Talk:Apocryphon of James

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Date written

The article currently says "was probably written in the first half of the 2nd century ref: "The Secret Book of James". www.earlychristianwritings.com. Retrieved 2018-03-14." and then "The usual date of composition for the text is during the 3rd century ref: J. K. Elliott, The Apocryphal New Testament: A Collection of Apocryphal Christian Literature in an English Translation (Oxford: Clarendon, 1993), 673. See further J. van der Vliet, “Spirit and Prophecy in the Epistula Iacobi Apocrypha (NHC I,2),” VC 44 (1990): 25–53." 2A00:23C6:148A:9B01:60BC:17DC:A063:677C (talk) 15:50, 4 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Removal of "Analysis of Consonance between the Apocryphon of James and Jewish Tradition" section

The section "Analysis of Consonance between the Apocryphon of James and Jewish Tradition" should be removed as it violates multiple Wikipedia policies and contradicts established scholarship.

Policy Violations

WP:OR - The entire section constitutes original research, synthesizing sources to reach conclusions not found in any reliable academic source
WP:FRINGE - Presents a fringe interpretation that contradicts scholarly consensus without proper attribution
WP:WEIGHT - Gives undue weight to unsourced religious interpretation over established academic scholarship
WP:RS - No reliable academic sources support the claim that this Gnostic text represents "Jewish tradition"

Academic Problems

Anachronistic methodology - Cites 13th-16th century sources (Zohar, Ari) to interpret a 2nd-century text, which violates basic historical methodology^[1]
Fundamental incompatibility - Gnostic dualism is explicitly incompatible with Jewish monotheism according to Jewish scholarship^[2]
Scholarly consensus - The text is universally classified as Gnostic by academic sources^[3]

Specific Issues

No peer-reviewed source supports interpreting this text as Jewish mystical tradition
The text exhibits classic Gnostic themes that contradict core Jewish theological principles^[4]
The "analysis" reads like religious apologetics rather than neutral encyclopedia content

Sources Supporting Gnostic Classification

NASSCAL e-Clavis database categorizes it as revelatory dialogue with Gnostic character^[5]
Pagels identifies Hellenistic, Zoroastrian, and Platonic influences on Nag Hammadi texts^[6]
Scholarly consensus on dualistic nature incompatible with Judaism^[7]

The section should be removed entirely and replaced with standard scholarly summary of the text's actual Gnostic character and historical context. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.224.117.248 (talk) 19:19, 6 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I'm inclined to agree, and I've removed the offending section. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 🛸 21:27, 5 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

References

^ "What is an "anachronism" in Biblical Hermeneutics?". Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange. Retrieved 2025-06-06.
^ "Dualism". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 2025-06-06. Judaism could accommodate a "mitigated dualism," but rejected the "heretical" dualistic doctrines of some gnostic sectarians
^ "Apocryphon of James". NASSCAL e-Clavis. Retrieved 2025-06-06. Despite a lack of overt "gnostic" character, this text also plays a part in the history of debates over a "gnostic dialogue" genre
^ "Understanding God in Judaism: Monotheism and Its Implications". Philosophy Institute. Retrieved 2025-06-06. Judaism maintains that God is a singular, indivisible entity. There is no room for dualism
^ "Apocryphon of James". NASSCAL.
^ Elaine Pagels. Gnosticism. Wikipedia. Elaine Pagels has noted the influence of sources from Hellenistic Judaism, Zoroastrianism, and Middle Platonism on the Nag Hammadi texts
^ "Gnosticism". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2025-06-06. Gnostic systems postulate a dualism between God and the world

[1] "What is an "anachronism" in Biblical Hermeneutics?". Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange. Retrieved 2025-06-06.

[2] "Dualism". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 2025-06-06. Judaism could accommodate a "mitigated dualism," but rejected the "heretical" dualistic doctrines of some gnostic sectarians

[3] "Apocryphon of James". NASSCAL e-Clavis. Retrieved 2025-06-06. Despite a lack of overt "gnostic" character, this text also plays a part in the history of debates over a "gnostic dialogue" genre

[4] "Understanding God in Judaism: Monotheism and Its Implications". Philosophy Institute. Retrieved 2025-06-06. Judaism maintains that God is a singular, indivisible entity. There is no room for dualism

[5] "Apocryphon of James". NASSCAL.

[6] Elaine Pagels. Gnosticism. Wikipedia. Elaine Pagels has noted the influence of sources from Hellenistic Judaism, Zoroastrianism, and Middle Platonism on the Nag Hammadi texts

[7] "Gnosticism". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2025-06-06. Gnostic systems postulate a dualism between God and the world

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