June 2022 - Page 2 of 2 - NazareneSpace Blog

The Gospel of Barnabas and the Gospel according to the Hebrews

The Gospel of Barnabas and the Gospel according to the Hebrews
By
James Scott Trimm

While doing some recent research I discovered that the Gospel of Barnabas (a sort of Islamic apocryphal Gospel from the Middle Ages) seems to have embedded in it some elements from the Gospel according the Hebrews, the original Jewish Gospel used by the ancient Nazarenes.

At this point, I want to make it very clear that the Gospel of Barnabas is a false Gospel. The fact that I am making academic use of it, should in no way be misinterpreted as losing site of that fact. This point cannot be made too clearly.

This relationship is not a complete surprise, some scholars have maintained that there was a relationship between the ancient Ebionites and the roots of early Islam (and Barnabas has its closest affinity with the Ebionite version of GH). Moreover the editor of Barnabas is likely to have used some earlier Gospel(s) as his source material, since GH was certainly in existence, we should not be surprised that it was used as a source text.

My first clue came from Barnabas’ account of the immersion of Yeshua (or at least its reworking of that account). Barnabas reworks the immersion story into a story about how Yeshua (i.e. “Jesus”) received the “Gospel”. In Islamic belief the “Gospel” was a book that “Jesus” received from Gabriel in much the same way that Mohammed is supposed to have received the Quran. In keeping with this idea Barnabas reworks the immersion account into an account of Yeshua receiving his book in much the same way that Muhammed supposedly received the Quran:

Jesus having come to the age of thirty years, as he himself said
unto me, went up to Mount Olives with his mother to gather
olives. Then at midday as he was praying, when he came to these
words: ‘Lord, with mercy . . . ,’ he was surrounded by an exceeding
bright light and by an infinite multitude of angels, who were
saying: ‘Blessed be God.’ The angel Gabriel presented to him as it
were a shining mirror, a book, which descended into the heart of
Jesus, in which he had knowledge of what God hath done and what
hath said and what God willeth insomuch that everything was laid
bare and open to him; as he said unto me: ‘Believe, Barnabas, that I
know every prophet with every prophecy, insomuch that whatever I
say the whole bath come forth from that book.’

Jesus, having received this vision, and knowing that he was a
prophet sent to the house of Israel, revealed all to Mary his mother,
telling her that he needs must suffer great persecution for the honour
of God, and that he could not any longer abide with her to serve her.
Whereupon, having heard this, Mary answered: ‘Son. Ere thou west
born all was announced to me; wherefore blessed be the holy name
of God. Jesus departed therefore that day from his mother to attend
to his prophetic office.
(Barnabas 10)

This account has many subtle parallels to the immersion account in the Gospel according to the Hebrews, which is fully examined in my previous blog Restoring the Original Hebrew Gospel Account of Yeshua’s Immersion.

Now immediately we may take note of the fact that in Barnabas, as in GH, it is mentioned that Yeshua’s mother is present at the event, we may also note that both Barnabas and GH indicate that Yeshua was thirty years old.

The phrase “was surrounded by an exceeding bright light” in Barnabas recalls the phrase “a great light shone around the place” in GH.

The phrase “a book, which descended into the heart of Jesus” in Barnabas recalls: “the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descending and entering into him” in the Ebionite version of GH.

The phrase “everything was laid bare and open to him” (Barnabas) recalls “the heavens were opened” in GH (and Matthew).

The phrase “Son. ere thou west born” (Barnabas) recalls “…Son… I have begotten” (GH Ebionite) and “My son… my firstborn son” (GH Nazarene).

“That day” (Barnabas) recalls “this day” (GH Ebionite)

These parallels cannot be mere coincidence. The account in Barnabas is clearly a corruption based (at least in part) in the account of Yeshua’s immersion in GH.

Within Barnabas we also find a solution to a long time GH mystery. The Ebionite version of GH had the following quote:

“I am come to do away with the sacrifices,
and if you cease not sacrificing
the wrath of God will not cease from you.”

(This quote only appeared in the Ebionite version and was not in the original
Nazarene version.)

Scholars have long been curious about where this quote belonged in the text since there was no obvious parallel or context in the canonical Gospels. However similar material occurs in Barnabas which could easily be the home of this quote:

‘For ye say unto them: “Bring of your sheep and bulls and lambs to
the temple of your God, and eat not all, but give a share to your
God of that which he hath given you”; and do not tell them of the
origin of sacrifice, that it is for a witness of the life granted
to the son of our father Abraham, so that the faith and obedience of
our father Abraham, with the promises made to him by God and the
blessing given to him, should never be forgotten. But by Ezekiel the
prophet saith God: “Remove from me these your sacrifices, your
victims are abominable to me.” For the time draweth near when that
shall be done of which our God spoke by Hosea the prophet,
saying: “I will call chosen the people not chosen.” And as he saith
in Ezekiel the prophet: “God shall make a new covenant with his
people, not according to the covenant which he gave to your fathers,
which they observed not and he shall take from them a heart of
stone, and give them a new heart”: and all this shall be because ye
walk not now in his law. And ye have the key and open not: rather do
ye block the road for those who would walk in it.’
The priest was departing to report all to the high priest, who
stood nigh unto the sanctuary, but Jesus said: ‘Stay, for I will
answer thy question.’
(Barnabas 67)

Of course this would have been part of the apostate Ebionite version of GH and not the original Nazarene Version.

Barnabas also offers a solution to another great GH mystery. Scholars have long noted that the quotes from GH seem to switch from a third person account, to a first person account from the Emissaries, to a first person account from Yeshua himself, but how this took place was a mystery. For example Epiphanius quotes the Ebionite version of GH as reading:

There appeared a certain man named Jesus of about thirty years
of age, who chose us. And when he came to Capernaum, he
entered into the house of Simon whose surname is Peter, and
opened his mouth and said: “As I passed the Lake of Tiberias, I
chose John and James the sons of Zebedee, and Simon and Andrew
and Thaddeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the Iscariot, and
you, Matthew, I called as you sat at the receipt of custom, and
you followed me. You, therefore, I will to be twelve apostles for
a testimony unto Israel.”
(Epiphanius, Panarion 30.13.2-3)

Here we see this shift taking place, but in other passages it is not so simple to understand how this shift took place. For example Origin quotes GH as follows:

“Even now did my mother the Holy Spirit take me by one of mine
hairs, and carried me away unto the great mountain Thabor”
(Origen; on Jn. 2:12)

Now this appears to be an account of the Temptation, but all three canonical accounts of the Temptation are in the third person, how could GH have worked in a first person account?

Again Barnabas gives us the solution. In Barnabas the flowing third person narrative is at times interrupted by a first person account by an emissary (Barnabas- in the Gospel of Barnabas, Baranabas is misidentified as an Apostle) recalling and recounting a first person account of the events given them by Yeshua.

In Barnabas, for example, we read:

“…as he said unto me: ‘Believe, Barnabas, that I know every
prophet with every prophecy, insomuch that whatever I say
the whole bath come forth from that book.'”
(Barnabas 10)

Barnabas and GH must both have had such interspersed interruptions suddenly shifting from the third person into a first person account of an emissary (or emissaries) recalling a first person account they received from Yeshua. This makes especially good sense when we realize that the “Church Fathers” sometimes referred to GH as the Gospel of the Twelve.

So despite the fact that the Gospel of Barnabas is a false, apostate, Islamified Gospel, on an academic level, it may still provide us with some subtle clues concerning the Gospel according to the Hebrews.

We need your support now more than ever. Donations have been very low this month, and rent will be due in just two weeks!

As I have said to you many times, I look on this work as a co-operative one with me, and all of you combining our resources together in order to get the job done of helping to teach this great truth to all in the world who will listen. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your continued support, you are the ones who make it all possible by your contributions and your prayers for our work. I truly appreciate your help in every way.

If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.

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Emergency Alert- Situation Urgent!

We must raise at least $820 by the end of the day today or our account will plunge into the negative and create a cascade of returned item fees!

We did not receive any donations in all weekend. With new bills also hitting our account, we have $820 pending in the negative!

If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.

Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org

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Emergency Alert and Other Updates

Shalom Chaverim,

First of all, I want to thank all of you who are supporting the work we are doing. I say we, because I am always mindful that this is a joint effort in which you are all an equal part with me. I could not do this work without you.

As you know I am very busy with a number of projects including the Scripture Restoration Project and the Free Online Scripture Commentary.

Recently I published my initial commentary on Yochanan Chapter 1

This prompted me to start two background projects that will also be helpful. The first is simply organizing the writings of Philo of Alexandria into a Torah Commentary (Philo’s Commentary to the Torah) The Second is preliminary work on an online Commentary to the Zohar with preliminary Commentary on Zohar 1:16b

I have become convinced that Shimon bar Yochai, the author of the Zohar, was a secret believer in Yeshua as Messiah. I have studied the Zohar in the original Aramaic for many years (decades even). The Zohar has embedded within its text the identity of Messiah, both as Yeshua, and the deity of Messiah as the Son of Yah, the Middle Pillar of the three Pillars. There is a lot of amazing material about Messiah in the Zohar.

Update on my wife: Her pain has gotten worse and so her doctors ran a new scan. She now has several abdominal and pelvic hernias. She also has a kidney stone. She is not a candidate for surgery because of what the surgeons call “hostile abdomen”. They will not do surgery until her condition is eminently life threatening, due to her hostile abdomen condition, her chances of surviving surgery are not good.

As for my own situation, the tests so far have shown severe nerve damage in my body. Tests are still being run to find a cause. I am seeing a neurologist and another specialist.

On top of our medical bills, our car broke down and needs a new transmission, fortunately we have some coverage for this, but repairs are still costing us about $500.

We Still need to raise at least $650 to keep our account from going into the negative Monday night!

If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.

Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org

Or click HERE to donate

Is DuTillet Hebrew Matthew a Translation from Greek?

Is DuTillet Hebrew Matthew a Translation from Greek?
By
James Scott Trimm

Recently I have seen several persons dismiss the DuTillet Hebrew version of Matthew claiming that it is a “translation from Greek.” Whenever I see someone make this claim, it becomes immediately apparent that they are not familiar enough with the subject matter to be commenting.

In a recent blog I shared how the close relationship between the DuTillet Hebrew Matthew and the Old Syriac Aramaic Matthew is strong evidence that the DuTillet Hebrew version of Matthew is directly related to the original Hebrew of Matthew.

There is further evidence that the original Hebrew from which Du Tillet is an exemplar is directly connected to the original Aramaic of which the Old Syriac is an exemplar apart from the Greek text.

Both Hebrew and Greek have a definite article (English “the”). Yet there seems to be no real connection between where DuTillet uses the definite article and where it appears in the Greek:

Three Examples where the Hebrew has no definite articles but the Greek does have them:

Mt. 3:7 “many of the Pharisees and Sadducees”
Mt. 6:32 “the Gentiles”
Mt. 14: 15 “the villages”

Three examples where the Hebrew does have definite articles and the Greek lacks them:

Mt. 3:8 “the fruit worthy”
Mt. 4: 18 “the net”
Mt. 7:9 “the stone”

This would certainly imply that at some point in between the Hebrew and the Greek the text went through a language that either had a weak definite article or none at all. The likely candidate for such a language would be Aramaic (Syriac) which lacks a definite article.

In other words the evidence indicates that the Hebrew text of DuTillet is not a Hebrew translation of the Greek. Instead it appears that the Aramaic text represented by the Old Syriac is a direct Aramaic translation of the Hebrew text represented by DuTillet, and that our Greek text is a representative of a Greek version which was translated from the Aramaic.

If anyone who was actually educated about these texts wanted to dismiss the DuTillet Text as a translation, they would never claim it was translated from Greek, they would claim it was translated from Latin, which has no definite article. Of course this argument is also incorrect, as evidenced by the close relationship between the DuTillet text and the Old Syriac. But if anyone tries to dismiss the DuTillet Hebrew as a translation from Greek, they have demonstrated themselves to be ignorant of the nuances of the text about which they are claiming to know so much.

I want to thank all of you who are supporting the work we are doing. I say we, because I am always mindful that this is a joint effort in which you are all an equal part with me. I could not do this work without you.

We are facing an exceptionally difficult month. In addition to co-pays on medical tests and appointments for myself and my wife (her condition has become worse), the transmission on our car must be replaced. That is a repair costing between five and six thousand dollars! Fortunately we have major mechanical breakdown covered on our auto-insurance, so after the deductible, diagnosis, and related expenses, our out of pocket expense is about $500, which is a lot, but not the prohibitive $5,000 plus.

And right now we are literally broke, with $0.00 in our account!

We must raise at least $850 to cover the car repair and other bills!

If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.

Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org

Or click HERE to donate

Emergency Alert!

Shalom Chaverim,

And right now we are literally broke, with $0.00 in our account!

We must raise at least $850 to cover the car repair and other bills!

If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.

Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org

Or click HERE to donate

Emergency Alert!

Rent was due today and we do not have it! We need your help today!

If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.

Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org

Or click HERE to donate

The Catalan Gospels: Hebrew Paraphrase of the Latin Vulgate

The Catalan Gospels: Hebrew Paraphrase of the Latin Vulgate
By
James Scott Trimm

Some high claims have been made or the so-called “Catalan Gospels” (Vat. Ebr. 100), however, after a careful examination, I have come the conclusion that these Gospels are merely a Hebrew translation whose ultimate source, is the Latin Vulgate, and that they play absolutely no part in Gospel origins. Either the Hebrew is itself a paraphrase, or there was a paraphrase somewhere between the Latin Vulgate and the Hebrew.

The first, and most obvious sign, that the ultimate source of the Catalan Hebrew is not the original Hebrew of the Gospels, is the fact that wherever our canonical text of the Gospels contains an explanation as to the meaning of a Hebrew word of proper noun, the Catalan text also has such such an explanation, in exactly the same passage. This is significant, because such explanations would not have been in the original Hebrew, since they would have been completely unnecessary. It is impossible to believe that they were independently inserted in the source of the Catalan text, in exactly the same places that they appear in our canonical text, unless they both derive these from the same source that was not the original Hebrew.

For example in Yochanan 1:41 our received John explains “Messiah, which is translated Christos” and in this exact place, the Catalan text explains that Messiah means “Messiahos”

In Yochanan 1:42 where our received text informs us that Kefa means “rock” the Catalan also has this explanation in exactly the same place.

Again in John 4:25 the Catalan text explains that Messiah means “Messiahos” where the received text explains that Messiah means “Christos”.

Another evidence that the Catalan Gospels are not sourced from the original Hebrew, is that they contain the text of John 7:53-8:11, and in exactly the same location as in our standard editions of John. This would not be the case if the ultimate source were the original Hebrew or John. The story of the alleged adulteress (John 7:53-8:11) does not actually appear in many of the most ancient manuscripts. It does not appear in the Aramaic Peshita or the Aramaic Old Syriac texts. Those Greek manuscripts which do contain it place it in various places some after Luke 21:38 and some after John 7:36 or after 7:52 or even after 21:24. The fact that it appears in the Catalan John and in exactly the place where we have it in our modern versions, is very much evidence that the ultimate source of the Catalan Gospels is not the original Hebrew.

That the true ultimate source of the Catalan Gospels is the Latin Vulgate is to be seen from the fact that the Catalan tends to follow many unique Latin Vulgate readings, especially where the Latin Vulgate omits a word or phrase, the Catalan Gospels will also omit that word or phrase.

For example in John 8:14 the Latin Vulgate uniquely omits the phrase “but you cannot tell from where I come, and where I go.” and this exact phrase is also lacking in the Catalan manuscript.

And in John 10:30 where we normally read “I and my Father are one” the Latin Vulgate is unique in omitting “my” and the Catalan text just happens to also omit “my” from this verse.

Proponents of the Catalan Gospels have ignored the obvious textual evidence that the Catalan Gospels are actually a paraphrase of the Latin Vulgate.

There is an account, found in all four gospels, that there was a prevailing Passover custom in Jerusalem that allowed Pilate, the governor of Judea, to commute one prisoner’s death sentence by popular acclaim. According to all four Gospels (Matt. 27:15-26; Mk. 15:6-15; Lk. 23:13-25 and Jn. 18:38b-40) . According to all four accounts, Pilate put forward to individuals, and let the crowd choose between the two: Yeshua and Barabbas. As the accounts go, the crowd chose Barabbas.

However in the Commentary to Matthew by the Fourth Century Church Father Jerome, he makes an interesting comment, speaking about Barabbas in his commentary to Matthew 27:16 he writes “… is interpreted in the so-called Gospel according to the Hebrews as ‘son of their teacher’ (Latin: filius magistri eorum). (Jerome on Matthew 27:16)

I have written in depth about the Gospel according to the Hebrews elsewhere. It is the original source text behind the synoptic gospels (and to a lesser extent John) and our Gospel of Matthew is essentially an abridgement of it.

It has been proposed by some authors that Jerome is saying that Barabbas (Bar Abba) was not really names “Bar Abba” (son of a father) but “Bar Rabbon” (Son of their master”). The problem is that when Jerome says “their” here, is is almost certainly doing so to distinguish himself from the Jews. It is very unlikely that anyone would be given the name or title “son of their master”. It is much more likely that the word “their” is Jerome’s, and that the term that appeared in the original Hebrew Gospel source was “Son of the Master” or “Son of a Master” not “Son of their Master.” Thus we would expect the original Hebrew to read Bar Rabbah (בר רבה) rather than Bar Abba (בר אבא).

It has been proposed (by Dr. Miles Jones) that the “Catalan” Gospels may express Jerome’s proposed original reading here. Unfortunately the Catalan version has here בראבן or בר אבן in it’s text. Which might be “son of their father” but not “son of their master” and since the word “their” is almost certainly Jerome’s and not part of the original name, the Catalan Gospels do not really testify in this passage to this original reading at all.

However, both the DuTillet Hebrew Matthew and the Munster Hebrew text of Matthew, have in their accounts, not “Barabbas”, or “Bar Abba” but “Bar Rabbah” (בר רבה) just exactly as we would expect to find in the original Hebrew of the Gospels!

Jones has further proposed that the readings of the Catalan Gospels in Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38 and Luke 23:45, agree with the Gospel according to the Hebrews ((Which he regularly refers to ambiguously as the “Hebrew Gospel” in his books).

We read in the Goodnews according to Matthew that at the death of Yeshua:

And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
(Matthew 27:51)

The fourth century “Church Father” Jerome writes concerning The Gospel According to the Hebrews (a Gospel use by the ancient sect of the Nazarenes along side our familiar four):

“But in the Gospel which is written in Hebrew characters we read not that the veil of the Temple was rent, but that the lintel of the Temple of wondrous size was broken and even forced asunder.”
(Jerome; Letter 120 to Hedibia; Jerome on Mat. 27:51)

Also in the Historia passionis Domini we read likewise:

“Also in the Gospel of the Nazarenes we read that at the time of Messiah’s death the lintel of the Temple, of immense size, had split (Josephus says the same and adds that overhead awful voices were heard which said: ‘Let us depart from this abode’.”
(Historia passionis Domini; MS: Theolog. Sammelhandschrift 14th-15th Century, foll. 65r)

The lintel was a crossbeam over the doorway to the Holy of Holies in the Temple. The lintel stood atop pillars eight stories high which formed this doorway. The lintel was some thirty feet across and made of solid stone. It would have weighed about 30 tons! At the death of Yeshua there was an earthquake. This earthquake caused the lintel to split, breaking in the middle. It would have been no small event when the two pieces of this thirty ton lintel came crashing down eight stories! The veil hung from the lintel and the hekel doors were attached to the pillars. When the lintel broke it caused the veil to be rent in two from top to bottom. (In the Jewish culture it is common for a father to morn the death of his son by renting his garment in just such a fashion.)

Dr. Miles Jones maintains that the Catlan Gospels reflect this reading, and that this is their “authentication” by which he ascertains that they “come from a first century source”. As evidence Jones cites their readings of Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38 and Luke 23:45 from the Catlan Gospels (ibid page 262) He presents the following translations:

“And here the Temple was broken on both sides up and down and the earth quaked and the stones split in the middle.” (Matthew 27:51)

“The Temple was broken on both sides up and down.” (Mark 15:38)

“And the sun went dark and covered the Temple and it was split in the middle.” (Luke 23:45)

However the word Jones translates as “Temple” in these verses is not the normal Hebrew word for Temple, but is מקדש which can mean “Sanctuary” but can also simply refer to “a holy thing” or “something consecrated”. There is no special indication here of the lintel. And the verb used is שבר which can mean to “break” but it can also mean to “tear” (as in 1Kn. 13:26)

There is an even greater problem with Jones’ translation of Luke 23:45. The phrase Jones translates “And the sun went dark and covered the Temple” is in the Hebrew והשמש חשך ומכסה המקדש Which is very clearly “And the sun was dark and the covering of the Sanctuary [split]” The word ומכסה can only be a noun, and cannot be a verb.

There is nothing about these verses of the Catalan Gospels, that indicates any connection to the Gospel according to the Hebrews (or “The Hebrew Gospel”). The textual nature of the Catalan Gospels indicates that they are a Hebrew language version of some paraphrase ultimately sourced in the Latin Vulgate. The Catalan Gospels have no part to play in Gospel origins.

Our rent was due today, and we do not have it! We need your help today!

If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.