The One Gospel
The Fifth Gospel
The Living Gospel
The One Gospel: The Life and Teachings of Yeshua from All Known Ancient Sources
Source Texts for Sayings of Yeshua
Acts of John Apocryphon of John Apocalypse of Thomas Gospel of Bartholomew Clement of Alexandria (Stromateis) Second Epistle of Clement Epistula Apostolorum Apocryphon of James Gospel of John (NT) Kerygmata Petrou Gospel of Luke (NT) Gospel of Mark (NT) Gospel of Mary Matt Gospel of Matthew (NT) Apocalypse of Peter (Ethiopic) Apocalypse of Peter (Gnostic) Gospel of Philip Book of Revelation (NT) Dialogue of the Savior Second Treatise of the Great Seth Sophia of Jesus the Christ Exegesis on the Soul Gospel of Thomas Book of Thomas the Contender Epistle of Titus, The Disciple of Paul
Three concentric rings:
Ring One: The Narrative Core. The four canonical gospels harmonized into one chronological story — birth to resurrection. This is the backbone. Robinson and Averitt give you the scaffolding. Within this narrative, integrate the Thomas sayings where they have Synoptic parallels or where they clearly fit a narrative moment.
Ring Two: The Extended Teachings. Unique Thomas sayings without Synoptic parallels, plus direct sayings of Yeshua extracted from the Gospel of Philip, Dialogue of the Savior, Apocryphon of James, Gospel of Mary, Sophia of Jesus Christ, and similar texts. These get placed within the narrative where they thematically fit, perhaps set off typographically (italics, indentation, or marginal notation) so the reader can see they come from outside the canonical frame. This preserves the narrative flow while including the broader teaching.
Ring Three: The Esoteric Appendices. Texts that resist integration into the biographical narrative — the post-resurrection revelations, the cosmological teachings, the visionary material from the Apocalypse of Peter (Gnostic), the bridal chamber theology of Philip, the Hymn of the Pearl. These could appear as appendices or as clearly marked “esoteric supplements” to the main narrative. They belong in the book, but forcing them into the biography would distort both the narrative and the texts themselves.
A FEW MORE TEXTS TO CONSIDER ADDING:
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas
The Protevangelium of James — the backstory of Mary, the birth narrative expanded. Some of this has become so embedded in Christian tradition (the ox and ass at the manger, the cave of the nativity) that people don’t realize it’s apocryphal.
The Odes of Solomon — a collection of early Christian hymns, possibly 1st or 2nd century, that read like Yeshua speaking in the first person. Mystical, ecstatic, beautiful. Not a gospel per se but a direct transmission of Christ-voice poetry. These might work as interludes or lyric passages within the narrative.
The Gospel of the Hebrews / Gospel of the Nazarenes / Gospel of the Ebionites — survived only in fragments quoted by the Church Fathers (Jerome, Origen, Epiphanius). Some unique sayings of Yeshua not found elsewhere.
The Oxyrhynchus Sayings — fragmentary papyrus sayings of Yeshua found in Egypt, some overlap with Thomas, some unique.