Endnote 9 – The Infancy Narratives in Matthew and Luke—Of History, Theology and Literature

Apocryphal Gospels are Christian writings which arose primarily in the second century A.D., and which were fanciful, imaginative, and fictitious expansions upon various aspects of Jesus’ life and for ministry. There is a tendency for apocryphal materials to fill in areas which are lacking in the canonical Gospels (such as Jesus’ infancy, boyhood, youth, young manhood, etc.).