By Ebi Kesiena
Researchers have uncovered a remarkable story on a 2,000-year-old Egyptian manuscript, detailing a miracle performed by Jesus as a child.
The papyrus, believed to be the earliest surviving copy of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, narrates the ‘vivification of the sparrows,’ where Jesus turned clay pigeons into live birds.
Discovered at the Hamburg State and University Library in Germany, the manuscript was initially thought to be a mundane document due to its clumsy handwriting but however noticed Jesus’ name in the text.
In a statement made available to the media on Tuesday, Dr. Lajos Berkes, a lecturer at Humboldt-Universität, noted that the handwriting suggested it might have been a writing exercise from the 4th or 5th century.
‘We first noticed the word “Jesus” in the text. Then, by comparing it with numerous other digitized papyri, we deciphered it letter by letter and quickly realized that it could not be an everyday document,’’ he added.
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas, written in the 2nd century, covers Jesus’ childhood from ages five to twelve and was excluded from the Bible for its perceived inauthenticity. This newly discovered fragment features a story where a five-year-old Jesus, playing in a stream, molds sparrows from clay. When his father, Joseph, scolds him for working on the Sabbath, Jesus brings the sparrows to life.
This discovery sheds light on early Christian texts and the fascination with Jesus’ early years.
