"Matthew collected the oracles (ta logia) in the Hebrew language, and each interpreted them as best he could." - Papias (Eusebius, H.E. 3.39.16)

"Matthew also issued a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect while Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome and laying the foundations of the church." - Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. 3.1.1

Historical references do speak of a Hebrew gospel of Matthew.  Today there are those who present the Shem Tob version of Matthew as an accurate representation of that manuscript.  Unsuspecting believers are being led by unbelievers to accept an anti-Christian version of Matthew which was found as a part of a polemic (anti-Christian) document entitled Eban Bohan.  This document was authored by Shem Tob, an unbelieving Jewish theologian. 

Quoting Professor George Howard, translator of Shem Tob:

In regard to theology, Shem-tob’s Hebrew Matthew is heretical according to the standard of traditional Christianity. It never identifies Jesus with the Messiah. John the Baptist is given an exalted role (even takes on messianic traits), --- Shem-Tob’s text envisions the salvation of the Gentiles only in the Messianic era.

Shem-Tob's Matthew... does not preserve the original in a pure form. It reflects contamination by Jewish scribes during the Middle Ages. 

Shem Tob ben Shaprut of Tudela Castle - Spain

1385 - 14th Century

Wrote a polemical work against Christianity entitled Eben Bohan (The Touchstone)

Matthew is a separate chapter of Eben Bohan

A cursive manuscript of Eben Bohan can be found at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America - New York (212)678-8081

du Tillet

Jean du Tillet - Catholic Bishop of Brieux France

From a manuscript found at Rome among the Jews in 1553

Used by Jehovah’s witnesses

James Trim translated du Tillet

Munster

Sebastian Munster

1537 confiscated from the Jews

Some think Munster and du Tillet to be from the same source

Munster filled in missing portions and made no notes as to which parts he added.

Shem Tob and du Tillet are different texts. They do not always agree.

Munster disagrees with Shem Tob. They do not always agree

Jerome speaks of a Hebrew Matthew among the Nazarenes in Jordan who fled Jerusalem. Jerome quotes that text and Professor George Howard who translated Shem Tob says that Jeromes quotes do not match Shem Tob.

Epiphanius qoutes Ebionite Hebrew Matthew. His quotes do not match Shem Tob.

The Tetragwmamaton 

The Tetragwmamation YHWH does not appear in Shem Tob or in du Tillet.

In Shem Tob it is written as Heh or Heh and two Yodths signifying Ha Shem or The Name.

In du Tillet it is written as three Yodths.

The name Jesus / Yehoshua / Yeshua

In Shem Tob, the name of Jesus / Yehoshua, Yeshua is not written as it is found in the Bible.  It is written as found in the Toledoth Yeshu, a Rabbinical document which slanders Jesus.  (See below: Note: The TOLEDOTH YESHU)  The name Jesus as written in Shem Tob is the Hebrew curse spelling of the name Jesus, a slanderous Rabbinical acronym which according to Hebrew scholars means " let his name and memory be blotted out."

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SCRIPTURAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SHEM TOB 
AND THE GREEK MAJORITY TEXTS AS REPRESENTED IN THE ENGLISH KING JAMES VERSION OF THE BIBLE

Never identifies Yeshua / Jesus as Messiah.

Mat 1:1  "the generation of Jesus Christ"

Shem Tob "the generations of Jesus ( )"

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Never identifies Jesus as Messiah.

Mat 1:18  "now the birth of Jesus Christ"

Shem Tob "birth of Jesus ( )"

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The fact that Yeshua / Jesus "shall save His people" omitted

Mat 1:21 "thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins"

Shem Tob "he shall save my people from their sins"

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Non-Biblical - Rabbinical reference (See information below: Toldoth Yeshu)

Mat 4:9 "all these things will I give if thou wilt fall down and worship me"

Shem Tob "if you bare your head to me" 

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Jewish sages given equal status with Yeshua / Jesus

Mat 7:29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Shem Tob "Preaching with great power not as the rest of the sages."

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Reference to the coming kingdom removed

Mat 6:10 "Thy kingdom come"

Shem Tob "may your kingdom be blessed"

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Forgiveness of sin by Yeshua / Jesus removed

Mat 9:2 "thy sins be forgiven thee"

Shem Tob "It is by the faith of God that your sins have been forgiven"

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The gospel set aside

Mat 11:5 "the poor have the gospel preached to them"

Shem Tob "the poor are aquited"

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Elevation of John the Baptist over Yeshua / Jesus

Shem Tob Mat 11:11 - 11:13 "For all the prophets and the law spoke concerning John" as opposed "prophesied until John".

Shem Tob Mat 21:32  "Because John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him." (addressed to the disciples instead of the chief priests and elders.)

Quoting Professor George Howard, translator of Shem Tob:

In summary, this series of readings asserts that none is greater than John, the prophets and the law spoke concerning John, John (Elijah) is to save all the world, and Jesus’ own disciples are disgraced for not having believed John. In traditional Christianity such a description is usually applied to Jesus. Its application to John the Baptist in Shem Tobs Hebrew, elevates the Baptist to a salvific (salvation) role.

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The temple greater than Yeshua / Jesus

Mat 12:6 "But I say unto you, in this place is one greater than the temple"

Shem Tob "the temple is greater than this"

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Mat 13:11 "it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given"

Shem Tob "to know the kingdom of heaven"

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Man sows seed instead of the son of man:

Mat 13:37 "He that soweth the good seed is the son of man"

Shem Tob "the one who sows good seed is man"

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Possible Talmudic influence (See information below: Toldoth Yeshu) 

Mat 13:55  "Is this not the carpenters son? Is not his mother called Mary?"

Shem Tob "Is this not the son of the smith and Mary?"

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Note: James is left out as brother of Jesus in the Shem Tob - Possible elevation of James

Mat 14:6 In Shem Tob Herods daughter danced - not Herodias’ daughter - Qumran scrolls condemn niece marriage - Jewish leaders of the time practiced it.

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Possible Talmudic Influence: Doctrine of the Pharisees unquestioned

Mat 16:12 Told to beware the doctrine of the Pharisees..."

Shem Tob "beware of the behavior of the Pharisees..."

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Salvation by Elijah rather than Yeshua / Jesus

Mat 17:11 "Elijah shall truly shall first come and restore all things"

Shem Tob "Elijah will come and save all the world"

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Salvation by way of "The Son of man" deleted

Mat 18:11 "The Son of man is come to save that which was lost"

Shem Tob "the son of man has stopped saving the enemy"

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Possible Talmudic Implications:

Mat 18:18  "Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven"

Shem Tob "every oath which you shall bind on earth is bound in heaven and every oath which you shall loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

Shem Tob applies this scripture to being bound or loosed from oaths taken.

Col Nidre Prayer - implications 
"All vows, obligations, oaths, and anathemas, whether called "?onam," "?onas," or by any other name, which we may vow, or swear, or pledge, or whereby we may be bound, from this Day of Atonement until the next (whose happy coming we await), we do repent....    ....May they be deemed absolved, forgiven, annulled, and void, and made of no effect; they shall not bind us nor have power over us.  the vows shall not be reckoned vows; the obligations shall not be obligatory; nor the oaths be oaths."

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Worldly material wealth rather than heavenly treasure 

Mat 19:22 "Went away sorrowful for he had great possessions"

Shem Tob "went away angry because he did not have much property"

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Mat 19:28 "When the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory"

Shem Tob "when man sits upon the throne of his glory"

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Mat 20:30 "When they heard the Jesus passed by"

Shem Tob "the prophet Jesus from Nazareth is coming"

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The preaching of the gospel as a witness concerning Yeshua / Jesus "is the Anti-Christ and this is the abomination which desolates."

Mat 24:14-16 "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet stand in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains."

Shem Tob "And this gospel, that is, evungili, will be preached un all the earth for a witness concerning me to all the nations and then the end will come. This is the Anti-Christ and this is the abomination which desolates. Then those who are in Judaea let them flee to the mountains."

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"Son of man" replaced by "the bridegroom."

Mat 25:13  ...day not the hour wherein the Son of man cometh"

Shem Tob "...day nor hour when the bridegroom comes."

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Possible Talmudic implications ( Reference to "hanging" )  The slanderous Toledoth Yeshu, (See below: Note: The TOLEDOTH YESHU) and the Talmud (b. Sanh.) speak of Jesus' death by hanging - the same Hebrew word used to describe the death of Judas Iscariot, and hanging by a rope. 

Mat 26:2 "...the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified"

Shem Tob "delivered into the hand of the Jews for the gallows"


Mat 27:23 "Let him be crucified"

Shem Tob "let them hang him"

Mat 27:31 "led him away to crucify him"

Shem Tob "gave orders to hang him"

"The Cross" is in parenthesis as if it needed to be connected with the word gallows.

Mat 27:32 "him they compelled to bear his cross"

Shem Tob "compelled him to carry the gallows, that is "The Cross"

Mat 27:40-42 "Come down from the cross"

Shem Tob v.40 "come down from the gallows" - v.42 "come down from the tree"

Mat 28:5  "ye seek Jesus who was crucified"

"Shem Tob "Jesus who was hung"

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Horsemen

Mat 27:27 "Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.

Senm Tob "Then the horsemen of the court took Jesus under guard and came together before a great company of many people.

In the slanderous Rabbinical document, Toledoth Yeshu (See below: Note: The TOLEDOTH YESHU) "horsemen were sent to arrest Jesus.

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Not the King of the Jews but the King of Israel

Mat 27:37 "THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS"

Shem Tob "This is Jesus of Nazareth the King of Israel"

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Mat 27:46 "with a loud voice"

Shem Tob "in the holy language" (Hebrew ?)

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Mat 27:57  "a rich man of Arimathea"

Shem Tob "A rich man from Karnasiah came . His name was Joseph…"

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Mat 27:59 "when Joseph had taken the body he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth"

Shem Tob "wrapped it in a very fine silk garment"

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Mat 28:9 - Shem Tob has Jesus using "Ha Shem" instead of YHWH,  a Rabbinical traditional greeting 

Mat 28:9 "Jesus met them saying All Hail"

Shem Tob "saying May the Name deliver you"

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Shem Tob has 12 disciples going to Galilee after Judas was dead

Mat 28:16 "Then the eleven disciples went away unto Galilee"

Shem Tob "when his twelve disciples came to Galilee"

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"I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" -  left out

Mat 28:20 - Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and,  lo "I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" Amen

Shem Tob - and teach them to carry out all the things which I have commanded you forever.

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Quoting Professor George Howard, translator of Shem Tob:

"In regard to theology, Shem-tob’s Hebrew Matthew is heretical according to the standard of traditional Christianity. It never identifies Jesus with the Messiah. John the Baptist is given an exalted role (even takes on messianic traits), --- Shem-Tob’s text envisions the salvation of the Gentiles only in the Messianic era."

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Quoting William L. Peterson - Pennsylvania State University: Some Observations on a Recent Edition of and Introduction to Shem-Tob's "Hebrew Matthew", Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies

"There is no mystery about the genesis of Shem-Tob's Hebrew Matthew.  It is obvious that it incorporates material from a variety of sources (e.g., from the Toledoth Yeshu, the Vetus Latina, etc.)."

NOTE: The VETUS LATINA consist of  the old Latin Versions of the Scriptures that predate the Latin Vulgate.

NOTE: The TOLEDOTH YESHU is a Jewish document which slanders Yehoshua / Yeshua / Jesus.

The Toledoth Yeshu states that Yehoshua (Jesus) was born as the result of an illicit relationship between Miriam (Mary) and a certain Joseph Pandera.  It relates an account of Yeshu (Jesus) walking in front of the "Sages" "with his head uncovered."  On that occasion it is said that they discovered that he was the illegitimate son of Joseph Pandera and Miriam and that he had to flee to Upper Galilee.

The Toledoth Yeshu claims that Jesus practiced sorcery through the use of the "Ineffable Name." It states of Jesus: "This man is a sorcerer and entices everyone." 

While some within the ranks of Rabbinical Judaism deny that the Toledoth Yeshu speaks of Jesus, it relates an incident when he was given vinegar to drink and when a crown of thorns was placed upon his head.  It states that he was crucified on the eve of Passover and that he was buried outside the city.

The Toledoth Yeshu states that the body of Jesus was stolen from the tomb by a gardener named Judas, and that he buried it in a newly dug grave.  The Toledoth Yeshu relates that the dead body of Jesus was later revealed.

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A HEBREW NEW TESTAMENT ?

There is a belief which is being propagated that anything Greek must be suspect and that only Hebrew is to be trusted. Now, some question the New Testament, which has been used for almost two thousand years, simply because it was translated from Greek manuscripts. A few years ago these people believed the Bible. Today they do not trust it; and that is exactly what our adversary wants.

Having learned of pagan traditions which have crept into the churches, some are jumping out of the frying pan of contemporary Christianity into the literal fire of unbelief - to the extent of denying that Jesus / Yeshua is the Christ / Messiah. The Greek, Hebrew, debate has been a contributing factor.

Today there are those who teach that the entire New Testament must have been originally written in Hebrew or Awmaaic and that it could not possibly have been written in Greek. Their is no basis for what they teach. The earliest New Testament manuscripts and fragments are all found in Greek.  No New Testament manuscript is to be found that predates the Greek. Not one!

Some, calling themselves Christians, point to corrupt versions of Matthew, written in Hebrew by anti-Christian scribes, and attempt to persuade us that the information contained therein is preferable to what we find in our Bibles. That should be a great concern for those of us who believe the Bible; especially considering the fact that those versions of Matthew come from unbelieving Rabbinical scholars who would do anything possible to demean Jesus Christ, Yeshua, the Messiah whom they reject and slander in their writings. While there are historical indications that Matthew may have been written in Hebrew, there is no reason to accept an anti-Christian gospel, simply because it is written in Hebrew.

There is no way to honestly overlook the simple fact is that our Bibles were based on Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. Greek was the common language of the Roman Empire and was also one of the predominant languages used in Galilee and Judaea during the first century. Let us not forget that the inscription placed above the head of Jesus at the time of the crucifixion was written in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.

When we think of Jesus, the Messiah of Israel, it is easy to imagine that the culture of first century Judaea was similar to that of Old Testament times. That is not the case. A careful study of history proves that the Hellenization of that area began some three hundred years before the time of Christ. After the death of Alexander the Great the Grecian empire was divided. Judaea at that time became a part of the Grecian monarchy of Ptolemy.

Three hundred years is a long time and the historical books of Maccabees report that, by the end of the first century B.C. "the kingdom of the Greeks was completely enslaving Israel." We are informed that under Antiochus Epiphanes, Jason, the high priest, shifted his countrymen over to the Greek way of life.... ...an extreme Hellenization and increase in the adoption of foreign ways...

In 1992 an article entitled "Jewish Funerary Inscriptions" appeared in the periodical: Biblical Archaeology Review. The article references Jewish epitaphs in Palestine and the Diaspora dated from 300 B.C. to 500 A.D.:

"One of the most surprising facts about these funerary inscriptions is that most of them are in Greek-approximately 70 percent; about 12 percent are in Latin, and only 18 percent are in Hebrew or Awmaaic.

These figures are even more instructive if we beak them down between Palestine and the Diaspora. Naturally in Palestine we would expect more Hebrew and Awmaaic and less Greek. This is true but not to any great extent. Even in Palestine approximately two-thirds of these inscriptions are in Greek.

Apparently for a great part of the Jewish population the daily language was Greek, even in Palestine. This is impressive testimony to the impact of Hellenistic culture on Jews in their mother country, to say nothing of the Diaspora

In Jerusalem itself about 40 percent of the Jewish inscriptions from the first-century period (before 70 C.E.) are in Greek. We may assume that most Jewish Jerusalemites who saw the inscriptions in situ were able to read them." ...Biblical Archaeology Review, Sept. / Oct. 1992

There is little debate among scholars that Greek was the universal language of the known world during the first century. The well respected Jewish first century historians Philo and Josephus both wrote in Greek and quoted from the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament. It only makes sense that  a great deal of the New Testament was written by Paul to Greek speaking people, in the Greek dialect,  using Greek terminology.

While there is good indication that Jesus spoke a form of Awmaaic, the proper tongue spoken of in Acts 1:19, there is no indication that the New Testament was written in that language. In fact there are indications in both the Awmaaic or Syraic versions of the New Testament, as well as the Greek versions, that it was not written in Hebrew or Awmaaic.

A good example is Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Emmanuel, or Immanuel as found in Isaiah 7:14, is a Hebrew word. In the Shem Tob version of Matthew, written in Hebrew, the word Emmanuel is interpreted (that is, God with us.) as it is in the Awmaaic of the Peshitta version of Matthew (which is interpreted, Our God is with us). Why would this word have to be "interpreted" if Matthew was written in Hebrew or Awmaaic? It does not make any sense. Hebrew speaking people are well aware of the meaning of the word Immanuel for it is written as two words - the word El representing the English work God, the other Hebrew word meaning with us is - God with us or with us is God.

There are other examples as well:

Rabbi (which is to say, being interpreted, Master) in John 1:38

Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. in John 1:41

Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. in John 1:42

...the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. in John 19:13

...the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha. in John 19:17

Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. in Acts 1:19

Abba explained to mean Father in Romans 8:15

Talitha cumi, interpreted as Damsel, (I say unto thee) arise in Mark 5:41

Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani, being interpreted, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? in Mark 15:33-34

Why would these words have to be interpreted if they were originally written in languages familiar with those words? The writers would not have had to do so. On the other hand, it makes perfect sense if they were writing in Greek.

It is also interesting to note that many of the Old Testament quotes found in the New Testament are derived from the Greek version of the Old Testament which predates the Hebrew Masoretic version by some 1200 years. It seems that either the writers of the New Testament were reading from the Greek Old Testament or they were reading from Old Testament Hebrew manuscripts that differ from the Hebrew Masoretic Text.

The bottom line is that, if we believe the New Testament, we must believe the Greek manuscripts from which it is derived. The earliest New Testament manuscripts and fragments are all found in Greek.   No New Testament manuscript is to be found that predates the Greek. Not one! Those who insist that the New Testament was originally written in Hebrew are playing to the hands of Anti-Christian theologians who will do everything possible to lead people away from the truth that the Messiah of Israel has come; making a way of, and offering salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

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WHO IS A LIAR 
BUT HE THAT DENIETH THAT 
JESUS IS THE CHRIST?  

He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.  
Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
...1 John 2:22-23