The Gospel Of The Hebrews c. 70-150 C.E.
It is both odd and unfortunate that no copies of any of the so-called "Judeo-Christian" gospels have survived antiquity, though the texts, kept by early Christians who maintained deep-seated Jewish beliefs, were often quoted by Christian writers throughout the first five centuries. These short citations are our only windows through which we might study the traditions of the communities that used them. The Gospel of the Hebrews is the most often quoted of the Judeo-Christian gospels, though it must be noted that at least two other texts (Ebionites and Nazoreans) were referred to by the same title, and we can only make educated guesses as to which gospel each fragment was derived from. At least eight early writers had either referenced or cited from Hebrews, each offering their own interpretations and assessment of validity. From these we know the date of composition is no later than mid-second century, possibly much earlier. It was said to have been written in Hebrew, though much of its theology parallels Egyptian tradition. The gospel shows no direct dependence upon the canonical gospels, though it shares a verse with the Gospel of Thomas (GosThom 2). Among the most unique traditions is the depiction of Mary, like the Johannine logos, as divine—in fact, that she was the incarnation of Michael, who was the personification of the Holy Spirit. Also, Jesus first appears to his brother James following the resurrection. Since James the Just was traditionally held to have founded the church at Jerusalem, it is no surprise that the Hebrew gospel elevates his authority by making him the first to witness the risen Christ.
The Gospel of the Hebrews is a syncretistic, Jewish-Christian document which presents traditions of Jesus' preexistence and coming into the world, his baptism and temptation, some of his sayings, and the report of a resurrection appearance to his brother, James the Just. This is the Jewish-Christian gospel most frequently mentioned by name in the early church; it is also the only one whose original title has been transmitted from antiquity. The title seems to indicate the identity of the group who used this gospel, and may suggest that this was the gospel of predominately Greek-speaking Jewish Christians. The Gospel of the Hebrews has no connection with other Jewish-Christian gospels, displaying no kinship with the Gospel of Matthew. It is instructive to note that most of the extant fragments come from quotations in the writings of persons who lived in Alexandria, Egypt. The Gospel of the Hebrews may have been known to Papias (a church writer who died cat A.D. 130, whose five-volume "Exegesis of the Sayings of the Lord" is now lost, preserved only in a few quotations in the writings of Eusebius). Hegesippus (late in the second century) and Eusebius (early in the fourth century) attest to the existence of this gospel, but do not quote from it. Fragments are preserved in the writings of Clement of Alexandria (late in the second century), Origen (early in the third century), and Cyril (Bishop of Jerusalem, cat 350 C.E.). Jerome (ca. 400 C.E.) also preserves several fragments, all of which he probably reproduced from the writings of Origen. The extent of this gospel is no longer known. According to the list of "canonical" and "apocryphal" books drawn up by Nicephorus (Patriarch of Constantinople, 806-818 C.E.), the Gospel of the Hebrews contained 2200 lines, only 300 fewer than Matthew! The report of a resurrection appearance of Jesus to his brother, James, indicates the position of authority assigned to James in the Gospel of the Hebrews. It is well known that James was the leading figure of the conservative Jewish church in Jerusalem. Reports of his "con-version" by a vision of the risen Lord are well documented in the church (compare 1 Cor. 15:7), and are based on an early, probably sound tradition. According to the report in the Gospel of the Hebrews, James was the very first witness of the resurrection, and thus its principal guarantor. He is so distinguished that he is even said to have taken part in the Last Supper of Jesus. The esteem in which James is held in this gospel may be used to locate the authority and secure the identity of the tradition of those communities which appealed to him as their leader. The accounts of Jesus' preexistence, coming, baptism, and temptation are abbreviated mythological narratives. They presuppose a myth of the descent of divine Wisdom, embodying herself definitively in a representative of the human race for the revelation and redemption of humankind. Such a myth was widespread in the Greco-Roman world and underlies many of the earliest Christological formulations of believers in Jesus, as evidenced, for example, in Pauline (Phil. 2:6-11), synoptic (Matt. 11:25-30; Luke 7:18-35;11:49-51), and Johannine traditions John 1:1-18), as well as in those of the Gospel of Thomas. More-over, the second saying of the Gospel of Thomas is also cited as part of the Gospel of the Hebrews, suggesting that this was a free-floating saying at home in Egypt as well as in Syria. The wisdom saying may permit the suggestion that the majority of the sayings in the Gospel of the Hebrews had the same character as those of the synoptic gospels. The extant fragments of the Gospel of the Hebrews display no dependence upon the writings of the New Testament. Unfortunately, it cannot be determined whether other portions of the text that are no longer preserved are in any way contingent upon these or any other writings which we now possess. The earliest possible date of the composition of the Gospel of the Hebrews would be in the middle of the first century, when Jesus traditions were first being produced and collected as part of the wisdom tradition. The latest possible date would be in the middle of the second century, shortly before the first reference to this gospel by Hegesippus and the quotations of it by Clement and Origen. Based on the parallels in the morphology of the tradition, an earlier date of composition is more likely than a later one. Internal evidence and external attestations indicate that Egypt was its place of origin. In the gospel citations of this gospel, care should be taken to distinguish between the actual quotations of the text of the Gospel of the Hebrews and the interpretive comments of the church writers who recorded the citations.