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okay...first things first. The celibacy rule is waay late. So that's not the conflict. I think it had more to do with perceived hellenism and some of the gender neutral language possible in that culture. Note, most cultural Greeks were still raging patriarchal types, but there is a strand of thought that talks about the spiritual being beyond gender, and knowledge or education as a way to change one's idenity, even gender. Best guess, that's why it got cut. I haven't studied Patristics yet (that's the awfully gendered title for early church history and theology) and so i'm a little hazy after the 2nd century, when most of these cannons are being proposed and debated. But judging from trends in other scripture, such as the Pastoral letters that i talked about, it seems like 2nd century was a time of a wider crackdown on gender roles in the church. Also, judging by the lack of extant sources, my best conjecture is that this document was never all that popular. Original composition is in Greek, best copy is in Coptic. That it doesn't stay in Greek points to a more regional influence... Also, and this is just my judgment, it doesn't appear very polished. Editing greek in to Coptic isn't very easy, and the flow of the text doesn't suggest a whole lot of redaction after that transition. Texts in broad use are pressured in to more polished forms as more people use them, and round off the edges so to speak. Mark for instance, ends without a ressurection but instead just has the empty tomb. A hundred years later, two endings have popped up to fill in the details that Mark was trying to leave as suspense.
which mary? Seems to be Magdala. Some of the secondary sources i read said that is is totally clear...re-reading the text, i'm not as sure. but it certainly corresponds better with Mary Magdala than any other possible match.
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For God so loved creation, that God sent God's only Son that whosoever believed should not perish, but have everlasting life.
-John 3:16
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