Apocrypha
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew
Infancy of Jesus
43 chapters · read and listen
Reading note
An apocryphal or pseudepigraphal text — outside the canon of the Western churches, yet widely circulated among ancient Jews and Christians. Published here from a public-domain translation, edited for continuous reading.
Chapters
Dossier
The infancy gospel that founded the nativity scene: the ox and the donkey beside the manger, the palm tree that bends to give Mary dates, the dragons that worship the child during the flight into Egypt.
Where this text comes from
Latin, 6th or 7th century AD, assembled from the Protevangelium of James and the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, with material of its own. It was the most widely read infancy text in the medieval West.
Why it is not in the Bible
Rejected and listed among the apocryphal books to be avoided. That did not stop it from defining the iconography of Christmas across Western art.
What you will find
- The ox and the donkey at the manger come from here — no canonical gospel mentions them.
- The palm tree that bends at the child's request to feed his tired mother.
- The wild beasts of the desert that travel with the family without attacking, during the flight into Egypt.
- The Egyptian idols that fall by themselves when the child enters the temple at Sotinen.
Frequently asked questions
- Where do the ox and the donkey in the nativity scene come from?
- From this text. Matthew and Luke mention no animals at the birth. The scene entered Christian art through Pseudo-Matthew, supported by a reading of Isaiah 1:3.