Specialists were able to decipher an ancient manuscript and find that it actually serves as the earliest surviving Gospel copy pertaining to the childhood of Jesus.
While the ancient manuscript was kept in the Carl von Ossietzky State and University Library in Germany, it remained largely unnoticed for decades.
Infancy Gospel of Thomas: Oldest Known Version Found
Researchers were able to find that the written ancient Greek text on the papyrus fragment is actually from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas (IGT). It also serves as its earliest known version.
The IGT is among the apocryphal infancy gospels. These refer to early Christian writings that are not included in the biblical canon by the major denomination of the religion.
Such writings offer details pertaining to the early life of Jesus, though their origins are uncertain. Though the Bible does not include such writings, they were still widespread and popular in the past.
Prior to this study, a codex from the 11th century served as the oldest known Greek version of the infancy gospel, which is believed to have been written during the second century.
However, the authors of the study were able to date the papyrus fragment from the Hamburg library to the fifth or fourth centuries.
Lajor Berkes, one of the authors of the study from the Institute for Christianity and Antiquity, explained that the fragment is an extraordinary research subject. Because they were able to date it back to the fourth or fifth century, the papyrus fragment became the earliest known copy.
They were also able to garner fresh insights regarding the text's transmission.
The researchers note that the findings of the study support the notion that the original language of the IGT was Greek.
Examining the Ancient Manuscript
On top of dating the fragment of papyrus, the researchers were able to decipher its written texts. The text was spread over 13 lines. Each line had around 10 Greek letters.
For a long time, the papyrus' content was overlooked since it was thought to not hold any historical significance.
Berkes explained that the manuscript was thought to just be part of everyday documents, like a shopping list or private letter. This is due to the clumsy handwriting in the text.
They first observed the word "Jesus" in the writings. They then compared it with various digitized papyri and deciphered the text letter by letter. They then realized that it was not a usual document.
Analyzing the texts allowed the authors to find that it was actually an IGT copy.
With comparisons of known gospel manuscripts, they know that this text is actually the earliest known one. It goes after the original text, which is thought to have been written during the second century A.D.
The specialists suggest that this text could have been made in a monastery or school as part of an exercise in writing. This is evidenced by its irregular lines, clumsy handwriting, and other factors.
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