Gospel of the Lots of Mary (Coptic discovery)

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Leucius Charinus
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Gospel of the Lots of Mary (Coptic discovery)

Post by Leucius Charinus »

Newfound 'Gospel of the Lots of Mary' Discovered in Ancient Text
http://www.livescience.com/49673-newfou ... hered.html

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  • A 1,500-year-old book that contains a previously unknown gospel has been deciphered. The ancient manuscript may have been used to provide guidance or encouragement to people seeking help for their problems, according to a researcher who has studied the text.

    Written in Coptic, an Egyptian language, the opening reads (in translation):
      • "The Gospel of the lots of Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ,
        she to whom Gabriel the Archangel brought the good news.
        He who will go forward with his whole heart will obtain what he seeks.
        Only do not be of two minds."
    Anne Marie Luijendijk, a professor of religion at Princeton University, discovered that this newfound gospel is like no other. "When I began deciphering the manuscript and encountered the word 'gospel' in the opening line, I expected to read a narrative about the life and death of Jesus as the canonical gospels present, or a collection of sayings similar to the Gospel of Thomas (a non-canonical text)," she wrote in her book "Forbidden Oracles? The Gospel of the Lots of Mary" (Mohr Siebeck, 2014).

    What she found instead was a series of 37 oracles, written vaguely, and with only a few that mention Jesus.

    The text would have been used for divination, Luijendijk said.

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Peter Kirby
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Re: Gospel of the Lots of Mary (Coptic discovery)

Post by Peter Kirby »

What is the meaning of the word translated 'lots' in this context?
"... almost every critical biblical position was earlier advanced by skeptics." - Raymond Brown
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neilgodfrey
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Re: Gospel of the Lots of Mary (Coptic discovery)

Post by neilgodfrey »

Peter Kirby wrote:What is the meaning of the word translated 'lots' in this context?
There are 37 "sayings" -- they look a bit like a daily horoscope reading -- and presumably when someone would want a solution to a problem they would pick a page (saying) at random (or have the owner of the book be guided the the spirit to select the appropriate one) which would then be interpreted for the benefit of the client.
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Peter Kirby
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Re: Gospel of the Lots of Mary (Coptic discovery)

Post by Peter Kirby »

Ah okay so it is in the sense of "casting of lots."

Cleromancy

The number 37 may well be significant.

Especially if the first one is introductory leaving 36.

36 is 6x6 or 3x3x2x2 and it would be quite easy to throw some form of dice or something in order to have the random selection open to supernatural influence.
"... almost every critical biblical position was earlier advanced by skeptics." - Raymond Brown
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