LireraturE.—Cureton’s Ancient Syriac Documents, p. 110; Enger published the Arabic text in 1854 (Joannis apostoli de Transitu Beatee Marie Virginis liber) ; Zoega gives some par- ticulars of the Sahidic version in the Catal. Codd. Copt. Borji-
anorum. See Tischendorf, Wright, in opp. citt.; also Orr’s Introduction and Notes (W7' Apocr. Writings).
C. 1. 7 WELVE APOSTLES, GOSPEL OF THE.
i. Evidence of existence :— 1. Not identical with the Gospel accoruing to the Hebrews. 7% 2. Identical with the neretical Gospe1 of the Ebionites. ii. Contents of fragments preserved by Epiphanius. iii. Character and tendencies. Date. Literature.
APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS 435
i. EVIDENCE OF EXISTENCE.—1. A Gospel en- titled 7d émvyeypaupévov trav dddexa evaryyéAtov (Jerome: ‘juxta XII apostolos’ and ‘Evang. XII apostolorum’) is placed by Origen (c. 230) amongst the heretical Gospels (Hom. 1 in Lucam). But Origen esteemed highly ‘the Gospel according to the Hebrews,’ which Jerome (417) confuses with ‘the Gospel according to the Apostles’ (adv. Pelag. iii, 2). Of modern scholars who accept Jerome’s identification of the two Gospels, the most dis- tinguished are Resch (Agrapha, p. 327) and Lipsius (Dict. Christ. Biog. ii. 710f.). Zahn (Geschichte des NT’ Kanons, ii. 662, 724) and Har- nack (Chronologic, i. 629) discuss the question in detail, and agree in the conclusion that Jerome misunderstood Origen, from whom all his infor- mation about this Gospel was derived (see art. HEBREWS [GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THE] above, p. 338 ff.). Lipsius considerably modifies his accept- ance of Jerome’s statement by his confession : ‘One thing is certain, that at various times and in different circles it took very different shapes’; he frankly recognizes the existence of ‘contradictory phenomena,’ and suggests that the Gospel known to these Fathers was ‘a recast of an older original’ (op. cit. li. 711).
2. By those who regard this Gospel as an inde- pendent work it is often called ‘The Gospel of the Ebionites.’ In their view the Ebionites who com- posed and used it were not Jewish Christians who observed the Mosaic law, though to them the name was first given (Orig. adv. Cels. ii. 1); they were the heretical sect of Ebionites, more correctly described as Elkesaites, and characterized by ‘an abhorrence of sacrifice and by an objection to the use of flesh meat’ (cf. Salmon, Introd. to NT, p. 159f.). Owing to the ambiguity in the meaning of ‘Ebionites,’ conflicting interpretations are given to the statement of Jerome (398) that the Gospel, of which he speaks indifferently as ‘according to the Hebrews’ or ‘according to the Apostles,’ was used ‘by the Nazarenes and by the Ebionites’ (Comm. in Matt. 12). If he means orthodox Jewish Christians, he is ‘ guilty of a confusion, and adds the Ebionites to the Nazarenes, though the two were identical’ (Menzies, above, p. 339°) ; if, however, he means Elkesaites, his original mis- take in identifying two different Gospels may account for his mentioning together the two parties by whom the two Gospels were respec- tively used.
Epiphanius (377) was acquainted with a Gospel which the Ebionites called ‘the Gospel according to Matthew, not entire and perfectly complete, but falsified and mutilated (ox édw dé rdnpeordry, GAG vevobeupévw Kal Hkpwrnpacwévw), which they call the Hebrew Gospel’ (Her. xxx. 13). The last sentence has no weight, for Epiphanius also says that Tatian’s Diatessaron was called the Hebrew Gospel (op. cit. xlvi. 2); the value of his statement consists in its correct description of the Gospel of the Twelve Apostles, of which he alone has pre- served fragments, neither lengthy nor numerous, but sufficiently extensive to prove that the author of this Gospel used Matthew’s narratives or his source, mutilating it, and falsifying it by additions which have an Elkesaite tinge.
ii. CONTENTS.—The extant fragments of this Gospel are found in one of the writings of Epi- phanius (Hew. xxx. 13-16, 22). Zahn gives the Greek text (Geschichte des NT Kanons, ii. 725) of all the passages that in his judgment are quota- tions. (Cf. Preuschen, Antilegomena, 9ff.; also Westcott, Introd. to Study of Gospels, 465 ff.).—
1. ‘ The beginning of their Gospel is this : It came to pass in the days of Herod, king of Judea (in the high priesthood of Caiaphas), that a man called John came baptizing with a baptism of repentance in the river Jordan, who was said to be
436 APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS
of the race of Aaron the priest, a son of Zacharias and Elisabeth ; and all went out to him’ (cf. Mt 31, Lk 118),
2. ‘There arose a man called Jesus, and he was about thirty year's old, who chose us. And when he came to Capernaum he entered the house of Simon who was surnamed Peter, and opened his mouth and said: As I passed along the Lake of Tiberias I chose John and James, sons of Zebedee, and Simon and Andrew and Thaddeus and Simon Zelotes and Judas Iscariot ; and thee Matthew I called as thou wast sitting at the receipt of custom, and thou followedst me. Therefore, I wish
you to be twelve Apostles, for a testimony unto Israel’ (cf, Mt 412f, 18f. Q9f., Lk 823),
3. ‘And John arose baptizing ; and Pharisees went out to him and were baptized, and all Jerusalem. And John had raiment of camels’ hair, and a girdle of skin about his loins; and his food (the Gospel says) was wild honey, the taste of which was the taste of manna, like a honey cake steeped in oil’ (cf. Mt 37f),