The external evidence, then, converges on the view that our present Gospel was a compilation of stories drawn from a longer Gospel, which origin- ated in Gnostic circles, the parts which were iin- disguisedly Gnostic in tone being omitted. This con- clusion is confirmed by the character of the Go.spel itself. A few Gnostic traces still remain, notably in the mj'sterious .symbolism of the letters of the alphabet. The extraordinary miracles attributed to the child Christ, and His astonishing knowledge, were no doubt interpreted by Gnostics in a way to lend support to their own views. For them ' the worth of these miracles lay in the proof, which could be drawn from them, that Christ did not belong to this world, that even as a child He was raised bej-ond human de\ elopiuent and limitation, so that as a child He cotild teach every human teacher' (Meyer in Henn. 64). The fragment in Hippolytus (quoted in B. 3) may have been a Gnostic utterance of the child Christ. The fipure of Jesus in tlii- r:,i~|,, 1 I- , iim lui. li- 1\ and hateful
Childhnr,. workinjc : without ;
.f the grace, .ir The miracl- ■.
GOSPELS (APOCRYPHAL)
GOSPELS (APOCRYPHAL) 383
water from the well in His cloak .after breaking tiie pitcher ; to the former, His passionate vhd-^-mi.-p oit a l.ov who accidentally ran against Him, and was I;u<l ih mI -n He siioi, ; tlie cursing of His teacher, who fell down made by His petulant am lieved by an occasional mi conduct are those of a sjx stances He takes Joseph
two i
iial)le the reader to form some idea of the youthful Gnostic at school. A teaclier, Zaccheeus by name, approaches Joseph, offering to teach Jesus letters, and how to greet His elders respectfully, and how to lo\e those of His own age — much needed lessons ! This is how Jesus profits by His attendance at school. ' He looked upon His teacher Zacchaius, and said to him : Thou, who ■ ....
how canst thou teach othei teach the A if thou canst, and then we shall believe thee about the B. Then He began to question the teacher about the first letter, and- he was unable to answer Him. In the hearing of many the child says to ZacchEus : Hear, O teacher, the disposi- tion of the first letter, and observe how it has straight lines and a middle stroke which crosses tliose which thou seest to belong to one another; (lines) which go together, raise themselves, wind round in a dance, move themselves, and go round again, which are composed of three signs, are of similar nature, of the same weight, of the same size. Thou hast the lines of the A.' How vast is the gulf separating this absurd and pretentious display from the simple story of Christ among the doctors in the Temple 1 Here a forward and unbearably conceited boy, who is ready to teach his elders ; there a child with the fresh wonder of life's greatness in his heart, eager to learn, ready to
Many of the stories here narrated of Christ have their origin in folk-lore and mythology. Similar stories are told of Krishna and Buddha. But in all countries the popular imagination has borne unconscious witness to man's greatness by its delight in tales of wonder-children. Legends of this nature were laid hold of by tlie Gnostics, and used in the interest of their peculiar speculations about Christ. ' The wonder-child becomes a Gnostic, who looks down on the unspiritual world, and, in particular, heartily despises the religion of the Jews' (Meyer in Henn. 65). vhich they were burdened,
circles. The craving for the marvellous proved stronger than the sense of what was fitting in Jesus ; and the silence of Christ's childhood, which had been regarded as an evidence of His true humanity, became thronged with silly and repulsive exhibitions of power and knowledge, which were believed to be signs of His Divine dignity.
In its present form the Childhood Gospel of Thomas cannot be older than the .3rd century. The Gospel exists in several recensions, which vary considerably in length.
Literature. —Tischendorf, Eiiang. Apocr. xxxvi ff. ; Zahn, NT Kan. i. 615, 539, 802, ii. 768 tf.; Harnack, Altchr. Litt. i. l.'Sflf., Chron. i. 593 ff. ; Bost, Les cmiuj. apocr. dc I'cirfance dc Jdsm Christ; Conrady, 'Das Thomasevangelium,' SK, 1903, p. 377 ff.; Meyer in Hennecke, NT Apoki: me., Handb. 132ff.; Wright, Contributions to the Apocr. Literature o.f the NT; Cowper, Orr (opp. citt.).
C. (a) 3. Arabic Gospel of the Childhood.-This
IS a late <<iiii|...si(iun, in ^vl|i,■Il .m- worked up the materiiil> ..f i|„. ...irlin' r/,//,//,,„„/ <;,,spcls. The compiler li:is :il>(. .1,1,1,.,! n,:,nv li';.;,.ii,ls of a wildly fantaslic ,ni,l lii^hly niir.Muloi'.N ii;i,ture. One or two examjiles may suffi(,e to sliow the character of tlie greater portion of the book. The Magi receive from 'the Lady Mary,' as a souvenir of their visit to Bethlehem, one of' the swaddling bands in wliich the infant Je.sus was Avrn.]i|.c,|. On thi'ir return home they show their tr,,|,li\ t,. tli,. :issiMiiMe,l kings and princes. A fe;i-( i- l,,.|,l. .■m,! ;, lire i,s lighted, which the coiiiii:in\- « ,.rsliii,s. 'I'
tiling band is thrown into the fire had burned itself out, it i; Whereupon the cloth is laid uj in the treasure house. A'_:niii, the infant .lesns is «;i~li,.,l Ti:,- ii and cliil,lr,.n «h,is,. I....li,v, .■n,- are cleaii>,.,l l,y iKilliin., in ii. by witchcraft