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Audiobook edition · 39 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 40 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 40 pagesAbout this book
What kind of childhood does this ancient gospel imagine for a boy whose anger can be as powerful as his kindness?
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas gathers short stories about Jesus between about five and twelve. In its Galilean village, clay birds come to life, neighbours grow afraid, and ordinary lessons become tests of authority. Joseph and Mary face a child they cannot easily guide, while the teacher Zacchaeus finds that teaching him the alphabet is no simple task.
Written by an unknown author, probably in the second century, this apocryphal account explores how early Christians imagine divine power within childhood. Its episodes move between wonder, anger, healing and help. Rather than a calm devotional portrait, it offers an unsettling question: how can the child portrayed as the Son of God grow in wisdom among other people?
What you’ll discover
- Birds shaped from clay Enter a village scene where the text turns a child's handiwork into a startling wonder.
- Power with troubling edges Encounter stories where anger brings suffering, and neighbours fear what the boy may do.
- Parents caught in uncertainty Follow Joseph and Mary as they worry over a son whose deeds unsettle their neighbours.
- Lessons that challenge teachers Watch Zacchaeus begin with the alphabet and meet knowledge he does not expect.
- Questions behind the wonders Explore how these childhood episodes bring divine authority, human growth and mercy into tension.
Who will love it
For readers who love early Christian writing, stories about Jesus beyond the four Gospels, and tales of wonder with real human feeling.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A boy of five breathes life into clay
- Anger in the village carries a deadly cost
- Teachers meet a pupil who knows more
- Curses give way to healing and help
- A child holds divine power and still has to grow
- Parents, neighbors and teachers carry the human story
- Repeated patterns and a link to Luke shape the telling
Who’s who
- JesusA boy from five to twelve whose spoken words become deeds, learning through scenes of anger, teaching and healing how to use his power.
- JosephThe carpenter father, who scolds, warns and protects the boy, and wants him taught his letters while the village grows afraid.
- MaryThe mother, who watches quietly, kisses her son when he carries water in his garment, and keeps the mysteries she sees to herself.
- ZacchaeusA teacher who offers to teach the boy his letters and meets a pupil who questions the very first one.
- JamesJoseph's son, sent to gather wood with Jesus, who is bitten by a viper and healed by the boy's breath.
- ZenoA child who falls from a roof and is called back to life, and who tells Jesus that he raised him up.
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The Infancy Gospel of Thomas
by Attributed to Thomas the Israelite · 150
A five-year-old shapes twelve clay sparrows on the sabbath, claps his hands, and they fly away chirping.
Medium levelUnder 2 hours to readEnglish
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“Truly the Spirit of God dwells in this child.”
In short
Picture a boy of five at a brook crossing on the sabbath. He gathers the running water into pools and makes it clean at once, by his word alone.
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas at a glance
- Reading time
- About 15 min10 min fast, 15 min slow
- Length
- 3,100 words21 chapters
- Pages
- 40 pages40 in large print
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- about AD 150by Attributed to Thomas the Israelite
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
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Listen to the whole bookOr hold it in print: paperback, hardcover or large print, at costFrom the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A boy of five breathes life into clay
The tale opens with a short note from its author. He calls himself Thomas the Israelite and writes to his brothers among the Gentiles. He means to make known the mighty deeds of the childhood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Scholars treat the name as a label added to give the story weight, and the real writer remains unknown.
The story begins at once with a boy of five at a brook crossing. Many other children are playing with him. Jesus gathers the flowing water into pools and makes it clean on the spot by his word alone. Then he shapes twelve sparrows from soft clay. The detail that matters to the villagers is the day. It is the sabbath, the day of rest, when such work is forbidden.
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A five-year-old shapes twelve clay sparrows on the sabbath, claps his hands, and they fly away chirping.
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Details
- First published
- 150
- Language
- English
- Listening time
- 39 min
- Level
- Medium level
- Paperback
- 40 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Hardcover
- 40 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Large print paperback
- 40 pages · 8.5 × 11 in
- Large print hardcover
- 40 pages · 8.5 × 11 in
- Delivery and returns
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For Christmas, order by Thu 12 Nov
Cite this edition
Thomas the Israelite. The Infancy Gospel of Thomas. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-infancy-gospel-of-thomas.
Thomas the Israelite. (2026). The infancy gospel of Thomas. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-infancy-gospel-of-thomas (Original work published ca. 150)
Thomas the Israelite. The Infancy Gospel of Thomas. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-infancy-gospel-of-thomas.
@book{thomastheisraelite2026infancy,
author = {Thomas the Israelite},
title = {The Infancy Gospel of Thomas},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-infancy-gospel-of-thomas},
note = {First published ca. 150}
}
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What is the Infancy Gospel of Thomas about?
It tells of the boyhood of Jesus from about age five to twelve. Scenes include clay sparrows, quarrels with villagers, three teachers, healings, and the visit to the Temple in Jerusalem, drawn from Luke.
Is the Infancy Gospel of Thomas the same as the Gospel of Thomas?
No. The Gospel of Thomas found at Nag Hammadi in 1945 is a collection of sayings. This is a separate narrative about the childhood of Jesus, and the two share only a name.
Who wrote the Infancy Gospel of Thomas and when?
The author is unknown. The text names Thomas the Israelite, but scholars do not think the apostle wrote it. Most date the tale to the second century, in Greek, and its many versions differ.
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