1 Jesus conceals his miracles,
2 studies the law,
3 and is baptized.
NOW from this time Jesus began
to conceal his miracles and
secret works,
2 And gave himself to the study
of the law, till he arrived to the
end of his thirtieth year;
3 At which time the Father publicly
owned him at Jordan, sending
down this voice from heaven, This
is my beloved son, in whom I am
well pleased;
4 The Holy Ghost being also
present in the form of a dove.
5 This is he whom we worship
with all reverence, because he gave
us our life and being, and brought
us from our mother's womb,
Glory to God,
6 Who, for our sakes, took a
human body, and hath redeemed
us, that so he might embrace
us with everlasting mercy, and
shew his free, large, bountiful
grace and goodness to us.
7 To him be glory and praise,
and power, and dominion, from
henceforth said for evermore.
Amen.
(The end of the whole Gospel of
the Infancy, by the assistance of
the Supreme God, according to
what we found in the original.)
REFERENCES TO THE FIRST GOSPEL OF
THE INFANCY OF JESUS CHRIST
[Mr. Henry Sike, Professor of Oriental Languages at Cambridge, first
translated and published this Gospel in 1697. It was received by the
Gnostics, a sect of Christians in the second century; and several of its
relations were credited in the following ages by other Christians, viz.,
Eusebius, Athanasius, Epiphanius; Chrysostom. &c. Sozomen says, he was
told by many, and he credits the relations, of the idols in Egypt falling
down on Joseph, and Mary's flight thither with Christ; and of Christ
making a well to wash his clothes in a sycamore-tree, from whence balsam
afterwards proceeded; which stories are from this Gospel. Chemnitius, out
of Stipulensis, who had it from Peter Martyr, Bishop of Alexandria, in
the third century, says, that the place in Egypt where Christ was
banished is now called Matarea, about ten miles beyond Cairo; that the
inhabitants constantly burn a lamp in remembrance of it; and that there
is a garden of trees yielding a balsam, which were planted by Christ when
a boy. M. La Crosse cites a synod at Angamala, in the Mountain of
Malabar, A. D. 1599, which shows this Gospel was commonly read by the
Nestorians in the country. Ahmed Ibu Idris, a Mahometan divine, says, it
was used by some Christians in common with the other four Gospels; and
Ocobius de Castro mentions a Gospel of Thomas, which he says, he saw and
had translated to him by an Armenian Archbishop at Amsterdam, that was
read in very many churches of Asia and Africa, as the only rule of their
faith. Fabricius takes it to be this Gospel. It has been supposed, that
Mahomet and his coadjutors used it in compiling the Koran. There are
several stories believed of Christ, proceeding from this Gospel; as that
which Mr. Sike relates out of La Brosse's Persic Lexicon, that Christ
practised the trade of a dyer, and his working a miracle with the
colours; from whence the Persian dyers honour him as their patron, and
call a dye-house the shop of Christ. Sir John Chardin mentions Persian
legends concerning Christ's dispute with his schoolmaster about his ABC;
and his lengthening the cedar-board which Joseph sawed too short.]
Note on the Miracles of Christ in the preceding Gospels.
A great void in the early life of the Saviour is filled up by these
Gospels. In none of the Canonical Evangelists is any mention made of the
childhood of Jesus. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, more
rapidly than satisfactorily, pass over the period intervening between His
birth and ministry. It is natural to suppose that the Infant Redeemer's
earliest days were spent in the society of other young children, and it
is quite consistent with every sincere Christians faith to believe that
He had the power to perform the miracles here ascribed to him otherwise,
a limit will be set to His divine attributes, doubts raised against His
performance of the miracles related by the four Evangelists, in the
authorised version of the Testament, and a denial given of the
declaration therein, "With GOD nothing is impossible!"
THE SECOND, OR ST. THOMAS'S GOSPEL OF
THE INFANCY OF JESUS CHRIST.
An Account of the ACTIONS and MIRACLES of our Lord and Saviour
JESUS CHRIST in his INFANCY.
CHAPTER I.
2 Jesus miraculously clears the water after rain.
4 Plays with clay sparrows, which he animates
on the Sabbath day.
I THOMAS, an Israelite, judged
it necessary to make known to
our brethren among the Gentiles,
the actions and miracles of Christ
in his childhood, which our Lord
and God Jesus Christ wrought
after his birth in Bethlehem in our
country, at which I myself, was
astonished; the beginning of which
was as followeth.
2 When the child Jesus was
five years of age, and there had
been a shower of rain, which was
now over, Jesus was playing with
other Hebrew boys by a running
stream; and the water running
over the banks, stood in little
lakes;
3 But the water instantly became
clear and useful again; he
having smote them only by his
word, they readily obeyed him.
4 Then he took from the bank
of the stream some soft clay, and
formed out of it twelve sparrows;
and there were other boys playing
with him.
5 But a certain Jew seeing the
things which he was doing, namely,
his forming clay into the figures
of sparrows on the Sabbath day,
went presently away, and told
his father Joseph, and said,
6 Behold, thy boy is playing by
the river side, and has taken clay,
and formed it into twelve sparrows,
and profaneth the Sabbath.
7 Then Joseph came to the
place where he was, and when he
saw him, called to him, and said,
Why doest thou that which it is
not lawful to do on the Sabbath
day?
8 Then Jesus clapping together
the palms of his hands, called to
the sparrows, and said to them
Go, fly away; and while ye live
remember me.
9 So the sparrows fled away
making a noise.
10 The Jews seeing this, were
astonished, and went away, and
told their chief persons what a
strange miracle they had seen
wrought by Jesus.
CHAPTER II.
2 Causes a boy to wither who broke down his fish-pools;
6 Partly restores him.
7 Kills another boy.
16 causes blindness to fall on his accusers,
18 for which, Joseph pulls him by the ear.
BESIDES this, the son of Annas
the scribe, was standing there
with Joseph, and took a bough
of a willow tree, and scattered
the waters which Jesus had
gathered into lakes.
2 But the boy Jesus seeing what
he had done, became angry, and
said to him, Thou fool, what harm
did the lake do thee, that thou
shouldest scatter the water?
3 Behold, now thou shalt wither
as a tree, and shalt not bring forth
either leaves, or branches, or fruit.
4 And immediately he became
withered all over.
5 Then Jesus went away home.
But the parents of the boy who
was withered, lamenting the
misfortune of his youth, took and
carried him to Joseph, accusing him,
and said, Why dost thou keep a
son who is guilty of such actions?
6 Then Jesus at the request of
all who were present did heal him,
leaving only some small member
to continue withered, that they
might take warning.
7 Another time Jesus went
forth into the street, and a boy
running by, rushed upon his
shoulder;
8 At which Jesus being angry,
said to him, Thou shalt go no
farther;
9 And he instantly fell down
dead:
10 Which when some persons
saw, they said, Where was this
boy born, that every thing which
he says presently cometh to pass?
11 Then the parents of the dead
boy going to Joseph, complained,
saying, You are not fit to live with
us, in our city, having such a boy
as that:
12 Either teach him that he
bless and not curse, or else depart
hence with him, for he kills our
children.
13 Then Joseph calling the
boy Jesus by himself, instructed
him, saying, Why doest thou such
things to injure the people so, that
they hate us and prosecute us?
14 But Jesus replied, I know
that what thou sayest is not of
thyself, but for thy sake I will
say nothing;
15 But they who have said these
things to thee, shall suffer
everlasting punishment.
16 And immediately they who
had accused him became blind,
17 And all they who saw it were
exceedingly afraid and confounded,
and said concerning him, Whatsoever
he saith, whether good or bad,
immediately cometh to pass and
they were amazed.
18 And when they saw this action
of Christ, Joseph arose, and
plucked him by the ear, at which
the boy was angry, and said to
him, Be easy;
19 For if they seek for us, they
shall not find us: thou hast done
very imprudently.
20 Dost thou not know that I
am thine? Trouble me no more.
CHAPTER III.
1 Astonishes his schoolmaster by his learning.
A CERTAIN schoolmaster
named Zaccheaus, standing
in a certain place, heard Jesus
speaking these things to his father.
2 And he was much surprised,
that being a child he should speak
such things; and after a few days
he came to Joseph, and said,
3 Thou hast a wise and sensible
child, send him to me, that he may
learn to read.
4 When he sat down to teach
the letters to Jesus, he began with
the first letter Aleph;
5 But Jesus pronounced the
second letter Mpeth (Beth) Cghimel
(Gimel), and said over all the
letters to him to the end.
6 Then opening a book, he
taught his master the prophets
but he was ashamed, and was at a
loss to conceive how he came to
know the letters.
7 And he arose and went home,
wonderfully surprised at so strange
a thing.
CHAPTER IV.
1 Fragment of an adventure at a dyer's.
AS Jesus was passing by a certain
shop, he saw a young man dipping
(or dyeing) some cloths and stockings
in a furnace, of a sad colour, doing
them according to every person's
particular order;
2 The boy Jesus going to the
young man who was doing this,
took also some of the cloths ......
(Here endeth the fragment of
Thomas's Gospel of the Infancy
of Jesus Christ.)
REFERRENCE TO ST. THOMAS'S GOSPEL OF THE
INFANCY OF JESUS CHRIST.
[The original in Greek, from which this translation is made, will be
found printed by Cotelerius, in his notes on the constitutions of the
Apostles, from a MS. in the French King's Library, No. 2279.--It is
attributed to St. Thomas, and conjectured to have been originally
connected with the, Gospel of Mary. Unfortunately this ancient MS. was
found torn at the second verse of the fourth chapter.]