New Testamcnl Apocrypha

80.

Cl.

81. Cr.
82.
81.

Cht@. 24.20

221

Mt.23t35-

Lk. l:21.

Ml.23:35cf. Mr.27:51,

Cl Z.h. 12:10,12-14.
35 I-k 2:Z5l
84,

2. The

Infancy Story ofThomas

1. Iransmission, lexts

,od literstDrc: tlle hislory of

the

lradilior of this iflfancy

and czurmr at the mome be sel oul unembiSuously. The Greek texts, i.e. lhe versions in rhe original larguage, are handed do\{rl
only in lala manuscriph. The numerous versions can contribute ro tlle stablhhin8 of the oldest texl, bui are naturally also influenced by moy larer redencies.
Tlle altempl by P. Peeters ro lrace back dle diftcrent yersions of the infamy story

nardive is very complicated,

of Thomas to a Syriac basic foDn, *hich he lroughl to be specially well

rcprese' ed tu alatemanuscripr (Cod. vaL Syr. 159, lTtlr cent.), is untemble (P.
P.ete$,Ltd gilet apaolph4, vol. II, l9l4i for criticism sce A. de Sarlos Olcro,
Dds kirchatslavische Erar9eliat des T honas, YIS 6,1967, pp 148ft).
Dcspite the great advmce marked by the investigalion ofthe Church Slavonic
traditior of this lext by de Santos, provision ol lhe 'Urtext', i.e. lhe version of llrc
2ndcentury, is uol yetpossible. 'A ftual critical edilion isstiil awailed. But even
ifsuch an edition should suceed ir.reconslructing a text underlying the later
manDscript! and lranslalions, Ule question slill renlains whelher tho original

nrfocy gospel can bc reconstructcd at all, and whcthr nny statenrnts about llle
date ol composilion will bc possiblc. For as thc'Epistula Apostolorum' shows,
the individual naffatives, in lhis gospcL otten only loosely strun8 rogethcr, were
alrcady freely circulatinS iD the secoDd cenlury' GI. Ki,stcr, ANRW 252, 1484).1

T]ris nreans, howcver' rlial lire tmsDission of this text in marlscripts ard
versiorrs was also pa ly detcrnincd by ils litcrary genre. Since il is a ca-e of
'collected matcrial. *ttich in litea) tcrns is otrly meagEly held togelher'
(Viclhaucr, rir. aercr. p.674), sliSht altcratioN tu conrpass and conted could
easrly te mrdc in Lhe (ouise ol trarNrnissiol.
On lhe olher lnnd ' as thc C[urch Slavo iclextsshow-llE c is also n ccrair
slability ro lre see,r ifl rlte irdividual stmnds of @dilion, so lha! drc etfon ro
recovrlhe oldest version is pedectly rcasotrable- Bul lhese questions cannot be
disctssedin detailhere.ltmunsuffice toadduce tlrediftere vitn.sscs in a bricf

a) The G,?ct texls wer divided by Tischendorf nto two recensions and
ditcd separately. Recension A (Ea, pp. 140, t57) is lle version cootaiued in two
man$cnprs (aologDa Univ.2702 rnd Dresden 1187, 15/l6tn ceor.). To Ihese
may be added fte Codex Arllous Vatopedi 37, a non-nlenoloSical haSiographic
collc.iion (141h ceor.), tu wlrichchaptcrs 1,14ar handeddown, bul which has
sofarnotbeen evalDated. Theflagherls h the manuscrjpts in Paris(Bibl. Nat.
gr. 239, l5rh cent.) and yienla (l,hil. sr:144, in lhe mcaDti,ne losl) werc reckoned
by Tischendorf 1o Recension A, but iD view of tlle similarities to the Church

439

'

New Testament Alocrypha

ris is prpbably ro tre conecled (ci deSantos. rrr. cil. p.152).
The versbn published by A. Delaite also (Creek manuscript no. 355 ofthe
Natidull-ibnry inAthens, from the 15th cent.: ,,lr?.do ld Atheniensia I,P^tisLiege 1921,264'271) as comparison with lhe lntin and the Church Slavonic
rexts shows cannol be rcgaded as evidence for Rcce'sion A. TIe version in
Cod. Var. Patat. 364, 1o which de Sanlos dr^ws altention ( tjherliekrns 11. p 50
nore), seenrs ro belong wnh uris texr ofDelaue.
Recension B (Ea, pp- 158-163) is a shorier fom of rhe infancy sospel.
Tischendorf edited il atter a manuscript ol the 14/l5rh certury discovtred by him
in thc nroraslery on SiDai.r
This su ey slows thal the Creek tradition of Ure infaDcy Sospel of Thorias
is thorouahly inildequrb andalso vcry farfrom unifonn. Aftertheinvestigations
of de Sanlos onc must say even morc: lhe lexl ediled by Tischendorf as Recension
A a|d videly recogniscd as a /errrs .e.prrr 'is to be rega ed as a later.e
wo,brg which o,igiirated only alter lhe llth century, and in wl,ich essential
eloments of the old Greek apocryphon have been lost' (de Sanlos, ,r,. .,r. p. 15 8).
This statemenl is hovever only possible becatrse alongside fte rneagre Grcek
tradition we have a series ofversions a1o!.disposal.
b) A srrd. voNion is extant in three manuscripls: 1. Cod. Brit. Mus. Add.
r4464 (611l ccDt.), editcd with English lranslation by W. Wtighr, Contribttio6
to lhe Apcttphal Literut raaltheNe Tetdnent,Lonion 1865 (reprnrted in
B.A.W. Brn9e, I he tl istory of t he B Less ed v n Btu M.tt) c t c - l, London 1 899, 2 l7222). 2. A manuscrilt fron Sinai i. tbe Giirti.gcn University I-ibrary (ct A.
Meyer, NTApoz, p. 94). 3. rrom dr. 17ft certury comes the Cod. vat. SyL 159.
whichPeetes adducedabove alLas proof of thedependenceof all versions of llrc
infancy gospel upon fie Syriac text form (ct above, p.439). Tlis ltypolhesis is
unlenable, bui despie this considerable importance aftaches to llle Syriac

Slavonicvcrsion

c)

Tlrelzrrr veBion

was

lublished by 'l is.hendod (Ea, pp. 16,1'180) liom

Valican mannscript (Vat. lte8. 648) a d a palnnpsest h Vienna (5th/6th cent.).

On llrc Vienna mmtrscripl ct c- PnilipDat in,,1ral.Irll.94,1912,391 411.
'I'hcrc is still no rigorous investisation of theLalin lradition. Tneproximity which
. car be eshblished to the Syriac and Churclr Slavonic veBions, as well as 1o the
Grcekversionpublished byDelatte, makes thistranchoflhelradiLlon imPotlant.
d)'l'hc old Guorgun vc6ion, which stands close to lhe Syriac, but has so tar
scarcely bern noticcd in the Wesr, is low available in a Lalin lranslation: GG.riue, 'Le tkgment gdor8ien .le l'6vangile de Thonas', RIIE 61, 1956,513
a

520.

e)'llneCh
epn

rch

lawit

nanidon of this rpocrypl'or, which is represcnted by

manu..Ipr\.i:parlrcuhfly mlolldnl,ct Je5-njo,.

Lth?t

lidcnutll. a.-

54). l'hese m^nuscripts all 80 back 1o an old B ulgarian translaion oriSinalin8 at

t1clJle.rinllp llrhLenlury A.d-Sdnrosurerohas,onvin.indl) rcLon.lrucled

(rn.l.

star. [vdngetium,pp.
re Greek voraS? of tlis old llulsari^n versbn
159 171), and summarises his conclusions rln$: 'Tnis Greek vffld8e, which in
e$entialrcoincideswilhlhcold versions of the nrfancy sospeL(he Syiac,I.atin
and Gcorgia ) and tllc Greck lcxt ofMs no. 355 oflhe Alhens National Library

440

New lestamenr Apocrypln

(Delatle), bean wiiness to tlre exisreDce ofan o1d Greek veBion of rhe hfancy
Gospel olThomas ehich proves 10 be far more complere andconsiderabtyolder
than the Creek Redaclions A and B made known by Tischendorf' (op. .ir. p. 185).
With ihis, nol only IlIe complerely new irsiShts gainel lbr the hislory oflhe
transmission ot tlis work,bu!also rhe problcn ofthe'snostic cbaracErofthe
infancy story ot lhomas is poserl afresh- Thus ,br exampte lhe morc deiailed
version orclaprer 6 (s@ below, pp. 44 5 atrd n.9.) appears ro be more odgkral rtan
the shortcr one ir Recension A. nris longer ve6ion, Iowevcr, shows clearly
gnostic tendencies, whicl however cannor yet be prccisely derermimd.r
0Irnraily it may bc noled ar Ois apocrypDon is also exrant in an nlropi.
version (ed S. G(jbiur in Ia taLogia Orturtalis Xlt 4, 1919, 625,&12i ct id. in
Rey. de I Ot ient C hrAien 16, 191 1, 255-265i 356-367: ct also V. Ajras L. van
Rnmfc) in,1,14,4 ,'1. t9lr. lJJ.t4o,. A cnr:on rnu.r rtro be liiL.,0. n\
nivesligaloD of rhe iraNnission ro rhe continuance in later works (Arabic
iffarcy gospcl, Annedan infancy documeno oftriidirions which occur in ttis

vrltinS.
'Ihis survey of the extant m.terial conilms lhe stalemenl rhat the tntaDcy
Gospel of llrornas had a very complicated rmdidon, and thal dcspitc the
pioneering work oldc Santos matry questoDs still remain o!cn- In nny case we
cannor at preseni reconslmc! any orignral fonn of rlds work. In rlc prescnr
volume we nusr thereforc conrent ouBelves with a comprornise: lhe re1r":l
re.cpri'r ofTisclrendort(RecensionA) is prcsenredin rransldrion, snpplemented
in lhe apparanrs by r.tcren.es ro vnriarls whicl poinr ro an older anrt heucr

velsior ll

must be emphasised rhal here we cannot aspire ro conlpteteness.

I-iternture:'lischendorf's cdilion

of

rc lcxr (Ea, pp. t4O 180) is srill jol)orranl evon

bday, and is rakcn up by lhe larcredilois: C. Michel, litros,t.rap o.rlhes 1,2 1924, 61 1

l89i dc

SaDros6,

fi,.276.300.

Traxriarirrsrrames.pp.,l964(Enslistr)idcSa!tos6,Ur.2?929?(Sprnhn)iMorardi

I,247-2?9(llalian):E rcnaI2,78-101 (it.lian).

Detail..l biblioqruphies: ii de Srnlos. Mourdiand Erbeua.

Older litenhae:
A-Mtyct, NlAlottdb pp. l32t M.R. Jlmes, ,TIe
Thomas . JTS 30, 1928,51-54, t. Camcy, Tlr Irish cospel otThomas.Itxr,

andNoles',li!418, i958,I 43.

co{el ot

nslalion

Cero. 'thclrfalcyCospelof'Iho,nrs:-^ Studyoftho

Itxlual aM l-ilernry Prcblcms', N,v.Tc$. 13, t 97l, 46-80 M. M.Namma, ,Noles on nrc
I';i' Ou\n.r^r l huni.'. /,.J, 1t,"at-OL ,et1! )8. to1,.4) 40. t. \urrr .po r,"
iliJn d. , Fvirgrl. d',1rn,c d. ltur A',,aa,1Pu4 o0, to?2, rt?. A. I.rl,..F.
.lveissen9
bct, Konkohlanz zun Thonldsetangei!fl,V.$ian 4 ,al d, mr.i Mitdbeit
vonCh. Eoknai(, Studienzum NT hd seiner Urwell B 4, Linz l9?8,
S.

2. Title and contenls: lhe manulcripts speak of ,Infancy of ihe Lord Jcsus'
(syriac version), or arc enril led 'Accounr ot rlre Inrrncy of the Lord, byThonros
the hraelire philosopher' (Creek MS A), or g in .Book of lhe 1)oly aposrle
Thonus conccming thelilc of rhe Lord in his lrfancy, (creek MS B; see bclow,

p.449.

ore 1).
The gospcl conlains srories ofmiracles *rouShl by Lhe child Jesus belw@n
the ages of Iive and twelve years- Il ends with ltre nanaLivc of tlle rwetve yearold Jesu! intheltmplc, which is raken from Luke.
441

Ncw 'lcsra ent Apoc,ypha

Ncw TesranleDr Apocrypha

3.

Drh ard aulhor: dircct,clationships witl

nrc gnostic Gospel ofThomas,

nov become knowr in a Coptic vrsion (sce above, pp. 1 1ott), caDnot
bc lraced. allhough one h tcrnpted to see in rhe irxtructions of rlle boy Jesus
coDcemins thc allcgorical siBtrificance ol lhe alphabel a ramr ire staning-point
Ior Snostic speculations. Thc choiceof lhonus (who isflowcalled an apstle,
which has

now an 'Israelile philosopher') as theaulhormrybeconnccted with rhctradilioD

orThonas's apostoiale io lndia. Perhaps il is aho Do accident rhar n is prccisely
torlhernaterial here enrployed rlutlarclleh in IndiaD le8cnds arepanicularly 1o
be lalcr irto account (sec above, p.415).

Acco.ding to lrenaeus (aly. .ara.r. I 13.1) thc Marcosiars had a docuncnL

conlaining a passage of our Gospet of Thonras (clupter 6). lt thus pmbably
belongs towards tle end of the 2nd ceDlury. Tbat tlrc audror was of gcniile
Chrktian oriSin nuy b. assu,ned witl cenainry, sincc lis work betrays Do
kflowledSe ot thnrgs JewisL

Clnrac(erofthe malerial! litcrrrJ slJle atrd theological tndencis of lle

documDt: it was no11hc youth oljesus between reageottwelveandhiscoming
lo be bnptised ar dre Jordan nt the age of rhiny at wrs the chief inlerest for
lcgcnd, but raLhe.lhe yeals bcfore tllo incident rcporicd by Luke, wher Jesus was
lwelve yeaB old- For the inEDrion h prccisely lo prcseDr llle boy Jesus as an inlant
prodiSy. All the ,riacles hc was larer 10 pcrfonr are herc anticjpatcd ir a
parlicularly blatanl faslion. lherc is, however, a grcat differcnce between thesc
nlirules d those reported in lhc canonical Gospels. IIerc lhe cxlraneous
materid is snrlly iDponed irro the story of Jesus, witlrout tle sli8hLcst atlempt
to Dake it fi1, cven remoteiy, tlE ponrait ofChrisl. lf llrc name of Jesus did not
stard alorgside the dcscliption 'child' or 'boy', one could not lossibly hit upo
4.

5. Dissamination of the Gospcl ot'Ihonns: on lhe one hard, readers wcre

atlracredftom theslanby jrspopularnratcri l,Irce fronr any lheological tias, and
the gospel enjoycd wide popularily, as d,erDDerous trdslalions md ilsusein
latergovels testify. To be sure, it also caused oftencc, above alllhrough ils all
too crude cmlihasis on Ure mnaculous, often quilc devoid of elhicd feling.
(Per haps therc h a ceruin reactio to tiis h llE Uistory of Joseph lhe Cneentr,
whicl spcciall, slresscs lhe neekness of lle clild Jesus: MoreDz,lU 56, pp.l;
43, see below, pp. 484t). Moreover tlE 1lhole arlempt 1o rcmove fion the boy
Jesus the ,recessity for a purcly hurnan developmcnt would lravc ,ppearcd
questionable in some quarrers. Whererhisliteraturewasrejccred. acontribrrrory
factor was prolrlbly re feeling that o, dre one hand the truc hunntity of Jesus
fi,rds expression in the fact that his growing-up took place h selusior, and on
the other thatll'e devil vould have no bklirg of the co,ning ollhe Son ofOod.
Dspilc all miskust, ihe Gospel of'Ihomas triunrphed again and agaiu. I1
spread Iar and wide not only througl ils translation inlo other largua8e.s, but also
$rouBh thc fac( tlat il was combined majorpopularcolleclions wi$ malerial
lrom nle lavourjle Protev. of James :ud all kinds of popular lcgcds about the
sojoum of tle child.rcsus nr Egypl (scc pp.460it).

The following lrarslation prescnts Tiscfiendorf's Recensiotr A. lD tlte notcs a

selectionisoffelEdofvuiants fron OeChurchSlavo c vesion (= slav.) ,.!hich

deSa osllassciout (see abovc), in order to reveal someflring of the problcnrs
ofthe tradidon. OccasionaUy rctcrence is aho madc to ugreemeDts belwsn Slav.
mdlhelextofthc Cod. Paris. Bibl.Nnt. g..355 Gce above) publishedbyDela(e
(= Dcl.).

llte ider that thesc stories ol the capricious divine boJ were inrendcd lo
sul)Pleincnl

re tEdition about Lim. ParaUeh irom te lcgends of Krishna and

Buddla. as well as all kiMs ot tables. caD here be adduccd jnparricularquanily.
T[e crudcrarl(I moreslafllinS the nriraclc,lhe greatcr rhc pleasure llle coNpiier
finds in n, wilhour thc sliShLcst scnplc abour rhc quostionable nrrure oI rlro
Dalerial. In lhk.rcspect therc is a vasl differencc also bertlecn tlr Gospet of
'lllo,nas aDd lhe ProtevaDseliun oflanlcs.
Not only llrc miracle'worker but ,also Chrisi ltrc tacher must be forcshaduwcd rn the Ll,rlJ. whil L,r\e rclalel rcldrively soberly dbourllle rwelveJCar o.d
lesus ir
lemplc is here .r.ggirared ,Dro rhc ttotcsqDe.l'lre buy nor only
'c
possesscs all re wisdotrr of ihe age. but bdfles all humar) GaclErs by profound
and of{eD obscurc pronouDce$enls. ln panicularrhe lonrcr yersion olchapter6

ho\, the boy Jesus beconres thc Snoslic Rcvealer. Ile

proclnirls gnoslic speculatiofls, and already possesses all divnre wisdom in its
fullest raoSq ir cortrN lo Luke 2:40, lle has o neil *hatever of'growh in
wisdonr'.TLebookdisploys redocelicteDdencyvhichultimalelyliesattheroot
of most ofllE infrncy gospls. Allhougl lackjng h good hsre, rcslmiDt and
(see above, p. 441) shows

discrEtion. iL must be admitled that lhe man who collecGd tlrse legends and
con)posed llleGosFl ofThomas * s endowed wilh a gifr ofvividslory-relling,
espccially whcr he depicrs scures from cvcryday childliood.
442

Nots
2. The IuIatrcX

l. s.

Slor} otThonras

Gerc (lva,.? err. 13,

t97l,46lt) h6

cxpressd vicws

si,Dihro

lltosc or

(aister.Ile

tliinks 0u( the orilt.dirions coUeclc{ in rhe infancy srory oa Thomat w@ld rcr lBvc
oDdcrgonc llxalnr in *rilnrg beforc fic 5th cc tury (,p. cn. !. 56, nore 1). llth is a
hypollesis vhi.n !l prcsc.l ctr,nDt be coffmed.
2,1lEre i! a survcy otthc wlole nraLeri{I, which is,lrowcvcr, pa y govennd by UE
hypo Esis,ncniioned auove, in G.rc, pp.48 56.
S.Notct( ual.Boll 9lt,\912,412)givc6noricei!ar$rtconurunicationof ppl,trtor

.newcditio[aMalsnuocra&sasciicsornatuscrilrsin*hichthisworkis@{raiocd
but which wcleprcviously unkDoen, Furlherdchils.r. lackingCt als Ccro, orr. .n. pp. 73-80, wtoF slalcrEnh, lmwver are noL

4.

rll strvincing.

New l'estamenl Apocrypha

New llnameDl
^PocryPha
'1he account

ol'Ihohas

5. L And Joseph called the child aside and admonished him saying: 'Why
do you do such things rhat tltese peoplc 0nus1) surler a d hate us afld
pcmecote us?' Bul Jcsus replicd: 'I know that lhese words are not yonrs,

tho Israelite philosoDher

cotrcerning fie childlrood oltbe Lordl

1 . 1, l'homas thc lsraelile.'1 tell and make knowD to you all, brethren iiom
among lho Gentiles, all fie works of lhe childhood of our Lord Jesus
Ch st a d his mighty decds, which tre did when le was bom in our land r
The tregjnning is as 1o11ows.
2. I . When lhis boy J esus was five years old he was playing at the ford of

abrook. and he gathered logeficrinto pools thcwaterthattlowed by, and

madc it at once clean, and conmxnded it by his word alone-

2.Henudcsoflclayandfashionedfromi1lwelvcsParrows Anditwas
the sabbalh when he did this. And there were also many olher chiklren

playing wilh

I lvill be silent- Br1 they shall bcar their

punishmen!.' And immedialely those who had accused him became
nevertheless for your sake
blrnd.
2. And those who saw it were grextly afraid and perplexeC, and said
conceming him: 'Every wor(l he speaks, whether good or evil, lvas a deed
and became anlarvel.'And whenJoseph saw thatJesllshad so done, he
arose and look hirn by the ear and prlled it hard. 3. And thc cbild was
angry and said to him: 'It is sullicientloryou 10 scek and nol 1o 1ind, and
mosl unwisely have you acted. Do you nol know thatl am yours? Do not

lim.

Now when acertain Jew saw whatJesuswas doing in his PltLy on the
sabbalh, he at oncc went and lold his I atler J osePh: 'See. your child is at
Urc brook, and he has laken clay and fashioned twelve b;rds and his
prolancd 1l,e sabbalh.'
4. AndwhenJosephcame lo theplace and saw (il),he cried oultohim,
snying:'Whydo yordo ontbe sabbalh whal oughtnotlobe donc?'But
Jesus clapped hishands and cricd lo the spauowsr 'Off witll youl'a And
3.

tho slarows tookllighl nnd wcnl away chiping.

5. Thc Jews were amMedvlter rrey saw this, and wenl away and told
Lhcir elders what they had seen Jcsus do.
3- I . But lhc son ol'Innas the scribe was standing tlcrc with Jo scph; and
he tookabranch ofa willow and (wilh it)dispersed thc walerwhich Jcsus
had gatheredloge er2. WhenJesus saw whalhe had.loncle wasenraged aDdsaid tohim:
'You insoletll,5 godless dunderhead, whnt hartn did lhe Pools and rc
walcr do lo you? Sce, now yor also shall wither like a tree and shall bear
neilher lcaves nor root norfiuil-'
3. And immediately lhat lad wiftered np comPletcly; and Jesus

deparcd and wcnt inlo Joseph's house. But lhe parents of him thatwas
wiftered took hjnl away,bewaili-nrg his youth, ardbroughl hinr to Joseph
and reproached him:'Wllai a ehil.l youlrave, who does such thnrgs.'
4. 1. Alter lhis agai hc wcnl though thc villagc, and a lad mn aod
knocked agairsl his shoulder. Jesus was exaspe{aied and said lo him:
'You shall nol go f rlher on your way', and ll)c child immediately 1ell
down ard died. Bul some, who saw whattookplace, sakL:'Irom where
accompljshed deed?'
does lhis child spring, since his every word rs
^n
2. And the parerts olthe dead child cameto Joseph and blamod him
and said: 'Sjnce you l)ave such n cbild, yor ca not dwell wilh us in the

village:orclsc lcach hinr to bless

and nol lo curse.6 For he is sldying

444

or

1 . Now a cerla leacher, Zacchacrs by name, who was sta0diDg lhcre,

heard in pa1t Jesrs saying these lhings lo bis lather, and marvelled greally

6.

that, being achild, hc said such 0rings2. And after a few days hc came near to Joseph and said

tohim:'You

haveacleverchild,andhehasunderstanding.Come,lrr dhimovertome
thal he may leam letters. rnd I will leach him with lhe lellers all
krowledge. and 10 salute all the older people and honour lhem as
gra dfalhers and lathcrs. and to love those olhis own age."
3. And hc told lim all dre lctlel's fro Alpha to Onega cleady, with
much questioning. Brt he iooked al Zacchaeus the leacher and said lo
him: 'llow do you, who do nol know thc Alpha according to ils nalure,
leach othcrs the Bela? llypocrite, first iI you knolv il, leach the Alpha, and
then we shall believe you conceming the Be1a.' l'ber he begao to qrestion
the teacher about thelirst letter, and he was unable to answer him.
4. And in the hearing ol many the child said to Zacchaers: 'Ilear,
teacher, thearangcment of thefirstletler, andpayheed lothis, how ithas
lines and a middle mark wLich goes th.ough lhe pair oflines which you
see, (howtheselines) converge, rise, 1um i lhe dance, lhree signs of the
same kind, subiecl lo and supporliDg one another. ofequal proportions;
here you have the lines oI lhc Alpha.'
7. 1. Now when Zacchaous the teacher hoard so many such allegorical
descriptions ollhe lirstleterbeirgcxpoundcd, he wasnerplcxcd at such
areply and suchgrcatleaching and said to those whowerepresent: 'Woe
is me,Iamforced into aquaodary,wretchthall am;l lrave brought shame
to myselfin drawiDg lo myselllhis child.
2. Takc him away, therefoic,I beseech yor, brotherJoseph.I cannot
cndure the severily ofhis look,I cannotmake outhis spcechat all- This
child is not ealth-born; hc can lamc cvcn firc. Pcrhaps hc was begotten
even before the creadon ofrhe world. What belly bore him, what womb
nudured him I do not know. Woe is me, my fiiend, he stupefies me,I
445

Ncw.ttsrrlncDi Apocryplu
carurot

Ncw.I.cnalnetrr Apouryttra

lollow his undcrs raDding. I have deccivcd mysctl tlu.ice wrcrchcd

rllr! I strove 1() 8e1 a discipte, aod lave found [lysclf wilb a

nl.ln th l I
lcacher,

3. My lricnds, I lhil)k oI my slrame. llra1 l, an old tnau. have bccl1

uvcr,urrcbycclIlu. Ic oo ,) dcspnir JDJdicL,c.du\cuil 15rtritd,frlr

IL' rlnolinlllrshourlookhinr inlh( tnce. ArJwhcnallsavthallhavebccn

uvcrcolrc by u n'utt rtrit,l, wlrar hrvc I lo s y? Allj whrL.rrr I L:rr
,1,Ic.rri b thc tinc\ ot rtrc Iihr h rrcr ot u trictr t;. spo .c to , c., I dJ rol
krru\v. I)y tricld.. tor I knolv (ithcr bc6irxri[E ur c J irl lt.
.l. Tlrrcti,rc i irst
..
rre rs

you. brorhcr Joseph. rakcirirrr awxy lo your truu\c.

J Jrout.t (i,y I d,, rx,l

n,rrcllllug 8r'.J1. a EUJ ur fi irlrget ur

$tr

U. l. Ar)d whilc rhc Jcws werc lryj0g to co sole Zacohncus, rhc cl)ikl
Ixut,led i,luuJrrLIsIid: Now lcr thnt wtrictr is y,,urs b(rr tr [;r,
cl rttr.
l)linJ iI I(rrl s... I trJvc curr( trcnr,rbo\c tu !ursc rtrcr.r il \l .,rt. ltrcnl to
the lliu8s abovc, as ltc colnmandcd who scnl nrc for vour.sukes ,!o
2. An(jt\ hur rhc child IuJ.(a\cd sp|jakiug. ir rncdialcjya
ttrose wcrc
_
I(.dlcd \vln) hrd ta
und(.r tri\ curse. Arr,t no onc .rtrcr ltrat d.rrcJ lo
lrovokc hirD, lcsr hc shoLrtd cursc hi]n, and ho shouklbc utaimed.
9. L N oly :Ll tcr son)c (lays Jesus wns playidg oll n I oot ill lho rpper srorcy,
aDd one ol lhc childrcn wllo wcre pl.tyilL with him fell (lown
from thc
root alld dic(l. And whcn the otbcr children saw it 1l)cy flcd. and Jcsus

ir(

2. Llul in tre (rowd trL.slu

sprcr'l uut lhc grrnIt

lc

rblcd.arxt(tr prrcherwas brokcr. IlulJcsu,

was wclring. l.illed il wrlh wcrer flLl bru,rgt,r

i1 rolis mother. A d when his Dlolher
saw lhe uriracle. she liisscd hiln,
anJ kctll w,'L r,x'r,etf.r lird nly"t.rics wI.ctr.trc t, J,een trirnrto.

l7. l. Agrill. ill tI( tinrc ol sowilg llrc clild \ee t out \rill his
fxrhcr to
so\v wheal in tlcir laDd. And as his fallrcr sowed. lhc ctriid
Jcsus atso
so\vcd one L utn of whcJr.rl

2. And.wher hc hadreapcd ir and rlncshcdjr,he

broughr in nhundred
rneasurcsi{, aoil hc caltcd all tltcpoor ollhe village
to rlJhreshing-floor
a'd Bavc thenrlk lvhcul. aoJ Ju.cph luok lIc lrr.iduc
otltrc \Urc.rt. ue
was erShl )F \,,ld uLer. l.c $ork(J this ri,.rLlc_

13 i. IIis lather was a c:upcntcr and nudc lhal lirne,5 plouglN

and
yokes. And hereccived arl ordcrfiom a
^t
lich man
ro lr).rke a bed for jrim.

Bur.lvhcn one bcal) was shortcr lhanjrs colcspondi g

one and tltcy di(i
llo1 koow whal ro do, rhc chikt Jesus said !o his
lalhcr Joscph: ,t,ut jown
lhc twopieces ot ltood and nrake rhemcveo Iion lhc
nriddleroooc cnd_,
2. And Joseph did as rhe child rold him. And Jesus slood
ar lhc orher

endalld_tookfioklof lhcsho crpicceoIwood,andsrrercl)iDgilrr);rdeir

c,tuJl \r

ilI

Lrr oll.rr.

(IrU
c[ild.'

hc fllll):rccLltLL

srvc

rrrc this

AIJ

tri.. L,ttrcr l^,(fL sJ\v rt .ur(l \ r. J r acli,:. rJ

irni] tiss(.J I r. siyiIB: .ltrppy aIlr I ttrr coJ hrs

1,. n llJ w rcn Jos,jptr \as ltrc

Ur J,1..t.,r.Jrng uj tlrc (tritd a d tris .rgc.
Ilr.,l Lc wr\ growrog (u r.rLU|,ty. tr. rc\olv(J Jgiill
ttl.rr t,L.shuukt |lot
remair ignoraor of lcuersj and he rook hnn and llallded
]rinr ovcr ro
anollrcr tcaclrr n nJ the tcJ(lrr
.j-ir,r
"a,d toJo.cptr:
I wi tcii(h hiln
Urc(1. i t,i tIc,r lJcbrcv . .. I1r- lIc l"ir.ucr (I(w ltrt
clritJ.- knuwl:er,.
aDdrvas nliaid othirn. Ncvcrlhelcss he wrore
dre alphabcL and practisid
it with hilI lora loog lime;bLrl he gavc hirn no aDswcr.

.lJ-_

2. Ard lhc parcnrs ol hirn rhat was derd carDe alld rcouscd hirn of
hnvire rhD\0r' h rr down. Antj l.s s reftirit: ,l,tril nol ttrrov trirndown.,
llur rh() co,Iirucd lu rcvilc triIlr.
3.'Ilcn Jcsus lea|sd down fiolll lhc roolancl stood by llc body ol lhe
child, and clicd with a lou(l voilc:.Zenorf - tbrthat was his nanre . rise
rud lell nrc, did I throw you down?'Andh()arosc aloncc,rod sa;d: ,No,
I-od, yor did nol lhrow Drc down, burraised rlc up.,Anil wl)cn thcy saw
iL lhcy wclo irulaze(I. An(lfic palcnls ollllo cltikl glolificd
God 1or llte

rlriracle that llad happcncd and woNhipped J csLrs.

i0. l. Aftcr f.w iixys yuurrr [,,Ir wns (tcijvurts wo(^t in,rcor
rlrc a\c lell l,r,l .pl lIu sotc ot tri. tuu,.lnJ trc btedlu Iruch ttnt
hc
abotlr to dic.

cr

rrl

w.

2.Ardwhenacla )ouraroseandtIcorcourscof peoplelookplacc,tLe

drild Jesu. ulso rI' tr(rc.:ukj torccd Ijs wlly thruugtr ttrc cro\d.and ruok
llrcrUUjrLj Jbot. J:t w :Lcl,.Jin) rcJrrlcly.AIil rc,iriJlutheyor rg
rr,Ir: Arircllo$ chrv(.rJrFwu\i Jrd lr,,,",,,r,"r,,,". Aud wtrcn ttrc
crowd sarv whi[ Iappcncd, they wot.slipped thcclild, sayj0g: .T.uly thc
st)irit oICodI dwclts ill rhis chikt.,
ll. l. wIc lr. w: si.\yc,,r.oU,trisIrurlrcrr.L!et Irl,ir,trcran,tsLrr
tl rf to dftrw waler all(l L] g ii i lo tlc trousc.
446

,h.cd, e:!([cr.irnJit),,ul,row
_,2.Arr(lJc\uss.riJrutrirn:.lfyouarci
llrc,l(rlcrs well. tctt_n ( rhc Irc.I.illb ol ttrc Arptrl.
Jr\l I \v jl re.i yuu th,rt
ol llrc Ilct,r. And lllc lr clcr w.rs uno)l:(l rd strutk Iiru
orr rlrt, hcart.
AIJ tlr ( hild $:l,\ hur I alld cursrd hn , rl hc inrnrljdi cty tnrnr(d
I
lcll ro rhc rround un his f...
J. And rltc.. h.l,lrtll r cJ ro Jo.rpl,.i
_
turJ cornDrinJeJtlls Ilrotler: .Do ot tfl
llrosc wlo lrovokc

jri

Jie.

hout. BJI Jos(1,.t wJr Erir.vcd

lit0 Eo olrlsidc tllc.tout lor rI

15.,1. AnJ rjler suDtc tirnc !ct illur.rcr t...r(hcr. go.,J

r
,rie d ot J.,scl,l .
suiJ ro hirrr: Dri E lhc ct it,tru urc ro th. schuul. fcrtr:r1,s
I tr1

caI rc.r(h hinr rh. lcflers. Au,t Jo"eptr slrt]

lcrsurr,iorr

ro tri r: .tt yo; h.rvc ltrc

courngc. brorher. hkc tri,,r wrrlr you.. Aud tr
rook hilr uiltr tc.n.rxd
rn\lcly, bur lhe cl lJ wenr oti,llv
2.. Arrtl lc u enr Lrotrt,y rrriu rtr;
s(,roo. .lr,t tuunJ r bool tJ ing un rtre
rcading-dcsk'r and rook ir, bur did not rcad thc lc(crs
n: ir, buiopcncd his

New leslametrt ANcrWha

New Teslatrront APoctYPl'a

nlouth and spokc by I Ie lloly Spirit and taughl the law lo lllose that slood
by. And a large crowd assenbled and stood there listening to him,13
lvoodering at llle grace ofhis teachillg and the readi ess oihis words,r'
tllat rlthough xn inlaol hc made such uilemnceslo llte school,
3. llut whon Joseph heatd il, lrc was afraid ar)d
won.lering whelher this leacher also was withoul skill (nright be
mantled?).'?o B ul thc lcacher said to Joseph: 'Know, brother , lhal I look the

as a discille; bul l:e islull ofgrcalgraceandrvisdo,n;

t:,ke lIn r ro yo,,r [
brollr.r.
)o,
'rrsr.'

child
.

hea

and now I beg

li

and sridl
this. he at once sDiied on
tly. ibryouLsakc shal1
he also lhal was smilte l)e healed.' A d immediatoly the othcr leAcher
was he lcd. And Joseph took lhe child and we ! away lo his horse.
16. l. Joseph scnthis son Janres 1(r bild wood and lako it into his house,
and the clrilal Jesus loliowcd him. And while James wxs galherirg the
sticks, a viper bil1he h^nd ofJarnes.
2. AInl as he lay slretchcd oul and abort to dic, Jesns camc ncar and
lrrealhcd pon llc t)ite, and ilnmcdiately 0rcpain ceased, arrd thcctealure

4. And wheo the child

'sirtceyouhlve spokcn weil

bulst,

and havc tcslit'ie.l righ

and or)cc James becmle wcll,

,{ d a lter lhesc lhnrgs in the nciglbonrhood

of Joseph I lil tlc sick

died. aud hjs trrother wePl biltcrly.'?l And Jesus heard tha! grcal
nourning xnd lumultzr arose, and hc rin quickly, and fnrdirrg 1he child
rlead,Ie touched'?a his breas! and sritl:'I say lo you,'?5 do not diebrl live
bcwith your olher.'" And ir nnlediatcly he lookcd up xnd laughed^nd
Ard Ire said to lhc womaD: 'Take hiln trd givc lrim'z? nilk and rclnclnbcr
1

7. L

chikll

tLeirkioslolk, and when they didnoL find him, ftey were (rorbled, and
10 the city seeking hiln. And rflerthe lhid dayrhey foullrl
him in the lemple sitti[g arnolg dre teachers,listeni g to the law and

rcturned again

asking them questions. Andall paidr(entiorlo hnn andnarvelled how

Lc, a chikl, put to silence the elders aod teache.s olthc people, cxpound,
irg the scctions ofllre law a d the sayings ollhe prophers.
3. And his mother Mary carne near 6nd said 10 him: 'Why lravc you
done this to 0s, child? Behold, wchavc sought you so(owi g.' Jesus said
to !hem: 'Why do you seek me? Do you rrol krow tha! I mrst bc in my

4. Bul lhe scribes and l,harisees said: 'Are yor the ,nother ol'ttis
child?'ADd shesaid: 'I am.',^nd dreysnid ro ber: 'B lessed are you mrong
women, because 1he Lord has blessed tle lirit ofyolll womb.rlFor suclr
glory ard such excelleDce and wisdom wc luvo never seen norheard.'
5. And Jesus Nose aod lollowed his Dlother and was subieol 10 his
ptueDls; but his molhorkept (in ler lca() a]I1hat lrud taken place. And
Jesus ir)crcascd in wisdorn nnd slalrrc and g(rce.r2 To hnn be glory lor
ever and ever. Aoreu.

Notcs
'l'lic nccount ol thonhs the lsrrclite l)hilosuphu ronce.ning tlrt ctril(ltrood

i.llle
Jesus

2. And when the peoplc slxnding rcund saw i1, Lhey nrarvclled ard

slkl'1r'Truly, this clild is eitlcr a god or an angel ofGod, for every wod
ol bis is an accomflished decd.' ,^nd Jesrs dcPrrted from lherc and

lrJy,"'\\irL oll,.r ([iUrL rr.

i8. 1. Alier some lime a l

uso was beiig buiit and lt great dislrrbance

wenl
rhcre. A d seeiDg 1l ,ran lying dcad he
and
Jesus
arose
and
arosc,

took his hand and said:

'l

say 1o

you,

m, arisc," do your woft.' And

in,rnc,lr"rcly l,e r ru..c Jn,l wurslrr;,p"J lritr'.

2. Ar,' wirFr' rl,r fe^tl. iL I.rhcysc"can:r/pJrFd.Jr'l: lhisr'rilJ
r. lrorr l r.'i 1 n. l.I, ..iv l. r:,r') r'ul l"^n'lcrrlr.rnJ i rl,le ro .rv'
lheln irll his lilb long.'
19. I And wl)enhe was lwclvcycars o1d hislarents wert accordiDglo the
cuslom to Jerusxlem to the feast olthcpassover with thsjrcon\rary, and
ilier thepassoverlbey rcturnellro go lo lbeirhouse. And while they were
relurning llc cllild Jcsus wcnt l)ack to Jer salom- But his parcnls supNSed that be was in thc conpany.
2. And wlrcn lIcy had gone a dfly's jouroey, lhey sought hirn among
448

orignral rnlc probably

Chrin , Cl, dc

Sanros,

0n:

Thc Cl)ildhood

olourLo(t

(and Cod

oft[e

SNionD

l)!. 3?t

sla,.r+

callcd BerNcher and in drc r,w. olNazrtuLh'isnnrtarty D.l,

rIinkol trre, you who liv.'isimihrly Drl. CldcSrnt6, t)l).454., nolc 22
5.Sldv. Ldsi'alcadol nxolcnL :'sodornite'isnni1ar1yD.t.rndL,
:J.

4.Stuy.r+

nnd

7.Sld,.r'l know !harllrseNoidsarenolhnrcwbich InalcsDote .,sinrilarlyZrdl_ a.d

La[n-Syri.cvarirnr: ]tl[e w{trdsol nry hther werc Dor*nc,Iewoutdnolh op how
iorcachcbildrcn.',^ndagrhhesrid:'lithesechildren wcrcborDin{dtlock, they woul(t
notbc &curscd. Strch wiU sceno tomenl'
8. Sldv.r'll isenorgh lorlou lr) scck,neandnot lo fin.lnrc,yourogtrc, tor nr ta.t yo(rlo
notknorvwhellrerlbelongtoyotr. Ilowcvcr,l!mnollggieved,lortrdloudandconre

toyou.'Ct

llrc detrilcd nold by dc SanLosa.itoc.

(ip.62it.).

9..tldv. deviarcs rarlicuhrly wid.ly lioNcreck,^ hcrc_Attcr6.2 duc tollows:

S.AndJosephwnsveryangryvnhtbecliikla]ldsadrothctex.lrer:
Ardwhocan insnu.r
bi'n? Do you lhnrk, my brollre,, thar lrc h lerlmps a $nallo.ss?,4. Wtrcr llE troy rcns
I'eard Iow lis Ihthermid lhis,lre bu(inro Ixughterand said roZrcclneus:.tl is !tl lrnc,
lcacher,vharmy lrtho l)!s sdni (lo you).1dn lhcLorl heE, b'rLyou arc rn rtien.'r'o nr.
alonehds powcrbecngivco,lorlexistcdlonncrly nndexi( atsonow. r havcbeen borr
an'ongyo! a ddncll anron8you. Yor donorkuow wlo Irm. llulIk owrvlDnce you
conre rnd who you i(e, when],ou lved bonr a.d how nrrry teas your lile rvill cudurc.

Ncw TesrarreDr Apocryplla

New Teshnenr Apocrypha

Trult I tcll you, teachcr, wlctr you ucreborni I was

alrcady
a

rl)co.Ittou

wndor wnich

Do

rere, and betorc your birlh i jvas

wish lo tre a pcrtcc r reaclrcr, rlM lisl.n lo nc, ard I vill leachyou
oneknows cxccplne anrt hio BID scnr mc Lo rou lo i.srrucryou.I

amaclu ly yourtcrclDr, Nlileyourank!s hyown

l dl.hokmwcxn.
olwhicnny hllrci

reacher,

torIknow how oldlotree,

*iI yct cnduE. WICD ,ou orce sce my cross,

rou, drenyou wlibclievcrlatal lhariidy loy;u is lhc

y how long your li ld

Las

stoker

to

lrud.laxrlheLord,ttrtyouaEanatie,torIrcmaiitorevcrsrillhesahe.,5.Andlhc
,ews wlD wcrc fioc aMljslcDingwcre nllcdyith astonis|mcrtandsaid: ,O slmngcaDd
ur'li.d l ul so r "l.r.s. l rlu r, r,o t'. creJrutll {,rc,pe},r r. t, J rer,.r.c do qe t rrc
'l

.r', 'h" Ji'u.".r,J\r6fUre.ro...riLro-nkr,.(c.' prJ,.J.d .rc.cdir..r.Jlo

Lbenr'You do

irdecdmarvel,tutrourtonotbclievcwlftlnav.

sllnl rorou.

Buttknow

.\lcrr/r(i'vuLdri..on Jrt..(,rclun t-o.J.nr.o/or_orrer\r;cfnorrrl.ar..

lrJul' | ! ros.^ we ( tte o . al,o p.r r. ro Jou s. c, rh. qort,l waj 1p.r o.,
'rl'
Wh,'
rhc r^/' t'rar't tra,o r( it r. rtTr qt,c ai, u. ?,.J,, Lt,t
r. no, r.q.,
ll"nt'.Lorcdi'r '' J ol I d ,- t, Jt , tJ,ou.r.Ji,,a,cJa. ,, Biqc
r, .,d yr,l l^Lon

20.4I obsueF$agc

wtrictrcan.ot bexplain.d evcD vnh Lhelet!

ot.rlay_ and oLber

21. Cf, Mk. 5:22L1Lk.1IIlt.

22. Ct ML 5:38r Lt. ?:13.
21, M&.5:38.
24.

Lk-7:t4.

25.Lk.1:14.
26. Ct. Lk- 7:15 .
-7.
M. 5:43,
s:i5,
28. ClLk.7i16.
29. Ct Lk. ?:t4; Ntk.5:41.

Lk.2i4l-52.
3l.Lk.1:42.
30.

'/e

tlnlyouarcnoLvciycapablcotamaT.Ne,andnotvuynneUiscnr,JordEsDlendourhas
Lc"n' o 1r,
r
U tu nt..e.'Vt,trhcrrtr..r.1tr-\J.olot,..ldHJo\coi,:

"o- '...'...h
, liU,o.,!.ct.ont.dr't$i

b,

! \ rtr.n,,.,.hra!.Jor.phrLJli.,.

aa d and brorgl hin lo lhc sclroot.,{Ixl }e leachcr bcsa theinslruclion wnh

. o''tr I r(c Lr
"ttr..rA $..d.. ir J w o.e oll.L. atp.mb1 tor rrl ler h. LcS.rn.o
cxpound it, Eading oul sclcml rimcs whlllIclrad w ten doiv,r, D ur rtre cnitd remaimd
silclr, and lor d lons dnd paid .o .!!cnlion. Thcn Lhc Lc,oher
sr.w iodisnaht rn.l $ruck
nnn on lhchcad.'llrcchildansvered bjD:,you a, b.havlngunworrlrilyj am I loinslrucl
you, oris n ullDryou wlo n6l(cr me? Fo! I .an a|cady
do llc tcrles Nbichyou insLil
hlo me. M condonn yoq beoause $ese (tctlcE) nl ,ne re likc soundnjg irG$ or !
'y ql'i,
.,r\h.a,)rnLi
I r" lL I r.prvJu c o.r tri .t .gr tc"oLr.Jr,u ltr sfcr.,tour ol
srd h'1or rreJUwiro he odl,rJr[eu,rl,"lcnur8.. (\tirJ.eLr rpJsri.td_t,.c,
drc

. J-l'crr,.leJrf.s'otc,ttikl^.i
t.aclD r0d said

,lcrditt.o.

arot. ,c1.,.g.,eJ"nEjjtrrtth.

)rnn: '1vny do you Lcach orhers lhc Bcta, )ou pno do norkrow rhe
AItl[ rrcldirg lo ils naturc? yor hyJ]oorilet tI y.u trow (n), rach lrefirsl lheAlpL4
llDr I will bclicve you wirh rcgrrd ro rlre Bcla.,
And llrn hc be8an to expoud lo fic rcachcr thc nrture ot rhe tirl lcrkr,

10

liv'',r'c'(,.'\L, o'.i^ig?i tJrr,t\.,gr.c-q,.,,!.r p.-r,,. o,tornAr.ff"L,Jv.r.

lL.. ! \, r1. ri.i r.o .lp ri 4'. t.1c i\ pri U btyi.oqur\tvr, ri, r in i/J,. sc hdlc J,

ohlcr Tonn wh ch sLu\"rrronAerpno ( rcnJencics.

10. Sla,.: 'Lel lhc unlunid bedr truil,lel lI. btir see, md lcr rhedcatncar
wilh lhc

undcnl1Mnrgotlleirleatu.llulIanco

ino'l,rl,.'"1 ..-hev.ro

parallch

rctromabovcroredeenrtEluwlvan.lca]tltEnr

,i m.'r slol rJitd,...Dcr: rJ ,I,t .u\t..,.\t.+vflJl

troDrr./. andLl[veBions, whi.htogerhqynbs/a,.alowus

F\lrl.,nfo"" ' ...'.tdi 3, t.urn.,.S)rii, i\l

I l.lnsrerd ut spinrotCu'1.S/,/. $nris c*1,
12.Lk.2]l9,51.
I
r1.
...

lo dcducc

telle(

t,.45,ltcos.

J,r.

or t,"t Jl!r,r_.
Cr Lk.16;7.
t5,.t r. and adr. inslerdot,xl llarlirnc,: only,Jln,.
14.
16.

l?a, r 'wlrar lelt.4

'l,trcr,a,l

rE

i..01,

abbrcviaLcs.

,Fnsl reGrcek,rlDnlheIIcbrcw.
p. t'4, rcrc

shati I teactr lrim?,Joseth said:

r. r.J

11 Cl. Lk 4:t(t
18. Jlay.r +'rnd beSgcd
19. Cl. Lk- 4:22-

Uy

hi

r, / (t. J. Sln.o".
lo sleak turrlrci.

450

451

Ncw Tosrameni ,^I)oc.yphd

New'IeslaDrenl Atocrypla

lrodtt Arabic lnflncy cspetaDdtlrc hris ]ylao$cripl of0rc GosDetot

Vn.i.Dl otrheSyrircGosDelof'rhonr.sto$rpters6-ll

Story

('l'he lJoy Jnrs.nd Zncclncus lnr'l'ercher)

Tho'nas (The chikl Jesusand nreDyer)

a teachel, whosc niime wasZacchaeus, heard hilnsperkirgwilh his

Iather, ancl said: 'O wickcd boyl' Ard he said 10 Joscph his lathcr: 'Ti1l
whcrr willlhou notchoose to hand overlhis boy, thar|e mdy leam 1o be
lond olchil(lren o[his ycrrs, and nlay honourold rge?'Joseph answclr::d
and said: 'And who is ablc to !ach a boy likc !his? Docs hc think klosl
thou thlnk) that h is equal to a small cross?' Jesus aNwered ard said to
the lcacher 'ltese words which thou Lasl spoken, andlhesennmes,I a r
strange lo lhemi for I anr aparl llorn you, though I dwell among yor.
ItoioLrr in the fleshl have roL- Thor art lry llre larv, and ir llre law lllou
nbidcst. For whcn thou wasl bonr.I was. Bur rho lhi kesr tltar lhou arL
my l ather.'I'hou slralt learn fr om me a (loctr ine, wlriclr anolher man knows
nol ard is nol able (o learn. An(l (as Ib4 rlie cross ol which lho[ hist
spoken, he slrall bear il, whose it is. For whenl arn greally exaltcd.I slnll
lay aside whatevermixlure I havc olyotlrrace. Forihou dosl,rotknow
wlencc tlron a( forl alono know tlLrlywhen ye were trorn, and how lollg

One day, lvhcnJesus was I unning about and plnying wilh some childreD,
he passed by the wo*shop of a dycr called Salcm. They had in thc
workshop many cloths which he had to dye.'l'he
Jesus went ;lto lle
dyer's workshop, iook all these clolhs and put them irto a cilll(hon Iull
of indigo. When Salem came and saw thar the clolirs were spoiled, he
began to cry aloud and asked dre Lord Jesus, srying: ,Whnl have you done
to rBe, son ofMary? You lave ruined my rcpltation in the eyes ofaU tle
people of tlre city; for everyone ordels asuirable colour tbrhnnself, bnr
you have cone and spoiled everyrhing.' And the Lord Jesus rcplied: .I

But

li,neyc have10rcnuinLe.o.'But whcD lley hetl(l, thcy

wer astoDishcd,

andcriedoutandsaid:'Owordertulsighta dlrcarilgl Wordslikcthcso

we l)ave nevcr heard man speak. ncitbcrlhcpricsts, nor the soribcs, nor
tlre l)harisees. Whcncc was 1lis (o e) bo r, who is livc ycars old, ind
sfeaks suchwords? ivlarrhathnevcrsccnthclikeof this.' Jesusanswcrcd
and sa;d to thcm: 'Ye woDdcrntwhatl have sald 1o you,lhatlkrrow when
ye were; and yet I hrve sornetlring morc to slLy lo you.' Ilur rhey, wlren
lhey hcatd, were silent, and were nor able to spcrk. And Zaccltaeus tho
teacher said to Joscph: 'I wili teach him whrlever is propcr lbr him to
lcarn.'And he madc him go inlo the school- And hc, going ir, was silert.
Bul Zacchaeus thc scribe began to 1ell hirn (1hc lcuc.s) from Alaph, and
was rcPealirg 1o l)irn rnany times thc whole a\rnbcl And he stys to hinl
llrai fi e shorld
and say altcr h im: but hc was silcnt. l'hen rhe scriLe
^nswer
boctrrne arg.y, aud srrrck h;ln w;rlr lis land upon his he.Ld. And Jesus

said: A sorilh's anvil, being beatcn, can lea r. dithasnolccljngibut

I arr rblclo say lhose thiDgs, which are spokcn l)yyon, wirh krowlcdge
.rnd urderstaldiDg. The scribe ansrvercd and said: 'This (clild) is
somelhing greal. IIe is eillrer God, or an ingel, or - whal I should say I
kuownot.' ThcntheboyJcsuslaughcdandsaidl'Letlhoseirwhotnrherc
is no fruil, produce frrili xnd lct the blilded see lhe lirit ol liic ol tle
Judse.'
(fmns. W. Wl

l-atlr nn

ApLrtphd Lne t t., 865, f!. ? 9 i cl. ilso tle

Ct aho Llr Churh lilavonic vcrslo ot the Coslet of lhom$: dc

ighL,

C,,r.irr!io

sldLtun.
SrDros, Dp.65lT rnd rtrovc.

n\ to

tha

pl).449t, noLe9).

452

Lo

will

change foryou thccolourotauy cloth which yorwish to L.e changed,,

and he immediately bcgan ro rakc the ctorhs ou! oflhe cauldron, each of
ll)emdyed in the colourlhe dyerwished, uoril he ha.l taken them all our.
Whell theJcws saw this mirrcle and wonder, they praised Gorl.
tlre Ambi. lllinry coeel c.3? (E!, np.2Ol]-201); ct ltre crcek tragnrc tpxrisr,,l.
4a, S,.?n)/f,cx.u\(,J I trt.e(\l ar,l.Jton., nrt-^ 4, ,.tnL.n trrr,.J Un
,1.r ,r1... .

Fon

u / . / ) '.o ura,n.. iry.t.

P.Ppe'e. . ,:, d, .
. \,.C. t$.rnnip\tua
"r",.r. ,
lorti-h,rlltihna-etunt,li,a,rt\..
Fv.' nut.Dor.,,.t,,o,,.m t1/t...rlnt ..trr.
Vielhaucr. ,ir gcscr. p.671,
e

3. Glostic Legends
PerhapsiulancygospelswercwriLlcnbyCnosricsat&e. ydale. CenaiDlysuch
material did nor oriSinrtc wilh them. 8ut jn order to be able 10 derive rheir

speculations trom Jesus lrimsetf, rey needed as a fnrrework a sefitg in lris lil!
which cor d be inred irro thc okler gospet lmdirion, bLrt wirhout beiutconlrollcd
b) I' rorl"rl, Ac\iJ-. r',c r",u,rrcriuI.t1t4-JrJr. p. Jrri ! ttre torty dJy\,lttrr.
wtu iv, '|.'ble rle $Iolr,,||itdtr^od otJc.u5 jeI ultulctr(d Ly rhe

oU. Uo\Fh,

Welravc seen how frunlut in this respect vere lt]e themes dt Jenrs m rhe aie of
lwclve in tlre Templc and ofl)is educarion. WtraL rlEy requned, howeyer, was a
child Jesus wlD was only a child in dDDearancc, tru! hxd in fnct no necd oI
devlopment,sincenepossessedthctulrevetNrioni ilsenlirery,rndnlrcadyla.l
unhnited power to perlbxn miracles.
'l he tendency to Docelisn bchind all lhe Iegenils
oItIe nrlxncy mer rhis need,
and at dre sarne lin)e w.s 8rearly srrengrlrened by ir. TIre shcments of heresioto8i..ls,nn,lrIe trlErle \ drvcn t,ttu\..row rtrdrhgend. in wtricl ttk.. hrtL teu(
sr. hl\ irjf-Tjrh n,LnioI w,lh rtre SIrjrr Jrtrlttr \our, rurrl re\.tr.rirn.rJq
ltre
\crv b(Uirn'n!. rnu ev.n bcrorc t . trlt1Ar. scrr.\|ecr.r rtr..ones ro he
)
u,lopteJ anrl develot,eil.
Doc(r^m.lurll,cr. w,$ Lnu,r,ttoati".r (le w"y i..*hrch rh.

rho. Je.,rs $,,s

rolJTherprdpnc),sloetrm,,urc.itrr.(\ot.Lom,.,l.l,u,nanorigin.1r-e.toD
of tlc birtl ot Jesus ol rhe virgin Mary. Thus lle CDostjcs ea y wrcrc a
'Prchistory (cenna) orMary,, menrioned by Epiphanius (Hde,.26.12),
which
shows tfial lhc rnaterial of ihe Prorevxngeliunr ot J nres was uscd in
Bnosric
453