PSCO Presentation: 9 October, 2003

"Overview of the Project with Selected Examples (e.g. Daniel, Gospel of Mary)"
Robert Kraft, University of Pennsylvania (PSCO chair/coordinator)

"Armenian Developments of Biblical Traditions: Transmission and Creativity" (with focus on Adam and Eve, Ezra, and a few others)
Michael E. Stone, Hebrew University

THE INITIAL MEETING OF 2003-04 will be held on Thursday, 9 October 2003, from 7-9 pm in the Second Floor Lounge, Logan Hall at the University of Pennsylvania. For some background on the topic ("Parabiblical Prosopography: Personal Names Associated with Parabiblical Literature," which is a continuation of the previous year's topic), see the PSCO web page for Year 40 and especially Bob Kraft's page, Parabiblical Literature (with links to electronic versions of M.R. James' Lost Apocrypha and similar materials with early Christian focus).

Persons wishing to dine with other participants prior to the meeting should meet at 6 pm at Logan Hall, Second Floor Lounge (southeast of Locust Walk and 36th Street Walk) or go directly to the Food Court in the basement of Houston Hall (just east of Logan, along Spruce Street), where an international variety of food choices is available at reasonable prices.

Background and Other Information Regarding This Meeting

We will try to give Michael Stone most of the time available tomorrow night (Thursday) at the initial meeting for PSCO 41, but Bob Kraft also prepared some materials that he'll introduce, and you might want to explore them at your leisure at some other time.

There are two main internet files encompassing the "New (electronic) M.R.James" project, one for material derived from Jewish scripture/tradition (the original "Lost Apocrypha" concept), and the other an extension to include early Christian material; you will find them at

http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/rs/rak/courses/735/Parabiblical/jamesnew.htm
(see especially the line at the top of that file, with links to some examples "latest update 08 October 2003 RAK [supplements to Eve, Og/Giants, Daniel]"

http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/rs/rak/courses/735/Parabiblical/NTParabib.htm
with a link to an overview of the larger project as I've conceptualized it http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/rs/rak/courses/735/Parabiblical/jameschr.htm

This "conceptualization" file is probably the best starting point for getting some background as well as some understanding of the larger project. Please feel free to volunteer to explore your favorite characters or traditions in this wideranging format! (Or to volunteer others.)

For those coming to Mike Stone's discussion of the Levi fragments (1-3 pm in Logan 436), it might be amusing and also instructive to see what M. R. James said about that material back in 1920, in the first file mentioned above.

PSCO

Philadelphia Seminar on Christian Origins

PSCO Presentation: 9 October, 2003

Background and Other Information Regarding This Meeting