Th e Other Gospels This page intentionally left blank Th e Other Gospels Accounts of Jesus from Outside the New Testament EDITED AND TRANSLATED BY BART D. EHRMAN AND ZLATKO PLEŠE 1 Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offi ces in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Th ailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press in the UK and certain other countries. Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 © Oxford University Press 2014 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitt ed, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitt ed by law, by license, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reproduction rights organization. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above. You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Th e other Gospels : accounts of Jesus from outside the New Testament / edited and translated by Bart D. Ehrman and Zlatko Pleše. pages cm Concise edition with English text only. Rev. ed. of: Th e Apocryphal Gospels : texts and translations. c2011. ISBN 978-0-19-933521-3 (hardcover : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-0-19-933522-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Apocryphal Gospels. 2. Apocryphal books (New Testament). I. Ehrman, Bart D., editor of compilation. II. Plese, Zlatko, editor of compilation. BS2850.A3A66 2013 229(cid:99).8052—dc23 2013020110 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper To our faculty colleagues in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS Preface x i Table of Technical Terms and Symbols x v INFANCY GOSPELS 1. Th e Infancy Gospel of Th omas 3 2. Th e Infancy Gospel of Th omas C: An Alternative Beginning 15 3. Th e Proto-Gospel of James (Th e Birth of Mary, the Revelation of James) 18 4. Th e Gospel of Pseudo-Matt hew 37 5. Th e Latin Infancy Gospels (J Composition): Arundel Form 58 6. History of Joseph the Carpenter 78 MINISTRY GOSPELS 7. Th e Jewish-Christian Gospels 99 THE GOSPEL OF THE NAZAREANS 103 THE GOSPEL OF THE EBIONITES 108 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THE HEBREWS 112 8. Th e Gospel according to the Egyptians 115 9. A Gospel Harmony: Th e Diatessaron? 120 10. Papyrus Berlin 11710 123 viii Contents 11. Papyrus Cairo 10735 125 12. P apyrus Egerton 2 (and Papyrus Köln 255) 127 13. Papyrus Merton 51 132 14. P apyrus Oxyrhynchus 210 134 15. P apyrus Oxyrhynchus 840 136 16. Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 1224 140 17. Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 2949 143 18. Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 4009 146 19. Papyrus Vindobenensis G 2325 (Th e Fayûm Fragment) 149 SAYINGS GOSPELS AND AGRAPHA 20. Th e Gospel according to Th omas 155 THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS: THE GREEK FRA GMENTS 1 74 21. Agrapha 180 PASSION, RESURRECTION, AND POST-RESURRECTION GOSPELS 22. Th e Gospel of Peter 191 23. Th e Gospel of Judas 201 24. Jesus’ Correspondence with Abgar 214 25. Th e Gospel of the Savior 217 26. Th e Discourse upon the Cross 226 27. Th e Gospel of Nicodemus (Th e Acts of Pilate) A 231 28. Th e Gospel of Nicodemus (Acts of Pilate) B (Including the Descent into Hades) 254 29. Th e Report of Pontius Pilate (Anaphora Pilati) 267 30. Th e Handing Over of Pilate (Paradosis Pilati) 272 31. Th e Lett er of Pilate to Claudius 276 32. Th e Lett er of Herod to Pilate 279 Contents ix 33. Th e Lett er of Pilate to Herod 282 34. Th e Lett er of Tiberius to Pilate 285 35. Th e Vengeance of the Savior (Vindicta Salvatoris) 289 36. Th e Death of Pilate Who Condemned Jesus (Mors Pilati) 300 37. Th e Narrative of Joseph of Arimathea 305 38. Th e Gospel according to Mary 313 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARY: GREEK FRA GMENTS 3 20 39. Th e Greater Questions of Mary 3 22