The Forgotten Gospels and Epistles of the Original New Testament. Various

by Jesus.

      CHAP. 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.

      CHAP. III.

      1 Astonishes his schoolmaster by his learning.

      A CERTAIN schoolmaster named Zacchæus, 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.

      CHAP. 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.]