Date of Award
Spring 1998
Document Type
Dissertation - Restricted
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Theology
First Advisor
Hills, Julian V.
Second Advisor
Barnes, Michel
Third Advisor
Edwards, Richard A.
Abstract
The genesis for this dissertation was a series of small, ten page papers written for a 1992 graduate seminar, "Formation of the Gospel Tradition," at Marquette University. While studying the Lukan fig tree parable in Luke 13:6-9, I came across an obviously similar account in the Apocalypse of Peter. Not being familiar with this text, I began to search for secondary literature, only to find that very little had been written on what I was soon to discover is a very important early Christian text. An idea began taking shape for a dissertation on the use of Synoptic traditions in Apoc. Pet. Under the direction of Dr. Julian V. Hills, the next years were spent preparing for the writing of this dissertation. Much background work had to be done. Of first importance was the learning of the Ethiopic language. While two Greek fragments of the Apocalypse of Peter exist, the text is extant in its entirety only in Ethiopic. Thomas 0. Lambdin's Introduction to Classical Ethiopic (Ge'ez) was utilized for this purpose, and I have followed his transliteration system in the following pages. In addition to this language work, I made it my aim to become familiar with the noncanonical texts of Judaism and Christianity. The following study is the product of this work.