What Scripture says
The Gospels say almost nothing about Jesus’ childhood:
- Luke records one episode: at twelve, Jesus stays behind in the temple, “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions” (Luke 2:46, ESV).
- Luke adds that he went home and “was submissive to them”, and “increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:51–52).
- John calls the wedding at Cana “the first of his signs” (John 2:11), which suggests no miracles came before it.
- When Jesus later preaches in Nazareth, his neighbours are astonished, asking, “Is not this the carpenter?” (Mark 6:2–3). They don’t seem to remember a childhood of wonders.
What the evidence says
History
What it is
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas, not the same as the Gospel of Thomas (3B.17), tells stories of Jesus from age five to twelve. It was written in the 2nd century and survives in many versions in Greek, Latin, Syriac and other languages, which differ considerably.
The stories
- Clay sparrows. At five, Jesus makes twelve sparrows out of clay on the Sabbath. When he is scolded, he claps his hands and they fly away. (This story also appears in the Qur’an, Surah 3:49 and 5:110.)
- Cursing playmates. A boy who disturbs Jesus’ water pools withers up. Another boy bumps into him, and Jesus curses him; the boy falls dead. When neighbours complain, Jesus strikes them blind.
- Humiliating teachers. Teachers try to teach Jesus the alphabet, and he lectures them on the meaning of the letters until they despair.
- Later miracles. As the story continues, Jesus does good: he raises a playmate who fell from a roof, heals his brother James of a snakebite, stretches a board for Joseph’s carpentry, and restores those he had harmed. It ends with the temple story from Luke 2.
Comparison with the Gospels
| Feature | The Gospels | Infancy Gospel of Thomas |
|---|---|---|
| Childhood miracles | None; Cana is the “first sign” | Many |
| Use of power | To heal and serve; never for himself | To punish and impress, at first |
| Character | Obedient, growing in wisdom | Proud and vengeful, later kinder |
| Date | 1st century | 2nd century |
The Jesus of the Gospels refuses to use his power for himself (Matthew 4:1–11) and rebukes disciples who want to call down fire on a village (Luke 9:54–55). The Infancy Gospel’s child Jesus is the opposite.
Why it was written
These stories seem to answer curiosity about Jesus’ hidden years with legends of a powerful but unsettling child. Some scholars see them as attempts to show Jesus was divine from childhood, told in the style of folk tales about wonder-working children.
Where they meet
The Jesus of the Infancy Gospel clashes with the Jesus of the Gospels. The church never treated it as Scripture, though some of its stories entered popular legend and art.
What’s still open
Little about its status. Scholars discuss its origins and how it changed across its many versions.
Bottom line
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas is 2nd-century legend about a child Jesus who strikes playmates dead, and it clashes with the Jesus of the Gospels. Leaving it out is rated Settled.