Jesus as a Punk, Magical Rings, and Us
The second-century Infancy Gospel of Thomas portrays the boy Jesus as a hell-on-wheels punk, petulant and quick to anger. This is bad enough in a mortal lad. But in a youth who possesses divine power, the consequences can be deadly for those who cross him. Fr. Kerry explores this strange noncanonical document by comparing it to a tale from the Greek philosopher Plato and suggesting that both are stories about moral character.