THE HISTORY OF jOSEPH THE CARPENTER, which has been preserved in the East in an Arabic translation, was first made known in Europe in the commencement of the P6th century by Isidore de lsolanis in his Summa de donis St/. yosephi. He observes that the Catholics of the East' com memorate St. Joseph on the 19th March, and read the legend of the saint, omitting certain parts whicli are not approved in the Roman church. This work was first published by Wallin, at Leip sic, in 1722, from an Arabic MS. of the 13th cen tury, in the Biblioth?pe Roi, accompanied with a Latin translation. It was divided by Wallin into chapters and verses. It is also found in Coptic, Sahidic, and Memphic. It is highly esteemed by the Copts. The former part, to chap. ix., appears to have been derived from an ancient Gospel of the Infancy. The Latin was republished by Fa bricius.
THE CrOSPEL OF THE INFANCY was first pub lished by Henry Sike, at Utrecht, in 1697, from an Arabic MS. Sike's Latin version was repub lished by Fabricius, who divided it into chapters. The Arabic was divided into corresponding chap ters by Thilo, in 18,32. There are several MSS. of this gospel extant, the oldest of which known is that in the Medicean Library, written in 1299. The narratives which it contains were current in the 2d century, and the account contained in this gospel respecting Christ's learning the alphabet is mentioned by Irenazus (Adv. Hares. i. zo) as a
fabrication of the Marcosians. The Gospel of the Infancy is found in the catalogue of Gelasius, and it is especially remarkable from the fact that it was most probably this Gospel which was known to Mohammed, who seems to have been unacquainted with any of the canonical Scriptures, and who has inserted some of its narrations in the Koran. The S,Ither ToMoth ..7eszt, a well-known publication of the Jews, contains similar fables with those in this gospel (Wagenseil's Sota). This work was re ceived as genuine by many of the Eastern Chris tians, especially the Nestorians and Monophysites. It was found to bave been universally read by the Syrians of St. Thomas, in Travancore, and was condemned at the Synod of Diamper, in 1599, by Archbishop Menezes, who describes it as the book called the Gospel ofthe Infancy, already condemned by the ancients for its many blasphemous hcrcsies and fabulous histories.' Wherever the name Jesus occurs in this gospel, he is universally entitled while Christ is called ‘3,,,,,j1. This was a distinc tion introduced by the Nestorians. The Blessed Virgin is also entitled the Lady Mary. The Per sians and Copts also received this Gospel (De la Brosse's Lexic. Pers. voc. Tinctoria ars). The original language was probably Syriac. It is sometimes called the Gospel of Peter, or of Thomas.