The Armenian Infancy Gospel (or the Armenian Gospel of the Infancy) is a sixth-century
apocryphal
Apocrypha are works, usually written, of unknown authorship or of doubtful origin. The word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to writings which were kept secret because they were the vehicles of esoteric knowledge considered ...
infancy gospel Infancy gospels (Greek: ''protoevangelion'') are a genre of religious texts that arose in the 2nd century. They are part of New Testament apocrypha, and provide accounts of the birth and early life of Jesus. The texts are of various and uncertain or ...
based on an older
Syriac version which no longer exists. The gospel has two versions, a longer one (37 chapters) and a shorter one (28 chapters). The text includes stories about
Virgin Mary's life, her marriage to
Joseph, her miraculous birth to Jesus, Jesus's childhood and his later life like the other
infancy gospels Infancy gospels (Greek: ''protoevangelion'') are a genre of religious texts that arose in the 2nd century. They are part of New Testament apocrypha, and provide accounts of the birth and early life of Jesus. The texts are of various and uncertain or ...
but with some distinct features.
Sources
According to an Armenian source,
apocryphal
texts, which include ''The Infancy of the Lord,'' were brought to Armenia by missionaries in 590 AD. The earliest known usage of this gospel was by the Armenian philosopher,
Anania Shirakatsi. The Armenian syntax of the document seems to have a Semitic basis, which suggest that the document most likely is an Armenian translation of a now lost
Syriac text.
Influence from other Infancy Gospels
The Armenian Infancy Gospel is influenced mostly by the
Protevangelium of James as well as other infancy gospels such as the
Infancy Gospel of Thomas and the
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew. Due to this factor,
Frederick Conybeare
Frederick Cornwallis Conybeare, (14 September 1856 – 9 January 1924) was a British orientalist, Fellow of University College, Oxford, and Professor of Theology at the University of Oxford.
Biography
Conybeare was born in Coulsdon, Surrey, t ...
mistakenly thought the gospel to be the
Protevangelium of James when he published the first six chapters in the late 19th century.
See also
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Protevangelium of James
*
Infancy Gospels Infancy gospels (Greek: ''protoevangelion'') are a genre of religious texts that arose in the 2nd century. They are part of New Testament apocrypha, and provide accounts of the birth and early life of Jesus. The texts are of various and uncertain or ...
*
Infancy Gospel of Thomas
*
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew
*
New Testament Apocrypha
References
{{Reflist
New Testament apocrypha