The early first century Christians were radically different than what we are taught about them. They had their own gospel and rejected any alterations of the truth and even the letters of Paul. These Jewish Christians held teachings about Jesus and God that were much, much different than those of modern Christianity. The only difference between Jewish Christians and the traditional Jews was that they believed in and practiced the teachings of Jesus… only.
“The early Christian Fathers did well their work of destroying the sources and records from which they gathered the information and data put by them in the Bible. But they failed to destroy it all. Some escaped, and as it is discovered here and there by patient research workers, it is astonishing to see how the world has been deceived by the Christian Fathers. (Rev. G. J. Ouseley )
The Gospel of the Hebrews was written by Matthew in Aramaic with Hebrew letters. The Ebionites as well as the Nazarenes used this gospel only. They rejected Paul and his letters since he contradicted much of the main teachings of Jesus.
The early Christians became known as the Ebionites
Therefore, in consequence of such a course they received the name of Ebionites. (church father) The name Ebionites means “the poor ones” having forsaken all their worldly possessions to become the disciples of Jesus as he taught.
The early church rejected St Paul’s letters as apostasy
“These men thought that it was necessary to reject all the epistles of the apostle [Paul], whom they called an apostate from the Law (Irenaeus Against Heresies, i.26.2.)
they used only the so-called Gospel of the Hebrews making slight account of the others. (Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. iii.27.4.)
“Many false Christs and false apostles shall arise and shall deceive many of the faithful.” (Gospel of the Nazirenes)
They rejected Paul’s letters mainly because he taught people to reject the law and that salvation was not by works of righteousness, contrary to Jesus’ teachings.
According to recent findings in the Dead Sea Scrolls some scholars believe Paul was excommunicated from the early Jewish Christian community by James the brother of Jesus. Paul was thrown out of the temple at Jerusalem by the Jewish Christians and would have killed him if it hadn’t been for the roman soldiers that saved his life.
Paul was rejected by the churches in Asia and had to flee for his life to Rome where he lived out the rest of his life in safety never to return to Jerusalem or Asia while the apostles were persecuted and murdered by the very government that protected Paul.
The early church worshiped on the Sabbath and followed the law:
“The Sabbath and the rest of the Law of the Jews they observed just like them, but like us, they celebrated the Lord’s Day as a memorial of the Resurrection of the Savior”
The early church observed the law just as did the Jews, except for the fact that they celebrated the Sabbath as a memorial to Jesus.
They used only Matthew’s Gospel not in Greek, but in Aramaic
“They too accept the Gospel of Matthew… they use it alone. They call it the Gospel of the Hebrews, for in truth Matthew alone in the New Testament expounded and declared the Gospel in Hebrew using Hebrew script.” (Epiphanius – Panarion 30.3.7)
They have the Gospel of Matthew complete in Hebrew, for this gospel was preserved among them as it was first written in Hebrew script. (Epiphanius, Panarion 29.9.4)
“In the Gospel which the Nazarenes and the Ebionites use which we have recently translated from Hebrew to Greek, and which most people call The Authentic Gospel of Matthew...” (Origen — a church father)
Matthew, also called Levi, who used to be a tax collector and later an apostle, composed the Gospel of Christ, which was first published in Judea in Hebrew script for the sake of those of the circumcision who believed.
“This Gospel was afterwards translated into Greek (and the Greek has been lost) though by what author uncertain.” (Jerome, On Illustrious Men 3)
Who wrote the 4 gospels that are contained in our bibles today? It certainly wasn’t the men who those gospels were named after. No one really knows. It is impossible for those men who those gospels were named after to have written them since they would have been long dead.
Matthew, who we know, according to records of the church fathers, is the writer of the gospel of the Hebrews, was Levi. It is believed that Matthew is Mattias who was the disciple who took the place of Judas Iscariot (not St Paul most Christians believe).
The gospel of the Hebrews is believed to have been written around the middle of the first century (https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/gospelhebrews.html)
“… which some reject, but which others class with the accepted books. And among these some have also placed the Gospel of the Hebrews, with which those Hebrews who accept Christ are especially delighted. All these may be reckoned among the disputed books.” (C. H. III xxv 5)
According to their gospel one of the main reasons Jesus came was to put an end to animal sacrifice
“I have come to destroy sacrifices; and if you do not stop making sacrifices, the wrath of God will not leave you.” (Gospel of the Hebrews)
I have come to end the sacrifices and feasts of blood, and if you don’t cease offering and eating of flesh and blood, the wrath of God will not cease from you… (Gospel of the Nazirenes 21:8)
Both of these gospels quote the same teaching of Jesus, but it was missing from the gospels in the canonical bible.
“And he overthrew the money-changers, and exclaimed, “Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites… (Gospel of the Hebrews)
Wherefore I say to all who desire to be my disciples, keep your hands from bloodshed and let no flesh meat enter your mouths, for God is just and bountiful, who ordains that man shall live by the fruits and seeds of the earth alone. (Gospel of the Nazarenes)
Hegesippus says that: “James (the Lord’s brother) was holy from his birth, drank no wine and ate no flesh.” (Eusebius H. E., 11, 23)
Hegesippus found this in the The Ascents of James, a document that contained:
“the abolishing of Jewish sacrifices; James, the brother of Jesus being the leader of the church at Jerusalem; rejected Paul the apostle and was contrary to the Jewish Law. (Epiphanius of Salamis, the Panarion 30.16.6–9)
Represented James as condemning sacrifices.
Peter’s diet consisted of ” only bread and oil and herbs (used sparingly),” and Matthew is said to have been content with seeds and nuts, hard-shelled fruits, and vegetables, without the use of flesh. (Clementine Homilies xii, ch. 6)
The so-called “correctors” hired by the church fathers around the time of the Council of Nicaea, to alter the original text of the gospels seem to have left out the teachings of Jesus that would be offensive to their beloved emperor Constantine.
These teachings were the prohibition of the eating of flesh-meat, the consumption of alcohol and the kindness to animals. If you think about it, you will notice that none of these teaching are found in the four gospels in the bible. But they should have been…
Jesus was the first begotten son:
When the Lord came up out of the water the whole fount of the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and rested on Him saying, ‘My Son, in all the prophets was I waiting for You that You should come and I might rest in You. For You are My rest. You are My first begotten Son that prevails forever. (Gospel of the Hebrews)
If Jesus was the first to become one of God’s sons, it stands to reason that there was a second and a third… etc. The word “only” (in the gospels of the bible) was most probably a substitution of some Greek corrector hired by the church fathers to force it to suit perfectly their new doctrine of the Trinity. Plus, Jesus became a son at… 30! It’s impossible that this could be literal — it could only be metaphorical..
Opinion: Maybe the word for “first” was translated “only”, which would have changed the meaning completely and fit perfectly with their new dogma.
The Nazarenes and the Ebionites did not believe in the virgin birth:
…they generally rejected the orthodox doctrine of the Virgin Birth. They also denied the Incarnation (belief that Jesus is God). (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
Matthew’s (the disciple) gospel began with Jesus’ baptism — no mention of the virgin birth:
Their Gospel commences as follows: “In the days of King Herod of Judea, a certain man named John came baptizing with a baptism of repentance in the river Jordan”. (Gospel of the Hebrews)
Mary was of the tribe of Levi and not of the royal lineage of Judah:
“In the days of King Herod of Judea, a certain man named John came baptizing with a baptism of repentance in the river Jordan. He was said to be of the family of Aaron the priest, son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, and all went out to him.” (Epiphanius, Panarion 30.13.6)
Opinion: Since Elizabeth was a Levite and so was Zachariah, being a priest, it stands to reason that Mary being the cousin of Elizabeth was also a Levite.
The story of the virgin birth is absent from the gospel of the Hebrews contrary to the synoptic “gospel according to Matthew”. The gospel of the Hebrews begins with the baptism of Jesus by John, the same as the “Gospel according to Mark”.
It was Joseph who was of the royal lineage of the house of Judah. Mary’s parents, Joachim and Anna were both Levites, her aunt and uncle were Zachariah and Elizabeth. John was of the “family of Aaron the priest”, which means his parents were most likely also Levites.
Only Joseph was of the house of Judah, therefore Joseph had to be the biological father of Jesus for him to qualify as the Messiah and “inherit the throne of his father David.”
Jesus became a son of God at his baptism — at 30 years old!
And a voice from Heaven said, ‘You are my beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.’ And again, ‘Today I have begotten You.’
They regarded him as simply a man chosen by God, who at his baptism received a power from God.
They held him [Christ] to be a plain and ordinary man who had achieved righteousness merely by the progress of his character and had been born naturally from Mary and her husband. They insisted on the complete observance of the Law, and did not think that they would be saved by faith in Christ alone and by a life in accordance with it. (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
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