptic Literature in Context (4th–13th cent.): Cultural Landscape, Literary Production and Manuscript Archaeology. Edited by Paola Buzi. PaST Percorsi di Archeologia 5. Rome: Edizioni Quasar, 2020.
Pages 213–27 in Coptic Literature in Context (4th–13th cent.): Cultural Landscape, Literary Production and Manuscript Archaeology. Edited by Paola Buzi. PaST Percorsi di Archeologia 5. Rome: Edizioni Quasar, 2020.
Research Interests: Gnosticism, Monastic Studies, Coptic Studies, Apocrypha/Pseudepigrapha, Monasticism, and 10 moreReception History, Material philology, Coptology, Fanfiction, Textual Fluidity, History of Reception of Biblical Texts, Apocryphal Gospels, New Philology, Jewish and Christian Apocryphal Texts, and Fanfiction Studies
Pages 59–73 in The Archangel Michael in Africa: History, Cult and Persona. Edited by Ingvild Sælid Gilhus, Alexandros Tsakos, and Marta Camilla Wright. London: Bloomsbury, 2019.
Research Interests: Angelology, Coptic Studies, History of Biblical Interpretation, Early Christian Apocryphal Literature, Angels, and 10 moreApocrypha/Pseudepigrapha, Biblical Interpretation, John the Baptist, Coptic Monasteries, Coptic, Fanfiction, Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael, History of Reception of Biblical Texts, and New Philology
Pages 47–67 in Nag Hammadi at 70: What Have We Learned? Edited by Eric Crégheur, Louis Painchaud, and Tuomas Rasimus. Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi: Section “Études” 10. Leuven: Peeters, 2019. This article has been written under the... more
Pages 47–67 in Nag Hammadi at 70: What Have We Learned? Edited by Eric Crégheur, Louis Painchaud, and Tuomas Rasimus. Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi: Section “Études” 10. Leuven: Peeters, 2019. This article has been written under the aegis of project NEWCONT (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in Fourth- and Fifth-Century Egypt) at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology. The project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) / ERC Grant agreement no 283741.
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Pages 253–75 in Gospels and Gospel Traditions in the Second Century: Experiments in Reception. Edited by Jens Schröter, Tobias Nicklas, and Joseph Verheyden. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 235. Berlin:... more
Pages 253–75 in Gospels and Gospel Traditions in the Second Century: Experiments in Reception. Edited by Jens Schröter, Tobias Nicklas, and Joseph Verheyden. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 235. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2019.
The research and writing of this article were conducted within the context of the NEWCONT-project (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in Fourth- and Fifth-Century Egypt) at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology. The project was financed by a ‘Starting Grant’ from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) / ERC Grant agreement no 283741.
The research and writing of this article were conducted within the context of the NEWCONT-project (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in Fourth- and Fifth-Century Egypt) at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology. The project was financed by a ‘Starting Grant’ from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) / ERC Grant agreement no 283741.
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Pages 306–25 in Monastic Education in Late Antiquity: The Transformation of Classical Paideia. Edited by Lillian I. Larsen and Samuel Rubenson. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018. The research and writing of this article were... more
Pages 306–25 in Monastic Education in Late Antiquity: The Transformation of Classical Paideia. Edited by Lillian I. Larsen and Samuel Rubenson. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018.
The research and writing of this article were conducted within the context of the NEWCONT-project (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in Fourth- and Fifth-Century Egypt) at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology. The project was financed by a ‘Starting Grant’ from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) / ERC Grant agreement no 283741.
The research and writing of this article were conducted within the context of the NEWCONT-project (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in Fourth- and Fifth-Century Egypt) at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology. The project was financed by a ‘Starting Grant’ from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) / ERC Grant agreement no 283741.
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Pages 329–86 in The Nag Hammadi Codices and Late Antique Egypt. Edited by Hugo Lundhaug and Lance Jenott. Studien und Texte zu Antike und Christentum 110. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2018.
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Pages 335–46 in Studia Patristica XCIII: Vol. 19: The First Two Centuries – Apocrypha and Gnostica. Edited by Markus Vinzent. StPatr 93. Leuven: Peeters, 2017. The Dialogue of the Savior, preserved only in Nag Hammadi Codex III, as... more
Pages 335–46 in Studia Patristica XCIII: Vol. 19: The First Two Centuries – Apocrypha and Gnostica. Edited by Markus Vinzent. StPatr 93. Leuven: Peeters, 2017.
The Dialogue of the Savior, preserved only in Nag Hammadi Codex III, as commonly been treated as a Gnostic text from the second century and studies have focused on this context and on tracing its even earlier sources. In contrast, this article eschews the category of ‘Gnosticism’ and argues that the text as it has been preserved is better understood as a product of early Egyptian monasticism. By comparing the Dialogue of the Savior with other monastic texts from Egypt, it will be shown how the text reflects monastic ideals and interests, here exemplified by its treatment of the postmortem trials of the soul.
The research and writing of this article were conducted within the context of the NEWCONT-project (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in Fourth- and Fifth-Century Egypt) at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology. The project was financed by a ‘Starting Grant’ from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) / ERC Grant agreement no 283741.
The Dialogue of the Savior, preserved only in Nag Hammadi Codex III, as commonly been treated as a Gnostic text from the second century and studies have focused on this context and on tracing its even earlier sources. In contrast, this article eschews the category of ‘Gnosticism’ and argues that the text as it has been preserved is better understood as a product of early Egyptian monasticism. By comparing the Dialogue of the Savior with other monastic texts from Egypt, it will be shown how the text reflects monastic ideals and interests, here exemplified by its treatment of the postmortem trials of the soul.
The research and writing of this article were conducted within the context of the NEWCONT-project (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in Fourth- and Fifth-Century Egypt) at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology. The project was financed by a ‘Starting Grant’ from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) / ERC Grant agreement no 283741.
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Pages 221–33 in Women and Knowledge in Early Christianity. Edited by Ulla Tervahauta, Ivan Miroshnikov, Outi Lehtipuu, and Ismo Dunderberg. Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae 144. Leiden: Brill, 2017. The article was written at the... more
Pages 221–33 in Women and Knowledge in Early Christianity. Edited by Ulla Tervahauta, Ivan Miroshnikov, Outi Lehtipuu, and Ismo Dunderberg. Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae 144. Leiden: Brill, 2017. The article was written at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology, under the aegis of project NEWCONT (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in 4th- and 5th-Cent. Egypt), funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) / ERC Grant agreement no 283741.
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In den frühen Phasen der Beschäftigung mit den Nag-Hammadi-Schriften bestand eine gewisse Verwunderung bezüglich des Vorkommens von Gebeten in den Nag-Hammadi-Codices, da „Gnostiker“ logischerweise wenig Verwendung für Gebete haben... more
In den frühen Phasen der Beschäftigung mit den Nag-Hammadi-Schriften bestand eine gewisse Verwunderung bezüglich des Vorkommens von Gebeten in den Nag-Hammadi-Codices, da „Gnostiker“ logischerweise wenig Verwendung für Gebete haben sollten. Jetzt, nachdem die Kategorie „Gnosis“ aufgegeben wurde, ist es möglich, das Problem aus einer neuen Perspektive zu betrachten. Die vorliegende Untersuchung geht vom ägyptisch-monastischen Kontext der Nag-Hammadi-Codices aus und zeigt, inwiefern mehrere Gebete oder Besprechungen von Gebeten in den Nag-Hammadi-Schriften enge Parallelen in zum „Mainstream“ gehörenden christlichen und monastischen Schriften des 4. und 5. Jahrhunderts besitzen.
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The article was written at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology, under the aegis of project NEWCONT (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in 4th- and 5th-Cent. Egypt), funded by the European... more
The article was written at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology, under the aegis of project NEWCONT (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in 4th- and 5th-Cent. Egypt), funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) / ERC Grant agreement no 283741.
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Dieser Artikel behandelt die Rolle der Eucharistie in den Schriften von Schenute von Atripe, Archimandrit des Weißen Klosters in Oberägypten. Er beschreibt die Rolle der Eucharistie im klösterlichen Leben des Weißen Klosters, wie die... more
Dieser Artikel behandelt die Rolle der Eucharistie in den Schriften von Schenute von Atripe, Archimandrit des Weißen Klosters in Oberägypten. Er beschreibt die Rolle der Eucharistie im klösterlichen Leben des Weißen Klosters, wie die Eucharistie in den monastischen Regeln reflektiert und diskutiert wird. Es wird erläutert, wie Schenute, oft im Kontext der antihäretischen Polemik, inspiriert von den zeitgenössischen alexandrinischen Erzbischöfen, die soteriologische Bedeutung der Eucharistie betont. Dabei wird die Verwandlung der eucharistischen Elemente und die Realpräsenz des Leibes und Blutes Christi unterstrichen. Ein Vergleich wird auch mit den pachomianischen Schriften unternommen, die in ähnlicher Weise die Bedeutung der ethischen und dogmatischen Würdigkeit der Kommunikanten betonen.
The article was written at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology, under the aegis of project NEWCONT (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in 4th- and 5th-Cent. Egypt), funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) / ERC Grant agreement no 283741.
The article was written at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology, under the aegis of project NEWCONT (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in 4th- and 5th-Cent. Egypt), funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) / ERC Grant agreement no 283741.
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In the turmoil around the turn of the fifth century, controversy over the legacy of Origen took center stage, and questions regarding the nature of the resurrection were among the main points of contention. What was the nature of the... more
In the turmoil around the turn of the fifth century, controversy over the legacy of Origen took center stage, and questions regarding the nature of the resurrection were among the main points of contention. What was the nature of the resurrection body? In what sense will post-resurrection life represent a continuation or a break with the present one? How are key scriptural passages, such as 1 Cor 15 to be understood? What is the role of ritual or ascetic practice? This essay shows how, when compared with more well-known players of the controversy, two texts from the Nag Hammadi Codices and writings by the powerful Upper Egyptian abbot Shenoute of Atripe may give us additional insight into how these questions were debated. It is argued that on the level of phrases, terminology, and allusions there is much agreement, while important disagreements regarding how to conceptualize the resurrection leads to distinctly different interpretations of the key biblical texts. And while creeds were introduced to curtail certain interpretations, they also led to new interpretations, as creedal phrases were also redefined and reinterpreted to suit the preferred conceptual models of different interpreters.
The article was written at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology, under the aegis of project NEWCONT (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in 4th- and 5th-Cent. Egypt), funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) / ERC Grant agreement no 283741.
The article was written at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology, under the aegis of project NEWCONT (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in 4th- and 5th-Cent. Egypt), funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) / ERC Grant agreement no 283741.
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The article was written at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology, under the aegis of project NEWCONT (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in 4th- and 5th-Cent. Egypt), funded by the European... more
The article was written at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology, under the aegis of project NEWCONT (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in 4th- and 5th-Cent. Egypt), funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) / ERC Grant agreement no 283741.
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This article describes item C47704 in the antiquities collection of the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, a fragment of a Coptic parchment codex, which can be identified as White Monastery Codex ET, containing a hitherto unattested part... more
This article describes item C47704 in the antiquities collection of the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, a fragment of a Coptic parchment codex, which can be identified as White Monastery Codex ET, containing a hitherto unattested part of the Martyrdom of Apa Nahroou. It is argued that the codex was probably manufactured at the Touton scriptorium in the Fayum in the tenth century and used by the monks at the White Monastery in Upper Egypt. The preserved fragment is a part of the narration of the torture of Apa Nahroou at the hands of emperor Diocletian. The article includes an edition of the Coptic text of the fragment with an English translation.
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The article was written at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology, under the aegis of project NEWCONT (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in 4th- and 5th-Cent. Egypt), funded by the European... more
The article was written at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology, under the aegis of project NEWCONT (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in 4th- and 5th-Cent. Egypt), funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) / ERC Grant agreement no 283741.
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Published in: Cognitive Linguistic Explorations in Biblical Studies. (ed. Bonnie G. Howe and Joel B. Green; Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2014), 73-97.
Research Interests: Gnosticism, Patristics, Early Christianity, Intertextuality, Coptic Studies, and 19 moreCognitive Linguistics, Church History, Early Christian Apocryphal Literature, Reception of the Bible, Apocrypha/Pseudepigrapha, Biblical Exegesis, Cognitive Poetics, Nag Hammadi, Gnostic Gospels, Mystagogy, Conceptual Blending, Early Christian Studies, Coptology, New Testament Apocrypha, Christian Apocryphal Literature, Intertextuality and Allusion, Apocryphal Gospels, Conceptual Blending Theory, and New Testament & Early Christian Studies
The article was written at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology, under the aegis of project NEWCONT (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in 4th- and 5th-Cent. Egypt), funded by the European... more
The article was written at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology, under the aegis of project NEWCONT (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in 4th- and 5th-Cent. Egypt), funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) / ERC Grant agreement no 283741.
Research Interests: Gnosticism, Patristics, Early Christianity, Intertextuality, Church History, and 18 moreEarly Christian Apocryphal Literature, Reception of the Bible, Soteriology, Arianism, Creeds and Confessions, Heresy and Orthodoxy, Epiphanius of Salamis, Nag Hammadi, Gnostic Gospels, Valentinianism, Resurrection, Early Christian Liturgy, Nag Hammadi Codices, Christian Apocryphal Literature, Intertextuality and Allusion, Apocryphal Gospels, Gospel of Philip, and New Testament & Early Christian Studies
This article argues that certain important aspects of the institutionalized literary practices of early cenobitic monasticism and the rhetorics related to them may be significantly illuminated by insights from the cognitive study of the... more
This article argues that certain important aspects of the institutionalized literary practices of early cenobitic monasticism and the rhetorics related to them may be significantly illuminated by insights from the cognitive study of the human mind and its relationship with the world. Using examples from our sources of early cenobitic monasticism in Egypt, specifically writings from the Pachomian federation and Shenoute of Atripe, this article suggests ways in which cognitive perspectives on memory and literature may shed light on the practices of reading, memorizing, and interpreting authoritative texts, and the corresponding need to control such practices, in the early monastic communities. In doing so, this article argues for the importance of keeping both individual and collective processes of memory in mind if we want to understand the influence of the mechanics of human memory systems on the ideas and practices of the early monastic communities, and suggests ways in which such perspectives may be combined. The article was completed under the aegis of project NEWCONT (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in 4th- and 5th-Cent. Egypt) at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology. The project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) / ERC Grant agreement no 283741.
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The article was written at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology, under the aegis of project NEWCONT (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in 4th- and 5th-Cent. Egypt), funded by the European... more
The article was written at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology, under the aegis of project NEWCONT (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in 4th- and 5th-Cent. Egypt), funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) / ERC Grant agreement no 283741.
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Research Interests: Patristics, Early Christianity, Coptic Studies, Church History, Early Christian Apocryphal Literature, and 19 moreOrigen, Apocrypha/Pseudepigrapha, Monasticism, Heresy, Origen of Alexandria, Patristics and Late Antiquity, Arianism, Heresy and Orthodoxy, Nag Hammadi, Coptology, Arius, Nag Hammadi Codices, Shenoute of Atripe, New Testament Apocrypha, Origenism, Nestorian contoversy, Nestorius, Christian Apocryphal Literature, and Apocryphal Gospels
The article was written at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology, under the aegis of project NEWCONT (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in 4th- and 5th-Cent. Egypt), funded by the European... more
The article was written at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Theology, under the aegis of project NEWCONT (New Contexts for Old Texts: Unorthodox Texts and Monastic Manuscript Culture in 4th- and 5th-Cent. Egypt), funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) / ERC Grant agreement no 283741.
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Research Interests: Gnosticism, Coptic Studies, Metaphor, History of Biblical Interpretation, Church History, and 9 moreDead Sea Scrolls Nag Hammadi Codices, Biblical Interpretation, Bodily Resurrection, Nag Hammadi, Conceptual Blending, Resurrection, Coptology, Conceptual Metaphor Theory, Blending Theory, knowlege representation systems, and Nag Hammadi Codices
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Research Interests: History Of The Bible/Biblical Canon, History of Biblical Interpretation, Interpretation, Biblical Interpretation, Canon Formation, and 5 moreBlending Theory, History of the Biblical Canon, Conceptual Blending, Canonicity, and Conceptual Metaphor Theory, Blending Theory, knowlege representation systems
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CONCEPTUAL BLENDING IN THE EXEGESIS ON THE SOUL Hugo Lundhaug 1. Introduction The Nag Hammadi tractate the Exegesis on the Soul (NHC II, 6) sets the stage for its ten manuscript pages of scriptural exegesis with the following... more
CONCEPTUAL BLENDING IN THE EXEGESIS ON THE SOUL Hugo Lundhaug 1. Introduction The Nag Hammadi tractate the Exegesis on the Soul (NHC II, 6) sets the stage for its ten manuscript pages of scriptural exegesis with the following statement:The wise of old gave the soul a ...
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This article is in Norwegian. English title: “The Nag Hammadi Codices and the Early Monastic Tradition in Egypt”
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This article is in Danish (translated from Norwegian by Anders Klostergaard Petersen). English title: “Birth, Transformation, and Resurrection as a Christ: The Gospel of Philip’s Ritual Interpretation of the Gospel of John”.
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"The formidable abbot Shenoute of Atripe is well-known for his violent opposition to paganism in Upper Egypt in the late fourth and early fifth centuries. On the basis of his own writings this article discusses the extent of Shenoute’s... more
"The formidable abbot Shenoute of Atripe is well-known for his violent opposition to paganism in Upper Egypt in the late fourth and early fifth centuries. On the basis of his own writings this article discusses the extent of Shenoute’s participation in the destruction of temples, and his conflict with local paganism, most notably his long and bitter conflict with the rich pagan notable Gesios of Panopolis. The article argues that the extent of the violent conflict between Christianity and paganism in Upper Egypt should not be exaggerated, and also offers a new reconstruction of the chronology of events in Shenoute’s conflict with Gesios.
This article is in Norwegian. English title: “Shenoute and the Idolators: Religious Conflict in Upper Egypt in the Fourth and Fifth Centuries”"
This article is in Norwegian. English title: “Shenoute and the Idolators: Religious Conflict in Upper Egypt in the Fourth and Fifth Centuries”"
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Gorgias Press is launching a new series on Coptic Christianity. The series consists of monographs, collected volumes, and texts and translations of Coptic documents from Antiquity to modern times. We welcome submissions dealing with all... more
Gorgias Press is launching a new series on Coptic Christianity. The series consists of monographs, collected volumes, and texts and translations of Coptic documents from Antiquity to modern times. We welcome submissions dealing with all aspects of Coptic Christianity, Literature, and Language, except studies dealing exclusively with Nag Hammadi and Manichaean materials. We are particularly interested in studies on Coptic monasticism, liturgy, hagiography, architecture, and Copto-Arabic relations. Please send your submission either to Maged S.A. Mikhail (mmikhail@fullerton.edu) or Tuomas Rasimus (tuomas.rasimus@helsinki.fi) and cc to submissions@gorgiaspress.com. Editorial Board: David Brakke, Lance Jenott, Hugo Lundhaug, Maged S.A. Mikhail, Tuomas Rasimus, Janet Timbie.