But if in the original Hebrew Gospel there was mention of the anointing of Jesus at or after his baptism, as I contend is probable, this mention did not include an account of the oil being expressed from the branch of the Tree of Life; that is a later addition, in full agreement with the fantastic ideas which were gradually permeating and colouring Judaic Christianity.
After the baptism, “_Jesus put out_, by the grace of baptism, _that fire which the priest kindled for sins_; for, from the time when he appeared, the chrism has ceased, by which the priesthood or the prophetic or the kingly office was conferred.”(311) The Homilies are more explicit: “He put out the fire on the altars.”(312) There was therefore in the Gospel used by the author of the Clementines an account of our Lord, after his anointing, entering into the Temple and extinguishing the altar fires.
In St. John’s Gospel, on which we may rely for the chronological sequence of events with more confidence than we can on the Synoptical Gospels, the casting of the money‐changers out of the Temple took place not long after the baptism. In St. Matthew’s account it took place at the close of the ministry, in the week of the Passion. That this exhibition of his authority marked the opening of his three years’ ministry rather than the close is most probable, and then it was, no doubt, that he extinguished the fires on the altar, according to the Gospel used by the author of the Clementines. Whether this incident occurred in the Gospel of the Hebrews it is not possible to say.
We are told that “James and John, the sons of Zebedee, had a command ... not to enter into their cities (_i.e._ the cities of the Samaritans), nor to bring the word of preaching to them.”(313) “And when our Master sent us forth to preach, he commanded us, But into whatsoever city or house we should enter, we should say, Peace be to this house. And if, said he, a son of peace be there, your peace shall come upon him; but if there be not, your peace shall return unto you. Also, that going from house to city, we should shake off upon them the very dust which adhered to our feet. But it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment than for that city or house.”(314) The Gospel of the Clementines, it is plain, contained an account of the sending forth of the apostles almost identical with that in St. Matthew, x.