Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

THOMAS, INFANCY GOSPEL OF

A collection of folkloric tales of Jesus’ childhood, from the age of five to 12 years, which exists in numerous translations and textual recensions, some of which do not attribute the text to Thomas. The best-known version of the tales was edited by Constantin von Tischendorf in the 19th century (Greek A), based on two Greek manuscripts dating from the 15th century; he also edited a shorter Greek version (Greek B), based also on a medieval manuscript which appears to be a deliberate abridgment of a longer recension, and a Latin version. Though Greek A has virtually become the textus receptus of the Infancy Gospel, it should not be assumed that it represents the earliest textual version. Many are skeptical that we can ever reconstruct an “autograph,” since the traditions contained in the various manuscripts were free-floating and apparently whole tales were added and deleted after the traditions were first written down. Irenaeus is familiar with a written form of some of these traditions, leading most to date the earliest written version of these stories to the later part of the 2nd century. There is debate whether the original language of the first written text was Syriac or Greek. There is also debate as to whether one should label the tales as gnostic.

Some of the more intriguing stories include those of the young Jesus bringing to life clay sparrows which he had fashioned (2:1-5 [Greek A, as are all references]), encountering the Jewish teacher Zacchaeus (6:1–7:4), raising from the dead a child who fell from a roof (9:1-3), and lengthening a board which Joseph had cut too short (13:1-2). It ends with a version of Jesus’ trip to the Jerusalem temple (cf. Luke 2:41-51).

Bibliography. J. K. Elliot, The Apocryphal New Testament (Oxford, 1993), 68-83; O. Cullmann, “The Infancy Story of Thomas,” in New Testament Apocrypha, ed. W. Schneemelcher and R. McL. Wilson, rev. ed. (Louisville, 1991) 1:439-51.

J. Bradley Chance

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

THOMAS, INFANCY GOSPEL OF

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)