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Gospel of the Twelve

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The Gospel of the Twelve (Template:Lang-el), also referred to as the Gospel of the Apostles, is a lost gospel preserved in fragments within the writings of the Church Fathers. This non-Canonical Gospel gives an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his Baptism to his Resurrection.

Nazarene Community

Early Jewish Christians were often called Nazarenes. The term Nazarene was first applied to Jesus of Nazareth.[1] After his death, it was the term used to identify the predominantly Jewish sect that believed Jesus was the Messiah. When this sect branched into the Gentile world, they became known as Christians. [2] By the fourth century, Nazarenes were considered Orthodox Christians. They adhered to the Mosaic law, but rejected the heresies of the Judaizers.[3]

The Gospel of the Apostles, or The Gospel of the Twelve was used by the Nazarenes. St. Jerome expressly says that " the Gospel used by the Nazarenes is called the Gospel of the Apostles". That the same Gospel should bear two names, one according to its reputed authors, the other according to the community which used it, is not surprising[4]


Justin Martyr

Justin Martyr probably alludes to Gospel of the Twelve under a slightly different name, The Recollections of the Apostles. He says that these Recollections were a Gospel. He adopted the word used by Xenophon for his recollections of Socrates. What the Memorabilia of Xenophon were concerning the martyred philosopher, that the Memorabilia of the Apostles were concerning the martyred Redeemer. It is probable that this Hebrew Gospel of the Twelve was the only one with which Justin Martyr was acquainted.

Justin Martyr was a native of Samaria, and his acquaintance with Christianity was probably made in the communities of Nazarenes scattered over Syria. By family he was a Greek, and was therefore by blood inclined to sympathize with the Gentile rather than the Jewish Christians. This double tendency is manifest in his writings.

Justin Martyr's Christian training took place in the Nazarene Church, in the orthodox, milder section. He no doubt inherited the traditional prejudice against St. Paul, for he neither mentions him by name, nor quotes any of his writings. That he should have omitted to quote St. Paul in his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew is not surprising; but one cannot doubt that had he seen the Epistles of the Apostle of the Gentiles', he would have cited them, or shown that they had influenced the current of his thoughts in his two Apologies addressed to Gentiles. There the Gospel of the Twelve may predate Paul.


Gospel of the Hebrews

Justin Martyr quotes " the book that is called the Gospel" as if there were but one. It has been frequently observed that the quotations of Justin are closer to the parallel passages in St. Matthew's Gospel of the Hebrews than to other gospels. But the only Gospel he names is the Gospel of the Twelve.

References

  1. ^ Gospel of Matthew 2:23
  2. ^ F.L. Cross & E.A. Livingston, The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, Oxford University Press, 1989. p 957 & 722.
  3. ^ The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol. 4. New York, NY : Doubleday, 1992. p. 1049-1052
  4. ^ Sabine Baring-gould, The Lost And Hostile Gospels, Nabu Press, 2010. p 122