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{{Short description|Lost gospel called parts of heretical works by Origen}}
{{italictitle}}
{{For|the Syriac gospel|Gospel of the Twelve Apostles}}
{{Distinguish|The Gospel of the Holy Twelve}}
[[Image:Origen3.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Origen who lists the ''Gospel of the Twelve'']]
[[Image:Origen3.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Origen who lists the ''Gospel of the Twelve'']]
The '''''Gospel of the Twelve''''' ({{lang-el|τους Δώδεκα Ευαγγελιον}}), possibly also referred to as the ''Gospel of the Apostles'', is a lost [[gospel]] mentioned by [[Origen]] in [[Homilies in Luke]] as part of a list of heretical works.
The '''''Gospel of the Twelve''''' ({{langx|el|τὸ τῶν δώδεκα εὐαγγέλιον}}),<ref>[[Origenes]], ''Homilia in Lucam'' 1 p. 5.2-4 Rauer.</ref> possibly also referred to as the ''Gospel of the Apostles'', is a lost [[gospel]] mentioned by [[Origen]] in ''[[Homilies on Luke]]'' as part of a list of heretical works.


[[Schneemelcher]]'s standard edition of the ''New Testament Apocrypha'' states that [[Jerome]] incorrectly identified the ''Gospel of the Twelve'', which he referred to as the ''Gospel according to the Apostles'', with the [[Gospel of the Hebrews]] (''Dial. adv. Pelag. III 2''), whereas Origen clearly distinguished between them (''Homilies on Luke'' 1.1). [[Ambrose]] and [[Bede]] may have also made allusions to it. A relationship has been postulated between this otherwise unknown gospel and the [[Gospel of the Ebionites]].<ref>{{cite book| title=New Testament Apocrypha| publisher=John Knox Press, Wilhelm Schneemelcher and Robert McLachlan Wilson eds.| year=2003| isbn=0-664-22721-X| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TDW0PeFSvGEC&q=%22New+Testament+Apocrypha:+Gospels+and+related+writings%22}}, p.166 - "Against Jerome, ... Origen clearly distinguishes between the GH and the Gospel of the Twelve", p.374 - "On the basis of a wrongly interpreted passage in Jerome (''Dial. adv. Pelag. III 2'') an abortive attempt was made to link the Gospel of the Twelve with the Gospel of the Hebrews, but the majority of critics today are inclined to identify it with the Gospel of the Ebionites", cf. Vol 2 Writings relating to the Apostles 2003 p17 "In gnostic and Manichean literature there are references to a Gospel of the Twelve (cf. vol. I, pp.374ff.), where the title is evidently intended to underline the comprehensive revelation content"</ref>
== Memoirs of the Apostles (Justin Martyr) ==
=== Name ===
[[Justin Martyr]], in his [[First Apology of Justin Martyr|''First Apology'']] (ca. 150–155) and ''[[Dialogue with Trypho]]'' (ca. 160), sometimes refers to written sources consisting of narratives of the life of [[Jesus]] and quotations of the [[sayings of Jesus]] as ''apomnemoneumata'', (memoirs) of the [[Apostles]], and less frequently as ''[[evangelium|euaggelion]]'' (gospels). The designation "memoirs of the Apostles" occurs twice in Justin's ''First Apology'' (66.3, 67.3–4) and thirteen times in the ''Dialogue'', mostly in his interpretation of Psalm 22, whereas the term "gospel" is used only three times, once in ''1 Apol.'' 66.3 and twice in the ''Dialogue''. The single passage where Justin uses both terms (''1 Apol.'' 66.3) makes it clear that "memoirs of the Apostles" and "gospels" are equivalent, and the use of the plural indicates Justin's awareness of more than one written gospel. ("The apostles in the memoirs which have come from them, which are also called gospels, have transmitted that the Lord had commanded...").<ref name="Koester 1990 pp.38,40–41">Koester (1990) ''Ancient Christian Gospels: Their History and Development'' pp.38,40–41; p.38 – ''Dial.'' 100.4; 101.3; 102.5; 103.6,8; 104.1; 105.1,5,6; 106.1,3,4; 107.1 "In each instance the materials quoted derive from written gospels, usually from Matthew and Luke, in one instance from Mark, and each time the term serves to quote, or to refer to, gospel materials which demonstrate that the prophesy of the Psalm has been fulfilled in the story of Jesus. The "Memoirs of the Apostles" are used as reliable historical records." p40 – "Justin uses the term gospel only three times ''1 Apol.'' 66.3, ''Dial.'' 10.2; 100.1." p.41 – "It is evident that "gospel" refers to the same literature that Justin otherwise calls "Memoirs of the Apostles". The use of the plural in ''1 Apol.'' 66.3 indicates that Justin knew of more than one written gospel."</ref> Justin may have preferred the designation "memoirs of the Apostles" as a contrast to the "gospel" of his contemporary [[Marcion]] to emphasize the connections between the historical testimony of the gospels and the [[Old Testament]] prophesies which Marcion rejected.<ref name="Koester 1990 pp.36–37,43">Koester 1990 ''Ancient Christian Gospels: Their History and Development'' pp.36–37,43; pp.36–37 - "...there is no evidence that anyone before Marcion had used the term "gospel" as a designation for a written document. ...those writings of Justin which are preserved, his two ''Apologies'' and his ''Dialogue with Trypho'', clearly show the effects of Marcion's challenge." p.43 – "In direct antithesis to Marcion's use of the written gospel, Justin binds these gospels to the prophetic revelation in the Old Testament scriptures."</ref>


==See also==
The origin of Justin's use the name "memoirs of the Apostles" as a synonym for the "gospels" is uncertain. Scholar [[David Aune]] has argued that the gospels were modeled after classical [[Greco-Roman]] biographies, and Justin's use of the term ''apomnemoneumata'' to mean all the [[Synoptic Gospels]] should be understood as referring to a written biography such as the [[Memorabilia (Xenophon)|Memorabilia of Xenophon]] because they preserve the authentic teachings of Jesus.<ref name="Aune 1987 p.67">Aune (1987) ''The New Testament in its Literary Environment'' p.67 – "Justin Martyr (writing ca. 155) described the Gospels as 'reminiscences [apomnemoneumata] of the apostles' (1 Apology 66.3; 67.3) and 'reminiscences of Peter' (Dialogue with Trypho 106.3). Thus Justin, like Matthew, Luke, and Papias, prefers to designate the Gospels by a recognized literary form. Though ''apomnemoneumata'' are not carefully defined in rhetorical handbooks, they are essentially expanded chreiai, i.e., sayings and/or actions of or about specific individuals, set in a narrative framework and transmitted by ''memory'' (hence "reliable"). ... His use of the term "reminiscences", therefore, suggests a connection to Xenophon's ''Memorabilia'' (in Greek ''apomnemoneumata''), a "biography" of Socrates."</ref> However, scholar [[Helmut Koester]] has pointed out the Greek title "Memorabilia" was not applied to Xenophon's work until the middle ages, and it is more likely ''apomnemoneumata'' was used to describe the oral transmission of the sayings of Jesus in [[early Christianity]]. [[Papias of Hierapolis|Papias]] uses a similar term meaning "remembered" (''apomnemoneusen'') when describing how [[St. Mark|Mark]] accurately recorded the "recollections of [[St. Peter|Peter]]", and Justin also uses it in reference to Peter in ''Dial.'' 106.3, followed by a quotation found only in the [[Gospel of Mark]] (Mk 3:16–17). Therefore, according to Koester, it is likely that Justin applied the name "memoirs of the Apostles" analogously to indicate the trustworthy recollections of the Apostles found in the written record of the Synoptic Gospels of [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]], Mark, and [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]], and probably also an [[apocryphal gospels|apocryphal gospel]].<ref name="Koester 1990 pp.33–34, 38–40">Koester 1990 ''Ancient Christian Gospels: Their History and Development'' pp.33–34,38–40; pp.33-34 - "What Papias says about Mark reflects the use of categories which are drawn from the oral tradition. ... The written gospels' authority is assured by the same technical terms which had been established for the oral tradition. ... The term "remember" (mnemoneuein/apomnemoneuein) was decisive for the trustworthiness of the oral tradition." pp.39-40 - "The composite form of the verb "to remember" (apomnemoneuein) had been used by Papias of Hierapolis as a technical term for the transmission of oral materials about Jesus. If Justin's term "Memoirs of the Apostles" is derived from this usage, it designates the written gospels as the true recollections of the apostles, trustworthy and accurate, and more reliable than any oral tradition which they are destined to replace."</ref> Justin expounded on the gospel texts as an accurate recording of the [[Bible prophecy|fulfillment of prophesy]], which he combined with quotations of the [[Nevi%27im|prophets of Israel]] from the [[LXX]] to demonstrate a proof from prophesy of the [[Kerygma|Christian kerygma]].<ref name="Koester 1990 p.377">Koester 1990 ''Ancient Christian Gospels: Their History and Development'' p.377 – "The Christian proclamation about Jesus as Son of God, however, is true (in contrast to pagan myths), because the Christians possess trustworthy historical documents – "Remembrances of the Apostles" – from which it can be shown that everything in Christ's appearance and work happened in complete agreement with prophesy. What is demonstrated to be true is the Christian kerygma, not the story of the gospels. The reports contained in the gospels are used to show that the facts about Christ which the kerygma proclaims happened in complete agreement with the prophesy that announced them."</ref>
* [[Jewish-Christian Gospels]]
* [[List of Gospels]]


=== Composition ===
==References==
According to scholar [[Oskar Skarsaune]], Justin relies on two main sources for his proofs from prophesy that probably circulated as collections of scriptural testimonies within his Christian school. He refers to Justin's primary source for demonstrating scriptural proofs in the ''First Apology'' and parallel passages in the ''Dialogue'' as a "kerygma source". A second source, which was used only in the ''Dialogue'', may be identical to the lost dialogue of [[Aristo of Pella]] on the divine nature of the Messiah, ''The Disputation Between Jason and Papiscus'' (ca. 140). Justin brings in biblical quotes verbatim from these sources, and he often appears to be paraphrasing his sources very closely, even in his interpretive remarks.<ref name="Skarsaune 2007 pp.380-381">Skarsaune (2007) ''Jewish Believers in Jesus'' pp.380–81</ref>

The following excerpts from the ''Dialogue with Trypho'' of the baptism (''Dial''. 88:3,8) and temptation (''Dial''. 103:5-6) of Jesus, which are believed to have originated from the ''Disputation'', illustrate the use of gospel narratives and sayings of Jesus in a testimony source and how Justin has adopted these "memoirs of the Apostles" for his own purposes.

:"And then, when Jesus had come to the river Jordan where John was baptizing, and when Jesus came down into the water a fire was even kindled in the Jordan, and when He was rising up from the water, the Holy Spirit fluttered down upon Him in the form of a dove, as the <U>Apostles have written</U> about this very Christ of ours." (''Dial''. 88:3)

:"And when Jesus came to the Jordan - and being supposed to be the son of Joseph the carpenter... - the Holy Spirit, and for man's sake, as I said before, fluttered down upon Him, and a voice came at the time out of the heavens - which was spoken also by David, when he said, impersonating Christ, what the Father was going to say to Him - 'You are My Son, this day I have begotten you'." (''Dial''. 88:8)<ref name="Skarsaune 1987 p.198">Skarsaune (1987) ''The Proof From Prophecy'' pp.197-198, 391-392; p.197 - "Justin's narrative is a harmonization of the Synoptic accounts. There are other non-synoptic details in the context, however, which may indicate a non-synoptic source besides the Synoptic Gospels." pp.391-392 - "I have argued above that the narrative of Jesus' baptism in ''Dial''. 88:3 derives from the "recapitulation" source. ... Men believed that Jesus was the son of Joseph, but the heavenly voice proclaimed him as God's son. Perhaps the mention of the fire is related to this idea: It may have been conceived of as a purifying or testing fire. ... Jesus at his baptism was tested as God's son by the fire, but not made God's son at his baptism. This, I gather, is also the idea embodied in Justin's narrative: Jesus was not made or established as God's son in his baptism, but he was proved to be God's son - proved by testing, or by conquering the fire."</ref>

:"...the Devil himself,...[was] called serpent by Moses, the Devil by Job and Zachariah, and was addressed as Satanas by Jesus. This indicated that he had a compound name made up of the actions which he performed; for the word "Sata" in the Hebrew and Syrian tongue means "apostate", while "nas" is the word which means in translation "serpent", thus, from both parts is formed the one word "Sata-nas". It is narrated in the <U>memoirs of the Apostles</U> that as soon as Jesus came up out of the river Jordan and a voice said to him: 'You are My Son, this day I have begotten you', this Devil came and tempted him, even so far as to exclaim: 'Worship me'; but Christ replied: 'Get behind me, Satanas, the Lord your God shall you worship, and Him only shall you serve'. For, since the Devil had deceived Adam, he fancied that he could in some way harm him also." (''Dial''. 103:5-6)<ref name="Skarsaune 2007 pp.399-400">Skarsaune (2007) ''Jewish Believers in Jesus'' pp.399-400; "In Justin's source, the Messiah is presented as God's pre-existent Wisdom who has descended to earth, and ascended again to his heavenly glory. ... Here I add another aspect of great significance in Justin's source, namely that Jesus is portrayed as the second and anti-typical Adam. He reverses the fall of Adam by conquering where Adam was conquered. He "recapitulates" in his own story the story of Adam, but with the opposite point of departure, the opposite direction and the opposite result. ... The very point of the (pseudo-)etymology given for Satanas in this passage is to identify the Tempter addressed by Jesus in Matt 4:11 (conflated with Matt 16:23) with the serpent that tempted the first man. In this way the parallelism between the first and second Adam is made plain. Since Justin knew no Hebrew and probably no Aramaic, there is every reason to think he got this midrashic etymology from a source..."</ref>

==Gospel of the Twelve (Origen)==
{{main|Jewish-Christian Gospels}}
[[Schneemelcher]]'s standard edition of the [[New Testament Apocrypha]] states that "On the basis of a wrongly interpreted passage in Jerome (''Dial. adv. Pelag. III 2'')<ref>e.g. [[Sabine Baring-Gould]], ''The Lost And Hostile Gospels'', 1874; [[Print on demand]] Nabu Press, undated. p.122</ref> an abortive attempt was made to link the Gospel of the Twelve with the [[Gospel of the Hebrews]], but the majority of critics today are inclined to identify it with the [[Gospel of the Ebionites]]."<ref>Wilhelm Schneemelcher, R. McL. Wilson [[New Testament Apocrypha]] Vol.1 p.372 cf. Vol 2 Writings relating to the Apostles 2003 p17 "In gnostic and Manichean literature there are references to a Gospel of the Twelve (cf. vol. I, pp.374ff.), where the title is evidently intended to underline the comprehensive revelation content"</ref>

== Gospel of the Apostles (Jerome) ==
{{main|Gospel of the Hebrews}}
This has caused scholars such as Cassels (1874) and Parker (1940) to consider it a different "edition" of Matthew's [[Gospel of the Hebrews]].<ref>Walter Richard Cassels, ''Supernatural Religion - An Inquiry Into the Reality of Divine Revelation'', 1874 reprint Read Books, 2010. Vol. 1, p 419- 422</ref><ref>Pierson Parker, ''A Proto-Lukan Basis for the Gospel According to the Hebrews'', Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 59, No. 4, 1940. pp 471</ref> In regard to the "Memoirs of the Apostles," which are referred to some fifteen or twenty times by Justin, as the source of many of his quotations, [[Arthur Lillie]] (1882) and [[Waite Burlingame]] (1881) contends that Justin meant the ''Gospel of the Hebrews'', as the ''Gospel of the Hebrews'' was also known as ''The Gospel of the Twelve Apostles''. This was ''The Memoirs of the Apostles,'' referred to by Justin Martyr.<ref>[[Arthur Lillie]], Buddha and early Buddhism 1882 extract ''The Gospel According to the Hebrews'', Kessinger Publishing, 2005. pp 111–134</ref><ref>Waite Burlingame, ''History of the Christian Religion, to the Year Two Hundred'', 1881 reprint [[BiblioBazaar]]Pub, 2009. p 278</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}

== References ==
*{{cite book| author=Aune, David| title=The New Testament in its Literary Environment| publisher=Westminster John Knox Press| year=1987| isbn=978-0664219123| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=XdSto1nkx9AC&pg=PA63&lpg=PA63&dq=Aune+Greco-Roman+%22The+New+Testament+in+its+Literary+Environment%22&source=bl&ots=tdzp0T7cci&sig=2Do-0K5kxQlH0dFnVwcbASfWWig&hl=en&ei=ne7WTdaPJ4rM0AHG8Lm2Bw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=Aune%20Greco-Roman%20%22The%20New%20Testament%20in%20its%20Literary%20Environment%22&f=false}}
*{{cite book| author=Koester, Helmut| title=Ancient Christian Gospels: Their History and Development| publisher=SCM Press/Trinity Press| year=1990| isbn=978-0334024590| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=DGK4sIPk4PYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=ancient+christian+gospels+their+history+and+development&source=bl&ots=ewiWahycwQ&sig=AO9vnLMQMESlhYnL7nM1Z48DssI&hl=en&ei=0tKjTeztFvO90QGn1-DuCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&sqi=2&ved=0CDwQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q&f=false}}
*{{cite book| author=Skarsaune, Oskar| title=Jewish Believers in Jesus| publisher=Hendrickson Publishers| date=2007| isbn=9781565637634}}
*{{cite book| author=Skarsaune, Oskar| title=The Proof From Prophesy: A Study in Justin Martyr's Proof Text Tradition| publisher=Brill| year=1987| isbn=90 04 07468 6| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=66SsrINcDoUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Skarsaune+%22proof+from+prophecy%22&source=bl&ots=X8rJscxz6V&sig=WnOTK17KrXNq2JmYgA2obmLu8Qk&hl=en&ei=PdyjTaP4CsyE0QGqoLnuCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gospel Of The Twelve}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gospel Of The Twelve}}
[[Category:Lost apocrypha|Twelve]]
[[Category:Lost apocrypha|Twelve]]



[[it:Vangelo dei Dodici]]
{{NewTestament-apocrypha-stub}}
[[la:Evangelium iuxta duodecim apostolos]]
[[pt:Evangelho dos Doze]]
[[sl:Evangelij po dvanajsterih]]

Latest revision as of 12:57, 27 October 2024

Origen who lists the Gospel of the Twelve

The Gospel of the Twelve (Greek: τὸ τῶν δώδεκα εὐαγγέλιον),[1] possibly also referred to as the Gospel of the Apostles, is a lost gospel mentioned by Origen in Homilies on Luke as part of a list of heretical works.

Schneemelcher's standard edition of the New Testament Apocrypha states that Jerome incorrectly identified the Gospel of the Twelve, which he referred to as the Gospel according to the Apostles, with the Gospel of the Hebrews (Dial. adv. Pelag. III 2), whereas Origen clearly distinguished between them (Homilies on Luke 1.1). Ambrose and Bede may have also made allusions to it. A relationship has been postulated between this otherwise unknown gospel and the Gospel of the Ebionites.[2]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Origenes, Homilia in Lucam 1 p. 5.2-4 Rauer.
  2. ^ New Testament Apocrypha. John Knox Press, Wilhelm Schneemelcher and Robert McLachlan Wilson eds. 2003. ISBN 0-664-22721-X., p.166 - "Against Jerome, ... Origen clearly distinguishes between the GH and the Gospel of the Twelve", p.374 - "On the basis of a wrongly interpreted passage in Jerome (Dial. adv. Pelag. III 2) an abortive attempt was made to link the Gospel of the Twelve with the Gospel of the Hebrews, but the majority of critics today are inclined to identify it with the Gospel of the Ebionites", cf. Vol 2 Writings relating to the Apostles 2003 p17 "In gnostic and Manichean literature there are references to a Gospel of the Twelve (cf. vol. I, pp.374ff.), where the title is evidently intended to underline the comprehensive revelation content"