I. I, Thomas the Israelite, tell you, and all the brethren that are Gentiles, the works of the childhood of our Lord Jesus Christ and his mighty deeds, and all that he did when he was born in our land:
II. 1 This little child Jesus when he was five years old was playing at the ford of a brook: and he gathered together the waters that flowed there into pools, and made them clean, and commanded them by his word alone. 2 having made soft clay, he fashioned twelve sparrows. it was the Sabbath when he did these things. And there were also many other little children playing with him.
3 a certain Jew when he saw what Jesus did, playing upon the Sabbath day, departed and told his father Joseph: your child is at the brook, and he has taken clay and fashioned twelve little birds, and has polluted the Sabbath day. 4 Joseph came to the place and saw: and cried out to him, saying: Why do you these things on the Sabbath, which it is not lawful to do? But Jesus clapped his hands together and cried out to the sparrows and said to them: Go! and the sparrows took their flight and went away chirping. 5 when the Jews saw it they were amazed, and departed and told their chief men that which they had seen Jesus do.
III. 1 The son of Annas the scribe was standing there with Joseph; and he took a branch of a willow and dispersed the waters which Jesus had gathered together. 2 when Jesus saw what was done, he was angry and said to him: O evil, ungodly, and foolish one, what harm did the pools and the waters do you? Now you will be withered like a tree, and shall not bear leaves, neither root, nor fruit. 3 That lad withered up completely. Jesus departed and went to Joseph's house. The parents of the boy who was withered took him up wailing and brought him to Joseph, and accused him 'for you have such a child which does such deeds.'
IV. 1 Another time Jesus went through the village, and a child ran and dashed against his shoulder. Jesus was provoked and said to him: you shall not finish your life. Immediately he fell down and died. Certain people, when they saw what was done, said: Why was this young child born; every word of his is an accomplished work? the parents of the boy who was dead came to Joseph, and blamed him, saying: you that have such a child cannot dwell with us in the village: or teach him to bless and not to curse: for he slays our children.
V. 1 Joseph called the Jesus apart and admonished him, saying: Why do you such things, that these other people suffer and hate us and persecute us? Jesus replied: I know that these your words are not your own: nevertheless for your sake I will hold my peace: but they shall bear their punishment. Immediately the people who had accused Jesus were smitten with blindness. 2 The people who saw it were afraid and perplexed, and said that every word that Jesus spoke whether it was good or bad, was a deed, and became a marvel. When he saw that Jesus had blinded the people, Joseph arose and took hold upon his ear and wrung it painfully. 3 The young child was angry and said to him: It is enough for you to seek and not to find, and you have certainly done so unwisely: don't you know that I am yours? Leave me alone.
VI. 1 Now a certain teacher, Zacchaeus by name, stood there and he heard Jesus say these things to his father and he marvelled that a young child he spoke in this way. 2 after a few days he came near to Joseph and said to him: you have a wise child, and he has understanding. Come, bring him to me that he may learn letters. I will teach him with the letters all knowledge and that he should salute all the elders and honor them as grandfathers and fathers, and love children his own age. 3 he told him all the letters from Alpha even to Omega clearly, with much questioning. But Jesus looked upon Zacchaeus the teacher and said to him: if you don't know the Alpha according to its nature, how can you teach others the Beta? You hypocrite, first, if you know it, teach the Alpha, and then we will believe you concerning the Beta. Then he began to amaze the teacher concerning the first letter, and the teacher could not manage to answer him.
VII. 1 Now when Zacchaeus the teacher heard this and so many allegories of the first letter spoken by the young child, he was perplexed that Jesus' teachings were so great, and he said to them that were there: Woe is me, wretch that I am, I am confounded: I have brought shame to myself by drawing to me this young child. 2 Take him away my brother Joseph: I cannot endure the severity of his look, I cannot once make clear my word. This young child is not earthly born: this is one that can tame even fire: he is like one begotten before the making of the world. What womb nurtured him? I know not. Woe is me, O my friend, he confuses me completely, I cannot follow his understanding. I have deceived myself, wretched man that I am: I tried to get me a disciple and I am found to have a master. 3 I think, O my friends, upon my shame, I am old but I have been overcome by a young child; and I am even ready to faint and to die because of the boy, for I am not able at this present hour to look him in the face. when all men say that I have been overcome by a little child, what have I to say? and what can I tell concerning the lines of the first letter whereof he spoke to me? I am ignorant, O my friends, for neither beginning nor end of it do I know. 4 I ask you, my brother Joseph, take him away unto you house: for he is somewhat great, whether god or angel or what I should call him, I know not.
VIII. 1 as the Jews were counselling Zacchaeus, the young child laughed and said: Now let those bear fruit that were barren and let them see that were blind in heart. I am come from above that I may curse them, and call them to the things that are above, even as he commanded which has sent me for your sakes. 2 when the young child ceased speaking, immediately all they were made whole which had come under his curse. no man after that dared provoke him, lest he should curse him and maim him.
IX. 1 Jesus was playing in the upper story of a house, and Zeno, one of the young children that played with him, fell down from the house and died. The other children, when they saw it, fled and Jesus remained alone. 2 The parents of the dead boy came and accused Jesus of throwing him down. Jesus said: I did not throw him down. But they reviled him anyway. 3 Then Jesus leaped down from the roof and stood by the body of the child and cried with a loud voice and said: Zeno, arise and tell me, did I throw you down? Immediately he arose and said: No, Lord, you did not throw me down, but did raise me up. when they saw it they were amazed: and the parents of the child glorified God for the sign, and worshipped Jesus.
X. 1 After a few days, a certain young man was cleaving wood in the neighborhood, and the axe fell and cut his foot badly, and losing much blood he was at the point of death. 2 There was a tumult and the young child Jesus ran there, and forced his way through the multitude, and took hold of the foot of the young man that was cut, and straightway it was healed. He said to the young man: Arise now and chop the wood and remember me. But when the multitude saw what was done they worshipped the young child, saying: Truly the spirit of God dwells in this young child.
XI. 1 When he was six years old his mother sent him to draw water and bring it into the house, and gave him a pitcher: but in the crowd he struck it against another and the pitcher was broken. 2 Jesus spread out his cloak and filled it with water and brought it to his mother. When his mother saw what was done she kissed him; and she kept within herself the mysteries which she saw him do.
XII. 1 Again, in the time of sowing the young child went with his father to sow wheat: as his father sowed, the young child sowed just one seed of wheat. 2 he reaped it and threshed it and made of it a hundred measures. Then he called all the poor of the village to the threshing floor and gave them the wheat. Joseph took the residue of the wheat. Jesus was eight years old when he did this miracle.
XIII. 1 Jesus' father was a carpenter and made ploughs and yokes. A rich man wanted him to make a bed. Unfortunately, one of the boards was too short and Joseph didn't know what to do. The young child Jesus said to him: Lay down the two boards and make them even at the end next to you. Joseph did so. Jesus stood at the other end and took hold upon the shorter board and stretched it and made it equal with the other. His father Joseph saw it and marvelled: and he embraced the young child and kissed him, saying: Happy am I for that God has given me this child.
XIV. 1 But when Joseph saw the understanding of the child, and his age, that it was coming to completion, he thought again that he should not be ignorant of letters, so he took Jesus and delivered him to another teacher. That teacher said to Joseph: First will I teach him the Greek letters, and after that the Hebrew. For the teacher knew the skill of the child and was afraid of him. He wrote the alphabet. Jesus pondered it a long time and said nothing. 2 Jesus finally said to him: If you indeed are a teacher and if you know letters well, tell me the power of the Alpha and then I will tell you the power of the Beta. The teacher was angry and smacked him upside the head. The young child was hurt and cursed him. He fainted and fell to the ground on his face. 3 the child returned to the house of Joseph: and Joseph was grieved and commanded his mother, saying: Let him not forth without the door, for those who anger him all die.
XV. 1 after some time yet another teacher, a faithful friend of Joseph, said to him: Bring the young child to me to the school, perhaps by pampering him I can teach him the letters. Joseph said: If you dare, my brother, take him with you. He took him with him, in fear and much trouble of spirit, but the young child followed him gladly. 2 Going boldly into the school he found a book lying upon the pulpit and he took it, and read not the letters that were in it but, rather, he opened his mouth and spoke by the Holy Spirit, and taught the law to everyone nearby. A great multitude came together and listened, and marveling at the beauty of his teaching, and especially that an infant could utter such things. 3 But when Joseph heard it, he was afraid, and ran to the school whether this teacher also had failed: but the teacher said to Joseph: I received this child for a disciple, but he is full of grace and wisdom; and now I ask you, brother, take him home. 4 when the young Jesus heard that, he smiled and said: Because you have said the right things, for your sake I will heal the other teacher. And the other teacher was healed. Joseph took the young child and went home.
XVI. 1 Joseph sent his son James to bind firewood and carry it into his house and the young child Jesus also followed him. As James was gathering of faggots, a viper bit the hand of James. 2 Just a=s he was about to die, Jesus came near and breathed upon the bite, and straightway the pain ceased, and the serpent burst, and James was well again.
XVII. 1 After these things, in the neighbourhood a little child fell sick and died, and his mother wept. Jesus heard that there was great mourning and trouble and he ran quickly and found the child dead: and he touched his breast and said: I say to you, child, don't die, but live and be with your mother. Immediately it looked up and laughed. And Jesus said to the woman: Take him up and give him milk, and remember me. 2 The crowd that stood by saw it and marvelled, and said: This young child is either a god or an angel of God; for every word of his is a perfect work. Jesus departed and went to play with other children.
XVIII. 1 After some time there was building going on. Suddenly, there came a great tumult, and Jesus arose and went there and saw a man lying dead. Jesus took hold of his hand and said: Man, I say to you, arise and do your work. Immediately he arose and worshipped Jesus. 2 When the multitude saw it they were astonished, and said: This young child is from heaven: for he has saved many souls from death, and has power to save them all his life long.
XIX. 1 When he was twelve years old his parents went in a caravan to Jerusalem to the feast of the passover. After the passover they returned to go to their house. However, as they returned the child Jesus went back to Jerusalem. His parents though that he was with their caravan. 2 when they had gone a day's journey, they sought him among their kinsfolk, and when they didn't find him they were troubled, and they returned to the city to look for him. After the third day they found him in the temple sitting in the midst of the doctors and hearing and asking them questions. All men paid heed to him and marvelled that being a young child he put to silence the elders and teachers of the people, expounding the heads of the law and the parables of the prophets. 3 His mother Mary came near and said to him: Child, why have you done this to us? We have been very worried. Jesus said to them: Why seek me? Don't you know not that I must be in my Father's house? 4 But the scribes and Pharisees said: are you the mother of this child? and she said: I am. They said to her: Blessed are you among women because God has blessed the fruit of your womb. For such glory and such excellence and wisdom we have neither seen nor heard at any time before. 5 Jesus arose and followed his mother and was subject to his parents: but his mother kept in mind all that came to pass. Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and grace. to him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.