The Ancient Traditions Of The Virgin Mary's Dormition And Assumption

The ancient Dormition and Assumption traditions are a collection of over sixty different narratives, preserved in nine ancient languages, that commemorate the end of the Virgin Mary's life. These traditions have long been overlooked by scholars of early Christianity, no doubt largely because this complicated corpus was insufficiently well known.

The present study aims to remedy this situation with a detailed analysis of the earliest traditions of Mary's death, including liturgical and archaeological evidence as well as the numerous narrative sources. Several of the most important narratives are translated in appendices, many appearing in English for the first time.

The book will be of interest to all scholars of early Christian literature. Review: This is a masterful study, and the author is to be congratulated on his achievement. International Review of Biblical Studies ...Essential for the study of Mary in Early Christianity. Sandra L. Zimdars-Swartz ... impressive ... both rich and illuminating: it offers many new insights on the development of legends surrounding the departure of the Mother of God from earthly life and her sojourn in paradise thereafter ... a valuable contribution to the field.

Shoemaker treats both primary and secondary sources comprehensively and skilfully, adding critical and imaginative insights to the work which has been done in the field. Sobornost ... the book's extensive bibliography is impressive ... The thesis is meticulously referenced with full and detailed footnotes ...

Shoemaker's scholarship in this area will make his a name to reckon with in the future. The Journal of Theological Studies ... learned survey of the literary, archaeological, and liturgical sources for early traditions of the Dormition. Bryn Mawr Classical Review