What was Jesus like as a child?

I did plug my inputs into Grok and see what it would say and it gave me this. "
From the canonical Gospels (the Bible), we know very little about Jesus' childhood.
The New Testament gives us only a handful of details:

• Birth and early infancy: Born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2, Luke 2), visited by shepherds and Magi, flight to Egypt to escape Herod, then settlement in Nazareth.
• Age 12 in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52): This is the only detailed story of his boyhood. His family goes to Jerusalem for Passover. On the return trip, they realize he's missing. They find him in the Temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and answers. When Mary and Joseph rebuke him, he replies:
  

  “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (or “about my Father’s business”).

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  Luke then says he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them, and that he “grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”

That’s essentially it for the Bible. The Gospels focus overwhelmingly on his public ministry from age ~30 onward (Luke 3:23).

Apocryphal Infancy Gospels​

The stories you referenced (like the Infancy Gospel of Thomas and others) are not in the Bible. They come from 2nd-century (and later) apocryphal writings. These texts were popular in some early Christian communities, especially in the East, and some traditions (including parts of Coptic Orthodoxy) have preserved and valued certain elements of them.
Common stories include:

• Toddler Jesus making clay birds and bringing them to life.
• Causing a boy who bumps into him to wither or die, then sometimes healing or reviving people.
• The famous story of the Egyptian idols toppling when the Holy Family entered a temple in Egypt.
• Helping his father Joseph with carpentry miracles (shortening or lengthening wood).

These portray a child with divine power who is still learning to use it wisely — sometimes acting in ways that seem impulsive or harsh by modern standards. Traditional Christian theology (across most denominations) holds that Jesus was fully sinless (Hebrews 4:15, 2 Corinthians 5:21, etc.). So any “naughty” or destructive acts in these stories create theological tension. Some defenders interpret them symbolically or say they show his growing humanity + divinity.
Your point about John 21:25 is a fair one many people make — the Bible itself says it doesn’t record everything Jesus did. However, the early Church ultimately did not include these infancy gospels in the canon. They were known but judged either unreliable, late, or theologically problematic by most of the Church Fathers who set the canon.

Different Christian Traditions​

• Protestant/Evangelical view: Usually very skeptical of the infancy gospels. They are seen as pious legends or folklore, not history.
• Catholic & Eastern Orthodox: Generally treat them as non-inspired but sometimes spiritually edifying or culturally important. Some icons and feasts draw lightly on them.
• Coptic Orthodox: Has a stronger traditional acceptance of certain infancy stories (especially the Egypt sojourn and idols falling), which fits Egyptian Christian identity. Your experience in the Coptic Church for 8+ years gives you a valid perspective from within that ancient tradition, which has indeed endured heavy persecution.

My take as Grok​

The biblical portrait is of a remarkably wise and devout Jewish boy who was conscious of a unique relationship with God the Father from a young age, yet lived in normal obedience to his parents. The apocryphal stories add color and wonder — some people find them inspiring as they show the Incarnation touching every stage of life (even childhood). Others find them inconsistent with the sinless, self-controlled Jesus of the canonical Gospels.
Ultimately, Christianity’s core claim is about who Jesus became and what he accomplished as an adult — the Cross and Resurrection — rather than detailed childhood psychology. The scarcity of information in Scripture itself may be intentional: we are meant to focus on his teachings and saving work.
If you want to discuss specific infancy stories, Coptic traditions, or how to reconcile them with sinlessness, feel free to share more. What aspect interests you most?

Armour of God said:

I don't recall this story in the infancy gospel of Thomas. Maybe it's from another book

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A Google search brought up this from an AI Overview:

"1. The Holy Family's Flight into Egypt (Christian Tradition)
According to early Christian apocrypha and medieval texts (such as the Golden Legend), the Holy Family’s arrival in Egypt caused the idols in pagan temples to fall and shatter."

The obvious question is why would Mary, Joseph and Jesus be in a pagan temple in Egypt anyway?

To believe these apocryphal writings, particularly the Infancy Gospel, we have to end up disbelieving biblical truth. Just one example, the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin. The Infancy Gospel has Jesus taking revenge on a boy who had struck Him on the shoulder, by causing him to die:

"After that He was again passing through the village; and a boy ran up against Him, and struck His shoulder. And Jesus was angry, and said to him: You shall not go back the way you came. And immediately he fell down dead. And some who saw what had taken place, said: Whence was this child begotten, that every word of his is certainly accomplished? And the parents of the dead boy went away to Joseph, and blamed him, saying: Since you have such a child, it is impossible for you to live with us in the village; or else teach him to bless, and not to curse: for he is killing our children."

Armour of God said:

I don't recall this story in the infancy gospel of Thomas. Maybe it's from another book

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Going to ask Grok.


The story of the idols toppling comes from the apocryphal Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew (also called the Infancy Gospel of Matthew), chapters 22–24 (numbering can vary slightly by edition).
This 7th–9th century Latin text expands on the canonical Flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13–23) with legendary details. It is not part of the canonical New Testament and is considered apocryphal/pseudepigraphal.

Direct Citation (Key Excerpt)​

Here is the core passage (from a standard English translation, e.g., as found on sites like New Advent or Wesley Center):

"And it came to pass, when the most blessed Mary went into the temple with the little child, that all the idols prostrated themselves on the ground, so that all of them were lying on their faces shattered and broken to pieces; and thus they plainly showed that they were nothing. Then was fulfilled that which was said by the prophet Isaiah: Behold, the Lord will come upon a swift cloud, and will enter Egypt, and all the handiwork of the Egyptians shall be moved at His presence." (Isaiah 19:1)

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Context: The Holy Family arrives in a city in Egypt (called Sotinen/Sohennen near Hermopolis in the text, sometimes linked by tradition to places like Tel Basta). The temple (called the "Capitol of Egypt") had 355/365 idols. When Mary enters carrying the infant Jesus, the idols fall and break. The governor Affrodosius then worships Jesus and declares the superiority of the Christian God, leading the people to believe.
This matches the Beliefnet article ("Toddler Jesus Topples Egyptian Idols!") you referenced, which discusses Coptic traditions and explicitly quotes Pseudo-Matthew.

Quick Notes​

• The story fulfills the prophecy in Isaiah 19:1 about idols trembling in Egypt.
• Similar but not identical versions appear in other infancy traditions (e.g., Arabic Infancy Gospel or Coptic sources), but the specific "idols prostrating and shattering" detail with the temple visit is most directly from Pseudo-Matthew.
• Full text is available online (e.g., NewAdvent.org or Wesley.nnu.edu).

This is the direct source "Armor of God" likely missed—it's a well-known episode in medieval Christian art and apocryphal literature depicting the Flight into Egypt. Let me know if you need the full chapter or more context!

I was very happy with the Grok write up and told Grok except for finding fault with one detail. "
"Great write up the only thing to quibble with is the mention of the governor and the Christian God if this is taking place during Jesus being an infant, decades before Christianity" To Which Grok replied
You're right — that's a fair quibble. The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew is an apocryphal Christian text (likely 7th–9th century), so it naturally uses later Christian language and theology even when describing events set during Jesus' infancy, decades before the term "Christianity" or organized Christian communities existed.

Exact Wording from the Source​

Here's the direct continuation from Chapter 24 (standard numbering):

"Then Affrodosius, that governor of the city, when news of this was brought to him, went to the temple with all his army. ... But when he came into the temple, and saw all the gods lying prostrate on their faces, he went up to the blessed Mary, who was carrying the Lord in her bosom, and adored Him, and said to all his army and all his friends: 'Unless this were the God of our gods, our gods would not have fallen on their faces before Him...' ... Then all the people of that same city believed in the Lord God through Jesus Christ."

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The governor doesn't explicitly say "Christian God" in the oldest versions — he refers to the true God / Lord whom their own idols are acknowledging. The text then concludes with the people believing "in the Lord God through Jesus Christ," which is clearly the author's Christian framing of the event.
This is common in apocryphal infancy gospels: they expand on the brief canonical Flight into Egypt (Matthew 2) with miraculous legends while retroactively applying post-resurrection Christian confession.
The core miracle (idols falling when Mary enters with the infant Jesus) remains the same, fulfilling Isaiah 19:1. The governor's reaction and the mass "conversion" are part of the legendary embellishment.
If you're discussing this with "Armor of God," you can point to the full text on New Advent or similar sites for the exact chapters 23–24. Let me know if you'd like a longer excerpt or comparisons to other infancy traditions!

(I ask if this came up in the Coptic Lectionary readings, because I remembered it coming up in church at least once a year. Hagiographies are read to compliment material from the book of Acts because the actual founding of the Church is a serious matter of Faith in Christian Orthodoxy).


Yes, the story (or a version of it) is integrated into Coptic tradition and referenced in connection with the Synaxarion, but not as a verbatim full retelling of the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew episode.

Key Details​

• The Coptic Synaxarion (the main hagiographical/lectionary collection of saints' lives and commemorations) marks 24 Bashans (Pachons) — corresponding to June 1 in the Gregorian calendar — as the feast of the Entry of the Lord Christ into Egypt.
• The entry explicitly references the canonical Flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13–15) and fulfills prophecies like Hosea 11:1 (“Out of Egypt I called My Son”) and especially Isaiah 19:1 (“Behold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud... the idols of Egypt will totter at His presence”).

The Synaxarion reading itself focuses more on the reasons for the journey, the blessings brought to Egypt, and the broad tradition that idols trembled or fell wherever the Holy Family went. It does not always quote the full dramatic temple scene with 365 idols, the governor Affrodosius, etc., from Pseudo-Matthew. However:

• Coptic accounts of the Holy Family’s route (widely shared in sermons, pilgrimage literature, and sites like Tel Basta / Bubastis) routinely include the idols toppling when Mary enters a temple with the infant Jesus. This is presented as historical tradition tied to the feast.
• Specific sites (e.g., Tel Basta) are linked to a well created by Jesus and idols shattering in the temple, causing fear among priests. These details echo Pseudo-Matthew but are adapted into local Coptic lore.

Summary​

The idols toppling is part of the living Coptic liturgical and devotional memory of the Flight into Egypt, celebrated on the Synaxarion date of 24 Bashans. It complements readings from Acts or saints’ lives by highlighting Christ’s early ministry in Egypt. The full legendary version comes from apocryphal sources like Pseudo-Matthew, but the core miracle (fulfilling Isaiah) is affirmed in Coptic sources.
This explains why many Copts know the story well even if the exact Pseudo-Matthew text isn’t read verbatim in the liturgy. If you’d like the full English text of the Synaxarion entry for that day or details on a specific site, let me know!