The "Gospel of Bartholomew" could be the same as the "Questions of Bartholomew".
The Decree of Pope Gelasius lists "the Gospels in the name of Bartholomew" among condemned or unacceptable scriptures, and Jerome mentions a Gospel of Bartholomew among other apocryphal gospels in his prologue to Matthew. On the other hand, the Questions of Bartholomew had significant currency through the centuries, has surviving copies in Slavonic, Coptic, Latin, and Greek, and was the basis for a medieval Latin Church sermon. Fr. K. Parhomenko looks at Questions of Bartholomew and suggests it as a source for where the Orthodox Church entered into its hymnography discussions between people in Hades in connection with Christ's descent there. He also sees it as a source for the idea of Jesus' omnipresence in the theologians and hymnography. He quotes Great Saturday's hymn: "In the grave the fleshly, in hades with soul like God, and in paradise with the thief, and on the throne is Christ..." (Тайна Пасхи 4)
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia's article on Bartholomew says:
"The Apocryphal New Testament" (edited by J. K. Elliott) proposes that Questions of Bartholomew was composed in Greek, perhaps in Egypt. The "Routledge Encyclopedia of Ancient Mediterranean Religions" notes: "The apostle was also valued in Egypt, the place of composition of two works bearing his name: the Questions of Bartholomew and the Book of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ by Bartholomew." Besides that, such dialogues (eg. between Jesus and Bartholomew) are a feature shared with gnostic apocrypha, which commonly came from Egypt or the Mideast. In "Jesus and the Gospels", R. J. Bauckham considers the Questions of Bartholomew to be a non-gnostic work.
The Questions of Bartholomew can be found here: GOSPEL OF BARTHOLOMEW
Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, a 5th-6th c. "Christian Neoplatonist" quoted statements by Bartholomew here: Dionysius the Areopagite: Mystical Theology
The Book of Hieratheus, often attributed to the 5th c. Syrian monastic Stephen Bar Sudhaile, says that Bartholomew wrote "As for me I glorify the Cross of mysteries (or 'of sufferings'), and I know that it is the first gate of the house of God." However, this quote is not found in Questions of Bartholomew.
(Question 1) What do you think is the date range for the Gospel or Questions of Bartholomew?
Stephen Pelle, in his essay "A Quotation from the Questions of Bartholomew in an early Medieval Latin Sermon", says that the Questions of Bartholomew was probably written between the 2nd and fourth century. (https://www.brepolsonline.net/doi/pdf/10.1484/J.APOCRA.5.103628) In the fourth century, Jerome mentioned the Gospel of Bartholomew. The "Resurrection of Jesus Christ by Bartholomew" is a reworked version of the Questions of Bartholomew and is found in a 5th century list of Christian writings.
(Question 2) Do you recognize any of Mary's foreign words in bold below? Are they even meant to be real words from a known national language?
In Chapter II of the Questions of Bartholomew, Bartholomew asks Mary:
This suggests that Mary's declaration below is in the form of a prayer and that the apostles are worthy of hearing the answer to their request of her. After the requests and her replies to the apostles,
In "The Apocryphal New Testament" M.R. James notes about Mary's foreign words: "this is the reading of one Greek copy: the others and the Slavonic have many differences as in all such cases: but as the original words-assuming them to have once had a meaning-are hopelessly corrupted, the matter is not of importance."
I take this to mean that the original, Greek version has Mary give the words and adds: "which is in the Greek tongue", meaning that her foreign words are not Greek, but that the meaning is translated into Greek in the section after them.
I also take the Slavonic version's alteration to "which is in the Hebrew tongue" to mean that the Slavonic editor supposed that Mary's words were Hebrew.
My interpretation is that Mary's words are not meant to be either Greek or Hebrew. This is because Mary's other words spoken to the apostles, as well as Bartholomew's conversation with Jesus is all given in Greek. If the author imagined them to be talking Hebrew or Aramaic (which is close to Hebrew), he would not have translated all their dialogues into Greek except for Mary's brief declaration.
One possibility that comes to mind is that here Mary spoke some kind of angelic, inspirational, or prayer language when she gave her declaration - conceptually similar to how modern Pentecostals portray their "tongues", and this is why it's presented in this gibberish-like form. She had warned the apostles that there could be a fire if she told them what happened at the Incarnation, and after she tells them about the Annunciation, it says that fire came out of her mouth. This brings to mind the tongues of fire in the story of Pentecost in Acts.
Another option is that the writer meant that Mary was speaking Hebrew or Aramaic in her declaration and that the author presents the supposed original Hebrew/Aramaic words just as the canonical gospels sometimes quotes Jesus in Aramaic and then gives a translation (as in "Talitha Kum", Little Girl, Arise!).
(Question 3) Have you heard of other references in early Christian writings about angels worshiping Adam or mankind?
In Chapter 4, Satan tells Bartholomew that the reason he fell from grace was because he (Satan) refused to worship man who was the image of God:
(Question 4) What do you think the 12 heads of God refers to in Chapter 4?
The Decree of Pope Gelasius lists "the Gospels in the name of Bartholomew" among condemned or unacceptable scriptures, and Jerome mentions a Gospel of Bartholomew among other apocryphal gospels in his prologue to Matthew. On the other hand, the Questions of Bartholomew had significant currency through the centuries, has surviving copies in Slavonic, Coptic, Latin, and Greek, and was the basis for a medieval Latin Church sermon. Fr. K. Parhomenko looks at Questions of Bartholomew and suggests it as a source for where the Orthodox Church entered into its hymnography discussions between people in Hades in connection with Christ's descent there. He also sees it as a source for the idea of Jesus' omnipresence in the theologians and hymnography. He quotes Great Saturday's hymn: "In the grave the fleshly, in hades with soul like God, and in paradise with the thief, and on the throne is Christ..." (Тайна Пасхи 4)
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia's article on Bartholomew says:
Al Bahnasa (AKA "Oxyrhynchus") is an Egyptian town where early Christian fragments have been found.Gelasius gives the tradition that Bartholomew brought the Hebrew gospel of Matthew to India. In the "Preaching of Bartholomew in the Oasis" (compare Budge, II, 90) he is referred to as preaching probably in the oasis of Al Bahnasa, and according to the "Preaching of Andrew and Bartholomew" he labored among the Parthians (Budge, II, 183).
Topical Bible: Bartholomew
"The Apocryphal New Testament" (edited by J. K. Elliott) proposes that Questions of Bartholomew was composed in Greek, perhaps in Egypt. The "Routledge Encyclopedia of Ancient Mediterranean Religions" notes: "The apostle was also valued in Egypt, the place of composition of two works bearing his name: the Questions of Bartholomew and the Book of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ by Bartholomew." Besides that, such dialogues (eg. between Jesus and Bartholomew) are a feature shared with gnostic apocrypha, which commonly came from Egypt or the Mideast. In "Jesus and the Gospels", R. J. Bauckham considers the Questions of Bartholomew to be a non-gnostic work.
The Questions of Bartholomew can be found here: GOSPEL OF BARTHOLOMEW
Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, a 5th-6th c. "Christian Neoplatonist" quoted statements by Bartholomew here: Dionysius the Areopagite: Mystical Theology
The Book of Hieratheus, often attributed to the 5th c. Syrian monastic Stephen Bar Sudhaile, says that Bartholomew wrote "As for me I glorify the Cross of mysteries (or 'of sufferings'), and I know that it is the first gate of the house of God." However, this quote is not found in Questions of Bartholomew.
(Question 1) What do you think is the date range for the Gospel or Questions of Bartholomew?
Stephen Pelle, in his essay "A Quotation from the Questions of Bartholomew in an early Medieval Latin Sermon", says that the Questions of Bartholomew was probably written between the 2nd and fourth century. (https://www.brepolsonline.net/doi/pdf/10.1484/J.APOCRA.5.103628) In the fourth century, Jerome mentioned the Gospel of Bartholomew. The "Resurrection of Jesus Christ by Bartholomew" is a reworked version of the Questions of Bartholomew and is found in a 5th century list of Christian writings.
(Question 2) Do you recognize any of Mary's foreign words in bold below? Are they even meant to be real words from a known national language?
In Chapter II of the Questions of Bartholomew, Bartholomew asks Mary:
The apostles and Mary give each other honors, like Mary saying that in the apostles' likeness "did God form the sparrows, and sent them forth into the four corners of the world", and the apostles saying to Mary, "He that is scarce contained by the seven heavens was pleased to be contained in thee."Thou that art highly favoured, the tabernacle of the Most High, unblemished we, even all the apostles, ask thee to tell us how thou didst conceive the incomprehensible, or how thou didst bear him that cannot be carried, or how thou didst bring forth so much greatness.
But Mary said unto them: Ask me not (or Do ye indeed ask me) concerning this mystery. If I should begin to tell you, fire will issue forth out of my mouth and consume all the world.
But they continued yet the more to ask her. And she, for she could not refuse to hear the apostles, said: Let us stand up in prayer.
This suggests that Mary's declaration below is in the form of a prayer and that the apostles are worthy of hearing the answer to their request of her. After the requests and her replies to the apostles,
Out of these words, I recognize Elison ("have mercy" in Greek) and Seption (from "Seven" in Greek). Maybe the seven is related to the apostles' preceding reference to the seven heavens.Mary stood up before them and spread out her hands toward the heaven and began to speak thus:
Elphue Zarethra Charboum Nemioth Melitho Thraboutha Mephnounos Chemiath Aroura Maridon Elison Marmiadon Seption Hesaboutha Ennouna Saktinos Athoor Belelam Opheoth Abo Chrasar, which is in the Greek tongue (Hebrew, Slav.):
O God the exceeding great and all-wise and king of the worlds (ages), that art not to be described, the ineffable, that didst establish the greatness of the heavens and all things by a word, that out of darkness (or the unknown) didst constitute and fasten together the poles of heaven in harmony, didst bring into shape the matter that was in confusion, didst bring into order the things that were without order, didst part the misty darkness from the light, didst establish in one place the foundations of the waters, thou that makest the beings of the air to tremble, and art the fear of them that are on (or under) the earth, that didst settle the earth and not suffer it to perish, and filledst it, which is the nourisher of all things, with showers of blessing: (Son of) the Father, thou whom the seven heavens hardly contained, but who wast well-pleased to be contained without pain in me, thou that art thyself the full word of the Father in whom all things came to be: give glory to thine exceeding great name, and bid me to speak before thy holy apostles.
In "The Apocryphal New Testament" M.R. James notes about Mary's foreign words: "this is the reading of one Greek copy: the others and the Slavonic have many differences as in all such cases: but as the original words-assuming them to have once had a meaning-are hopelessly corrupted, the matter is not of importance."
I take this to mean that the original, Greek version has Mary give the words and adds: "which is in the Greek tongue", meaning that her foreign words are not Greek, but that the meaning is translated into Greek in the section after them.
I also take the Slavonic version's alteration to "which is in the Hebrew tongue" to mean that the Slavonic editor supposed that Mary's words were Hebrew.
My interpretation is that Mary's words are not meant to be either Greek or Hebrew. This is because Mary's other words spoken to the apostles, as well as Bartholomew's conversation with Jesus is all given in Greek. If the author imagined them to be talking Hebrew or Aramaic (which is close to Hebrew), he would not have translated all their dialogues into Greek except for Mary's brief declaration.
One possibility that comes to mind is that here Mary spoke some kind of angelic, inspirational, or prayer language when she gave her declaration - conceptually similar to how modern Pentecostals portray their "tongues", and this is why it's presented in this gibberish-like form. She had warned the apostles that there could be a fire if she told them what happened at the Incarnation, and after she tells them about the Annunciation, it says that fire came out of her mouth. This brings to mind the tongues of fire in the story of Pentecost in Acts.
Another option is that the writer meant that Mary was speaking Hebrew or Aramaic in her declaration and that the author presents the supposed original Hebrew/Aramaic words just as the canonical gospels sometimes quotes Jesus in Aramaic and then gives a translation (as in "Talitha Kum", Little Girl, Arise!).
(Question 3) Have you heard of other references in early Christian writings about angels worshiping Adam or mankind?
In Chapter 4, Satan tells Bartholomew that the reason he fell from grace was because he (Satan) refused to worship man who was the image of God:
53. I was going to and fro in the world, and God said unto Michael: Bring me a clod from the four corners of the earth, and water out of the four rivers of paradise. And when Michael brought them God formed Adam in the regions of the east, and shaped the clod which was shapeless, and stretched sinews and veins upon it and established it with Joints; and he worshipped him, himself for his own sake first, because he was the image of God, therefore he worshipped him.
54. And when I came from the ends of the earth Michael said: Worship thou the image of God, which he hath made according to his likeness. But I said: I am fire of fire, I was the first angel formed, and shall worship clay and matter?
55. And Michael saith to me: Worship, lest God be wroth with thee. But I said to him: God will not be wroth with me; but I will set my throne over against his throne, and I will be as he is. Then was God wroth with me and cast me down, having commanded the windows of heaven to be opened.
(Question 4) What do you think the 12 heads of God refers to in Chapter 4?
In apocalyptic literature of this period, "heads" sometimes refers to kings. So maybe the 12 heads refers to the 12 disciples who were to lead the Church?5. Woe unto him that sweareth by the head of God, yea woe (?) to him that sweareth falsely by him truly. For there are twelve heads of God the most high: for he is the truth, and in him is no lie, neither forswearing.
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