And they (the Ebionites) receive the Gospel according to Matthew: for this they too, like the followers of Cerinthus and Merinthus, use to the exclusion of others.
2And they call it according to the Hebrews, as the truth is, that Matthew alone of New Testament writers made his exposition and preaching of the Gospel in Hebrew and in Hebrew letters.
3In the Gospel they have, called according to Matthew, but not wholly complete, but falsified and mutilated (they call it the Hebrew Gospel), it is contained that: There was a certain man named Jesus, and he was about thirty years old, who chose us.
4And coming unto Capernaum he entered into the house of Simon who was surnamed Peter, and opened his mouth and said: As I passed by the lake of Tiberias, I chose John and James the sons of Zebedee, and Simon and Andrew and Philip and Bartholomew, James the son of Alphaeus and Thomas, Thaddaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the Iscariot: and thee, Matthew, as thou satest at the receipt of custom I called, and thou followedst me.
5You therefore I will to be twelve apostles for a testimony of Israel.
6And: John was baptizing, and there went out unto him Pharisees and were baptized, and all Jerusalem.
7And John had raiment of camel's hair and a leathern girdle about his loins: and his meat (it saith) was wild honey, whereof the taste is the taste of manna, as a cake dipped in oil.
8That, forsooth, they may pervert the word of truth into a lie and for locusts put a cake dipped in honey.
9And the beginning of their Gospel says that: It came to pass in the days of Herod the king of Judaea when Caiaphas was high priest that there came a certain man John by name, baptizing with the baptism of repentance in the river Jordan, who was said to be of the lineage of Aaron the priest, child of Zacharias and Elisabeth, and all went out unto him.
10After the people were baptized, Jesus also came and was baptized by John; and as he came up from the water, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Holy Ghost in the likeness of a dove that descended and entered into him: and a voice from heaven saying: Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased: and again: This day have I begotten thee.
11And straightway there shone about the place a great light.
12Which when John saw (it saith) he saith unto him: Who art thou, Lord? and again there was a voice from heaven saying unto him: This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.
13And then (it saith) John fell down before him and said: I beseech thee, Lord, baptize thou me; but he prevented him saying: Suffer it (or let it go): for thus it behoveth that all things should be fulfilled.
14And on this account they say that Jesus was begotten of the seed of a man, and was chosen; and so by the choice of God he was called the Son of God from the Christ that came into him from above in the likeness of a dove.
15And they deny that he was begotten of God the Father, but say that he was created, as one of the archangels, yet greater, and that he is Lord of angels and of all things made by the Almighty.
16And that he came and taught, as the Gospel (so called) current among them contains, that: I came to destroy the sacrifices, and if ye cease not from sacrificing, the wrath of God will not cease from you.
17They have changed the saying, as is plain to all from the combination of phrases, and have made the disciples say: Where wilt thou that we make ready for thee to eat the Passover? and him, forsooth, say: Have I desired with desire to eat this flesh of the Passover with you?