Oral tradition units and the Acts of Paul

I am currently writing an article on the New Testament in the Acts of Paul. Therefore, I’ve been thinking about the nature of the traditions that are found in the AP.  Several scholars have assumed that the author AP knew and adapted the canonical Acts (e.g., R. Pervo [JHC 2 (1995) 3-32], R. Bauckham [“The Acts of Paul as a Sequel to Acts”] , later D. R. MacDonald [Legend and Apostle argued for oral tradition], D. Marguerat; see Semeia 80; 1994 SBL Seminar Papers). I am formulating a view that oral tradition is a better way of explaining the relation between Acts and the AP. But it is also necessary to take a stance on oral tradition in coming to grips with the nature of the composition of the AP generally. That is, if it is primarily an ancient novel, oral tradition would play a secondary role to literary considerations. Thus, J. Barrier is able to doubt the historical existence of Thecla (perhaps this point is unfair and Jeremy would care to correct it).

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Online Greek Texts of the Acts of Paul

Acta Pauli online Greek text (no apparatus) in unicode.  I was confused about this website because for some reason, the unicode Greek fonts did not appear correctly in Firefox.  This problem was solved by viewing the page in MS Internet explorer 7.

The texts include the Hamburg Papyrus, Acts of Paul and Thecla (Lipsius), the Martyrdom of Paul (Libsius) and 3 Corinthians (Papyrus Bodmer X).

The main website (http://patrologia.narod.ru/) contains other biblical studies and Patristic texts in Hebrew and Greek.

Heidelberg Papyrus – Schmidt 1904

Carl Schmidt,  Acta Pauli (1904),  transcription of  Coptic Heidelberg papyrus, (pdf 5.2 mb) pp. 1-80 including the glossary of Coptic words with German equivalents.  Access to the photos of this papyrus is found here.

Die katholische Kirche und die häretischen Apostelgeschichten, by Ferdinand Piontek

Ferdinand Piontek, Die katholische Kirche und die häretischen Apostelgeschichten, Breslau: Druck von R. Nischkowsky, 1908 (57 pp.).   (pdf, 5.5 mb)

Copyright

I had scans of the Hamburg Papyrus from Schmidt-Schubert, ΠΡΑΞΕΙΣ ΠΑΥΛΟΥ and decided to take them down, since I am not sure that they belong to the public domain.  As far as I know, a work published after 1923 in Germany would be protected until 70 years after the death of the author.  Since I don’t know when the authors died, I am not sure when these pictures would enter the public domain.

W. F. Rinck, Das Sendschreiben der Korinther an den Apostel Paulus und das dritte Sendschreiben Pauli an die Korinther

Rinck, W. F.  Das Sendschreiben der Korinther an den Apostel Paulus und das dritte Sendschreiben Pauli an die Korinther, in armenischer Übersetzung erhalten, nun verdeutscht und mit einer Einleitung über die Ächtheit begleitet. Heidelberg, 1823.

Rinck 1-69 and table of contents (pdf 6 mb); Rinck, 70-143 (pdf 5.4 mb); Rinck, 144-243 (pdf 7 mb)

During my viva (doctoral examination), Dr. Ernst Bammel said that I had failed to mention the only monograph written on 3 Cor.   I had actually asked my supervisor about this book and he said that I needn’t bother since it was pre-critical and by a pastor.  When it became necessary for me to take Rinck into account, Prof. Rordorf sent me a copy of K. Pink “Die Pseudopaulinische Briefe”, Biblica 6 (1925) 68-78, not thinking that I could be serious about needing this 1823 book.  When I told him that actually needed the 1823 monograph,  he kindly tracked it down for me in the Stadtbibliothek, Zurich.  Rinck made many arguments that 3 Corinthians was an authentic epistle.  It’s really too bad that he didn’t have the Papyrus Bodmer Greek text; he could have made an much stronger case for authenticity.

C. Ulmann, Review of Rinck

C. Ulmann, Das Sendscheiben der Korinther and den Apostel Paulus und das dritte Sendschreiben Pauli and die Korinther in armenischer Uebersetzung erhalten, nun verdeutscht und mit einer Einleitung ueber die Aechtheit begleitet von Wilh. Fr. Rinck, Ev. Pfarrer zu Bishoffingen (Heidelberg: C. F. Winter, 1823).  Heidelberger Jahrbuecher der Literatur 17 (3 neue Folge) (1823) 529-557 (pdf 3.11 mb).

Note:  some of the pages have illegible lines in this copy.  If the article is interesting please let me know by leaving a comment below and I will decipher the lines which are illegible.  If anyone has a clean copy, they can send me a scan.

Rostalski, Die Sprache der griechischen Paulusakten

Friedrich Rostalski, Die Sprache der griechischen Paulusakten mit Beruecksichtigung ihrer lateinischen Uebersetzungen.  Myslowitz: Buchdruckereri Max Roelle, 1913.  (pdf 2.15 mb)

The influence of 1 Corinthians on the Acts of Paul

Peter W. Dunn, “The influence of 1 Corinthians on the Acts of Paul“, Society of Biblical Literature 1996 Seminar Papers (Atlanta:  Scholars Press), 438-454, with minor corrections.

This paper largely draws from my 1996 doctoral dissertation with a few additional reflections.