Gospel of the Nazarenes

Gospel of the Nazarenes is the name given to a text, which may, or may not be the same as, or derived from, the Gospel of the Hebrews. Due to the fragmentary nature of both works, certainty over this question is low, although there is a strong affinity between both. Whatever the origin, and similarity of the text, this version of the text was the one preferred by the Nazarenes.

According to Jerome's Commentary on Matthew,

In the Gospel of the Hebrews, written in the Chaldee and Syriac language but in Hebrew script, and used by the Nazarenes to this day (I mean the Gospel of the Apostles, or, as it is generally maintained, the Gospel of Matthew, a copy of which is in the library at Caesarea.’ ” (Jerome, Against Pelagius 3.2)

In the Gospel which the Nazarenes and the Ebionites use which we have recently translated from Hebrew to Greek, and which most people call The Authentic Gospel of Matthew, the man who had the withered hand is described as a mason who begged for help in the following words: “I was a mason, earning a living with my hands. I beg you, Jesus, restore my health to me, so that I need not beg for my food in shame.” (Jerome, Commentary on Matthew 2)

It appears, from the known fragments of it, that the text is an embellishment on the canonical version of Matthew, making minor clarifications such as replacing "daily bread" with "bread for tomorrow" in the Lord's Prayer. Since it adds clarifications, it indicates that it is based on the canonical text, rather than the other way around (since it is very unlikely that a scribe creating canonical Matthew would deign to make things more obscure).

Since the text was so similar to the canonical form, having only minor additions, it was considered orthodox, but was effectively redundant, and so passed out of use.

See also

• Gospel of the Hebrews
• Gospel of the Ebionites