Infancy Gospel of Thomas

Young Jesus (figure on the right, with the halo) brings clay birds to life (14th-century illustration from Austria) The Infancy Gospel of Thomas (also known as the Infancy of Jesus or Childhood of Jesus, the Paidika tou Iesou or Paidika (Greek), and abbreviated as Inf. Gos. Thom. or IGT) is an apocryphal gospel about the childhood of Jesus. Together with the Gospel of James, it was one of the earliest and most influential sources detailing the activities and life of the young Jesus, although neither are included in the New Testament canon. Its creation is generally dated to the second century. The oldest extant fragmentary writing dates to the fourth or fifth century; Latin and Syriac attestations to a short form exist from the fifth or sixth century; and an 11th-century manuscript in Greek (Codex Sabaiticus) contains the earliest extant long form of the work. Variants flourished that expanded the work by combining it with other stories in larger works and anthologies; the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew is one example that proved popular in the Latin-speaking Western Church during the Middle Ages.

The Infancy Gospel of Thomas depicts a young Jesus in full possession of divine power who is already dispensing wisdom with authority, even at an early age. It includes several miracles that spread widely and appear in other sources, such as Jesus transforming clay sparrows into live sparrows. The way Jesus wields his power can read rather shockingly to a modern reader, such as where young Jesus curses and kills those who cross him. While the Jesus depicted in this gospel can be an "enfant terrible", he balances this with performing miracles and healing, as well.