1,600-year-old papyrus fragment contains earliest account of Jesus’ childhood

The Times of Israel ^ | 25 June 2024 | Gavriel Fiske

[PghBaldy]

A small, 1,600-year-old papyrus fragment discovered in a German archive has been revealed to contain the earliest known copy of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, an early Christian text describing the childhood of Jesus that once enjoyed enormous popularity but was not canonized into the New Testament.

[PghBaldy]

I searched, did not find, but it still seemed familiar.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Bogus

[wally_bert]

I want to think I saw something similar on the campy Naked Archaeologist.

The tall tall man from the tall tall land.......

I will give some points in using really oddball clips in his series. A few I’ve seen before on MST3K shorts.

[Ciaphas Cain]

In the Infancy Gospel, Jesus is shown as a precocious child, often getting into trouble and then using his developing powers to avoid the displeasure of Joseph. Jesus is depicted as using his miraculous abilities to not only create life and heal, but also to kill several children who annoy him, and cause others to go blind.

I cannot possibly see why this book was never canonized. /sarc

[Ann Archy]

1600 years old???? LOL!!!!! It SHOULD be over 2000 years old!!!

[Az Joe]

"It's good that you sent them into the cornfield Jesus, it's real good."

[cowboyusa]

Gnosticism.

[ckilmer]

I read somewhere earlier that one of the great christian theologins of the middle ages commented on the gospel of thomas. he said that the Koran stole liberally from the gospel of thomas.

I’m not certain but I think the gospel of thomas along with a number of other texts was among the nag hammadi scrolls dug up in the late 1940’s in egypt. they were all banned in the forth century after the coucil of nicea in 325 ad.

The issue at the time was as to whether Jesus was fully God and fully man. Or just a man. The texts that suggested that Jesus was just a man—although a very good man and. prophet—were excluded.

To understand this...its helpful to remember that in the early 1950’s, the dead sea scrolls were dug up. these scrolls included fragments from the book of enoch and the book of jubillee. enoch was referred to in the new testatment and both books are still part of the jewish torah in etheopia. However, after the expulsion of the Jews from Israel —the center of the jewish world moved to babylon. from there—they excluded the book of enoch and the book of jubillee as these books suggested Jahweh was many Gods—and the old rabbis wanted to emphasize “God oh God our God is one.”

This happened about the same time as the Council of Nicea in Rome in 325 as mentioned above.

[PeterPrinciple]

https://www.christiantoday.com/article/what-is-the-gospel-of-thomas-and-why-is-it-not-in-the-bible/124020.htm#google_vignette

What is the Gospel of Thomas?

The Gospel of Thomas, which is not included in the Bible, is a book that doesn’t go with the other books of the Bible, particularly the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It brings with it a different message, and although it may sound like a legitimate piece of Biblical literature, curious minds will find that it really doesn’t deserve a place in the Bible.

It is basically a collection of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus and while some sayings may sound Biblically correct, like the 54th saying, “Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven” (similar to Luke 6:20), other sayings make no sense at all. Case in point: saying number 7, which says:

“Blessed is the lion which the man shall eat, and the lion become man; and cursed is the man whom the lion shall eat, and the lion become man.”

No point at all

This so-called “Gospel” doesn’t point to Christ as the Messiah, doesn’t teach the way of salvation, doesn’t have a narrative, doesn’t record the Crucifixion, and will even teach people things contrary to God’s word.

[repentant_pundit]

People didn’t make many written records of New Testament events until a few centuries after Jesus ascended.

[fso301]

Not this again! A heresy documented over 1,000 years ago.

[Mount Athos]

journalistic malpractice

[week 71]

I think I remember reading that text in a college course at university. To me, might as well have started off “In a galaxy far, far away.” Did not have the scent of real history.

[ducttape45]

Agreed. Completely bogus.

[DaiHuy]

“Jesus is depicted as using his miraculous abilities to not only create life and heal, but also to kill several children who annoy him, and cause others to go blind.”

If this were true, then Jesus was a sinner like the rest of us. As I recall God specifically said “Thou shalt not kill.”
I believe it was number 6.

[larrytown]

What’s this, it’s not anywhere near Easter...

[Beowulf9]

[Ann Archy]

WHAT?

[fidelis]

[neverevergiveup]

1600 years old???? LOL!!!!! It SHOULD be over 2000 years old!!!

I don't know anything about this particular papyrus, and I'm not legitimizing it, but a lot of what eventually wound up in scripture was passed down verbally for many generations before being put into the written word. There could have been stories of Christ's youth that were passed down verbally and finally put into writing significantly later.