Gospel of Perfect Life/Gospel of the Holy Twelve [Archive]

Michael Stickles

31-08-2007, 06:06 PM

What is the view of the Orthodox Church to this Gospels and also the Gospel of the Ebionites? Thanks.

Despite not being Orthodox myself at this time, I can pretty much guarantee that the Orthodox Church would not recognize the Gospel of the Holy Twelve as worthwhile reading. Just a quick skim shows major points of variance from Orthodox understanding, such as denial of the virgin birth:

From Lection 2:
9. And in the same day the angel Gabriel appeared unto Ioseph in a dream and said unto him, Hail, Ioseph, thou that art highly favoured, for the Fatherhood of God is with thee. Blessed art thou among men and blessed be the fruit of thy loins.
10. And as Ioseph thought upon these words he was troubled, and the angel of the Lord said unto him, Fear not, Ioseph, thou Son of David, for thou hast found favour with God, and behold thou shalt beget a child, and thou shalt call his name Iesu-Maria for he shall save his people from their sins.
11. Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was written in the prophets saying, Behold a Maiden shall conceive and be with child and shall bring forth a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God Within Us.
12. Then Ioseph being raised from sleep did as the angel had bidden him, and went in unto Mary, his espoused bride, and she conceived in her womb the Holy One.

Teaching that Jesus was married:

From Lection 6:
10. AND in the eighteenth year of his age, Iesus was espoused unto Miriam, a virgin of the tribe of Judah with whom he lived seven years, and she died, for God took her, that he might go on to the higher things which he had to do, and to suffer for the sons and daughters of men.

Treating God as our mother as well as our father:

From Lection 8:
8. These things were done in Bethabara, beyond Jordan, where Iohn was baptizing. And Iesus began at this time to be thirty years of age, being after the flesh indeed the Son of Ioseph and Mary; but after the Spirit the Christ, the Son of God, the Father and Mother Eternal, as was declared by the Spirit of holiness with power.

I could go on, but I think you get the point. As for the Gospel of the Ebionites, very little of it still exists (all in quotations by Epiphanius). I doubt that what we have would be considered profitable, given that the Ebionites were considered heretics (Irenaeus was just the first of several Fathers to refute their beliefs, in his Against Heresies). According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "They denied the Divinity and the virginal birth of Christ; they clung to the observance of the Jewish Law; they regarded St. Paul as an apostate, and used only a Gospel according to St. Matthew."

I think I've made safe assumptions about the Orthodox view on these writings, but if there is an official Orthodox position, hopefully someone else can point it out.

In Christ,
Mike