Syriac/Arabic Infancy Gospel (Jesus speaks in the cradle)
c. c. 500 – c. 1000
Place: syria · coming soon
No coordinates. This node is on the timeline only.
The parallel is attested. The Arabic form probably postdates Islam, while its Syriac base is older. Which way the influence ran for the cradle-speech motif is a scholarly question.
The Arabic Infancy Gospel, based on Syriac material, opens with the infant Jesus speaking from his cradle to announce that he is the Son of God sent by his Father. The Qur'an also has the newborn Jesus speak from the cradle, but to call himself 'God's servant' and a prophet (Q 19:29–33; 3:46).
People named here
- Jesus (infant)
- Mary
Where scholars disagree
For
- Suleiman Mourad — 'Mary in the Qur'an: A Reexamination' (2008, in The Qur'an in Its Historical Context), as titled in Reynolds' volume
Against
No names on this side.
Links
Text and wording
Out
The infant Jesus speaks in the cradle (Arabic Infancy Gospel 1; Q 19:29–33), but the content of his speech differs.
text_parallel
attested
Influence
In
IGT stories were absorbed into Syriac and later Arabic infancy compilations.
transmitted_via
attested
Sources
- Arabic Gospel of the Infancy (ANF vol. 8, PD)
New Advent. Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Wikipedia: Arabic Infancy Gospel
Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Qur'an, Surat Maryam (19)
Quran.com. Accessed 2026-11-11.