Irish Biblical Apocrypha Selected Texts in Translation

EDITED BY

MAIRE HERBERT AND

MARTIN McNAMARA

t &.t clark

14. INFANCY GOSPEL OF THOMAS

t When J~sus, son of the living God, was a lad of five years, he bles twelve little pools of water. He had dammed them with clay. 8ed

2 He shaped twelve little birds, called passeres. On the Sabbath day h made them firmly from clay. e

3 A certain Jew complained about Jesus, son of the great Cod. He conveyed him by the hand to his foster-father, Joseph.

4 ''Rebuke your son, Joseph. What he is doing is not right. On the Sabbath day he fashioned clay images of birds".

5 Jesus clapped his two hands. His small voice resounded. Before their eyes he shooed away the birds - a kingly concession.

6 A gentle endearing little speech was heard from the mouth of faultless Jesus: "So that you may discover who it was who made you, of your own accord, go! ".

7 Someone announced to the people - it was an extraordinary report-that the cries of the birds were heard as they took flight.

8 The son of Annas the scribe came to join Jesus at play. He released each [dammed] stream. He knocked down the constructions.

9 ''What you have done has not been to our benefit", said Jesus. ''May you be like a little branch which falls before bearing fruit''.

10 The boy fell over like a withered twig. It would have been better for him not to have ruined the sport of the King's son.

11 On a further occasion, when Jesus was in Joseph's care, another boy who visited him caused him annoyance.

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14. INPANCY GOSPEL OF THOMAS 45

12 ''May the journey which you have made be one of no return", said Jesus. The boy fell over and died straight away.

13 He outraged the kindred of the boy to whom he had dealt doom. Thus they said: "Depart from us, Joseph, with your son. It is time to keep away from us".

14 ''If you do not punish your son, go away anywhere. It could not be too soon, whatever path you might take from here".

15 ''Why, son, have you offended the people?" asked Joseph." Anyone on whom you pronounce your judgement is taken away from you dead".

16 "Anyone who is innocent does not die as a result of judgements. It is only the accursed whom the malediction punishes".

17 "It should have been sufficient that I listened to them, and that they met me, without strong men tearing away my two ears from my head".

18 ''Your son who does this causes greatterror. We have never, until now, heard of any boy like him''.

19 "Quicker than a glance, what he says is done forthwith. We have not heard tell of a boy like him in the world".

20 Joseph said: ''He is not like everyone else's sons. Even though crucifix-ion or death were the [expected] outcome, it would not be so for him at all".

21 Everyone who accused him he punished. Deafness affected their ears, and blindness their eyes.

22 The scholar Zacharias said: "This is an amazing boy. If he were to be taught, he would, indeed, be outstanding in learning".

23 Zacharias took him with him to his school, so that he might begin to study with him, like everyone else.

46 IRISH BIBLICAL APOCRYPHA

24 When he had written an alphabet for ~im, he said: "Say A ". Though the son of the King did not answer him, the amount he knew was greater.

25 The master grew angry. He struck him on the head with whatever he chanced on, either fist or rod.

26 "It is usual", said Jesus, "that any anvil which is struck teaches whoever strikes it that it is not the anvil which is receiving instruc-tion".

27 "For what you have taught to all, what you have written for me, the letters which you spell out, I know their names".

28 Jesus recited his letters for them before their eyes, each letter with its constituent element and its hidden meaning.

29 The scholar Z.acharias said: ''Take the boy away from me. I do not have the means of answering you, lad. Do not provoke me".

30 "I thought that it was a pupil whom I brought with me to my school. I saw that it is a master whose charge I had undertaken".

31 '1 do not know, in any case, whether he be angel or God. It seems to me that until today I proceeded without confusion".

32 ''Who is the mother who conceived this infant in her womb? What nurse was able to rear this child?"

33 ''His patrimony will not be on earth. What is surer is that he is the one born to be crucified, who existed even before the Deluge".

34 The boy Jesus replied: "You who are learned in the law of God, you think that Joseph is my father. He is not".

35 '1 existed before your birth. I am the one who has wisdom. I know every secret that has ever been in your heart".

36 "You have sure knowledge of all erudition. You have read everything.

14. INFANCYGOSPEL OF THOMAS 47

From me you are getting doctrine which is not known to any person".

37 "I have extraordinary news for you, absolutely without falsehood. I have seen Abraham when he was alive".

38 ''Likewise, I have seen you a long time ago, through the knowledge of the Holy Spirit. 0 expert in the Law, I existed at all times before you were born". ·

39 ''This cross which you mention, he who has come for the sake of all, to redeem everyone alive, will encounter it''.

40 Once, the sinless son of Mary played a game with boys. His age, as I know, was seven years.

41 One of the boys fell over a cliff and died forthwith. They all fled except Jesus. He waited for a crowd to come.

42 He was accused. It was thought that it was he who had knocked the boy down. ''Wait for me", said Jesus, "until I reach him".

43 '1 am accused, 0 Zeno, of laying you low. Is it true?" '1t is not true, Lord, not true. Let him go. It is not to be attributed to him".

44 He was dead before, he was dead after, except for when he had said this. When the crowds saw it, they let go of Jesus.

45 His mother sent him for water. Such an amazing boy - he filled an armful of water, and it did not go through his cloak.

46 He sowed a little field with leeks - the amount was not large. When they were harvested subsequently, there were a hundred basketfulsof produce.

47 A piece of craftwork was brought to the house to Joseph to be adjusted, for it projected too far on one side, with one side exceeding the other.

48 Jesus said: ''You take hold of your end, and I will take mine. He stretched the shorter side until it was equivalent to the other.

14. INFANCY GOSPEL OF THOMAS

National Library of Ireland MSG 50. Based on edition of text by James Camey, The Poems of Blathmac, (Irish Texts Society, Vol. XL VII, Dublin, 1964)

See also Stephen Gero, ''The Infancy Gospel of Thomas. A Study of the Textual and Literary Problems", Novum Testamentum 13(1971), 46-80; J. Noret, "Pour une edition de l'Evangile de l'enfance selon Thomas", Analecta Bollandiana 90(1972), 412; G. Philippart, "Fragments . palimpsestes latins du Vindobonensis 563 (Ve si~e?)", Analecta Bollandiana 90(1972),391-41 l;M.McNamara, "Notes on the Irish Gospel of Thomas", Irish Theological Quarterly 38(1971), 42-46.

The title now commonly given to this work "The Infancy Gospel of Thomas" is a recent one. The word "Gospel" figures in none of the manuscripts. In most of them the work is also anonymous. Its ascription to Thomas is found only in secondary branches of the tradition. The history of the apocryphon still remains to be fully explored. The work is extant in Syriac, Georgian, Ethiopian, Greek,

NOTES 175

Latin as well as in this Irish verse ~daptation. The original language ms to have been Greek. The relation of the various witnesses to one

~ther has yet to be worked out. Three Latin witnesses are known: ::e independent Latin ~xt. published by ~- Tischendorf in Evangelia apocrypha, ed. altera, Le1pz1g, 1876; ~he Latin text forming part of the Latin Gospel of Pseu~o-Matthe.~; final~y the Latin fragments of the Vienna palimpsest,ecbted by Phibpparhn 1972. The Vienna fragments and the Pseudo-Matthew text belong to one tradition, while that published by Tischendorf !o a disti~ct one. ~t is recognised that the history of the apocryphon in the Latin West 1s a complicated one.

The Irish text is in verse. Its relationship to the other texts of the apocryphon have been studied by James Camey and M. McNamara. Its position within the apocryphon's overall history still remains to be determined. Whileitisimportantasanearly witnessfortheapocryphon in the West, the fact that it is in verse, with the implied freedom for the poet author, seems to minimise its utility as a source for textual transmission. Each episode had perforce to be brought within the compass of a limited number of lines. It appears to be far removed from the original composition. The full history of this apocryphon in its (Greek?) original and various translations is being examined by Juan Severin Voicu, whose opinions on the Irish text we eagerly await.