The Ancient Traditions of the Virgin Mary's

The ancient Dormition and Assumption traditions are a collection of over sixty different narratives, preserved in nine ancient languages, that commemorate the end of the Virgin Mary's life. These traditions have long been overlooked by scholars of early Christianity, no doubt largely becausethis complicated corpus was insufficiently well known. The present study aims to remedy this situation with a detailed analysis of the earliest traditions of Mary's death, including liturgical and archaeological evidence as well as the numerous narrative sources. Several of the most importantnarratives are translated in appendices, many appearing in English for the first time. The book will be of interest to all scholars of early Christian literature.

Stephen J. Shoemaker is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, University of Oregon.

List of Figures

xv

Abbreviations

xvi

Introduction

1

(8)

The Earliest Dormition Traditions: Their Nature and Shape

9

(69)

The Ancient Traditions of Mary's Dormition and Assumption

25

(53)

Conclusions

76

(2)

The Ancient Palestinian Cult of the Virgin and the Early Dormition Traditions

78

(64)

The Ancient Church of the Kathisma and the Origins of the Palestinian Cult of the Virgin

81

(17)

The Church of Mary in the Valley of Josaphat and the Tomb of the Virgin

98

(9)

Christian Eulogiai and the Palestinian Cult of the Virgin

107

(8)

The Origins, Shape, and Development of Marian Cult in Late Ancient Jerusalem

115

(17)

The Emergence of a Stational Marian Liturgy in Early Medieval Jerusalem

132

(10)

Conclusions

140

(2)

Rival Traditions of Mary's Death: The Independent Origins of the Ancient Dormition Traditions

142

(63)

Against the Priority of an Assumptionless Tradition: The Obsequies, the Liber Requiei, and the Palm Traditions

146

(22)

Topography, Liturgy, and the Question of Origins

168

(11)

A Garden Closed and Reopened: Late Ancient Paradise Traditions as Evidence of Independent Origins

179

(26)

Conclusions

203

(2)

The Prehistory and Origins of the Dormition and Assumption Traditions

205

(75)

Early Christian Heterodoxy and the Prehistory of the Dormition Traditions

209

(47)

Resistance to Chalcedon and the Origin of the Dormition Traditions

256

(24)

Conclusions

278

(2)

Conclusion

280

(139)

Appendices: Select Translations of Early Dormition Narratives

A. The Ethiopic Liber Requiei

290

(61)

B. The Earliest Greek Dormition Narrative

351

(19)

C. Fifth-Century Syriac Palimpsest Fragments of the `Six Books'

370

(5)

D. The Ethiopic Six Books

375

(22)

E. The Sahidic Coptic Homily on the Dormition Attributed to Evodius of Rome

397

(11)

F. Jacob of Serug, Homily on the Dormition

408

(7)

G. Parallels to the Liber Requiei from the Early Palm Narratives

415

(4)

Bibliography

419

(35)

Index

454

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The Ancient Traditions of the Virgin Mary's Dormition and Assumption

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials