Christ Child: Cultural Memories of a Young Jesus

by Stephen J. Davis

Overview

Little is known about the early childhood of Jesus Christ. But in the decades after his death, stories began circulating about his origins. One collection of such tales was the so-called Infancy Gospel of Thomas, known in antiquity as the Paidika or “Childhood Deeds” of Jesus. In it, Jesus not only performs miracles while at play (such as turning clay birds into live sparrows) but also gets enmeshed in a series of interpersonal conflicts and curses to death children and teachers who rub him the wrong way. How would early readers have made sense of this young Jesus?

In this highly innovative book, Stephen Davis draws on current theories about how human communities construe the past to answer this question. He explores how ancient readers would have used texts, images, places, and other key reference points from their own social world to understand the Christ child’s curious actions. He then shows how the figure of a young Jesus was later picked up and exploited in the context of medieval Jewish-Christian and Christian-Muslim encounters. Challenging many scholarly assumptions, Davis adds a crucial dimension to the story of how Christian history was created.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300206609
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	05/13/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Stephen J. Davis is professor of religious studies, executive director of the Yale Monastic Archaeology Project, and master of Pierson College at Yale University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Part 1 Methods and Approaches

1 Cultural Memories of a Young Jesus 3

2 Texts and Readers 20

Part 2 Graeco-Roman Sites of Memory

3 Bird-Watching 47

4 Cursing 64

5 Learning Letters 92

Part 3 Christian-Jewish-Muslim Encounters

6 Jews and Christians 129

7 Muslims and Christians 161

Epilogue: Reimagining a Young Jesus 193

Appendix A The Greek Paidika 199

Appendix B The Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, Chapters 36-53 205

Appendix C Jesus and the Birds in St. Martin's Church, Zillis, Switzerland 211

List of Abbreviations 221

Notes 223

Bibliography 335

Editions, Collections, Objects, and Translations 335

Secondary Literature 352

Index 409

Editorial Reviews

04/14/2014
Scholars have long debated the events of Jesus’s childhood. The biblical accounts offer few details of his life before age 30. In this dense but intriguing study by a fine scholar, Davis, professor of religious studies at Yale University offers new light on a very old document, the Paidika, or the Childhood Deeds of Jesus, popularly known as the Infancy Gospel of Thomas. The author argues that writings like the Paidika are best understood within the context of what he terms the “sociology of cultural memory,” the construction of myth based not on historical fact, but rather on a writer’s engagement with the past through the lenses of current cultural and societal mores. Hence the stories tell more about the writers than about their subject, Jesus of Nazareth. The author also explains how the Paidika was read by Jewish and Muslim audiences. Happily, the text of the Paidika is included, allowing the reader to experience this rich and powerful text, meeting the child Jesus through ancient eyes. (May)

Publishers Weekly

[An] intriguing study by a fine scholar”—Publishers Weekly

“Inspiring . . .accessible . . . an instructive and enjoyable read.”—Sandra Hübenthal, Journal of Early Christian Studies

“Beautifully written and richly documented . . . an essential resource.”—Kristi Upson-Saia, Church History

“A unique book that is a pleasure to read . . . An outstanding work of model scholarship.”—Michael R. Whitenton, Muslim World

"Stephen Davis’s outstanding study of the so-called Infancy Gospel of Thomas provides a model for how early Christian “apocrypha” should be understood.  A major advance in the literary and cultural history of ancient Christianity."—David Brakke, The Ohio State University

"Stephen Davis's Christ Child is as theoretically important as it is fascinating. Davis takes the reader on an engaging journey through the Infancy Gospel of Thomas and its surprisingly rich afterlives in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. In the process, Davis challenges us to grapple with broader theoretical questions about transmission, textuality, and memory. Not only does Christ Child demonstrate the importance of attention to apocryphal texts, but it offers a model for bringing interdisciplinary insights from Memory Studies into research on religion and literature more broadly."—Annette Yoshiko Reed, University of Pennsylvania  

“The most thoughtful and erudite study to date of the so-called Infancy Gospel of Thomas, this book demonstrates the relevance of the Paidika to the ongoing efforts to understand both the life and “afterlife” of early Christian traditions. Davis surrounds his main source with copious amounts of scholarship, insightful readings of primary texts, and illustrative examples of material artifacts.”—Chris Frilingos, Michigan State University

From the Publisher

A unique book that is a pleasure to read . . . An outstanding work of model scholarship.”—Michael R. Whitenton, Muslim World

Muslim World - Michael R. Whitenton

Beautifully written and richly documented . . . an essential resource.”—Kristi Upson-Saia, Church History

Church History - Kristi Upson-Saia

The most thoughtful and erudite study to date of the so-calledInfancy Gospel of Thomas, this book demonstrates the relevance of thePaidika to the ongoing efforts to understand both the life and“afterlife” of early Christian traditions. Davis surrounds his mainsource with copious amounts of scholarship, insightful readings ofprimary texts, and illustrative examples of material artifacts.”—Chris Frilingos, Michigan State University

Chris Frilingos

"Stephen Davis's Christ Child is as theoretically important as it is fascinating. Davis takes the reader on an engaging journey through the Infancy Gospel of Thomas and its surprisingly rich afterlives in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. In the process, Davis challenges us to grapple with broader theoretical questions about transmission, textuality, and memory. Not only does Christ Child demonstrate the importance of attention to apocryphal texts, but it offers a model for bringing interdisciplinary insights from Memory Studies into research on religion and literature more broadly."—Annette Yoshiko Reed, University of Pennsylvania

Annette Yoshiko Reed

"Stephen Davis’s outstanding study of the so-called Infancy Gospel of Thomas provides a model for how early Christian “apocrypha” should be understood. A major advance in the literary and cultural history of ancient Christianity."—David Brakke, The Ohio State University

David Brakke