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Jesus's Actions in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas

Research Question

Can the Infancy Gospel of Thomas be considered historically accurate?

1.

Why was Jesus portrayed as almost malicious and quick to lash out?

2.

SUMMARY

Method and Sources

SOURCES

Social Theory (Habitus) Approach

-Social norms

-Historical attitudes towards this gospel

-Justifications for Jesus's actions

1

Holy Terror: Jesus in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas

1

-Written by J. R. C. Cousland

-Infancy Thomas is related to but also independent of the canonical gospels

-Jesus's actions mirror those of popular Greco-Roman gods

-Jesus sought revenge "far beyond the gravity of the actual transgression"

-Jesus matured throughout this gospel, acting more altruistically and responsibly

-Jesus "increased in wisdom and in years" (Luke 2:52)

2

The Childhood of Jesus

2

-Written by P. Foster

-Held similar beliefs to Cousland

-Stated that Infancy Thomas presented, "a picture of Jesus very much in accordance with what was likely to be the process of maturing and gender adaptation for a male child."

-The culture in this gospel links to that of eastern Mediterranean village culture

3

The Moral Character Development of the Boy Jesus in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas

3

-Written by M. R. Whitenton

-Infancy Thomas shows the kind of child that would develop into Luke's Jesus

-The actions of child Jesus are comparable to other "child gods" in the ancient Mediterranean world

-Jesus's transition from malice to benevolence is consistent with the ideologies of Aristotle and Plato, who claimed that young boys before the age of 7 have not developed self control and fight to defend their honor at all costs

-Due to their inability to self-govern, boys must be severely disciplined

IN DEPTH

General Observations

-Both modern and historical groups appreciated Infancy Thomas for its religious significance and potential historical accuracy

-It is unreasonable to assume that no society would view this gospel as historically accurate

-Some modern researchers disagree about the reasoning behind Jesus's actions

IN DEPTH

Justifications for Jesus's Actions

JUSTIFICATIONS

Immaturity

-As previously mentioned, some researchers view Jesus's actions as consistent with Luke's Jesus

-Jesus matured over time, developed self-control, and became more benevolent

-This viewpoint is consistent with many Mediterranean cultures

Immaturity

Puer Senex

-Young Jesus was a wise man in a child's body

-His divinity means that his actions are incomprehensible to humans

-This answer means that historical accuracy cannot be determined as Jesus's actions should not link to any culture

Puer Senex

Conclusion

IN BRIEF

-If I were to redo this assignment, I would change the scope of my question

-Too little information exists to develop an indisputable answer about historical accuracy

-The social theory approach allowed me to find evidence that Jesus's actions were reasonable and expected in the eyes of some cultures.

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