Researchers have unearthed what is believed to be the earliest chronicle of a miracle performed by Jesus in his childhood.
The remarkable narrative was discovered in an ancient Egyptian manuscript, written on papyrus, a material that predates paper by centuries.
The manuscript, estimated to be around 2,000 years old, recounts the “vivification of the sparrows,” a lesser-known miracle where 5-year-old Jesus is said to have transformed clay pigeons into living birds. The tale is also referred to as the “second miracle.”
The researchers observed that the handwriting on the papyrus was clumsy, leading them to speculate that it was part of a class exercise in a school or religious community in fourth- or fifth-century Egypt, a period when Christianity was prevalent in the region.
The original account of the miracle is believed to have been composed around the second century as part of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, a text that chronicles the early years of Jesus of Nazareth. The gospel was ultimately excluded from the Bible.
Prior to the Egyptian discovery, the earliest known written example of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas dated to the 11th century. The newly found manuscript had long been overlooked in the State and University Library of Hamburgst, Germany.
Experts analyzing the manuscripts came across the papyrus and noticed the name “Jesus” in the text. Initially, they thought it might be an everyday document, such as a private letter or a shopping list, due to its unrefined handwriting.
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