“An Image of Eternal Incorruptible Light”: P.Oxy. 5577 as a Possible Fragment of the Gospel of Mary

Abstract: A previously-unknown Christian text published in the 2023 volume of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri series, P.Oxy. 87.5577; LDAB 989107 (hereafter P.Oxy. 5577) preserves a fragmentary dialogue where a woman named Μαρία is apparently instructed by Jesus. Although the fragment is brief and lacunose, it contains emphases on the “good” (ἀγαθός), the “mind” (νοῦς), and intertwined and dissolved elements (πλεκομένων καὶ ἀναλυομένων ἀρχ̣ῶν), themes which are also prevalent in the extant portions of the Gospel of Mary . Due to this shared content, as well as narrative sensibility, this study explores the question of whether P.Oxy. 5577 might preserve a portion of Mary’s vision from the Gospel of Mary . Regardless of whether P.Oxy. 5577 is a portion of the Gospel of Mary , this study underlines several intriguing parallels with second-century Christian beliefs preserved in Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, and Celsus. Moreover, the description of Mary becoming an “image of eternal incorruptible light” seems to reference Wisdom of Solomon 7, opening up the possibility that this fragment provides instructions for how Mary might become a “holy soul” who receives God’s “intelligent spirit” of wisdom.