Recovering Jewish-Christian sects and gospels / by Petri Luomanen.

• Superior document: Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae : texts and studies of early Christian life and language, v. 110
• Author: Luomanen, Petri, 1961-
• Year of Publication: 2012
• Language: English
• Series: Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae ; v. 110.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (310 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

The mystery of lost, apocryphal Jewish-Christian gospels has intrigued scholars for centuries. Scholars have also debated whether the Ebionites with their low Christology or the more “orthodox” Nazarenes are the genuine successors of the early Jerusalem church. This book provides a fresh assessment of the patristic sources and the scholarly theories on the number and contents of Jewish-Christian gospels. A new approach, the study of indicators of Jewish-Christian profiles, shows the artificial nature of the church fathers’ heretical discourse, bringing forth previously neglected connections between various Jewish-Christian movements. This book also challenges the widely accepted theory of three Jewish-Christian gospels bringing the Gospel of the Hebrews closer to its synoptic cousins—not, however, as a witness of the earliest Jesus traditions but as a post-synoptic composition.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Material -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Patristic Testimonies Reconsidered -- 3. Jewish-ChristianGospels Recovered -- 4. Passion Traditions Reinterpreted -- 5. Jewish-Christian Gospels and Syriac Gospel Traditions -- 6. Conclusion: Towards theHistory of Early Jewish Christianity -- Abbreviations and Appendices -- References -- Index of Ancient Authors and Texts -- General Index -- Index ofModern Authors.