The Hebrew
Christian-Nasoraean-Ebionite-Clementine-James the Just Page: The
Original Christianity (Christianity Before Paul), A Collection of
Ebionite Scriptures and Vegetarian Gospels of the Jesus Movement
Affiliated with James the Just or Teacher of Righteousness, Also
Other Early Jewish/Hebrew Christian Sources, Thr John the Baptist
Group, Aramaic Mandaean Texts, etc…
I do agree with the
scholar Robert Eisenman that finding the historic James the Just
(brother and spiritual successor of Jesus) is the most logical way to
locate a historic Jesus. This Nasoraean/James the Just/Ebionite page
is a project to gather together what remains of their scriptures so
this original group — Christianity before Paul — awkwardly
marginalized by Paul and later Roman versions of Christianity — can
be more easily accessed. I do include the Gospel of Thomas on the
list because of GoT Saying #12, which states that James the Just,
Jesus’s brother, is his spiritual successor. Plus, saying two of
the Gospel of Thomas is also found in the Gospel of the Hebrews.
Mostly what has survived of Ebionite writings comes to us in the form
of the Clementine literature, which is quite amazing material.
Sayings of Jesus
Reconstructed Q Gospel found in, The Complete Gospels, by Robert J. Miller:
The Q Thomas Reader - The best and most readable one-volume introduction available to the Sayings Gospel Q and the Gospel of Thomas-the very earliest collections of the sayings and parables of Jesus:
Coptic Gospel of Thomas from Nag Hammadi:
The Didache:
Letter of James:
Secret Book of James
The Evangelion: Proto-Luke Published by Marcion:
Also See: The First New Testament: Marcion’s Scriptural Canon
by Jason David BeDuhn (The Evangelion: Proto-Luke and, The Apostolikon: Ten Less Edited Earlier Versions of Letters of Paul, Pre-Canonical Paul):
Early Christian Psalms: The Book of the Odes:
Other Gospels.com:
The Complete Gospels, by Robert J. Miller:
The Research of Prof. James Tabor
on the Original Jesus Movement and James the Just:
How James [Yaaqov] Beloved Brother of Jesus
Was Written out of Early Christianity:
Read for free online, The Lost Religion of Jesus: Simple Living and Nonviolence in Early Christianity, by Akers, Keith:
Read for free online, The Vegetarianism of Jesus Christ, by Charles Paul Vaclavik:
A Relationship
Between the Gospel of Thomas
and the Gospel of the Hebrews
“It seems that, in
constructing his ‘harmony’ [Diatessaron], he [Tatian] used not
just the ‘canonical’ Gospels, but also a ‘fifth source’,
whose material sometimes agreed with readings proper to texts like
the Gospel to the Hebrews or the Gospel of Thomas. It has been
proposed to identify this source with that Aramaic tradition of
Palestinian origin, independent of the Greek Gospels, that had first
conveyed a knowledge of Jesus to the peoples of Syria, pivoting, to
begin with, on the region’s Jewish communities. Certainly, West
Aramaic expressions or, more generally, elements left a deep mark not
just and perhaps not so much on the Peshitta as on the more general
exegetical and ‘spiritual’ meditation of the Churches of Syria,
as many recent studies have demonstrated (cf. e.g. S. Brock, The Lost
Old Syriac…).”
Ebionite
Scriptures — Original Disciples,
Hebrew Christians
The Jerusalem
Group —
James the Just,
Collections of the Sayings of Yeshua
Sayings of Wisdom -- 4 Versions of the COPTIC
Gospel of Thomas (Sayings of Jesus):
(1) The Coptic Gospel of Thomas Followed by (down the page) the Oxyrhynchus Greek Gospel of Thomas:
(6) From OtherGospels.com Various Translations of GoT including a Topical Gospel of Thomas:
The sayings
attributed to Jesus but uniquely associated with the Gospel of Thomas
tradition also were also quoted far and wide in other early Christian
writings. An impressive book documenting the transmission of these
“Thomasonian” parallel sayings of Jesus is: Extracanonical
Sayings of Jesus, by William D. Stroker, Published by Scholars Press,
Atlanta (1989) ISBN 10: 1555400558, ISBN 13: 9781555400552
The Gospel of Thomas - Wisdom of the Twin, Lynn Bauman translation:
Professor Steven Davies has written some valuable observations about the "Primordial Light" mysticism of the Gospel of Thomas:
Gospel of Thomas COMMENTARY:
Gospel of Thomas Resource Center, by Michael W Grondin:
The GREEK Gospel of Thomas -- The Gospel of
Thomas Fragments from Oxyrhynchus:
Bentley Layton's Translation (Scroll Down Past the Coptic Thomas Translation to get to the Greek Oxyrhynchus Fragments):
Veg Saying of Jesus from Islam: Christ said, “Flesh eating flesh? How offensive an act!” - The Muslim Jesus: Sayings and Stories in Islamic Literature, by Tarif Khalidi:
The saying above reminds me of The Gospel of Thomas, Saying 112: Soul should be independent of flesh: Jesus said, “Woe to the flesh that depends upon a soul. Woe to the soul that depends upon flesh.” (The Gnostic Scriptures, Bentley Layton, David Brakke)
The Gospel of Q Collection
The Q Gospel According to Dr. James Tabor:
Q: The Lost Sayings Source Burton Mack's translation:
The Sayings Gospel Q -- International Q Project:
The Sayings Gospel Q -- Text according to Funk/Miller:
Sayings of Wisdom --
Sayings Gospel Q:
Jesus in Q: The Sabbath and Theology of the Bible and Extracanonical Texts:
Collections of Sayings of Jesus,
Gospel Fragments,
Gospel of the Hebrews,
Hebrew Matthew,
Gospel of the Nazoraeans,
Gospel of the Ebionites,
Gospel of Peter,
Syriac-Aramaic Matthew,
Syriac-Aramaic Mark,
Syriac-Aramaic Luke,
and Syriac-Aramaic John
“Some apocryphal
gospels testify to the reverence Jewish followers of Jesus (like the
Ebionites) had for James. The Gospel of the Hebrews fragment 21
confirms the account of Paul in 1 Corinthians regarding the risen
Jesus’ appearance to James*, and this is mentioned also by the
Gospel of Thomas (one of the works included in the Nag Hammadi
library), saying 12, which relates that the disciples asked Jesus,
‘We are aware that you will depart from us. Who will be our
leader?’ Jesus said to them, ‘No matter where you come [from] it
is to James the Just that you shall go, for whose sake heaven and
earth have come to exist.’”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_the_Just
*Note: The Apostle
Paul didn’t seem to be very acquainted with the contents of
Gospels. Not much from Jesus or Gospels are to be found quoted in his
letters. For Paul to be familiar with the story recorded in the
Gospel of the Hebrews about the Resurrected Christ appearing to
James, this indicates that some form of the Gospel of the Hebrews
(Ebionites or Nazoraeans) must have been one of the earliest Gospels,
somewhat older than — or contemporary with — Paul’s
Letters. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians dates back to
around 53–57 AD.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Epistle_to_the_Corinthians
Hebrew Gospel of Matthew (Shem Tov’s Hebrew Matthew), George Howard:
Another Copy:
Hard Copy:
About:
Evangelion da-Mepharreshe Matthew, Mark, John, and Luke
There's a very old Syriac-Aramaic manuscript of the Four Gospels that even predates the Syriac Peshitta called Evangelion da-Mepharreshe. It contains some “textual variants”, differs from the Greek gospel manuscripts, and the now standardized, conformist approach used by most New Testament translators. There are two surviving editions of Evangelion da-Mepharreshe, the Curetonian Version of the Four Gospels as well as the Sinai Palimpsest, also known as The Old Syriac Gospels. Evangelion da-Mepharreshe represents a translation and “one of the earliest witnesses”* of an even older collection of gospel manuscripts that no longer exist but once were “in circulation between the second and the fifth centuries”*.:
*Note: Page xviii, “Peshitta New Testament, The Antioch Bible English Translation”, Gorgias Press, discussion from the Preface about the history of the early Syriac-Aramaic manuscripts of the gospels.
Islamic Traditions of Sayings of Jesus
The Muslim Jesus -- This work presents in English translation the largest collection ever assembled of the sayings and stories of Jesus in Arabic Islamic literature: The Muslim Jesus: Sayings and Stories in Islamic Literature, by Tarif Khalidi.
Also See, Al Ghazali's "Sayings of Jesus", taken from his "Revival of the Religious Sciences: https://imgur.com/a/Y681p5l (excerpted from, The Pre-Nicene New Testament: Fifty-four Formative Texts, by Robert M. Price)
Also See, The Unknown Sayings of Jesus, by Marvin Meyer.
The Pre-Nicene New Testament: Fifty-four
Formative Texts, by Robert Price:
The Vegetarianism of the Jesus Movement, Nasoraeans and Ebionites: The above quoted passage is from the Clementine Homilies Book Eight as mentioned by James Tabor: https://youtu.be/Um82vqqS3XE?t=983
The Ascents of James:
History and Theology of
a Jewish-Christian Community, by Robert E. Van
The Didache, pronounced “DID-dah-kay”, meaning: "The Lord's Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations", is not quite a Jewish-Christian text in its present form but represents a First Century document authored by a community aware of the Jewish-Christians, adjacent to them, and is respectful of them. Chapters one through six is the earliest section and the closest to Jewish Christianity. Includes a reference to vegetarianism as part of "The Yoke of the Lord", the ethical code of the disciples of Jesus being perfected in their faith. This scripture seems to be intended for newly converted gentile Christians. Several translations are here. The Roberts-Donaldson English translation is the best: http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/didache.html
Letter of Jude (New Testament):
Letter of the Apostle James (New Testament):
The Apocryphon of James (Nag Hammadi):
The First Apocalypse of James (Nag Hammadi):
The Second Apocalypse of James (Nag Hammadi):
Thomas the Contender (Spiritual Athlete):
http://gnosis.org/naghamm/bookt.html
Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles (from the Syriac), translated by William Wright (including the Hymn of the Peal and the Complete Acts of Thomas):
https://archive.org/details/apocryphalactsa02wriggoog/page/n172
Psalms/ODES/Hymns of the New Testament Age
Odes @ Gnosis.org:
Odes of Solomon:
ABOUT the Odes: Odes of Solomon: Early Hymns of the Jewish Christian Mystical Tradition:
James the Just in the Habakkuk Pesher, Robert Eisenman:
The Midrash Pesher of Habakkuk, Scholar's Press:
The Dead Sea Scrolls and the first Christians, Robert Eisenman:
The Dead Sea Scrolls in English, Géza Vermes,
The Dead Sea Scriptures, T.H. Gaster:
The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered, Robert Eisenman:
The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English, Penguin Classics:
The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated:
The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible:
Sayings of Yuhana (John The Baptist) - Mandaean Nasoraean, Ginza Rabba (Great Treasure):
Hidden Sayings of John the Baptist:
The Original John
the Baptist Group, the Mandaeans (also known as Nazarenes, Nasuraiia
or Nasoraeans) — Mandaean Aramaic Scriptures Online — Gnosis
Library: http://www.gnosis.org/library/mand.htm
A New Life of John the Baptist:
Canonical Prayer-Book of the Mandaeans:
Ginza Rabba - Mark Lidzbarski Translation from German Into English:
Ginza Rabba & the Qolasta @ Wikisource:
Scroll of Miryai-Noorah (Mary Magdalene), Drashe d-Malke 34 & 35:
Mandaean Scriptures:
Mandaean Scriptures:
About the Mandaeans:
Mandaean Glossary of Terms:
Syriac-Aramaic
Saints and Mystics
“The Syriac Fathers on Prayer and the Spiritual Life”,
and other books translated by Sebastian Brock. “The Syriac
Fathers…” is from Cistercian Publications — an excellent
anthology of Syriac mystics and saints, a kind of Syriac “Philokalia”
or “Nag Hammadi”-like collection of important texts. Also see the link at the bottom of the page to, the "Gnostic Gospels, Contemplative or Mystical Christianity, Syriac Mystics", etc... Section of the E-Library. There is a Syriac Section down the page there just below the School of Saint Thomas Section.)
The Stranger of Galilee, by Russell Perkins:
The Vegetarianism -- Veganism
of the Hebrew Christians
Was Jesus a vegan? Blog by Keith Akers:
Vegetarian Diet:
Article: Uncovering A Vegetarian Jesus at the Beginning of
Christianity: “Now beware in yourselves that your hearts do not
become heavy with the eating of flesh and with the intoxication of
wine and with the anxiety of the world, and that day come up upon you
suddenly; for as a snare it will come upon all them that dwell on the
surface of the earth.” (Jesus, Luke 21:34, from a Syriac-Aramaic
manuscript of the New Testament):
https://medium.com/sant-mat-meditation-and-spirituality/9279741be7c4
Vegetarian Diet:
Article: Evidence That Jesus and The Original Aramaic Christians Were
Vegetarians: “James was a vegetarian….” (Robert Eisenman, James
the Brother of Jesus) “James, the brother of the Lord, lived on
seeds and plants and touched neither meat nor wine.” (Epistulae ad
Faustum XXII, 3) “The
Apostle Matthew partook of seeds, and nuts, hard-shelled fruits, and
vegetables, without flesh.” (Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor,
Book 2, Chapter 1) Peter said, “I live on olives and bread, to
which I rarely only add vegetables.” (Clementine Homilies 12,6;
also see, Recognitions 7,6) @ Medium: https://medium.com/sant-mat-meditation-and-spirituality/b8784ac42506
Vegetarian Diet: Article: Evidence That Jesus and The Original Aramaic Christians Were Vegetarians @ Blogspot:
https://santmatradhasoami.blogspot.com/2019/04/evidence-that-jesus-and-original.html
Vegetarian Diet: Article: Evidence That Jesus and The Original Aramaic Christians Were Vegetarians @ The Internet Archive:
https://archive.org/details/JesusAndTheOriginalAramaicChristiansWereVegetarians/mode/2up
DOWNLOAD: https://ia803007.us.archive.org/19/items/JesusAndTheOriginalAramaicChristiansWereVegetarians/Evidence%20That%20Jesus%20and%20The%20Original%20Aramaic%20Christians%20Were%20Vegetarians%2C%20By%20James%20Bean.pdf
A Vegetarian Jesus and Apostles at the Beginning of Christianity, and, The Gospels of the Ebionites:
Was Jesus A Vegetarian? [Yes.]:
John the Baptist's Vegetarian Diet -- An Exploration of Early Christian Writings and Scholarly Texts:
Aeon Byte Gnostic
Radio Interview With Robert Eisenman on how finding the historic
James the Just is the most logical approach to locating a historic
Jesus: http://youtu.be/0oR-M1sSxrw
Vegetarianism in Early Christianity:
Vegetarian Christian Saints,
by Holly H. Roberts:
The Acts of Philip: A New Translation, by François Bovon, Christopher R. Matthews:
The Ascension of Isaiah
As with the Books on Enoch, the Ascension of Isaiah was a very important extra-canonical book used by the Jesus Movement.
Medieval Cathar Version:
Other Items of Research and Interest
The Canon of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Ethiopic Bible, Has 81 books in it, Including the Ethiopic Book of Clement (Qälëmentos):
https://www.ethiopianorthodox.org/english/canonical/books.html
The Ethiopic Book of Clement (Qälëmentos) is discussed here: https://www.academia.edu/32686260/The_Ethiopic_Book_of_Clement_the_case_of_a_recent_Ethiopian_edition_and_a_few_additional_remarks
Some Early Judaeo-Christian Documents in the John Rylands Library; Syriac Texts, ed. with translations, by Alphonse Mingana. He translated some Clement writings and discusses the Clementine literature in this book:
https://archive.org/details/someearlyjudaeoc00ming/page/n1/mode/2up
Woodbrooke Studies, Volume I; Christian Documents in Syriac, Arabic, and Garshuni, by Alphonse Mingana:
https://archive.org/details/woodbrookestudie01theouoft/mode/2up
Torah of Yeshuah Collection: Syriac Bible, Ethiopian, Clementines, Apocrypha, Dead Sea Scroll Material, etc...
https://torahofyeshuah.blogspot.com/2015/08/nazarene-canon_6.html
Sacred Texts Site:
https://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/index.htm
ALSO SEE: Gnostic Gospels, Contemplative or Mystical Christianity, Syriac Mystics, Mandaean, Manichaean, Apocrypha, Nag Hammadi Library, Pistis Sophia, Jesus Sutras, Lost Books of the Bible and Spirituality of the West -- Sant Mat Radhasoami Books, The E Library: Gnostic or Western Mysticism Section: https://SantMatRadhasoami.Blogspot.com/2019/01/gnostic-gospels-contemplative-or.html
