I want to bring attention to another unknown gospel, that being the so-called “Gospel of the Hebrews”. This gospel only survives in fragments and that is in thanks to the church fathers quoting the text. Otherwise, it is a lost text (until a copy emerges, fingers crossed!). I will be posting all the known fragments without any of the church fathers’ notes or comments. There is some interesting stuff here!
When Christ wished to come upon the earth to men, the good Father summoned a mighty power in heaven, which was called Michael, and entrusted Christ to the care thereof. And the power came into the world and it was called Mary, and Christ was in her womb seven months.
Upon reading various texts regarding Mary’s time carrying Jesus in her womb, I’ve seen the time range vary by a few months. Just an observation.
And it came to pass when the Lord was come up out of the water, the whole fount of the Holy Spirit descended upon him and rested on him and said to him: My son, in all the prophets was I waiting for thee that thou shouldest come and I might rest in thee. For thou art my rest; thou art my first-begotten Son that reignest for ever.
Even so did my mother, the Holy Spirit, take me by one of my hairs and carry me away on to the great mountain Tabor.
These two fragments deal with the Holy Spirit. Notice how the Holy Spirit is said to be the mother of Christ. In traditional Christian dogma, this is not the case, but this is the thought in various gnostic groups like the Valentinians. The Holy Spirit is usually identified with Sophia (Divine Wisdom) or even Barbelo (whom would be the source of all these emanations). This thinking brings us to a trinity of the Father – Mother – Son, an idea that permeates throughout world religions.
He that marvels shall reign, and he that has reigned shall rest.
He that seeks will not rest until he finds; and he that has found shall marvel; and he that has marveled shall reign; and he that has reigned shall rest.
These fragments sound eerily familiar. This is basically the same as saying 2 from the Gospel of Thomas (Jesus said, “Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find. When they find, they will be disturbed. When they are disturbed, they will marvel, and will reign over all. And after they have reigned they will rest.”) Another “lost” gospel (like my previous posts about the Gospel of the Savior) where a Thomas saying pops up. Love it!
And never be ye joyful, save when ye behold your brother with love.
He that has grieved the spirit of his brother.
“Brotherly love” is a concept that is not unfamiliar in the Christian world even if some don’t seem to practice it like they should.
And when the Lord had given the linen cloth to the servant of the priest, he went to James and appeared to him. For James had sworn that he would not eat bread from that hour in which he had drunk the cup of the Lord until he should see him risen from among them that sleep. And shortly thereafter the Lord said: Bring a table and bread! And immediately it added: he took the bread, blessed it and brake it and gave it to James the Just and said to him: My brother, eat thy bread, for the Son of man is risen from among them that sleep.
This fragment shows the importance of James the Just, brother of Jesus. I always feel James does not get as much attention as he should. The Gospel of Thomas saying 14 has the line, “No matter where you are you are to go to James the Just, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being”, which shows how important James really is. Based off of that, James should have been the successor of the group, but we all know how that played out. This also points out how the Gospel of the Hebrews would be more Jewish oriented as James has always been more associated with traditional Jewish beliefs in the Christian theology.
That is all the fragments that are known to exist. Some small summaries of pieces show up elsewhere, but I am not including them. I suggest reading the wiki page on the Gospel of the Hebrew for those summaries and a bit of history on this missing gospel. Let’s hope the sands of Egypt (or perhaps hidden away in some monastery) brings forth this lost text!
Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_the_Hebrews
Featured artwork made by Midjourney, based on the Holy Spirit fragments
bP
Culmination of Wisdom 