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Infancy Gospel of Thomas

Unknown

Section 6

About this work

Author: Unknown

6. And a certain teacher, Zacchæus by name, was

‹ Section 5 Section 7 ›

standing

in

a

certain

place

,

and

heard

Jesus

thus

speaking

to

his

father

;

and

he

wondered

exceedingly

,

that

,

being

a

child

,

he

should

speak

in

such

a

way

.

And

a

few

days

thereafter

he

came

to

Joseph

,

and

said

to

him

:

Thou

hast

a

sensible

child

,

and

he

has

some

mind

.

Give

him

to

me

,

then

,

that

he

may

learn

letters

;

and

I

shall

teach

him

along

with

the

letters

all

knowledge

,

both

how

to

address

all

the

elders

,

and

to

honour

them

as

forefathers

and

fathers

,

and

how

to

love

those

of

his

own

age

.

And

He

said

to

him

all

the

letters

from

the

Alpha

even

to

the

Omega

,

clearly

and

with

great

exactness

.

And

He

looked

upon

the

teacher

Zacchæus

,

and

said

to

him

:

Thou

who

art

ignorant

of

the

nature

of

the

Alpha

,

how

canst

thou

teach

others

the

Beta

?

Thou

hypocrite

!

first

,

if

thou

knowest

,

teach

the

A

,

and

then

we

shall

believe

thee

about

the

B

.

Then

He

began

to

question

the

teacher

about

the

first

letter

,

and

he

was

not

able

to

answer

Him

.

And

in

the

hearing

of

many

,

the

child

says

to

Zacchæus

:

Hear

,

O

teacher

,

the

order

of

the

first

letter

,

and

notice

here

how

it

has

lines

,

and

a

middle

stroke

crossing

those

which

thou

seest

common

;

(

lines

)

brought

together

;

the

highest

part

supporting

them

,

and

again

bringing

them

under

one

head

;

with

three

points

of

intersection

;

of

the

same

kind

;

principal

and

subordinate

;

of

equal

length

.

Thou

hast

the

lines

of

the

A

.

Notes

7
Pseud.-Matt. 30, 31. Various explanations have been given of this difficult passage by annotators, who refer it to the A of the Hebrew, or of the Greek, or of the Armenian alphabet. It seems, however, to answer very closely to the old Phenician A, which was written *** or ***. The Paris ms. has: And he sat down to teach Jesus the letters, and began the first letter Aleph; and Jesus says the second, Beth, Gimel, and told him all the letters to the end. And shutting the book, He taught the master the prophets.