Medieval Views of the Christ Child’s Knowledge—Experiential, Providential

The question of the Christ Child’s growth in knowledge, prompted by a remark made by Luke (2.52), was a cause of speculation and wonder for patristic and medieval theologians. Some posited that Jesus gradually acquired experiential knowledge through his contact with the world; others held that he only seemed to grow in wisdom. A related question concerned the Child’s knowledge of his future fate, a topic explored by a number of late-medieval artists and writers. This paper demonstrates that the theme of the Child’s foreknowledge of his Passion is central to English redactions of the apocryphal Latin Liber de infantia salvatoris. In English versions of this text, the boy Jesus astounds his teachers by his otherworldly knowledge and informs his mother of his future suffering, whereupon she requests that he protect himself, which he refuses to do. Mother and Child discuss the Passion when Jesus comes into conflict with characters (e.g., Caiaphas) that help bring about his death in the canonical gospels. While the anti-Judaism of late-medieval English culture undoubtedly played a role in shaping such scenes, it was not the sole factor at work, considering how widespread was the theme of the so-called Proleptic Passion. This paper looks at various late-medieval instances of this motif, focusing in particular on the works of St. Birgitta of Sweden. Unlike the anonymous authors of the apocryphal childhood narratives, the female mystic stresses Mary’s foreknowledge and acceptance of Jesus’ Passion, which is supposedly based upon her knowledge of Scripture--an emphasis arguably related to Birgitta’s role as a prophetess.