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Gospel of the Hebrews

The following selection is excerpted from Ron Cameron in The Other Gospels: Non-Canonical Gospel Texts (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1982), pp. 85-86. Philipp Vielhauer and George Ogg made the original translation in New Testament Apocrypha.

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1. It is written in the Gospel of the Hebrews:

   When Christ wished to come upon the earth to men, the good Father summoned a mighty power in heaven, which was called Michael, and entrusted Christ to the care thereof. And the power came into the world and it was called Mary, and Christ was in her womb seven months.

   (Cyril of Jerusalem, Discourse on Mary Theotokos 12a)

2. According to the Gospel written in the Hebrew speech, which the Nazaraeans read, the whole fount of the Holy Spirit shall descend upon him. . . Further in the Gospel which we have just mentioned we find the following written:

   And it came to pass when the Lord was come up out of the water, the whole fount of the Holy Spirit descended upon him and rested on him and said to him: My son, in all the prophets was I waiting for thee that thou shouldest come and I might rest in thee. For thou art my rest; thou art my first-begotten Son that reignest for ever.

   (Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah 4 [on Isaiah 11:2])

3. And if any accept the Gospel of the Hebrews - here the Savior says:

   Even so did my mother, the Holy Spirit, take me by one of my hairs and carry me away on to the great mountain Tabor.

   (Origen, Commentary on John 2.12.87 [on John 1:3])

4. As also it stands written in the Gospel of the Hebrews:

   He that marvels shall reign, and he that has reigned shall rest.

   (Clement, Stromateis 2.9.45.5)

   To those words (from Plato, Timaeus 90) this is equivalent:

   He that seeks will not rest until he finds; and he that has found shall marvel; and he that has marvelled shall reign; and he that has reigned shall rest.

   (Ibid., 5.14.96.3)

5. As we have read in the Hebrew Gospel, the Lord says to his disciples:

   And never be ye joyful, save when ye behold your brother with love.

   (Jerome, Commentary on Ephesians 3 [on Ephesians 5:4])

6. In the Gospel according to the Hebrews, which the Nazaraeans are wont to read, there is counted among the most grievous offences:

   He that has grieved the spirit of his brother.

   (Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel 6 [on Ezekiel 18:7])

7. The Gospel called according to the Hebrews which was recently translated by me into Greek and Latin, which Origen frequently uses, records after the resurrection of the Savior:

   And when the Lord had given the linen cloth to the servant of the priest, he went to James and appeared to him. For James had sworn that he would not eat bread from that hour in which he had drunk the cup of the Lord until he should see him risen from among them that sleep. And shortly thereafter the Lord said: Bring a table and bread! And immediately it added: he took the bread, blessed it and brake it and gave it to James the Just and said to him: My brother, eat thy bread, for the Son of man is risen from among them that sleep.

   (Jerome, De viris inlustribus 2)

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