The Acts of Thomas: Introduction, Text, and Commentary (Supplements to Novum Testamentum) [Hardcover]

Albertus Frederik Johannes Klijn (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2003 | Series: Supplements to Novum Testamentum (Book 108)

This is the second edition of a book published in 1962. At that time, the relatively young Dr A.F.J. Klijn was brought up in the school of W.C. van Unnik and G. Quispel, both in Utrecht. In his book about the Acts of Thomas he tried to demonstrate that this work cannot be reckoned among the Gnostic writings but belongs to the early Syriac or rather Eastern Christian tradition. During the latter decades of the 20th century, much was written about Syriac Christianity, which made it necessary to rewrite the original introduction of this book. The commentary has mainly been left as it was, although many additions have been made to its great number of references.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A.F.J. Klijn is Emeritus Professor of the University of Groningen. In his early years he was especially attracted by the textual criticism of the New Testament. Later, his attention was directed to Jewish Christianity and the apocryphal literature. Among many other books and articles he is the author of Die Syrische Baruch-Apokalypse (Gütersloh, 1976), and Jewish-Christian Gospel Tradition (Brill, 1991

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Brill Academic Pub; 2 Revised edition (June 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9004129375
• ISBN-13: 978-9004129375
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,502,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars English translation of the Syriac version with insightful commentary, March 11, 2011

By 

P. Edenfield (Metro Atlanta) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Acts of Thomas: Introduction, Text, and Commentary (Supplements to Novum Testamentum) (Hardcover)

I usually don't review books, but I read the above review and thought that it did not do justice to this book. It is true that this translation does not contain the original Syriac, but that can be found elsewhere. A.F.J. Klijn is a well-respected scholar, and his translation and commentary alone are very worthwhile in their own right. This is actually the "Second Revised Edition" published in 2003, the first edition being published in 1962, so this new edition is able to take advantage of the considerable research into the Acts of Thomas over those 40 years.

Now, just a reminder that this translation is based on the Syriac text and NOT the Greek text. Klijn does, however, provide extensive cross-comparisons between the two in his commentary. Sometimes the Syriac text seems to preserve the older reading, but very often it is the Greek version that seems older and less subject to alteration. If you really want to dig into this text, you will want to look at both the Greek and the Syriac. I recommend H.J.W. Drijvers' translation of the Greek text, which can be found in the *Revised Edition* of Schneemelcher's New Testament Apocrypha. In the study of either text, however, I personally think that Klijn's insightful and detailed commentary is indispensable.

As for the cost of the book, yes, it is quite expensive, but many scholarly editions (especially European imprints and even domestic reprints -- I'm not naming names here) are also expensive. That just goes with the territory, unfortunately.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars If you were looking for the original Syriac text, it's not here, April 1, 2007

By 

J. Howard (Olympia, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Acts of Thomas: Introduction, Text, and Commentary (Supplements to Novum Testamentum) (Hardcover)

Nowhere in any of the reviews of this book, does it mention that this is only an English translation, and that the original Syriac text is not included. Whoever shells out their hundreds of dollars to buy this book, is still going to be missing the source text, which apparently is still buried in research libraries and inaccessable to the book-buyer. If someone wants to actually do service to ancient, valuable books, they should start publishing the original sources for everyone, instead of just entertaining people with their personal translations and research.