The Epistle of Pseudo‐Titus

Written in barbarous Latin this apocryphon is mainly a declamation about virginity. Such was M. R. James's judgement on the epistle. This text survives in an eighth‐century manuscript in Würzburg. D. de Bruyne published the quotations from apocryphal Acts found in the epistle in 1908, but it was not until 1925 that the complete text was published.

The epistle may have originated in the fifth century in Spain and was used in the Priscillianist movement, which was rigorously ascetic.

The text is not translated or summarized here, but the relevant extracts possibly originating from the apocryphal Acts of Peter and of John and of Andrew are included above (ad loc.).

Editions

• D. de Bruyne, ‘Epistula Titi Discipuli Pauli, de Dispositione Sanctimonii’, Rev. Bén. 37 (1925), 47–72; cf. id., ‘Nouveaux fragments des Actes de Pierre, de Paul, de Jean, d'André et de l'Apocalypse d’Élie’, Rev. Bén. 25 (1908), 149–60. [Corrigenda in V. Bulhart, ‘Nochmals Textkritisches’, Rev. Bén. 62 (1952), 297–9.]

• A. Hamman, ‘Epistula in Titi de Dispositione Sanctimonii’, in Migne, PL Suppl. 2.4, cols. 1522–42.

Modern Translations

English

• Hennecke³, ii. 141–66.

• Hennecke⁵, ii. 53–74.

German

• Hennecke³, ii. 90–109 (A. de Santos Otero).

• Hennecke⁵, ii. 50–70 (A. de Santos Otero).

Italian

• Erbetta, iii. 93–110.

• Moraldi, ii. 1757–88 (cf. ii. 1211–12).

General

• A. von Harnack, ‘Der apokryphe Brief des Paulusschülers Titus “de dispositione sanctimonii” ’, SPAW 17 (1925), 180–213. [A major investigation into the text and contents.]

• See also G. Sfameni Gasparro ‘L'Epistula Titi discipuli Pauli de dispositione sanctimonii e la tradizione dell'enkrateia’, ANRW 2.25.6, 4551–64. [This includes a full bibliography.]