A remarkable ancient manuscript containing the earliest known copy of a story about Jesus performing a miracle as a child has been discovered in an Egyptian papyrus. This 2,000-year-old document reveals the tale of the ‘vivification of the sparrows,’ where the five-year-old Jesus is said to have turned clay pigeons into live birds, a story referred to as the ‘second miracle.’
The manuscript, written on papyrus—a material predating paper—was likely created as a class exercise in a school or religious community in 4th or 5th Century Egypt, a time when the region was predominantly Christian. The original story of Jesus’ miracle is believed to have been composed in the 2nd Century as part of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, which details the youth of Jesus of Nazareth but was ultimately excluded from the Bible.
Before this discovery, the earliest known written example of this gospel was from the 11th Century. The papyrus had remained unnoticed at the Hamburg State and University Library in Germany until researchers stumbled upon it while analyzing manuscripts and noticed Jesus’ name in the text.
Dr. Lajos Berkes, a co-researcher and lecturer at the Faculty of Theology at Humboldt-Universität, explained that the handwriting’s clumsiness initially led them to believe it was part of an everyday document, like a private letter or shopping list. However, upon further examination and comparison with other digitized papyri, they realized its true significance.
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas (IGT) describes episodes from Jesus’ life between the ages of five and twelve. This gospel was written in the 2nd century to fill in the gaps of Jesus’ youth but was excluded from the Bible because it was deemed inauthentic. The Bible focuses on Jesus’ ministry, miracles, and crucifixion.
In the IGT story, a young Jesus is playing in a stream, molding 12 sparrows out of clay. When his father, Joseph, scolds him for doing this on the Sabbath, Jesus commands the clay birds to take flight, and they come to life. This narrative, among others in the IGT, portrays miraculous events from Jesus’ childhood.
The newly discovered papyrus measures four by two inches and contains 13 lines of this popular religious story. Researchers believe it was written as a practice exercise due to the irregular lines and clumsy handwriting.
The fragment’s origins remain somewhat mysterious, though it likely became part of the library’s collection between 1906 and 1913 or arrived in a box of unconserved papyri in 1990. Prior to this discovery, the oldest known version of the IGT was an 11th-century manuscript.
Dr. Gabriel Nocchi Macedo from the University of Liège explained that the IGT consists of loosely connected scenes where the young Jesus performs miracles, astonishing those around him. The gospel, not included in the canonical Bible, is sometimes compared to fanfiction due to its speculative nature.
While it is unclear why Jesus’ early years were excluded from the Bible, Charles Dyer, a professor-at-large of Bible at Moody Bible Institute, suggested that the Bible aimed to focus on Jesus’ purpose, ministry, and crucifixion.
Dr. Macedo and Berkes plan to produce a critical edition and commentary on the manuscript, reassessing the style and language of the IGT text. Their findings will be published in the Journal of Papyrology and Epigraphy.
Dr. Berkes emphasized the fragment’s significance, noting that it offers new insights into the transmission of the text and represents the earliest known copy of this story, dating back to the 4th or 5th century. This discovery provides a valuable addition to the study of early Christian texts and the life of Jesus.