Unknown Berlin Gospel

The Unknown Berlin Gospel is a fragmentary text considered a part of the New Testament apocrypha, which is also known as the Gospel of the Saviour. It consists of a parchment codex aquired by the Egyptian Museum of Berlin in 1961, although it was only really discovered in 1991, when it came round to being conserved (the sheer number of similar manuscripts being conserved at the same time is the cause of the 30 year delay).

It appears to date from the 6th century, and was translated at this point from Greek into Coptic. The original text on which it is based is thought to be somewhere between the late second and early third centuries.

The content is heavily gnostic, and also appears to be based on the Gospel of Peter. The unnamed Saviour (who is generally assumed to be a reference to Jesus), engages in a somewhat more personal dialogue, than elsewhere, with his apostles.

The significance of the crucifixion is somewhat watered down, being considered a part of a heavenly journey, an idea much more in keeping with the gnostics. And at one point, the cross itself is addressed, as if it is a living creature, a companion rather than a device for death.