The Apocalypse of Paul (__Visio Pauli__) in Sahidic Coptic: Critical Edition, Translation and Commentary

"The apocryphal Apocalypse of Paul (Visio Pauli) plunges us right into the heart of early-Christian conceptions of heaven and hell. Its vivid eyewitness account of otherworldly punishment and reward was translated into many different languages and inspired numerous later authors, among whom Dante. This book offers a re-edition and English translation of the ancient Coptic version. An exhaustive commentary makes the text accessible and situates it in the time and place where it was written, fourth-century Egypt. As this new study shows, the Coptic version is by far the best available witness of the original Apocalypse of Paul." -- Publisher, page four of cover ‎Contents ‎Preface ‎Abbreviations ‎Figures and Tables ‎Introduction ‎1. Previous Scholarship ‎2. The Present Publication ‎Chapter 1. The Coptic Manuscript Tradition ‎1. British Library Or. 7023 / Or. 6806A: Date, Provenance and Modern History ‎2. British Library Or. 7023 / Or. 6806A: Codicological Description and Analysis ‎3. The Colophon of British Library Or. 7023 / Or. 6806A ‎4. British Library Or. 7023: Language and Orthography of the Apocalypse of Paul ‎5. Other Coptic Witnesses ‎6. A Greek Witness from Egypt (van Haelst 620) ‎Chapter 2. The Sahidic Version of the Apocalypse of Paul ‎1. The (Lost) Title of the Sahidic Apocalypse of Paul ‎2. Prologue and Epilogue: The Mount of Olives ‎3. The Structure of the Sahidic Apocalypse of Paul ‎4. The Intentions of the Sahidic Apocalypse of Paul ‎5. The Final Stages of Paul’s Voyage: Third Heaven, Celestial Paradise and Paul’s Throne ‎6. Evaluation and Conclusions ‎Chapter 3. The Apocalypse of Paul in Christian Egypt ‎1. The Egyptian Apocalyptic Tradition ‎2. Coptic Echoes ‎3. Conclusions ‎Chapter 4. The Apocalypse of Paul: Time and Place ‎1. Date and Place of Origin ‎2. A Model of Transmission ‎Chapter 5. A Note on the Edition ‎Text and Translation ‎Commentary ‎Appendix 1. The Sahidic Apocalypse of Athanasius ‎Appendix 2. The Arabic Apocalypse of Athanasius (by van Lent) ‎Bibliography ‎Index of the Coptic Texts ‎Index of Ancient Sources ‎Index of Modern Authors "The apocryphal Apocalypse of Paul (Visio Pauli) plunges us right into the heart of early-Christian conceptions of heaven and hell. Its vivid eyewitness account of otherworldly punishment and reward was translated into many different languages and inspired numerous later authors, among whom Dante. This book offers a re-edition and English translation of the ancient Coptic version. An exhaustive commentary makes the text accessible and situates it in the time and place where it was written, fourth-century Egypt. As this new study shows, the Coptic version is by far the best available witness of the original Apocalypse of Paul"-- Provided by publisher