Apocrypha
Infancy Gospel of Thomas
Miracles of the Child
12 chapters · read and listen
Reading note
The child Jesus of popular tales: clay birds that come to life and neighbours who learn not to provoke him. A text the church rejected and the people copied for centuries.
Chapters
Dossier
Jesus from five to twelve years old, shaping sparrows out of clay that fly away — and striking down a boy who bumps into him, before learning what to do with what he has.
Where this text comes from
Greek, 2nd century AD, transmitted in Greek, Syriac, Latin, Georgian, Armenian, Slavonic and Ethiopic, with wide variation. It has no relation to the Gospel of Thomas of the sayings: they are entirely different works that share a name.
Why it is not in the Bible
Rejected early and listed among the forbidden books in the West. The portrait of a divine and vengeful child clashes with the canonical gospels, and that was always the central objection.
What you will find
- The clay sparrows made on the Sabbath, which come to life when Jesus claps — an episode that reappears in the Qur'an.
- The harsh scenes: children and adults who die for crossing him, and Joseph at a loss.
- The schoolmasters who give up teaching him after he explains the first letter of the alphabet.
- It ends with the episode of the twelve-year-old in the temple, the only one also found in Luke.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Infancy Gospel of Thomas the same as the Gospel of Thomas?
- No. They are two distinct books. The Gospel of Thomas is a collection of one hundred and fourteen sayings of the adult Jesus; this one narrates episodes from his childhood. Only the name coincides.
- Is the clay birds story in the Qur'an?
- Yes. The Qur'an mentions Jesus shaping the form of a bird from clay and breathing into it. The narrative tradition is the same one this gospel preserves.