Infancy Gospel of Thomas

In which young Jesus brings mud sparrows to life, kills the high priest’s son, kills another kid who bumps him, humiliates his first teacher, resurrects a wood cutter, kills his second teacher and brings a construction worker back to life.

If your brand of Christianity is of the “fearing Jesus” type, you are going to love the stories in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, which features several murders and resurrections.  While the New Testament focuses on such topics as cannibalism (Last Supper) and torture (crucifixion), it generally can’t compete with the Hebrew Bible in terms of overall body count. However, the Infancy Gospel of Thomas features a series of alarming “death miracles” by the Savior that are quite a change of pace (indeed, quite the opposite) from the raising of the Lazarus. 

The Infancy Gospel is written by Thomas, who self-identifies as an Israelite. Bear in mind as you read there were two types of early Christians: Jewish and non-Jew or Gentile. They did not always agree on the nature of the Savior (see appendix Jewish Apocalypticism).

As the gospel opens, a five year old Jesus is playing in pools left by a rain storm, verbally instructing the waters to clear up. He then formed twelve sparrows from the mud. Unfortunately, it was the Sabbath and work of any kind is punishable by death (Ex. 35). A busy body Pharisee reports little Jesus to his father. Joseph berates him, but Jesus surprises everyone by bringing the birds to life. The little mud sparrows fly away.

For whatever reason, the son of the high priest happens to be on hand for this miracle and demands to know why is violating the Sabbath – not how he is reanimating birds . Annas’s son proceeds to drain the pools that the five year old future Messiah has created. Jesus is so displeased that he kills Annas’s son, saying “Your fruit will have no root, and your shoot will be withered like a scorched branch in a violent wind!”

The next murder comes when another child bumps Jesus’s shoulder by accident while running. Jesus slays this individual by saying: “Cursed be you because of your leader!” The careless runner dies immediately, causing the onlookers to wonder: “From where was this child born, that his word becomes deed?” (Joseph's response would have to be: “Well, it’s a long story.”) 

They demand that Joseph teach Jesus to behave or move away from the village. It is understandable that the people are upset, but it is less understandable that they aren’t MORE upset. Joseph attempts to reason with his firstborn, but the kid doubles down and causes the his people to go blind. Joseph pulls his ear (a risky move at this point) but Jesus points out quizzically that he is Joseph’s child. Which is, you know, sort of true. 

At this point, a teacher named Zacchaeus volunteers to take the murderous tyke under his wing and give him an education. This leads to a testy, disrespectful answer from Jesus, ending with a cryptic statement in which we he introduces metaphysical themes. 

“When you were born, I existed, standing beside you so that as a father you may be taught a teaching by me which no one else knows or can teach. And you will bear the name of salvation. The truth is that I, who was created before this world, know accurately when you were born, and your fathers, and their fathers.”

Being still a five year old, however, he can’t resist skipping around a little and taunting his audience. “I was playing with you because I know you’re small-minded, and amazed with small things.”

Everything seems to settle down and Zacchaeus takes him to school and starts to teach the alphabet. When Jesus shows no interest, the teacher smacks him on the head. 

Jesus recites the alphabet and delivers another enigmatic speech, which has overtones of kabbala and Buddhist thought. For his part, Zacchaeus is humiliated: “Woe is me! Woe is me! I’ve been baffled and am miserable. I’ve brought shame on myself, taking on this child. This child is simply not of this earth. He can even tame fire! Perhaps this child existed before the creation of the world. What kind of womb bore him? What kind of mother raised him? I don’t know. Woe is me, brother! He stupefies me. My mind can’t follow him. I’ve deceived myself, thrice-unhappy as I am. I thought to gain a disciple, and I’m found having a teacher.”

He asks Joseph to take the boy away. Jesus gets to the point and we hear a fairly straightforward summary of his mission. 

“Now may the barren bear fruit, the blind see, and the foolish in heart find understanding: that I’m here from above, so that I may deliver those below and call them up, just as the one who sent me to you has ordered me.”

The people who had previously been cursed were restored to life and all seems forgiven. 

Unfortunately a new incident looms when a child falls off a roof and dies while playing with Jesus. The parents accuse Jesus of pushing him, which he denies. He raises the boy from the dead so he can confirm that Jesus didn’t push him. The parents proceed to worship the young Jesus.

Next, the messiah performs another flash resurrection by healing the wound of a wood cutter who had died of an axe wound to his foot. This enhances Jesus’s prestige in the community. 

Time goes on and we are introduced to the Savior as a resourceful seven year old. When his pitcher breaks while getting water at the public cistern, Jesus fills up his cloak and carried the water home in the article of clothing. This is a bit of a low rent miracle, but a miracle nevertheless.

As an eight year old, Jesus assists his carpenter dad, who is modifying a bed for a rich man. Joseph despairs because one board is longer than the other, but Jesus stretches one of them for him so it is equal with the others. Joseph thanks God for giving him the miraculous kid. 

The earlier incident with Zacchaeus notwithstanding, Joseph decides to get Jesus another teacher. He smart mouths the teacher, who strikes him. Jesus kills the teacher with a curse. When Jesus got home he is grounded. 

A few days later, a third teacher volunteers to teach Jesus using flattery. But Jesus begins to spout all manner of wisdom, to the point that the teacher tells his dad to take him home. He speaks so many holy words to the assembled crowd that the teacher announced he didn’t need an education. 

He heals James who is dying of a snake bite. It is not clear who James is, but it could conceivably be his brother. He brings a baby back to life, causing the crowd to proclaim his holiness as a god or angel. Later, he brings a builder back to life at a work site. 

The final incident involves Jesus remaining at the temple in Jerusalem as his parents travels home. When they find him, he is teaching the law to the elders. And Jesus said, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that it’s necessary for me to be in the place of my Father?” 

If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is the same story recounted in Luke 2:41-52 – a canonical gospel. In the Luke version, Jesus is twelve.

Note also that this non approved story sequence covers Jesus’s childhood from the age of five to twelve. It is the only version of his early childhood. 

This strange series is one of a dozen or so extracanonical books that are not officially included in the New Testament. They are counterparts of the apocryphal books of the Old Testament, which are included in some versions of the Bible and not others. 

While this seems to be a bizarre bit of narrative, step back and consider whether or not it is more or less bizarre than the official narratives. The fact is, if you were indoctrinated early, then the myths of both New and Old Testament seem normal, even though they generally bear no scrutiny. 

The selection of material that eventually ended up in the Bible took about three centuries and was completely arbitrary. The debates were endless and bitter as to what content was holy enough to be official, and yet we still ended up with such works as the pornographic Song of Solomon and the science fiction Bel and the Dragon.