338 michael kaler
on his voice.5 in this paper, i will discuss these two pseudepigrapha, in
search of how Tertullian’s comment might resonate with them. neither of
the works in question has inspired a great deal of scholarly work, and thus
i hope that their presentation here might be stimulating and informative
to non-specialist readers.
This paper is not the place for detailed, introductions to the texts them-
selves: such presentations can be found elsewhere.6 over the seventy years
since the discovery of the nag hammadi codices, the tendency has been
for work on the writings they contain to concentrate on either performing
individual analyses of the texts, or in integrating them into hypothetical
historical or ideological contexts of origin or pre-nag hammadi use, with
the latter tendency having predominated in the earliest period of study.
This is valuable work, essential for understanding these texts, but there is
other work that needs to be done as well. if we are to see ancient writings
in terms of their trajectories through history, we must beware neglecting
one significant point on a work’s trajectory in favour of other, “sexier”
points. it is all very well to discuss the effect or impact of a given work in,
say, second-century rome or third-century Alexandria, but we must not
5 it is true that the Apocalypse of Paul begins by referring to paul in the third person,
only switching to the first person as paul begins his ascension into the heavens. There
is an apparent switch of person at 19.10, but this is probably a scribal error (Jean-marc
rosenstiehl and michael Kaler, L’Apocalypse de Paul [NH V,2] [Bibliothèque copte de
nag hammadi section “Textes” 31; Québec/louvain/paris: presses de l’université laval/
peeters, 2005], 20–23). The definitive switch is at 20.5, roughly a third of the way into the
text. This may raise some doubt as to whether the work ought to be described as being
“pseduepigraphal.” however, two factors tip the balance: first, it does switch to the first
person and is in first person for the majority of the text. second, it is a characteristic of
Judeo-christian apocalypses to change person from first to third or third to first, found in
the Testament of Abraham, the book of Daniel, the Ascension of Isaiah, etc. indeed, this
is done by paul himself when he describes his apocalyptic experiences in 2 cor 12:2–4.
Thus, the author’s use of the third person can be seen as an invocation of her sources, and
apocalyptic norms.
6 for the Apocalypse of Paul, see rosenstiehl and Kaler, L’Apocalypse de Paul; michael
Kaler, Flora Tells a Story: The Apocalypse of Paul and its Contexts (escJ 19; waterloo: wilfrid
laurier university press, 2008); hans-Joachim Klauck, “die himmelfährt des paulus [2 Kor
12:2–4] in der koptischen paulusapokalypse aus nag hammadi [nhc V/2],” SNTU 10 (1985):
151–90; and william r. murdock, “The Apocalypse of paul” (unpublished ph.d. diss., The
claremont graduate school, 1968).
for the Prayer of the Apostle Paul, see rodolphe Kasser, “oratio pauli Apostoli,” in
r. Kasser et al. (eds.), Tractatus Tripartitus Partes II et III (Berne: francke, 1975), 248–85;
harold Attridge (ed.), Nag Hammadi Codex 1 (The Jung Codex) (nhms 22, 23; leiden: Brill,
1985); michael Kaler, “The Prayer of the Apostle Paul in the context of nag hammadi
codex i,” JECS 16.3 (2008): 319–39. for a discussion of the two works together, see pier-
luigi piovanelli, “la prière et l’apocalypse de paul au sein de la littérature apocryphe
d’attribution paulinienne,” Apocrypha 15 (2004): 31–40.