What do the Gospels say about Jesus’ childhood?

The canonical Gospels provide very little information regarding the childhood of Jesus. While the Gospel of Matthew and Gospel of Luke offer accounts of his birth in Bethlehem and his upbringing in Nazareth, they remain largely silent on his early years.12

The only specific narrative concerning his youth is found in Luke 2:41–52, which depicts a young Jesus as precociously learned during a visit to the Temple in Jerusalem for Passover. Beyond this, there is no historical evidence in the canonical texts detailing his childhood or early life.1

It is important to distinguish these canonical accounts from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, a non-canonical text that features various stories about Jesus from age five onward. Unlike the canonical Gospels, this text portrays Jesus performing miraculous feats, sometimes depicting him as a vindictive child who uses divine power to punish others.3