Forged (39 page)

Pilate Gospels, 152–159;
Handing Over of Pilate,
157–159;
Letter of Herod to Pilate,
153–155;
Letter of Pilate to Claudius,
155–156;
Letter of Pilate to Herod,
154–155; overview on, 152–153; purpose of, 159, 171;
Report of Pontius Pilate,
156–157, 158

plagiarism, 220, 245–249

Plato, 26, 27, 31, 37, 39, 41, 42, 71

Plutarch, 34, 39, 269n13

poetry, epic tragic, 45–46, 48

political forgeries, 27–28

Polybius, 48, 246

polytheistic religions, 6

Pontius Pilate, 3, 55–56, 58, 150–153, 169, 172–173, 257–258, 259.
See also
Pilate Gospels

Porphyry, 130, 131

Procla, 154–155

profit motive, 15, 26–27

Proto-Gospel of James,
234–236, 248

Psalms, 145, 146, 236

pseudepigraphal writing, 24–25.
See also
forgery, literary

Pseudo-Clementine Writings,
62–63, 190–192

pseudonymous writing, 23–24, 140

pseudos
(falsehood), 37–38

Pythagoras, 130–133, 247

 

Rahab, 42

rapture beliefs, 105–106

reactualizing tradition, 125–129

Reed, Jonathan, 74

reincarnation, 258–259

religion, ancient, 5–7

religious conflict, 143–145, 176–178

religious forgery, 28–29

Report of Pontius Pilate,
156–157, 158

resurrection of Jesus.
See
Jesus, resurrection of

resurrection of the faithful.
See
second coming beliefs

Revelation, 21, 30, 64, 105

Rhossus congregation, 53–54

Richards, E. Randolph, 134–138

Roman Empire: Christianity unique in, 6–7; consulting
Sibylline oracles, 173–174; destruction of Jerusalem, 56–57, 68, 149–150; and Jesus's trial and crucifixion, 55–58, 151, 152, 156; lack of records on Jesus, 256–257; literacy in, 72–73; Paul unknown in, 91; treatment of Christians in, 67, 163–164; use of secretaries, 134–138

romances, 45–46

Romans, book of, 86, 93, 99, 134, 138, 200

Rome, 68, 92

 

Salome, 235

salvation: Gnostic transcendence of the flesh, 96, 211, 214; through Jesus, 61, 81, 85, 99, 100, 109–111, 200

Salvian, 31–33, 262

Sarah, 42

Schleiermacher, Friedrich, 95–96

scholarly justification of forgery, 119–140; coauthoring theories, 77, 114, 136–137; disciples writing as act of humility, 129–133; nondeceptive intent view, 119–123, 126; overview on, 118, 139–140; pseudepigraphy in the Spirit, 123–125; reactualizing the tradition, 125–129.
See also
secretary hypothesis

Schonfield, Hugh, 260

scribes, 87, 240–244, 250

scribes, forgeries by.
See
secretary hypothesis

second coming beliefs: docetist, 89; Gnostic, 211–212; messianic predictions and, 148; mocked by scoffers, 69–70; modern rapture beliefs, 105–106; Paul's views, 90, 99–102, 106–108, 110–111; as spiritual / already occurring, 111, 112, 113

2 Corinthians, 93

2 John, 23, 221, 223, 229

2 Kings, 86, 224 2

Peter, 21–22, 68–70, 75, 76, 127, 128, 131, 134, 135, 138, 201–202, 204, 247–248, 275n23

2 Samuel, 224 2

Thessalonians, 19–21, 22, 35, 37, 105–108, 120

2 Timothy, 22, 86, 93–98, 102–103, 115, 188

Second Treatise of the Great Seth,
161

Secret Book of John,
213

Secret Gospel of Mark,
27, 260–261

secretary hypothesis, 133–139; arguments against, 138–139; four uses of secretaries theory, 135–138; overview of, 133–134; and Pauline/Petrine forgeries, 108, 114, 134–139

self-knowledge, 96, 210, 211, 215

Seneca, 18, 91–92, 114, 171

Septuagint, 67, 75, 76

Serapion, 53, 54, 57, 59–60, 233

sexual abstinence teachings: apologists supporting, 170; divided views on, 82–83, 103–105; in forgeries about Peter, 49–50; forgers linking to Paul, 18, 82, 103–105, 233; of the Gnostics, 96

Sibylline oracles, 173–176

Silvanus, 76, 200

Simon Peter.
See
Peter, Apostle

Simon the Magician, 50–52, 62, 88, 89, 155, 160, 190, 191, 217, 233

Smith, Morton, 27, 260–261, 269n16

Socrates, 41, 71, 247

Solomon, 117

Sophocles, 16, 26

Speyer, Wolfgang, 40, 123

Spirit-inspired forgery, 123–125

Spirit of God, 100–101

spiritual battle, 144

Stern
(magazine), 13, 14

Stoics, 16

stories, true.
See
true stories

subjectivity, 3

submissiveness in women, 83, 94, 103–104, 172, 244

suffering, 53–54, 57, 59–60, 66–67

 

techniques of forgers, 19–20, 33–35

Tertius, 134

Tertullian, 18, 83, 84, 156, 165–166, 169, 212, 213, 221–222, 233, 270n24

Thecla, 81, 82–83, 103, 104, 105, 262

Theopompus, 29

3 Corinthians, 88–90, 216

3 John, 23, 221, 223, 229

Thomas, Judas Didymus, 213, 215

Thucydides, 47, 48

Tiberius, Emperor, 155, 156, 158, 259

Tibetan Issa stories, 252–254

Timothy to the Church
(Salvian), 32–33, 262

Tiro, 137

Titus, 49–50, 86, 93, 95, 96, 99, 101, 102, 103, 115, 188, 197

tradition, reactualizing, 125–129

tragic poetry, 45–46, 48

transfiguration scene, 68–69

Trevor-Roper, Hugh, 13, 14

true stories, 43–49; ancient historical writing, 47–49; ancient notions of fiction, 45–48; and falsehood, 45; George Washington illustration, 44–45; nature of, 43–44

truth: apostolic truth, 7–8; Christianity's truth claims, 5–7; as complex, 43; evangelical Christians' commitment to, 3–5; objective truth, 3–4; reconciling Christianity with, 4–5; use of falsehoods to promote, 144, 216, 217, 218, 250, 265

truth claims, 5–7, 44–45

 

Unknown Life of Jesus Christ, The,
252–254

 

vegetarianism, 259

Venturini, K. H., 256

verisimilitude, 34–35, 102–103

virgin birth story, 235–236

Vitruvius, 246

 

Washington, George, 44–45

Weems, Mason Locke, 44

women in the church, 82–83, 94, 100, 103–105, 172, 244–245

works, 99, 110, 194–198

writing: ancient literacy and, 70–73; biography, 46, 47; epic poetry, 45–46, 48; fabrication, 232; falsifications, 240–242; historical writing, 44–45, 47–49, 232–234; homonymous writing, 23; literary genre, 46; notions of fiction, 45–48; orthonymous writing, 22–23; plagiarism, 220, 245–249; pseudepigraphal writing, 24–25; pseudonymous writing, 23–24.
See also
anonymous writing; forgery, literary; scholarly justification of forgery; secretary hypothesis; true stories

 

Xenophon, 41

 

Zechariah, 145