Flora Tells a Story: The Apocalypse of Paul and Its Contexts

In early Christianity, many people were inspired to write gospels, treatises, letters, and stories celebrating the new faith, but not all of these writings are found in the New Testament. One such story from an unknown author is the Coptic, gnostic Apocalypse of Paul , a tale of the apostle Pauls ascent to the heavens that was lost for millennia and rediscovered at Nag Hammadi in 1945. In Flora Tells a Story , Michael Kaler discusses the Apocalypse of Paul and how it was shaped by its literary environment. The book takes a behind the scenes look at early Christian literary production, analyzing the ways in which various literary traditionssuch as apocalyptic writings, gnostic thought, and understandings of Paulinfluenced the author of the Apocalypse of Paul and helped to shape the text. It also includes a new annotated English translation of the Apocalypse of Paul and a fictional account of how it might have come to be written. This work is the most in-depth study of the Apocalypse of Paul to date and the only full-length discussion of it in English. It provides a detailed but accessible account of the literary environment in which its author worked and integrates this little-known work into the broader stream of early Christian writings. This book will be of interest to specialists in Nag Hammadi and gnostic studies and early Christian literature, but will also appeal to the general reader interested in Christianity, mysticism, and gnosticism.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents for Flora Tells a Story: The Apocalypse of Paul and its Contexts edited by Michael Kaler Acknowledgements Introduction The Text English Translation of the Apocalypse of Paul (NHC V,2) Flora Tells a Story: A Fictional Account of the Creation of the Apocalypse of Paul Introduction The Story Section One: The Apocalypse of Paul is a text... Presentation of the Manuscript, Editio Princeps, and Translations/Editions History of Research Section Two: written in the late 2nd or early 3rd century by a gnostic (possibly Valentinian) author... Introduction Patristic References to the Apocalypse of Paul Similarities between Adv. Haer. II, 30.7 and the Apocalypse of Paul Ramifications of This Conclusion Is It Gnostic? Is It Valentinian? Conclusion Section Three: showing the apostle Paul... Introduction Towards an Expanded Definition of Paulinism Koschorke, and the Importance of Supplementing Koschorke The Figure of Paul in the Apocalypse of Paul The Apocalyptic Paul Conclusion to This Section Section Four: as an apocalyptic hero... Introduction Apocalypse/ Apocalyptic/ Apocalypticism The Apocalypses Characteristics of the Apocalyptic Genre The Apocalypse of Adam The Apocalypse of Paul Other Examples Francis Cairns Alistair Fowler Conclusions Rhetorical Strategy/Authority A Transposition of Heavens? The Place of the Apocalypse of Paul in the Apocalyptic Literary Tradition Conclusion Section Five: ...in order to authoritatively present a gnostic understanding of the cosmos and the Pauline writings. Introduction The Story The Authors Use of Her Sources Christian Initiation Ecclesiology Conclusion General Conclusion Works Consulted Indexes People (Ancient or Mythical) and Ancient Groups People: Modern Ancient Books: Hebrew Bible/New Testament Other Ancient Writings Ancient Places

About the Author :
Michael Kaler is a specialist in the study of early Christianity and particularly gnosticism, a loose assortment of distinctive beliefs about the nature of God, reality, and humanity. He has worked and published with Université Lavalâs prestigious Bibliothéque copte de Nag Hammadi project and has taught at the University of Toronto and McMaster University. His work on Paul, gnosticism, and early Christianity has been published in Harvard Theological Review , Journal of Early Christian Studies , and other journals.