Chapter 30.
Now a certain Jewish schoolmaster named
Zachyas1669
| 1669 Other forms of the
name are: Zachias, Zachameus, Zacheus, Zachæus. |
heard
Jesus thus
speaking; and seeing that He could not be overcome, from knowing the
power that was in Him,
1670
he became
angry,
and began rudely and foolishly, and without
fear, to speak against
Joseph. And he said: Dost thou not wish to entrust me with
thy son, that he may be
instructed in human learning and in
reverence? But I see that
Mary and thyself have more regard for
your son than for what the
elders of the people of
Israel say against
him. You should have given more honour to us, the
elders of the
whole
church of
Israel, both that he might be on terms of mutual
affection with the
children, and that among us he might be
instructed
in
Jewish learning.
Joseph, on the other
hand, said to him:
And is there any one who can keep this
child, and
teach him? But
if thou canst keep him and
teach him, we by no means
hinder him from
being taught by thee those things which are
learned by all. And
Jesus, having heard what Zachyas had said, answered and said unto
him: The
precepts of the
law which thou hast just spoken of, and
all the things that thou hast named, must be kept by those who are
instructed in human learning; but I am a
stranger to your
law-
courts,
because I have no
father after the
flesh. Thou who readest the
law, and art
learned in it, abidest in the
law; but I was before the
law. But since thou thinkest that no one is equal to thee in
learning, thou shalt be taught by me, that no other can
teach anything
but those things which thou hast named. But he alone can who is
worthy.
1671
| 1671 Tischendorf
thinks that the text is corrupt. But the meaning seems to
be: You are not a whit better than your neighbours; for all of
you teach what you have named, and you can teach nothing else.
But he alone (ipse, i.e., Christ) can teach more who is
worthy. |
For when I
shall be exalted on
earth, I will cause to cease all mention of your
genealogy. For thou knowest not when thou wast
born: I
alone know when you were
born, and how long your
life on
earth will
be. Then all who heard these words were struck with astonishment,
and
cried out: Oh! oh! oh! this marvellously great and wonderful
mystery. Never have we heard the like! Never has it been
heard from any one else, nor has it been said or at any time heard by
the
prophets, or the
Pharisees, or the
scribes. We know whence he
is sprung, and he is scarcely five years old; and whence does he speak
these words? The
Pharisees answered: We have never heard
such words spoken by any other
child so young. And
Jesus answered
and said unto them: At this do ye wonder, that such things are
said by a
child? Why, then, do ye not believe me in those things
which I have said to you? And you all wonder because I said to
you that I know when you were
born. I will tell you greater
things, that you may wonder more. I have seen
Abraham, whom you
call your
father, and have spoken with him; and he has seen
me.
1672
And when they heard this they held
their
tongues, nor did any of them
dare to speak. And Jesus said
to them: I have been among you with children, and you have not
known me; I have spoken to you as to wise men, and you have not
understood my words; because you are younger than I am,
1673
| 1673 Or, literally,
inferior to me. |
and of little faith.
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