Lost and Rejected Books: The Biblical Apocrypha in Context

Learn the history of this unique literature in this one-day workshop at 9:00am Eastern U.S. time on November 30, 2024, featuring experts Dr. John J. Gallagher and Zoe Tsiami

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In this one-day workshop, we will explore the lost, rejected, and unknown books that form the strange body of biblical literature known as the “Apocrypha.” A great variety of texts fall outside the scriptural canon, including books that are not found in any modern Bibles, a handful of works found in only some biblical traditions, and an array of strange but fascinating compositions that claim parity with canonical biblical texts and authors. Apocryphal texts emerged out of Judaism and Christianity, and deal with figures, events, and themes from the Old and New Testaments. In this course we will learn about the various kinds of apocryphal texts, and their narratives, history, and purpose. Through a combination of lecture, group discussion, interactive activities, and close textual analysis, this one-day programme will grapple with the historical, theological, and cultural significances of the wide body of Jewish and Christian writings that fall outside the Bible.

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What You Will Learn

— What was excluded from the Bible.

— Why the Apocrypha was controversial.

— Who wrote the Apocrypha and to what ends.

— Why the Early Church accepted the authority of some books but not others.

— What made an authoritative biblical text.

— Why Protestant reformers disagreed with some narratives long after they had been accepted.

— How the Apocrypha is used today.

— What the Apocrypha tells us about the Bible.

— How the Bible was retold in apocryphal writings.

— How Christians reused Jewish Apocrypha and why.

— The significance of the Apocrypha to religious history and historical theology.

Workshop starts at 9:00am Eastern U.S. time on November 30

Click here to enroll now

This workshop is open to people of all backgrounds with an interest in biblical and apocryphal literature. No academic qualifications are required to participate – our focus is scholarly but accessible. All texts will be provided and read in English translation. Some light preparation will be required in advance of the session.

Questions? Contact us at:

[email protected]

www.oac.gr

Meet Your Instructors

John J. Gallagher

Dr. John J. Gallagher is a biblical scholar with research interests in the history, reception, adaptation, and exegesis of biblical and apocryphal texts in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. His teaching is interdisciplinary and spans Divinity, History, Literature, and Linguistics. John has held teaching and research positions at the University of St Andrews, University College Dublin, and the University of Oxford, and has taught several courses for Medievalists.net and the Orthodox Academy of Crete. His interests centre on the biblical canon, textual formation, and how biblical and apocryphal texts evolve in the course of their cultural and textual transmission. His recent edition of the Old English Heptateuch and his forthcoming edition of the Gothic Bible explore these matters in detail. He is affiliated with the University of St Andrews and the Orthodox Academy of Crete, and is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, a Member of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, and an Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Additionally, he is the Assistant Editor of the Fontes Anglo-Saxonici database – the largest and most complete source database for Latin and vernacular literature from early medieval England, which includes the Apocrypha.

Zoe Tsiami

Zoe is a PhD candidate in early Christian history. She holds a Master's degree in late antique history and has presented and written several papers on this era. She currently collaborates with the Orthodox Academy of Crete on publishing a scientific journal called "After Constantine. Stories from the Late Antique and Early Byzantine Era." She has edited two academic books on religious and historical/archaeological studies and has taught several workshops in Greece regarding early Christian history.