Gospel of the Nazarenes

The Nazaräerevangelium is an apocryphal gospel, was one of three Jewish-Christian gospels (along with Gospel of the Hebrews and Ebionitenevangelium ), which closely adjoins the canonical Gospel of Matthew and the Syrian Christians ( Nazarenes ) used - hence its name. As the author of the evangelist Matthew was previously suspected, is said to have written in Hebrew the Gospel.

It is not as a whole, but only in 36 smaller fragments as quotations in the Church Fathers.

Quotes

Among the particularly informative because deviating formulated by the text of the canonical gospels sections includes a description of the visit of wise men from the East, where it says in Nazaräerevangelium:

In the Gospel of the Nazarenes to read that the temple lintel of infinite size at the death of Christ had split up. A similar story tells Josephus from the period before the outbreak of the Jewish War and interprets it as a sign of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans.

Historical testimony

The existence of the gospel is attested by Hegesippus as the first, then by Eusebius of Caesarea, Epiphanius and Jerome; therefore it is safe arose before 180 AD, probably in the first half of the 2nd century. The place of origin can be determined definitely not. One thinks of areas where there was then Aramaic-speaking Jewish Christian communities.

Jerome found this apparently Aramaic Gospel in the Nazarenes of Berea in Coelesyria (near Aleppo ) in Chaldean and Syriac language but in Hebrew characters. He thought it was great- Matthew. After drafting his Matthew commentary he seems to have revised his opinion:

The Gospel of the Hebrews is to be distinguished from Nazaräerevangelium. This is supported by the Department of Eusebius from the Memoirs of Hegesipps: