Palm-tree miracle (Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew and Dormition texts)
c. c. 600 – c. 650
Place: egypt-road · coming soon
No coordinates. This node is on the timeline only.
The parallel is attested. Pseudo-Matthew is Latin, probably early 7th century, so direct influence is unlikely; scholars trace both texts to earlier Eastern traditions (scholarly hypothesis).
In the Latin Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew (ch. 20), a palm bends down to feed Mary on the flight to Egypt and a spring bursts from its roots. Older Eastern Dormition narratives tell the same miracle. Q 19:23–26 has a palm and a stream given to Mary — but at the birth itself — so it is a close but rearranged parallel.
People named here
- Mary
Where scholars disagree
For
- Stephen J. Shoemaker — 'Christmas in the Qur'an' (2003): the Qur'an merges the palm miracle with Kathisma birth traditions
Against
No names on this side.
Links
Text and wording
Out
Palm and spring given to Mary (Ps-Matt 20; Q 19:23–26), moved from the flight into Egypt to the birth.
text_parallel
attested
Influence
In
Church of the Kathisma ('Seat' of Mary) between Jerusalem and Bethlehem
The palm-and-spring rest story belongs to the same Palestinian Marian tradition.
shared_tradition
scholarly hypothesis
Sources
- Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew (ANF vol. 8, PD)
New Advent. Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Wikipedia: Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew
Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Discussion of G. Dye, 'Lieux saints communs, partagés ou confisqués: aux sources de quelques péricopes coraniques (Q 19:16–33)' (in Partage du sacré, 2012) and S. Shoemaker, 'Christmas in the Qur'an' (JSAI 28, 2003): 'Palmeira e pedra desenterrados'
REVER (PUC-SP). Accessed 2026-11-11.