Tony Burke
@tonyburke.bsky.social
Religious Studies prof., York University, Toronto; writes on Christian apocrypha
Seven (?) years in the making, submitted to my editors yesterday. 624 pages, covering almost 400 texts but 100 or so pages over my page limit. Happy to leave this in the hands of the editors for a while and move on to something else (or just get more sleep). My thanks to all who helped along the way
Added to e-Clavis: Manuscripta apocryphorum ~ Thrissur, Chaldean Syrian Church, Syr. 83 (17 c.) feat. the Apocalypse of Paul. www.nasscal.com/manuscripta-...
The 2026/2027 season of First Friday Workshops begins with Stephen Hopkins (University of Virginia), "Angling for salvation: Heathen myth and typological thought in Old Norse literature." Sept. 4 at noon on Zoom. To sign up, contact nasscalworkshop@gmail.com.
The deadline for nominations for NASSCAL's Sisters of Sinai Prize for outstanding scholarship in Christian apocrypha is fast approaching. Nominations close at midnight Sept. 1. For more information, visit www.nasscal.com/the-sisters-...
The Sisters of Sinai Prize
The Sisters of Sinai Prize for outstanding scholarship in Christian apocrypha is named in honor of Agnes Smith Lewis and Margaret Dunlop Gibson, sisters who are responsible for a number of signific…
nasscal.com
A new post on my blog Apocryphicity: a review of a Gradel and Pedersen's The Lost Novel of King Solomon and the Demons, which includes discussion of 10 third-century apotropaic rings. www.apocryphicity.ca/2026/08/04/b...
How the Enlightenment Discovered the Alternative Scriptures www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...
How The Enlightenment Discovered The Alternative Scriptures
Long before Pagels and Ehrman, Enlightenment clergy were unearthing lost gospels and championing ancient heresies. A startlingly modern story.
patheos.com
Added to e-Clavis: Christian apocrypha ~ the Apocryphal Gospel of John (also known as the Miracles of Jesus), a lengthy Arabic text combining apocryphal and canonical material. www.nasscal.com/e-clavis-chr...
The 18th century discovery of Coptic parchments from the White Monastery in Egypt - the Latin preface and an English translation. www.roger-pearse.com/weblog/2026/...
How the first pages from the White Monastery were discovered
In the 18th century, a chamber in the ruins of the White Monastery at Sohag in Egypt contained piles of loose leaves of a vast and ancient Coptic library. In previous posts I have noted how the firs...
roger-pearse.com
Heading to Regensburg for a conference on Christian apocalyptic literature, part of a multi-year project with conferences in several countries. My own contribution looks primarily at a little-studied apocalypse of John: www.nasscal.com/e-clavis-chr...
What did the early medieval English think about hell? About guardian angels? About wizards? I talk about these topics and more in today’s interview with UVA’s @phil-lol-ogist.bsky.social on his recent book about medieval apocrypha. Check it out ⬇️
I've been working for far too long on a far-too-large introduction to Christian Apocrypha for the Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library. Today, I am at the point where I have one text left to write on: the Gospel of Thomas. Wish me luck. Any recommendations on new & interesting scholarship to cover?
Apocrypha alert! New article in Catholic Historical Review on canonical and noncanonical views of St Joseph in Santa Maria Maggiore muse.jhu.edu/article/993519
It's been a long time coming (six years since the paper was presented in Regensburg) but "Apocryphal Nazareth: The Childhood Home of Jesus in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas" has now been published (if interested in reading, PM me). Book info: www.mohrsiebeck.com/buch/extraca...
Anyone know a good introductory “patristics” survey to recommend to a student? He is interested mostly in 2-4th cent.
Grad students and early career scholars, nominate your work for the NASSCAL Sisters of Sinai prize for outstanding scholarship in Christian apocrypha. Nominations close Sept. 1. Details here: www.nasscal.com/the-sisters-...
The Sisters of Sinai Prize
The Sisters of Sinai Prize for outstanding scholarship in Christian apocrypha is named in honor of Agnes Smith Lewis and Margaret Dunlop Gibson, sisters who are responsible for a number of signific…
nasscal.com
Added to e-Clavis: Christian apocrypha ~ Miracle of Michael the Archangel at Chonae, compiled by Jonah Bissell. www.nasscal.com/e-clavis-chr...
Monier includes some comments about the book curse in Codex Alex. which I just discussed at CSBS in my paper on Jesus in book curses and curse tablets/papyri. So this will be helpful for my revisions.
Mina Monier@mmonier.bsky.social · 4mo agoMurder. Theft. Tischendorf. Codex Alexandrinus. GA 81. What brings those together? A journey to Alexandria, a trail of manuscripts, and a mystery with more twists than expected, hidden in the story of a grieving library: futureofthepastlab.com/2026/05/27/c...
Murder. Theft. Tischendorf. Codex Alexandrinus. GA 81. What brings those together? A journey to Alexandria, a trail of manuscripts, and a mystery with more twists than expected, hidden in the story of a grieving library: futureofthepastlab.com/2026/05/27/c...
Codex Alexandrinus and GA 81: Lessons from a Grieving Library
May 27th, 2026 By Mina Monier The ‘Walled-Up’ Library and GA 81 Mina Monier, MF Norwegian School of Theology In October 2017, less than two months before my PhD defence, I travelled back to Egypt i…
futureofthepastlab.com
Chance Bonar reports on the 2026 NASSCAL meeting at the University of Virginia. www.nasscal.com/meetings/con...
Conference Report: New Research on Apocryphal Christian Literature (University of Virginia, 1–2 May 2026)
By Chance Bonar On May 1–2, 2026, the University of Virginia’s Departments of Religious Studies and Classics hosted NASSCAL’s conference on New Research on Apocryphal Christian Literature. Occurrin…
nasscal.com
I’m on sale!
Gorgias Press@gorgiaspress.bsky.social · 4mo agoWinner of the Frank W. Beare Award, which recognizes an outstanding book in the areas of Christian Origins, Post-Biblical Judaism and/or Graeco-Roman Religion (2018), this title is $25 off with coupon 25YEARS. Order before the end of today! www.gorgiaspress.com/the-syriac-t... #christianapocrypha
The Pericope Adulterae and the Gospel of Thomas. An eleventh century manuscript of the Gospels features a curious marginal reference to the Gospel of Thomas. To my knowledge, this reference is rarely mentioned in scholarship (please correct me if I’m wrong!).
Added to e-Clavis: Manuscripta apocryphorum ~ Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, gr. 1539 (10/11 c.) feat. Acts Andrew and Matthias and Martyrdom of Andrew. www.nasscal.com/manuscripta-...
Announcing the Sisters of Sinai Prize for Outstanding Scholarship in Christian Apocrypha. Two prizes are awarded every year: one to graduate students and one to early career scholars. Deadline for nominations is Sept. 1. www.nasscal.com/the-sisters-...
The Sisters of Sinai Prize
The Sisters of Sinai Prize for outstanding scholarship in Christian apocrypha is named in honor of Agnes Smith Lewis and Margaret Dunlop Gibson, sisters who are responsible for a number of signific…
nasscal.com
Shameless book promotion time! Why buy my book? + Missionary lumberjacks (St Boniface) 🪓 + A demon in an outhouse + Miltonic gloomy Satan + Jesus melting the gates of hell + A monastery built by a giant from hell manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526175038/
Manchester University Press - Translating hell
Translating hell - Browse and buy the Hardcover edition of Translating hell by Stephen C. E. Hopkins
manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk
Added to e-Clavis: Manuscripta apocryphorum ~ Cambridge, Trinity College, R. 13. 49 (16th cent.) featuring 1 Apocr. Apoc. John, Apoc. Paul, and others. www.nasscal.com/manuscripta-...
My third First Friday workshop. Do I get a jacket when I reach five?
NASSCAL@nasscal.bsky.social · 5mo agoJoin us Friday May 1 for a special First Fridays Workshop featuring two presentations (by Tony Burke and Cecilia Antonelli) as part of the New Research on Apocryphal Christian Literature conference at UVA. Free to attend as always; see the poster below for details.
Jacob Lollar opens his workshop on Working with Manuscripts from the Mediterranean World. Thanks for hosting us @jalollar.bsky.social
In Durham (UK) for a workshop. Found a faded ca. 1300 martyrdom cycle in the cathedral. From left: John in oil, Peter on an upside down cross, and Paul losing his head.
The Epistle of Christ from Heaven in an 7th/8th or 9th cent. inscription once embedded in wall in the Church of S. Maria Assunta in Piazzo (Italy). Now in the Museo diocesano of Brugnato.
