Between the apocrypha and heresy (exemplified with The Infancy Gospel of Thomas)

Abstract

The main aim of the article is to present its author’s point of view on the role of the apocrypha in the process of shaping the attitude of a contemporary Christian. The author believes that the apocrypha, being excluded from the Biblical canon, have not lost any of their original cognitive values, despite the fact that the dissemination of non-canon religious texts is not widely popular among the members of the clergy. The apocrypha, both now and in the past, fuels the reader’s imagination and fascinates them with narratives on Jesus Christ’s otherworldly powers, from his infancy to adolescence. It makes him seem to be closer to a human being by showing real emotions and character flaws of the Son of God. In the researcher’s opinion, The Infancy Gospel of Thomas, considered (by Irenaeus of Lyon) to be a heretic text in the early years of Christianity is an example of a new thought emerging in the mentality of a contemporary Christian – spurred by their own choice, not imposed by an external authority – their need to gain a deeper understanding of what has been hidden away from them, left unsaid in official teachings and somehow reserved solely to a limited audience.