The Lost Jewish Gospel and Luke

In my last blog I demonstrated that our Gospel of Matthew was actually an abridgement of the Gospel according to the Hebrews, and that contrary to popular opinion, Mark was not a source document for Matthew or Luke, but was likely compiled using Matthew and Luke as sources.

In this blog I want to take a closer look at the relationship between Luke and the Gospel according to the Hebrews. Many scholars look to a hypothetical Proto-Luke as the source behind the material unique to Luke but not found in Matthew and Mark.

In 1940 Pierson Parker concluded that a close connection existed between the Gospel according to the Hebrews and this hypothetical “Proto-Luke” document:

…the presence in this gospel of Lukan qualities and parallels, the absence from it of definitive… Markan elements… all point to one conclusion, viz., that the source of the Gospel according to the Hebrews… was most closely related to sources underlying the non-Markan parts of Luke, that is, Proto-Luke. (Pierson Parker; A Proto-Lukan Basis for the Gospel according to the Hebrews; Journal of Biblical Literature 59 (1940) p. 478)

However, I believe we may easily conclude that the material unique to Luke comes not from a Proto-Luke or L-Source at all, but actually from the Gospel according to the Hebrews.

To begin with Luke admits to having had source documents when writing his gospel (Luke 1:1-4) and the fact is that several of the surviving readings from the Gospel according to the Hebrews parallel Luke only and not Matthew. For example only Luke gives Yeshua’s age as being thirty (Lk. 3:23); only Luke includes the account of Yeshua being comforted by an angel (Lk. 22:43); only Luke includes the discussion about eating the Passover as described in Luke 22:45 and only Luke includes Yeshua’s words at the crucifixion “father forgive them…” (Lk. 23:34). All of these are found in the surviving Gospel according to the Hebrews fragments. There are also Lukan elements even in Gospel according to the Hebrews material that also parallels Matthew. The immersion account as cited by Epiphanius also included the words “in the form of [a dove]” (as in Luke’s account) and the phrase “I have this day begotten you” (as in Luke’s account in the Greek Western type text of Codex D).

The correlation with the Greek Western text type of Codex D is also extremely important, but I will have to visit that topic in a future blog.

If Mark is secondary and not primary, as we have found that it is, we should expect that the Synoptic source would have readings which parallel Matthew only, readings which parallel only Luke and readings which are common to Matthew and Luke (and sometimes Mark) but should not expect readings which parallel only Mark and this is exactly the case with the Gospel according to the Hebrews.

This is why restoring the original underlying Hebrew of the Gospel according to the Hebrews is such an important part of this project, because the Gospel according to the Hebrews is the original Jewish Gospel behind Matthew Mark and Luke!

This is all part of the fulfillment of the prophecy of Enoch:

But when they write down truthfully all my words in their languages, and do not change or diminish ought from my words but write them all down truthfully –all that I first testified concerning them. Then, I know another mystery, that books will be given to the righteous and the wise to become a cause of joy and uprightness and much wisdom. And to them shall the books be given, and they shall believe in them and rejoice over them, and then shall all the righteous who have learnt therefore all the paths of uprightness be recompensed.’
(1Enoch 104:10-13)

I want to let you all know that my wife Inga “Kitty” is going to the hospital to have yet another surgery on October 9th. Kitty is normally considered too a high risk for surgery, but she will likely die without this surgery, so there is really no choice. They are hoping that it will be a simple procedure, but with her medical history, things could turn very ugly very quickly.

As many of you know, my wife is very ill, and I spend most of my time at home as her caretaker.

We really need your help because are going to have about $1,000 in additional medical expenses in the first two weeks of this month, part of that is for medication that she needs tomorrow (Tuesday), and we just don’t have it. (And on top of that the rent is due in just two days)

I work at a desk less than six feet from her bed. So I am in a position to dedicate many hours to this important work that I have been directed to do.

But I also realize that it is not the activity of James Trimm alone who is responsible to do this work, it is all of us together who are charged with the responsibility of accomplishing this work. I very much look on the efforts of this restoration work as a cooperative one with each one of you. We are all joint heirs with Messiah and should always be about our Father’s business. I am honored to be able to be partnered with truth seekers as this restoration of Scripture moves forward in fulfillment of prophecy.

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Nazarene Judaism
PO Box 471
Hurst, TX 76053