Wikipedia's first sentence called it “group of theories based on the proposition that a lost gospel in hebrew or aramaic lies behind the four canonic”. Today it says “main source or one of several sources for the canonical gospels”.
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Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2025
Hebrew Gospel hypothesis ( proto-Gospel hypothesis or Aramaic Matthew hypothesis ) is that a lost gospel, written in Hebrew or Aramaic , predated the four canonical gospels . In the 18th and early 19th century several scholars suggested that a Hebrew proto-gospel (a so-called Ur-Gospel ) was the main source or one of several sources for the canonical gospels. This theorizing would later give birth to the two source-hypothesis that views Q as a proto-gospel but believes this proto-gospel to have been written in Koine Greek. After the widespread scholarly acceptance of the two-source hypothesis, scholarly interest in the Hebrew gospel hypothesis dwindled. Modern variants of the Hebrew gospel hypothesis survive, but have not found favor with scholars as a whole. The foundation of the Hebrew gospel hypothesis is usually an early Christian tradition from the 2nd-century bishop Papias of Hierapolis . According to Papias, Matthew the Apostle was the first to compose a gospel, and he did so in Hebrew. Papias appeared to imply that this Hebrew or Aramaic gospel (sometimes called the Authentic Matthew ) was subsequently translated into the canonical Gospel of Matthew . Jerome took this information one step further and claimed that all known Jewish-Christian gospels really were one and the same, and that this gospel was the authentic Matthew. As a consequence he assigned all known quotations from Jewish-Christian gospels to the "gospels of the Hebrews", but modern studies have shown this to be untenable. The hypothesis has some overlap with the Aramaic original New Testament theory , which posits Gospels originally written in Aramaic rather than Hebrew. Modern versions of the Hebrew gospel hypothesis often overlap with the Augustinian hypothesis .
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The opening as it stood in 2015
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing whose New hypothesis on the Evangelists , 1778 suggested a lost Hebrew Gospel as a free source for the Synoptic Gospels The Hebrew Gospel hypothesis (or proto-Gospel hypothesis or Aramaic Matthew hypothesis ) is a group of theories based on the proposition that a lost gospel in Hebrew or Aramaic lies behind the four canonical gospels . It is based upon an early Christian tradition , deriving from the 2nd century bishop Papias of Hierapolis , that the apostle Matthew composed such a gospel. Papias appeared to say that this Hebrew or Aramaic gospel was subsequently translated into the canonical gospel of Matthew, but modern studies have shown this to be untenable. Modern variants of the hypothesis survive, but have not found favour with scholars as a whole.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 644732799.
The opening as it stood in 2020
Group of theories for the synoptic problem, stating that a lost Hebrew or Aramaic gospel lies behind the canonical gospels; based upon a 2nd-century tradition from Papias of Hierapolis, that the apostle Matthew composed such a gospel The Hebrew Gospel hypothesis theories posit that a lost gospel in Hebrew or Aramaic lies behind the four canonical gospels . The Hebrew Gospel hypothesis (or proto-Gospel hypothesis or Aramaic Matthew hypothesis ) is a group of theories based on the proposition that a lost gospel in Hebrew or Aramaic lies behind the four canonical gospels . It is based upon an early Christian tradition , deriving from the 2nd-century bishop Papias of Hierapolis , that the apostle Matthew composed such a gospel. Papias appeared to say that this Hebrew or Aramaic gospel was subsequently translated into the canonical gospel of Matthew, but modern studies have shown this to be untenable. Modern variants of the hypothesis survive, but have not found favor with scholars as a whole.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 954280397.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Group of theories relating to early Christian history The Hebrew Gospel hypothesis ( proto-Gospel hypothesis or Aramaic Matthew hypothesis ) is that a lost gospel, written in Hebrew or Aramaic , predated the four canonical gospels .In the 18th and early 19th century several scholars suggested that a Hebrew proto-gospel (a so-called Ur-gospel ) was the main source or one of several sources for the canonical gospels.This theorizing would later give birth to the two source-hypothesis that view Q as a proto-gospel but believes this proto-gospel to have been written in koine-greek.After the wide-spread scholarly acceptance of the two-source hypothesis scholarly interest in the Hebrew gospel hypothesis dwindled.Modern variants of the Hebrew gospel hypothesis survive, but have not found favor with scholars as a whole.The foundation of the hebrew gospel hypothesis is usually an early Christian tradition from the 2nd-century bishop Papias of Hierapolis .According to Papias, Matthew the Apostle was the first to compose a gospel, and he did so in Hebrew.Papias appeared to imply that this Hebrew or Aramaic gospel (sometimes called the Authentic Matthew ) was subsequently translated into the canonical Gospel of Matthew .Jerome took this information one step further and claimed that all known Jewish-Christian gospels really were one and the same, and that this gospel was the authentic Matthew.As a consequence he assigned all known quotations from Jewish-Christian gospels to the "gospels of the Hebrews", but modern studies have shown this to be untenable.The hypothesis has some overlap with the Aramaic original New Testament theory , which posits Gospels originally written in Aramaic rather than Hebrew.Modern versions of the hebrew gospel hypothesis often overlap with the Augustinian hypothesis .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1176374549.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “group of theories based on the proposition that a lost gospel in hebrew or aramaic lies behind the four canonic”. Today it says “main source or one of several sources for the canonical gospels”. Read the current article and compare.
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2015, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
group of theories based on the proposition that a lost gospel in hebrew or aramaic lies behind the four canonic
Now
main source or one of several sources for the canonical gospels
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