From a Virgin Womb: The __Apocalypse of Adam__ and the Virgin Birth

Scholarly researches on the virgin birth have often focussed rather narrowly on the theological and historical difficulties it tends to raise. The Nag Hammadi Apocalypse of Adam, however, provides for the first time a glimpse into the wider background of ideas and myths to which it belonged. Prophecies there concerning a universal 'Illuminator' mention his birth 'from a virgin womb'. Several of the stories, drawn from Iranian and other sources, also appear in apocalyptic and testamental literature contemporary with Christian origins. The book centrally analyses a body of extraordinarily detailed narrative parallels between a cluster of stories in the Apocalypse and the infancy narratives of Mt. 1-2, concluding that these stories serve to identify Jesus as the True Prophet who is the fulfilment of history - though not as Son of God. The question of Mt.'s special tradition and its relation to Lk. is also cast in a new light. Contents Introduction. From the Virgin Birth to the Gospel of Matthew PART ONE. The Apocalypse of Adam Chapter 1. Adam's Apocalypse: CG V/5 as Testament and Jewish Revelation Chapter 2. Biblical Materials: Exile and Return Chapter 3. "Syncretistic" Materials PART TWO. The Infancy Narratives and the Virgin Birth Chapter 4. An Unnatural Birth (Mt. 1,18–21 and CG V 78,6–17) Chapter 5. A Virgin Birth and a Persecuted Child (Mt. 1–2 and CG V 78,18–26) Chapter 6. The Magi in Bethlehem and the Queen of the South (Mt. 2,1–12 and CG V 78,27 – 79,19) Conclusion. The Virgin Birth: Some Reflections on its Meaning Appendix. The Zarathustra-Legend and CG V/5 77,26 – 78,26 List of Abbreviations Bibliography Index of Principal Names and Subjects Index of Ancient Sources Utilising parallels from the Apocalypse of Adam, this book re-examines Mt's infancy narratives in the light of the apocalyptic and mythological background to the virgin birth