Stories from Jesus’ Childhood?

Should the story be included in the biblical canon?

The text on this papyrus is a copy of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, an apocryphal gospel written a century after Christ’s ministry on earth. The Infancy Gospel of Thomas includes stories of Jesus killing people and expressing gnostic ideas. This apocryphal gospel does not line up with the character of Christ or theology found in the canon of Scripture. The Infancy Gospel of Thomas and other apocryphal gospels are not part of Scripture.

We may not know much about Jesus as a child, but we already know the most important details—that he was born of a virgin, grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52), lived a sinless life, died, and rose for our salvation.