The first copy of a text on the childhood of Jesus identified

(NewsNation) — A papyrus fragment has been identified as the oldest handwritten copy of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, which details the childhood of Jesus.

Recorded in Greek in the 4th or 5th century, the manuscript tells the story of the “vivification of the sparrows,” during which the child Jesus shapes 12 sparrows from clay and brings them to life with a simple clap of his hands.

The “Infancy Gospel of Thomas” is an apocryphal text, meaning it is excluded from almost all versions of the Bible.

This piece of papyrus is about six centuries obsolete from the earliest known manuscripts.

Papyrologists studying the Egyptian manuscript said the discovery allowed them to confirm what they already believed: the story was originally recorded in Greek.

“By comparison with already known manuscripts of this Gospel, we know that our text is the oldest. It follows the original text which, according to the current state of research, was written in the 2nd century AD,” said papyrologist Lajos Berkes.

For decades, the papyrus remains remained inside the Carl von Ossietzky State and University Library in Hamburg.

“It was thought to be part of an everyday document, like a private letter or a shopping list, because the writing looks so clumsy,” Berkes said. “We first noticed the word Jesus in the text. Then, comparing it with many other digitized papyri, we deciphered it letter by letter and quickly understood that it could not be a common document.

Researchers believe that the poor handwriting of the papyrus indicates that this sample was written as part of a writing exercise at a school or monastery.