th
century. According to Schmidt's short account, _Sitzungsberichte d.
preuss. Akad. d. Wiss. zu. Berlin_ (1896), pp. 839 sqq., this gospel
gives disclosures on the nature of matter ([Greek: ulae]) and the
progress of the Gnostic soul through the seven planets.

_Gospel of Matthias._--Though this gospel is attested by Origen (_Horm.
in Luc._ i.), Eusebius, _H.E._ iii. 25. 6, and the List of Sixty Books,
not a shred of it has been preserved, unless with Zahn ii. 751 sqq. we
are to identify it with the _Traditions of Matthias_, from which Clement
has drawn some quotations.

_Gospel of Perfection_ (_Evangelium perfectionis_).--Used by the
followers of Basilides and other Gnostics. See Epiphanius, _Haer._ xxvi.
2.

_Gospel of Philip._--This gospel described the progress of a soul
through the next world. It is of a strongly Encratite character and
dates from the 2nd century. A fragment is preserved in Epiphanius,
_Haer_. xxvi. 13. In Preuschen, _Reste_, p. 13, the quotation breaks off
too soon. See Zahn ii. 761-768.

_Gospel of Thaddaeus._--Condemned by the Gelasian Decree.

_Gospel of Thomas._--Of this gospel only one fragment has been preserved
in Hippolytus, _Philos_. v. 7, pp. 140 seq. See Zahn, _op. cit._ i. 746
seq.; ii. 768-773; Harnack ii. 593-595.

_Gospel of Truth._--This gospel is mentioned by Irenaeus i. 11. 9, and
was used by the Valentinians. See Zahn i. 748 sqq.

(b) ACTS AND TEACHINGS OF THE APOSTLES.--_Acts of Andrew._--These Acts,
which are of a strongly Encratite character, have come down to us in a
fragmentary condition. They belong to the earliest ages, for they are
mentioned by Eusebius, _H.E._ iii. 25; Epiphanius, _Haer._ xlvii. 1;
lxi. 1; lxiii. 2; Philaster, _Haer._ lxviii., as current among the
Manichaeans and heretics. They are attributed to Leucius, a Docetic
writer, by Augustine (_c. Felic. Manich._ ii. 6) and Euodius (_De Fide
c. Manich._ 38). Euodius in the passage just referred to preserves two
small fragments of the original Acts. On internal grounds the section
recounting Andrew's imprisonment (Bonnet, _Acta Apostolorum Apocrypha_,
ii. 38-45) is also probably a constituent of the original work. As
regards the martyrdom, owing to the confusion introduced by the
multitudinous Catholic revisions of this section of the Acts, it is
practically impossible to restore its original form. For a complete
discussion of the various documents see Lipsius, _Apokryphen
Apostelgeschichte_, i. 543-62