said to him, As thou hast thrown me down, so shalt thou fall and not rise; and the same hour the boy fell down and breathed his last. CHAPTER XLVIII Moreover there was at Jerusalem one named Zaccheus, who was a teacher of boys. He said to Joseph, Joseph, why dost thou not bring me Jesus to learn letters? Joseph gave him his consent, and reported this to lady Mary. So they brought him to the master, who, as soon as he saw him, wrote the alphabet for him, and bade him say Aleph; and when he had said Aleph, the master ordered him to say Beth; and the Lord Jesus said to him, Tell me first the meaning of the letter Aleph, and then I will say Beth. And when the master threatened to flog him, the Lord Jesus explained to him the meanings of the letters Aleph and Beth; also which forms of the letters were straight, which crooked, which drawn spirally, which marked with points, which were without them, and why one letter came before another; and he began to tell and explain many other things which the master himself had never heard, nor had read in any book. Moreover, the Lord Jesus said to the master, Attend, that I may tell thee. And he began clearly and distinctly to repeat Aleph, Beth, Gimel, and Daleth, as far as Tau. The master, wondering at this, said, I think this boy was born before Noah; and, turning to Joseph, he said, Thou hast brought to me to be taught a boy that is wiser than all teachers. To lady Mary also he said, There is no need of instruction for this thy son. CHAPTER XLIX Then they brought him to another and more learned master; and when he saw him he said, Say Aleph, and when he had said Aleph, the master ordered him to say Beth. The Lord Jesus answered and said to him, Tell me first the meaning of the letter Aleph, and then I will say Beth. When the master had lifted up his hand and struck him, his hand immediately withered, and he died. Then Joseph said to lady Mary, Henceforth we will not let him go out of the VOL. XIV.-21. house, for whoever opposeth him is punished with death. CHAPTER L And when he was twelve years old they took him to Jerusalem to the feast. But when the feast was over they, indeed, returned, but the Lord Jesus remained in the temple among the doctors and elders and learned men of the sons of Israel; and he asked them sundry questions about the sciences, and they answered him in turn.18 Now he said to them, Whose son is Messiah? They answered him, The Son of David. Wherefore then, said he, doth he in spirit call him his Lord, when he saith, The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand, that I may bring down thy enemies to the footprints of thy feet? 19 Again the chief of the doctors said to him, Hast thou read the scriptures? The Lord Jesus said, Both the scriptures and the things which are contained in them. And he explained the scriptures and the law and the precepts, and the statutes and the mysteries which are contained in the books of the prophets — things which the understanding of no creature attains unto. The doctor said, therefore, Heretofore I have not acquired nor heard such wisdom; what, thinkest thou, will that boy be? CHAPTER LI And since there was there a philosopher skilled in astronomy, and he asked the Lord Jesus whether he had studied astronomy, the Lord Jesus answered him and expounded the number of the spheres and celestial bodies, and their natures and operations, their opposition, trine, quartile, and sextile aspect, their direct course and retrogression, degrees and the sixtieths of degrees, and other things which reason does not attain unto. CHAPTER LII There was also among those philosophers one who was excellently skilled in the handling of natural things; and when 18 Luke ii. 42-47. 29 Matt. xxii. 42-45; Ps. cx. 1. he asked the Lord Jesus whether he had studied medicine, he answered and explained to him physics and metaphysics, hyperphysics and hypophysics; the virtues of the body; also the humors and their effects; also the number of the members and bones, veins, arteries, and nerves; also the effect of heat and dryness, of cold and moisture, and what might arise out of them; what the operation of the soul upon the body, and its senses and virtues; and the operation of the faculty of speaking, of anger, and of desire; finally, conjunction and disjunction, and other things which the intellect of no creature attains unto. Then the philosopher arose and adored the Lord Jesus, and said, O Lord, from this time I will be thy disciple and servant. CHAPTER LIII While they were conversing together of these and other things, my lady, lady Mary, came in after she had gone about with Joseph seeking him for three days. Therefore seeing him sitting among the doctors, and asking and answering them by turns, she said to him, My son, why hast thou dealt so with us? Lo, I and thy father have sought thee with much trouble. And he said, Why do ye seek me? Know ye not that I must be occupied in the house of my Father? But they understood not the words which he said to them. Then the doctors asked Mary whether this was her son, and on her assenting, they said, How happy thou art, who hast given birth to such a one as he! But he returned with them to Nazareth, and obeyed them in all things. And his mother laid up all those things in her heart. But the Lord Jesus advanced in stature and wisdom, and in favor with God and men.2 20 CHAPTER LIV And from that day he began to hide his concealed and secret miracles 21 and to study the law, until he accomplished his thirtieth year, when the Father publicly declared him at the Jordan by this voice sent down from heaven: "This is 21 Compare John ii. 11. 20 Luke ii. 46-52. my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased "; the Holy Spirit being present in the form of a white dove.22 CHAPTER LV This is He whom we suppliantly adore, who gave to us being and life, and took us from our mothers' wombs; who, for our sake, took upon him a human body and redeemed us, that eternal mercy might embrace us, and that he might show us his clemency in liberality and beneficence, and generosity and benevolence. To him be the glory and goodness and power and dominion from henceforth unto eternal ages. Amen. Here ends the whole of the Gospel of the Infancy, with the help of God most high, according to what we found in the original. 22 Matt. iii. 13-17; Luke ii. 21-23. |