Egyptian Christianity was wild

We last heard from Mina Monier alongside Joan Taylor, in reference to the Arabic / Dura synopsis, on the Passion. Now Monier is on the case of the sequel to Mark which, in Arabic, comes after the Passion. That's right; we're getting into the Longer Ending, but more: some MSS survive with a coda yea verily even unto that.

First comes a scholion defending that Longer Ending, as available to Irenaeus's πρὸς τὰς αἱρέσεις and (correctly) ascribed to its third treatise (chapter 10 if we're counting). Next comes the Ascension, with the Egyptian date "Παχών 10" in year 32 after the Nativity. Monier asks: why note the Egyptians? Monier then brings Cairensis 10735, concerning exactly the Nativity, starting with John's conception in the month of Thoth.

The concern with dates in an Egyptian calendar strikes me as a challenge to other calendars, starting with the Hellenistic and Jewish calendars. Whether or not they come from the same source, they come from the same community. Monier further transmits Elliot 2006 that Cairensis 10735 although synoptic with Matthew and Luke brings in lore outside Matthew and Luke.

Overall Egypt came to copy orthodox Christian texts, late. The Sahidic Gospels are translated from Alexandrine and not from any flavour of "Western"; and the Greek papyri don't really start until the end of the second-century. (Which is a longstanding annoyance to historians of the Christian text, on account Egypt is the best environment to preserve this stuff.) But Egypt did love to copy nonorthodox text.

Which leads (back) to Joan Taylor. Taylor ponders the Cerinthus tradition. After dismissing Epiphanius (Taylor could have gone still further, against that one's goofs concerning the "Alogoi"); Taylor narrows down Cerinthus' teachings. Which go against Orthodoxy on whom, exactly, should Christians venerate as the Ark of the shekinah.

We've been hearing rumbles elsewhere that the Church preserved as much Mark as we got, precisely to keep it away from the heretics. Yes yes Matthew and Luke exist; but Matthew came with its own heretics in the form of the Ebionites, and as for Luke's partisans - over in Sinope, they spawned Marcion. There seems to have been no choice but to accept both, adding some version of old Mark as well and hey why not John too.