  The equation for the electron Green's function of the fermionic Hubbard
model, derived using the strong coupling diagram technique, is solved
self-consistently for the near-neighbor form of the kinetic energy and for
half-filling. In this case the Mott transition occurs at the Hubbard repulsion
$U_c\approx 6.96t$, where $t$ is the hopping constant. The calculated spectral
functions, density of states and momentum distribution are compared with
results of Monte Carlo simulations. A satisfactory agreement was found for
$U>U_c$ and for temperatures, at which magnetic ordering and spin correlations
are suppressed. For $U<U_c$ and lower temperatures the theory describes
qualitatively correctly positions and widths of spectral continua, variations
of spectral shapes and occupation numbers with changing wave vector and
repulsion. The locations of spectral maxima turn out to be close to the
positions of $\delta$-function peaks in the Hubbard-I approximation.
