The Development of the Canon of the New Testament

Gospel of the Egyptians (Egypt, 100-150 CE)

All that survives to us from the 'Gospel of the Egyptians' are several quotations in Greek made by Clement, Hippolytus, and Epiphanius. It was probably written in the first half of the second century, in Egypt, and its purpose was to promote doctrines held by the Encratites (such as rejection of marriage). Some of the sayings clearly demand sexual asceticism and the elimination of the sexual differences between male and female, a doctrine that is presented in other Gnostic writings from Egypt, e.g. Logia 37 and 114 of the Gospel of Thomas.