Nestorius

NESTORIUS : UNDERSTANDING INCARNATION
PROF. M. M. NINAN
Jesus raises the clay birds of his playmates to life.
(Klosterneuburger Evangelienwerk, 14th century)
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas is a pseudepigraphical gospel about the childhood of Jesus, that
is believed to date to the 2nd century.
Here is an extract from it:
The Great Childhood Deeds of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
1 1 When the boy Jesus was five years old, he was playing at the ford of a rushing stream. And
he gathered the disturbed water into pools and made them pure and excellent, commanding them
by the character of his word alone and not by means of a deed.
2 Then, taking soft clay from the mud, he formed twelve sparrows. It was the Sabbath when he
did these things, and many children were with him.
3 And a certain Jew, seeing the boy Jesus with the other children doing these things, went to his
father Joseph and falsely accused the boy Jesus, saying that, on the Sabbath he made clay, which
is not lawful, and fashioned twelve sparrows.
4 And Joseph came and rebuked him, saying, “Why are you doing these things on the Sabbath?”
But Jesus, clapping his hands, commanded the birds with a shout in front of everyone and said,
“Go, take flight, and remember me, living ones.” And the sparrows, taking flight, went away
squawking.
5 When the Pharisee saw this he was amazed and reported it to all his friends.
2 1 And the son of Annas the scribe had come with Joseph. And taking a willow twig, he
destroyed the pools and drained out the water which Jesus had gathered together. And he dried up
their gatherings.
2 And Jesus, seeing what had happened, said to him, “Your fruit (shall be) without root and your
shoot shall be dried up like a branch scorched by a strong wind.”
3 And instantly that child withered.
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