Summarized

The provided text explores the "Lost Gospels of the Hebrews" and the diverse forms of early Christianity, challenging the traditional narrative of a unified early church. It highlights three distinct lost gospels: the Gospel of the Hebrews, the Gospel of the Nazarenes, and the Gospel of the Ebionites, analyzing fragments and their unique theological perspectives.

The author argues that early Christianity was characterized by multiple competing "christianities" rather than a single, centralized institution. This diversity is exemplified by groups like the proto-orthodox (influenced by Paul, who advocated against adherence to Mosaic law for Gentile converts), the Marcionites (who rejected most Jewish inheritance and believed in cosmic dualism), the Gnostics (who favored the spiritual over the physical and held secret knowledge), and the Jewish Christians, particularly the Ebionites (who continued to maintain Jewish law and viewed Jesus as the Jewish Messiah but not God).

The text emphasizes the significant influence of Paul in shaping proto-orthodox Christianity, contrasting his views with those of James, Jesus's brother, who led a group in Jerusalem that adhered to Mosaic law. It suggests that James's church, or "Jacobite" Christianity, may have been the original continuity of Jesus's disciples, with Pauline Christianity being the "break-off."

The decline of Jacobite Christianity after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and the rise of Pauline views are discussed as pivotal moments. The surviving fragments of the lost gospels reveal diverse christologies (understandings of Jesus), theological ideas (e.g., the Holy Spirit as Jesus's mother, Michael as Mary), and practices (e.g., vegetarianism among Ebionites).

The author concludes by noting that while these early groups largely died out, their diverse beliefs, particularly the Ebionite christology, left a legacy, even influencing the Islamic view of Christ as a prophet but not God. The discussion also touches upon how early Christian divisions contributed to later anti-Semitism.