Lost scriptures: books that did not make it into the New Testament (3 page)

words, “bread to sustain our lives” I

head, for he was not pleased. And the

found the word “mahar,” which means

Lord said to him, “How can you say, ‘I

“[bread] for tomorrow.” (Jerome,
Com-

have kept the law and the prophets?’ For

mentary
on
Matthew
, 6, 11)

it is written in the law, ‘You shall love

your neighbor as yourself.’ But look,

In the Gospel that the Nazareans

5

many of your brothers, sons of Abraham,

and Ebionites use, which I recently

are clothed in excrement and dying of

translated from Hebrew into Greek, and

hunger while your house is filled with

which most people consider the authentic

many good things, not one of which goes

version of Matthew, the man with a withforth to these others.” He turned and said ered hand is described as a mason, who

to his disciple Simon, sitting beside him,

sought for help in words like these: “I

“Simon, son of Jonah, it is easier for a

was a mason who made a living with my

camel to pass through the eye of a needle

hands; I beseech you, Jesus, restore my

than for a rich person to enter the kinghealth so I do not have to beg for food dom of heaven.” (Origen,
Commentary

shamefully.” (Jerome,
Commentary
on

on
Matthew
, 15, 14)

Matthew
, 12, 13)

6 In the Gospel the Nazareans use,

[Cf. Matt. 25:14–30] For the Gos2

we find “son of Johoiada” instead

pel that has come down to us in

of “son of Barachia.” (Jerome,
Commen-

Hebrew letters makes the threat not

tary
on
Matthew
23, 35)

against the one who hid the (master’s)

The name of that one (i.e., Barabmoney but against the one who engaged 7 bas) is interpreted to mean “son of

in riotous living. For [the master] had

their master” in the Gospel written acthree slaves, one who used up his fortune cording to the Hebrews. (Jerome,
Com-

with whores and flute-players, one who

mentary
on
Matthew
27, 16)

invested the money and increased its

value, and one who hid it. The first was

In the Gospel we have often re8

welcomed with open arms, the second

ferred to, we read that “the enorwas blamed, and only the third was mous lintel of the temple was broken and

THE GOSPEL OF THE NAZAREANS

11

split apart.” (Jerome,
Commentary
on

• On Matthew 7:5. In this place the

Matthew
27, 51)

Jewish Gospel reads: “Even if you

are resting on my breast but do not

In the Gospel according to the He9

do the will of my Father in heaven,

brews, which was actually written

I will cast you away from my

in the Chaldean or Syriac language but

breast.” (MS 1424)

with Hebrew letters, which the Nazareans

• On Matthew 10:16. The Jewish

still use today and which is the Gospel

Gospel says, “more than serpents.”

according to the Apostles, or, as most

(MS 1424)

believe, according to Matthew—a Gospel

• On Matthew 11:12. The Jewish

that can also be found in the library of

Gospel reads, “plunders.” (MS

Caesarea—the following story is found:

1424)

“Behold, the mother of the Lord and his

• On Matthew 11:25. The Jewish

brothers were saying to him, ‘John the

Gospel says, “I give you thanks.”

Baptist is baptizing for the remission of

(MS 1424)

sins. Let us go and be baptized by him.’

• On Matthew 12:40. The Jewish

But he replied to them, ‘What sin have I

Gospel does not read, “Three days

committed that I should go to be baptized

and three nights.” (MS 899)

by him? Unless possibly what I just said

• On Matthew 15:5. The Jewish

was spoken in ignorance.’ ” (Jerome,

Gospel says, “That which you

Against
the
Pelagians
, 3, 2)

would have had as a benefit from

us is now an offering [to the Tem10 And in the same volume the ple?].” (MS 1424)

following is found: “[Jesus]

• On Matthew 16:2–3. The passages

said, ‘If your brother sins by speaking a

marked with an asterisk are not set

word against you, but then makes it up

forth in other copies, nor in the

to you, you should accept him seven

Jewish Gospel. (MS 1424)

times a day.’ His disciple Simon said to

• On Matthew 16:17. The Jewish

him, ‘Seven times in a day?’ The Lord

Gospel says, “son of John.” (MS

responded, ‘Yes indeed, I tell you—even

566)

up to seventy times seven! For even

• On Matthew 18:22. After the

among the prophets, after they were

words “seventy times seven” the

anointed by the Holy Spirit, a word of

Jewish Gospel reads: “For even

sin was found.’ ” (Jerome,
Against
the

among the prophets, after they

Pelagians
, 3, 2)

were anointed by the Holy Spirit,

a word of sin was found.” (MSS

566, 899)

Variant
Readings
Noted
in
New

• On Matthew 26:74. The Jewish

Testament
Manuscripts

Gospel says, “And he made a denial, and swore, and cursed.”

11 • On Matthew 4:5. The Jewish

(MSS 4, 273, 899, 1414)

Gospel does not have, “into

• On Matthew 27:65. The Jewish

the holy city,” but “in Jeru

Gospel says, “And he gave them

salem.” (MS 566)

armed men to sit opposite the cave,

• On Matthew 5:22. The words

to keep watch over it day and

“without cause” are not present in

night.” (MS 1424)

some copies, nor in the Jewish

Gospel. (MS 1424)

The Gospel of

the Ebionites

The Ebionites were a group of Jewish Christians located in different regions of the Mediterranean from at least the second to the fourth centuries.1 What distinguished this group of Christians from many others was their attempt to combine Jewish views and lifestyles with the belief that Jesus was the messiah. In particular, they were said to have emphasized belief in only one God to such an extent that they denied, as a consequence, Jesus’ own divinity. At the same time, the Ebionites differed from non-Christian Jews in asserting that Jesus was the sacrifice for the sins of the world and that all other sacrifices had therefore become meaningless. Among other things, this belief led them to embrace a vegetarian diet, since most meat was procured, in the ancient world, through the religious act of sacrificing an animal.

One of the sacred books these Jewish Christians appealed to in support of their views was known in antiquity as the Gospel of the Ebionites.

Regrettably, the book as whole has been lost; but we are fortunate to have some quotations of it in the writings of an opponent of the Ebionites, the fourth-century heresy-hunter, Epiphanius of Salamis. These quotations give us a good idea of what the entire Gospel must have looked like. It was written in Greek, and represented a kind of harmony of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. This can be seen most clearly in the account of the voice at Jesus’ baptism. In the three canonical accounts, the voice says slightly different things. These differences are harmonized, however, in the Gospel according to the Ebionites, where the voice comes from heaven three times, saying something slightly different on each occasion, corresponding to the words found in each of the three earlier Gospels.

Some of the Ebionites’ distinctive concerns are embodied in their 1See Ehrman,
Lost
Christianities
, chap. 6.

Translation by Bart D. Ehrman based on the Greek text found in Egbert Schlarb and Dieter Lu¨hrmann,
Fragmente
apocryph
gewordener
Evangelien
in
griechischer
und
lateinischer
Sprache
(Marburg: N. G. Elwert, 2000) 35–39.

12

THE GOSPEL OF THE EBIONITES

13

Gospel. This is shown, for example, in the reference to the diet of John the Baptist, in which the canonical statement that he ate locusts (i.e., meat) and wild honey was modified by the change of simply one letter, so that now the Baptist, in anticipation of the Ebionites themselves, maintains a vegetarian cuisine: here he is said to have eaten pancakes and wild honey.

It is difficult to assign a date to this Gospel, but since it betrays a knowledge of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and presupposes a thriving community of Jewish Christians, it is perhaps best to locate it sometime early in the second century. The following extracts are all that remain of the Gospel, drawn from Epiphanius’s work, the
Panarion
(�
The
Medicine
Chest
), Book 30.

1 The beginning of the Gospel they John. When he came up out of the water, use reads as follows: “And so in

the heavens opened and he saw the Holy

the days of Herod, King of Judea, John

Spirit in the form of a dove, descending

came baptizing a baptism of repentance

and entering him. And a voice came from

in the Jordan River. He was said to have

heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son, in you

come from the tribe of Aaron, the priest,

I am well pleased.’ Then it said, ‘Today

and was the child of Zacharias and Eliz

I have given you birth.’ Immediately a

abeth. And everyone went out to him.”

great light enlightened the place. When

(Epiphanius,
Panarion
, 30, 13, 6)

John saw this,” it says, “he said to him,

‘Who are you Lord?’ Yet again a voice

For by chopping off the genealo2

came from heaven to him, ‘This is my

gies of Matthew they make their

beloved Son, with whom I am well

Gospel begin as we indicated before, with

pleased.’ And then,” it says, “John fell

the words: “And so in the days of Herod,

before him and said, ‘I beg you, Lord—

King of Judea, when Caiaphas was high

you baptize me!’ But Jesus restrained him

priest, a certain one named John came

by saying, ‘Let it be, for it is fitting that

baptizing a baptism of repentance in the

all things be fulfilled in this way.’ ” (Epi

Jordan River.” (Epiphanius,
Panarion
, 30,

phanius,
Panarion
, 30, 13, 3–4)

14, 3)

3

5

And so John was baptizing, and

In the Gospel that they call “according to Matthew”—which is Pharisees came to him and were

not at all complete, but is falsified and

baptized, as was all of Jerusalem. John

mutilated—which they refer to as the Hewore a garment of camel hair and a brew Gospel, the following is found:

leather belt around his waist; and his food

“And so there was a certain man named

was wild honey that tasted like manna,

Jesus, who was about thirty years old. He

like a cake cooked in oil. (Epiphanius,

is the one who chose us. When he came

Panarion
, 30, 13, 4–5)

to Capernaum he entered the house of

Simon, also called Peter, and he opened

And after a good deal more, it says:

4

his mouth to say, ‘As I was passing by

“When the people were baptized,

the lake of Tiberias I chose John and

Jesus also came and was baptized by

James, the sons of Zebedee, and Simon,

14

NON-CANONICAL GOSPELS

Andrew, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot,

was created as one of the archangels, yet

and Judas Iscariot; and I called you, Matwas made greater than they, since he rules thew, while you were sitting at the tax

over the angels and all things made by

collector’s booth, and you followed me.

the Almighty. And, as found in their Gos

I want you, therefore, to be the twelve

pel, they say that when he came he

apostles as a witness to Israel.” (Epiphantaught, “I have come to destroy the sacius,
Panarion
, 30, 13, 2–3) rifices. And if you do not stop making

sacrifice, God’s wrath will not stop af

Again they deny that he was a man,

6

flicting you.” (Epiphanius,
Panarion
, 30,

even basing their view on the word

16, 4–5)

the Savior spoke when it was reported to

him, “See, your mother and brothers are

They have changed the saying and

8

standing outside.” “Who,” he asked, “is

abandoned its true sequence, as is

my mother and brothers?” Stretching out