Secret Lives Of Jesus: Expert says birth story ‘rewritten’
A collection of early Christian texts, the Gnostic Gospels were uncovered near the town of Nag Hammadi, North Egypt, in 1945. The stories were not included in the New Testament, a point which many scholars argue suggests they in fact supplement the existing Bible stories, helping to “fill in the gaps” of many unexplainable events. Around 52 gospel texts were found in a sealed jar, collected in 13 leather-bound papyruses.
Whereas in the New Testament, gospels tell stories of the historical Jesus, the Gnostic Gospels look to explain the significance of Christ.
The time between his childhood and reaching 30 years of age are finally filled.
As Professor Craig Evans described, they paint Jesus to be: “A philosopher, a revealer of knowledge, not the rabbi and prophet, and saviour known by his own contemporaries.”
The expert of the New Testament at Acadia Divinity College made the comments during National Geographic’s documentary ‘Secret Lives Of Jesus’, as other Bible academics commented on the quirk of the Gnostic texts immediately running in stark contrast to the New Testament’s Gospel of Luke with the birth of Christ.
Jesus Christ: The Gnostic Gospels completely rewrite the traditional narrative surrounding the Bible (Image: GETTY)
Religion: The Gnostic Gospels were found in northern Egypt in 1945 (Image: GETTY)
One manuscript is called the Infancy Gospel of James that essentially rewrites the birth story, reemphasising Jesus’ poverty, Mary’s chastity, and the wonder of his birth.
As the documentary explained: “The story sets out that Jesus wasn’t born in a stable, but a cave.”
Joseph is depicted as a frail, old man already father to several children from another wife.
Marvin Meyer, Professor of Bible and Christian studies at Chapman University, said the symbolism behind this intended to draw attention to Mary’s purity, legitimising her story as well as Christ’s.
JUST IN: End of the world 2020: Preacher warns of December doomsday amid signs
Cairo: The early Christian texts are currently held in the Coptic Museum in Cairo, Egypt (Image: GETTY)
He explained: “The fact of retelling the story this way, with Joseph as an old man, who was previously married and had children, allows Mary to be pure Joseph to be removed even further from Mary.
“Joseph can stay in the story but he keeps himself out of the bed of Mary.”
Meanwhile, Bart Ehrman, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, said: “On this account, before they reach Bethlehem, Mary goes into labour and she’s going to give birth in this cave.
“Joseph doesn’t want to do the delivery himself so he runs off to try and find a midwife.
DON’T MISS
END OF THE WORLD: Why coronavirus is only the tip of the iceberg [REPORT]
Knights Templar: Lost secrets of Crusaders who ‘carried Holy Grail’ [INSIGHT]
End of the world: ‘Babylon rebirth’ hopes ahead of Pope’s Iraq trip [ANALYSIS]
Nazareth: Nazareth, Israel, the city where the angel Gabriel told Mary she would bear a child (Image: GETTY)
Ancient texts: The gospels fill the gap between Jesus’ childhood and his reaching 30 years old (Image: GETTY)
“As he goes out, he suddenly sees a miracle.”
Joseph describes the miracle in the Infancy Gospel as the day the Earth stood still, and said: “I saw the clouds astonished, and the fowls of the air stopping in the midst of their flight.
“And I looked down towards the earth and saw a table spread, and working people sitting around it, and their hands were upon the table, but they did not move to eat.
“All their faces were fixed upwards.”
Ancient Israel: Some of Christianity’s most significant sites are in Israel (Image: Express Newspapers)
He eventually finds a midwife, but when he returns with her to the cave, the child has already been born.
The Infancy Gospel then claims that a newborn Jesus walks towards Mary and begins suckling.
And while many scholars have embraced the texts as filling in the gaps left by the New Testament, others have been less than welcoming.
Their very reason for being buried is thought to have been a result of Saint Athanasius’ condemnation in 367 AD.
Three Kings: The three wise men are said to have visited the baby Jesus after his death (Image: GETTY)
Living in Roman Egypt, Athanasius attacked the use of non-canonical books – as were the Gnostic Gospels.
Modern day scholars have been largely influenced by the historic scripts in their pursuit of knowledge about early Christianity.
Others, like the biologist Richard Dawkins, have commented on the overt “significance” of the texts, pointing specifically towards the story of Judas Iscariot.
In the Gnostic Gospels, Judas is portrayed not as the arch-villain of the Jesus story, but as the person who fulfilled Jesus’ wish to ask the authorities for crucifixion in exchange for money.
The gospels are still widely debated over today, and are held at the Coptic Museum in Cairo, Egypt, that has the largest collection of Egyptian Christian artefacts in the world.