Apocryphal collection · Jewish-Christian and lost · 2 min read
Gospel of the Nazarenes
An Aramaic Matthew and the Temple lintel that broke
The full text of this study is in Portuguese; the summary, key points and official view are in English.
Jerome says he saw among the Nazarenes of Beroea, in Syria, a gospel in Aramaic close to Matthew. The variants preserved in manuscript notes and quotations show curious differences: the man with the withered hand explains that he was a mason and asks to be able to work again; and, at the death of Jesus, instead of the veil of the Temple tearing, it is the huge lintel of the Temple door that breaks.
Key points
- Language: Aramaic (or Syriac); quoted by Jerome in the 4th century.
- Variants noted in medieval manuscripts as “the Jewish one” (to Ioudaikon).
- Close to the Gospel of Matthew, with additions.
- The man with the withered hand: “I was a mason and earned my living with my hands”.
- At the crucifixion, the Temple lintel, of immense size, breaks.
What scholars say
Scholars think the Gospel of the Nazarenes was an expanded Aramaic version of Matthew, used by Jewish-Christian communities in Syria. Jerome’s statements about it are considered confused and sometimes contradictory.
Keep investigating
- Gospel of the Hebrews The Spirit as mother and the appearance to James the Just
- Gospel of the Ebionites A vegetarian John the Baptist and the end of sacrifices
- Gospel of the Twelve (Apostles) An old name and a Syriac text with revelations
Other languages: Português · Español
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