The Infancy Gospels refer to several apocryphal (non-canonical) gospels which focus on the childhood of Jesus Christ. These texts are dated to the 2nd century AD and beyond, well after the canonical gospels of the New Testament were written. The Infancy Gospels contain many fantastic and miraculous stories about Jesus’ childhood which are not found in the Bible. While these texts may contain some truths, most scholars view them as legends which developed later in church history. Four main Infancy Gospels have survived to today:
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas claims to contain stories about the childhood of Jesus between the ages of 5 and 12. It focuses mainly on miraculous events and Jesus’ divine nature. For example, it tells of Jesus bringing clay birds to life, cursing and striking dead another boy who bumped into him, and raising a friend from the dead. Most scholars date this gospel to the late 2nd century AD. While a few details may be authentic, the Infancy Gospel of Thomas contains many exaggerated and legendary stories which seem intended to bolster Jesus’ divine status rather than preserve historically accurate accounts. This gospel was declared heretical by church leaders.
The Infancy Gospel of James (Protevangelium of James)
The Infancy Gospel of James focuses on the birth and early life of Mary, as well as the birth of Jesus. It claims that Mary’s own birth was miraculous, that she remained a lifelong virgin, and that a midwife validated her virginity after Jesus’ birth. The text also expands on Matthew and Luke’s canonical birth narratives, adding fantastical stories such as the midwife’s hand withering after she questions Mary’s virginity. While a kernel of plausible historical tradition underlies some details, scholars widely regard the Infancy Gospel of James as a 2nd century legendary text written to glorify Mary rather than preserve authentic history. This gospel influenced later Catholic doctrine about Mary.
The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew (or Infancy Gospel of Matthew)
The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew is based heavily on the Infancy Gospel of James, reproducing large portions of it verbatim. It adds some new stories, many of which emphasize Jesus’ kingship. For example, it tells of Jesus being worshipped by dragons and lions and receiving a throne sent to him by the Magi. Along with the Infancy Gospel of James, Pseudo-Matthew helped promote Marian veneration within the medieval church. But it contains the same legendary exaggerations and was likely written in the 7th or 8th century, not by the apostle Matthew.
The Arabic Infancy Gospel
The Arabic Infancy Gospel incorporates stories from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas along with additional legends. It tells of the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt, Jesus bringing clay birds to life, and curing sick and cursed individuals. The Arabic Infancy Gospel seeks to portray Jesus as prophet, healer, and miracle worker. But it dates to around the 5th-6th century and has Docetic elements which deny Jesus’ full humanity. This gospel influenced the Quran’s account of Jesus’ childhood, but most biblical scholars regard it as inauthentic folklore.
In summary, the Infancy Gospels contain many imaginative and exaggerated stories which seek to glorify Jesus’ divine nature and miraculous power. They do not aim to provide historical accuracy, but rather to bolster faith, ascribe supernatural attributes to Jesus even as a child, and answer curiosities about Jesus’ early life not addressed in the canonical gospels. The Infancy Gospels influenced medieval Marian piety as well as Islamic beliefs about Jesus. Yet modern scholars largely discount them as products of pious legend rather than historical record. They show the development of extrabiblical tradition and Christian imagination regarding Jesus’ childhood, but provide little reliable information about this period of his life not found in Matthew and Luke.
While entertaining to read, the Infancy Gospels do not meet the historical standards or close time proximity to Jesus’ life of the New Testament gospels. The early church rightly rejected them as inauthentic when forming the biblical canon. The miraculous tales in the Infancy Gospels often seem designed to exalt Jesus’ divine identity rather than preserve accurate history. So most scholars advise caution in looking to these texts for genuine insight about Jesus’ childhood years. The canonical gospels contain sparse but more historically plausible details about Jesus’ early life and development prior to his public ministry, without the embellishment found in later apocryphal texts.
In the end, the Infancy Gospels illustrate the human longing to fill in biographical gaps about famous figures, along with the tendency toward embellishment over time. They show the application of supernatural claims to Jesus even as a young child, in keeping with the Christology that would develop in church history. While interesting from historical and theological perspectives, the Infancy Gospels lack authenticity and their portrait of Jesus often seems just as mythical as historical. For reliable information about Jesus’ life and ministry, the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John remain the best sources available.