Abstract

P.Duk.inv. 766, part of Duke University’s papyrological collection, contains two annunciation hymns addressed to the Virgin Mary on the recto and verso. The hymns on the papyrus are unique, and they appear to have been written sometime in the 7th century CE. The content of the two hymns is similar to other hymns from the 5th-7th centuries CE, and the subject matter is derived from early annunciation accounts. In particular, the papyrus shows similarities to the annunciation accounts found in Luke’s Gospel and in the pseudepigraphal infancy gospel of James, Protoevangelium of James. This paper will argue that the hymns on P.Duk.inv. 766 are part of the tradition of the Protoevangelium of James both in terms of language and Mariological doctrine. It will include a short discussion of the Protoevangelium and an overview of Christian beliefs about Mary that developed out of both canonical and non-canonical Christian texts. The paper will then compare the annunciation account found in the Protoevangelium of James and the annunciation account from the New Testament gospel of Luke to the hymns on the papyrus. This comparison along with an overview of the development of Christian hymnody will demonstrate that the Mariological doctrine found in the hymns are not drawn purely from canonical Christian texts, but from a tradition that includes the Protoevangelium of James.

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