An Irish clergyman, Rev. G. J. Ouseley claims to have discovered the Original Gospel from which the present Four Gospels were derived, which, he says, was "preserved in one of the Buddhist monasteries in Tibet, where it was hidden by some of the Essene Community for safety from the hands of the corrupters, and is now for the first time translated from the Aramaic." Here we meet a friendly, romantic Jesus who blesses and protects plants and animals, a person to whom birds and mice are attracted -- this image is probably attractive to many people.
Ouseley's Jesus is not just a generally friendly guy, he is also a health nut. Vegetarianism and health food are constant themes of his preaching. The style is a bit sentimental; flowers grow where Jesus stepped, he speaks the language of animals and birds, a lion lies down peacefully at his feet. Just as in the Aquarian gospel, the young Jesus travels to Assyria, India and Persia. Like in the Essene epistle, he learns about the healing power of trees, herbs and flowers. As usual in modern forgeries, Mary Magdalene is depicted as his partner.
Publishers and foreword writers have pointed to how much more detailed this "original" gospel is, compared to the Biblical ones, and how it explains many difficult passages in a natural and simple way. All of this is taken as evidence for that this is a more original, more genuine text than the "corrupted" versions in the Bible. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Rich detail and absence of difficulties indicate that this is an expanded and polished rewrite.
But is it not possible that the four gospels and St Paul have quoted from this older gospel? No, because each of them have their characteristical language and writing style which allows us to recognize who has quoted who. The NT writers are first in the quote sequence, no doubt about it. Ouseley's text is rich in anachronisms:
By now it should be clear that this is not a rediscovered original gospel, but rather a not too skillfully contrived apocryph. I am uncertain of what credence it has received in other countries, but in Sweden it has been widely spread and believed in the 20th century. Ouseley was an Anglican clergyman, born in Ireland but spent his adult life in England. He was also an occultist who wrote several books about occult subjects. He had contacts with the theosophical and anti-vivisectionist group around Anna Kingsford and Edward Maitland (who together wrote The Perfect Way). Ouseley's own version of the find story, in his foreword to the gospel, clearly states that he has received the text through spiritistic contact with Swedenborg, Kingsford, Maitland and a Franciscan priest by the name of Placidus. Ouseley claims that the manuscript is in Tibet, but does not say that he has ever been there or seen it with his own eyes. Intead, "the spirits" told him about it and translated it for him, letting him receive the text telepathically. It is probable that Notovitch's book (1894) and Madame Blavatsky's The Secret Doctrine (1888) inspired him to invent the story about the manuscript.
But this spiritistic origin was concealed by the German translator Werner Zimmerman, who retained only the information concerning an alleged Aramaic manuscript find. Swedish and other publishers who only read the German translation believed that Ouseley himself had found the document in Tibet. The Swedish publisher assures us that the Aramaic original (!) was hidden (!) by an Essene (!) in a Tibetan monastery (!) where it was discovered by Ouseley who translated it. One "!" for each of the standard run-of-the-mill claims made in connection with hoaxes.
Thus, a manuscript hoax can appear even when the author never intended it...