Quick Bytes
- 2,000-year-old papyrus detailing a childhood miracle by Jesus discovered.
- Text is part of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, not included in the Bible.
- Manuscript predates known records, offering new insights into Jesus’ early life.
- Researchers to publish findings, providing a critical edition and commentary.
Unveiling the Childhood of Jesus: A 2,000-Year-Old Manuscript Revealed
A remarkable archaeological find has brought to light a 2,000-year-old papyrus that narrates a miracle performed by Jesus at the tender age of five. This ancient document, part of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, was discovered in the Hamburg State and University Library in Germany.
The papyrus fragment, measuring four by two inches, contains a story where Jesus turns clay pigeons into living birds, a tale previously known only from an 11th-century manuscript. Dr. Lajos Berkes, alongside Dr. Gabriel Nocchi Macedo, identified the text as a rare glimpse into Jesus’ childhood, a period not extensively covered in the canonical Bible.
Researchers believe the fragment, with its clumsy handwriting, may have been a writing exercise from a school or monastery. Its discovery pushes back the earliest known account of this gospel to the 4th or 5th century. The Infancy Gospel of Thomas offers a series of episodes where a young Jesus performs miracles, akin to “fanfiction” as described by Dr. Macedo.
The canonical gospels in the Bible omit much of Jesus’ early life, focusing on his birth, the family’s flight to Egypt, their return to Nazareth, and his visit to the Temple in Jerusalem. Apocryphal texts like the Infancy Gospel of Thomas fill in these gaps with non-canonical stories. Charles Dyer from Moody Bible Institute suggests that the Bible includes what is deemed necessary for understanding Jesus’ mission.
Dr. Berkes and Dr. Macedo’s upcoming critical edition and commentary on the manuscript aim to reassess the style and language of the text. Their work will contribute to the understanding of the transmission of early Christian writings and provide a deeper look into the lesser-known aspects of Jesus’ life.
