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| How Jesus Was Treated by the Schoolmaster.
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Chapter VI.—How Jesus Was Treated by the
Schoolmaster.
Therefore a certain man named Zacheus1762
| 1762 [In this book, the
name Zacheus is given in different form, following the
Latin.—R.] | listened to all that Jesus was saying to
Joseph, and in great astonishment said to himself: Such a boy
speaking in this way I have never seen. And he went up to Joseph,
and said: That is an intelligent boy of thine; hand him over to
me to learn his letters; and when he has thoroughly learned his
letters, I shall teach him honourably, so that he may be no fool.
But Joseph answered and said to him: No one can teach him but God
alone. You do not believe that that little boy will be of little
consequence? And when Jesus heard Joseph speaking in this way, He
said to Zacheus: Indeed, master, whatever proceeds from my mouth
is true. And before all I was Lord, but you are foreigners.
To me has been given the glory of the ages, to you has been given
nothing; because I am before the ages. And I know how many years
of life thou wilt have, and that thou wilt be carried into exile:
and my Father hath appointed this, that thou mayest understand that
whatever proceeds from my mouth is true. And the Jews who were
standing by, and hearing the words which Jesus spoke, were astonished,
and said: We have seen such wonderful things, and heard such
words from that boy, as we have never heard, nor are likely to hear
from any other human being,—either from the high priests, or the
masters, or the Pharisees. Jesus answered and said to them:
Why do you wonder? Do you consider it incredible that I have
spoken the truth? I know when both you and your fathers were
born, and to tell you more, when the world was made: I know also
who sent me to you.1763
| 1763 A slight
alteration is here made upon the punctuation of the original. | And when
the Jews heard the words which the child had spoken, they wondered,
because that they were not able to answer. And, communing with
Himself, the child exulted and said: I have told you a proverb;
and I know that you are weak and ignorant.
And that schoolmaster said to Joseph: Bring
him to me, and I shall teach him letters. And Joseph took hold of
the boy Jesus, and led Him to the house of a certain schoolmaster,
where other boys were being taught. Now the master in soothing
words began to teach Him His letters, and wrote for Him the first line,
which is from A to T,1764
| 1764 This refers to the
Hebrew alphabet. | and began to
stroke Him and teach Him. And that teacher struck the child on
the head: and when He had received the blow, the child said to
him: I should teach thee, and not thou me; I know the letters
which thou wishest to teach me, and I know that you are to me like
vessels from which there come forth only sounds, and no wisdom.
And, beginning the line, He said the letters from A to T in full, and
very fast. And He looked at the master, and said to him:
Thou indeed canst not tell us what A and B are; how dost thou wish to
teach others? O hypocrite, if thou knowest and will tell me about
the A, then will I tell thee about the B. And when that teacher
began to tell1765
| 1765 Better,
perhaps: And when He began to tell that teacher. | about the first
letter, he was unable to give any answer. And Jesus said to Zacheus: Listen to
me, master; understand the first letter. See how it has two
lines; advancing in the middle, standing still, giving, scattering,
varying, threatening; triple intermingled with double; at the same time
homogeneous, having all common.1766
| 1766 This passage is
hopelessly corrupt. The writer of this Gospel knew very little
Greek, and probably the text from which he was translating was also
here in a bad state. [Compare the accounts in the versions from
the Greek forms.—R.] |
And Zacheus, seeing that He so divided the first
letter, was stupefied about the first letter, and about such a human
being and such learning; and he cried out, and said: Woe’s
me, for I am quite stupefied; I have brought disgrace upon myself
through that child. And he said to Joseph: I earnestly
entreat thee, brother, take him away from me, because I cannot look
upon his face, nor hear his mighty words. Because that child can
tame fire and bridle the sea: for he was born before the
ages. What womb brought him forth, or what mother1767
| 1767 The Greek
original has μήτρα, which he seems to have
confounded with μήτηρ. | nursed him, I know not. Oh, my
friends, I am driven out of my senses; I have become a wretched
laughing-stock. And I said that I had got a scholar; but he has
been found to be my master. And my disgrace I cannot get over,
because I am an old man; and what to say to him I cannot find.
All I have to do is to fall into some grievous illness, and depart from
this world; or to leave this town, because all have seen my
disgrace. An infant has deceived me. What answer can I give
to others, or what words can I say, because he has got the better of me
in the first letter? I am struck dumb, O my friends and
acquaintances; neither beginning nor end can I find of an answer to
him. And now I beseech thee, brother Joseph, take him away from
me, and lead him home, because he is a master, or the Lord, or an
angel. What to say I do not know. And Jesus turned to the
Jews who were with Zacheus, and said to them: Let all not seeing
see, and not understanding understand; let the deaf hear, and let those
who are dead through me rise again; and those who are exalted, let me
call to still higher things, as He who sent me to you hath commanded
me. And when Jesus ceased speaking, all who had been affected
with any infirmity through His words were made whole. And they
did not dare to speak to Him.
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