This volume gathers a dozen essays by the author on the ancient
traditions of Mary's Dormition and Assumption, all of which expand on
the work published in his major study on this topic, The Ancient
Traditions of Mary's Dormition and Assumption (Oxford, 2002). The essays
were originally published between 1999 and 2011 and cover a broad range
of topics in relation to traditions about the end of Mary's life, from
ancient gnostic Christianity to Christian anti-Judaism to the beginnings
of Marian veneration. Although each of these items was previously
published in another venue, for the first time this volume makes these
writings on the Virgin's Dormition available together, offering an
important supplement and in some cases update of the earlier monograph.
While its chapters remain largely faithful to the original publications
in their content, when appropriate, they have been selectively updated
to account for more recent research.