The "Gospel According to the Hebrews" in the Apostolic Fathers

Abstract

This article deals with two very strange Gospel quotations found in the letter of Ignatius of Antioch To the Smyrnaeans and in a fragment of the treatise of Papias of Hierapolis An Exegesis of the Sayings of the Lord. By means of an in-depth analysis of the available Patristic evidence and a comparison with the Judaeo-Christian Gospel tradition, the author tries to demonstrate that these are the two oldest known quotations of the Gospel according to the Hebrews, and shows the possible consequences to be drawn for a better understanding of the developments of the Gospel tradition from its origins until the end of the second century.