Read Forgery and Counterforgery: The Use of Literary Deceit in Early Christian Polemics Online
Authors: Bart D. Ehrman
and Gospel of Thomas,
341
on Herod,
488
and Jesus’ brothers,
486
and two-source hypothesis,
55
Matthias (author of Thomas the Contender),
412
Matthias (disciple replacing Judas Iscariot),
15
,
392
,
412
,
415
Maximus,
352
medical schools,
116
–17
medicinal lies,
539
–540,
542
,
543
,
545
Melchizedek tractate,
152
,
432
–34
Melito,
332
Memoirs (Hegesippus),
288
Memoirs of Peter,
118
,
324
–26,
326
nn.
6
–7,
327
n.
8
Memorabilia (Favorinus),
139
Memorabilia (Xenophon),
135
Menedemus of Eretria,
53
Michal,
547
–48
Milton, John,
460
Mishna,
350
The Mistaken Critic (Lucian),
98
Mithridates,
93
n.
2
,
122
,
122
n.
95
,
133
Mixing-Bowl (Zopyrus of Heraclea),
86
morality of forgery,
546
–48
Mordechai, Letter of,
101
Moses,
51
,
73
,
305
–6,
319
–20,
321
,
482
motivations of forgers,
97
–105
authority of authors,
119
–21,
150
–51,
153
in condemning forgeries,
18
and deceptive intentions of forgers,
131
–32,
150
–51
defamation of character,
102
–4
humility of students,
105
Olympiodorus on,
112
political and religious authorization,
98
–99
profitability,
97
–98
Salvian’s defense,
93
–96
supplementation of a tradition,
104
–5
validation of views,
119
–21
Muratorian Fragment
on Apocalypse of Peter,
446
,
447
on authority of canonical Gospels,
120
and criteria for authentication,
91
and Epistle of James,
285
on heretical works,
76
on Johannine writings,
423
on Letter to the Laodiceans,
75
,
440
,
440
n.
97
,
441
,
442
,
443
–44
on Luke,
277
on Pauline letters,
150
on Shepherd of Hermas,
49
,
120
n.
92
Myra,
381
Nag Hammadi library
narrative voice in,
272
and scope of book,
6
on suffering of Christ,
409
texts of
1 Apocalypse of James,
284
,
409
,
531
Book of Thomas the Contender,
152
,
412
–15,
413
n.
9
,
418
,
431
,
439
Gospel of Philip,
2
,
19
–20,
149
,
236
,
417
,
531
Letter of Peter to Philip,
223
,
409
,
411
,
438
,
450
Melchizedek tractate,
152
,
432
–34
Second Treatise of the Great Seth,
20
,
365
,
406
,
411
See also
Apocalypse of Peter, Coptic
Narrative of Joseph of Arimathea,
365
narrative voice,
266
,
270
n.
79
,
270
–76
Nathaniel,
397
Natural History (Pliny the Elder),
54
Nautical Astronomy (Thales),
81
Neophron of Sicyon,
70
Nestorius,
46
New Testament
and Apostolic Constitutions,
16
–17
number of forged writings in,
529
orthonymous writings in,
1
presumed authenticity of writings,
17
See also specific books
Nicene orthodoxy,
395
,
467
,
475
,
476
n.
65
,
478
,
479
Nicephorus,
447
Nicodemus, gospel of,
60
,
105
,
149
,
152
,
354
Nikos (Nuqus),
110
Noah and the flood,
72
,
73
,
86
,
140
noble lies,
135
,
136
,
540
–41.
See also
lies and deception
non-pseudepigraphic forgeries,
35
Noriah,
19
Numa Pompilius,
124
–25
Ogdoad (Irenaeus),
66
–67
Okkelos,
109
Old Testament,
52
.
See also specific books
“On Fate” (Minucius Felix),
75
“On Grammarians” (Suetonius),
108
On Poetry Attributed to Orpheus (Epigenes),
86
“On the Gospel,”
90
On the Nature of Man (Hippocrates),
138
“On the Proverbs of Solomon,”
90
On the Two Forms of Martyrdom (Cyprian),
25
Onesimus,
174
oracles
acrostics in,
127
–28
as apologia,
100
,
153
,
483
,
513
–18,
518
–19
and motivations of forgers,
98
–99
Onomacritus’ falsifying of,
61
–62,
84
,
86
Sibylline Oracles,
508
–19
as Christian creations,
128
,
512
–13
Christian interpolations of,
510
–12
as counter-forgeries,
518
–19
numbering of,
508
oral traditions and cultures,
383
Oratio ad Graecos (Justin),
51
,
149
Origen
on Apocalypse of Paul,
452
,
452
n.
133
on authority of canonical Gospels,
120
,
120
n.
92
Commentary on Matthew,
486
Contra Celsum,
338
,
516
–17,
542
–43
criteria for authorial attribution,
88
De principiis,
65
and De recta in deum fide,
49
on deception,
542
–44
and detection of forgeries,
139
on disputed authorship,
75
and Epistle of James,
296
on eschatological renewal of creation,
233
falsifications of writings by,
64
,
65
,
76
–77
on interpolated oracles,
100
Isaiah cited by,
338
on Johannine writings,
424
and Pastoral epistles,
193
on 2 Peter,
223
on Protevangelium Jacobi,
486
on Shepherd of Hermas,
48
on Sibyls and oracles,
516
–17
writings in name of,
50
,
121
,
463
–64
Orphic poems,
79
orthonymous writing,
1
,
7
,
71
,
156
Ovid,
44
pagan literature, forgery in,
69
–70,
123
–25,
128
Panaetius,
47
Panarion (Epiphanius),
19
–24
Parthenopaeus (Pseudo-Sophocles),
13
,
103
,
128
Paschal Homily of Melito,
332
Pasiphon,
70
Passion of Perpetua,
502
–4,
503
n.
58
,
506
The Passion of Peter and Paul,
359
The Passion of Sts. Perpetua and Felicitas
(Harris and Gifford),
506
“Passion of Tarachus, Probus, and Andronicus,”
352
Pastoral epistles,
192
–217
and Acts of Paul,
379
–84,
382
n.
21
arguments for authenticity of,
211
–13
authorship of,
201
–2,
202
–5,
206
,
368
on church organization and leadership,
152
,
203
–5,
208
,
367
–84,
400
common authorship of,
195
–202,
205
,
368
as corpus,
193
–95,
194
n.
12
,
201
n.
22
,
368
,
368
n.
3
as counterforgeries,
384
and Gnosticism,
192
,
368
n.
3
,
370
,
371
–72
historical context of,
369
–70
and intertextual interpretations,
375
–76
Pauline/non-Pauline views in,
206
–11
polemical attacks in,
213
–17
and Pseudo-Ignatian letters,
468
n.
57
,
479
scholarly perspectives on,
192
–93
verisimilitudes in,
206
,
209
,
210
,
212
,
212
n.
35
on women,
374
–77
See also
Titus; 1 Timothy; 2 Timothy
Patavinus,
99
Paul
absolution of,
482
and anonymous texts,
49
and antinomianism,
302
–3,
304
,
305
and Antioch,
257
,
261
n.
61
,
261
–62,
264
,
308
(
see also
Peter–Paul relationship)
apocalyptic message of,
155
and apologetic forgeries,
101
and the apostles,
257
,
263
,
267
,
281
and Apostolic Constitutions,
15
,
392
authority of,
152
,
173
,
260
,
262
,
280
–81
and author’s relationship to authority,
87
–88
and Barnabas,
317
on circumcision,
343
and coauthorship theory,
212
–13,
213
n.
39
conflicting views attributed to,
87
–88
conversion of,
257
,
263
,
267
,
280
,
309
deceptions of,
542
disputes regarding works of,
74
,
76
and Epistle of James,
261
,
290
–91,
291
n.
16
,
294
–95,
295
n.
23
,
296
–97
and Epistula Clementis,
309
–12