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.]