Jesus's Childhood: The Missing Years?

Alfred Edersheim

The gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) tell us little about the childhood of Jesus. We
know only a handful of events: the family's escape to Egypt (Matthew 2:14) and return to Nazareth
(Matthew 2:23; Luke 2:39); His increasing wisdom (Luke 2:40-52); and His visit to the Temple in
Jerusalem at age 12 and obedience to His parents (Luke 2:41-51).

It should be noted that further accounts of Christ's childhood were included in the so-called apocryphal
gospels, written much later by those seeking to fill in the "gaps." However, these "gospels" present a
child who is sullen and uses miracles for entertainment rather than doing the will of God. Neither of
these attributes fits with the character of Christ.

While the authentic details of Jesus's childhood are sparse, we can learn a great deal from the country
and area of His youth: Israel and Galilee. While Jerusalem emphasized the intricate and convoluted study
of the Old Testament and teachings of the rabbis, Galilee's distance from the city afforded a somewhat
milder approach that had little respect for legalism. For this reason and because of dialect differences,
the Galileans were often seen as unlearned. "Galilean—Fool!" became a common expression.

We can expect that Jesus grew up in an atmosphere permeated with the teachings and words of the Old
Testament. He also likely attended a Jewish school by age six, since these were common even in remote
areas.

Beyond this, the content of His parables and teachings may suggest the everyday sights of His youth:
shepherds with their sheep, marriage parties in celebration, foxes in their lairs, tax collectors at the door,
widows at work looking for lost coins, bakers in the middle of kneading bread, and the poor in the street.

The one aspect we can be sure of is that Jesus's youth served to fulfill an important part of His ministry.
That is, though fully God, He grew up as any human does.

Adapted from The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah by Alfred Edersheim (Book II, Chapters IX and X).

OTHER SOURCES:
There’s a serious gap in the bible that omits almost 20 years of Jesus’ life. So where did he go and what
did he get up to during this time?

By James Mitchell

21 Apr 2017 - 12:06 PM UPDATED 21 Apr 2017 - 12:07 PM

It’s one of the greatest mysteries in history. What happened to Jesus when he all but disappeared from
the scriptures at 12-years-old only to resurface at around 30 to begin his ministry?

Of course, the widely accepted Christian belief is that he spent these years plying his trade as a carpenter
in Galilee, but there’s little reference to that in the bible.

This gaping hole in Jesus’ life has led to several theories. The most prevalent ones range from somewhat
credible, to questionable, to bat sh*t bonkers. Could Jesus have studied Hinduism and Buddhism in
India, communed with Druids in Great Britain, become an adopted son of Japan, or travelled throughout
the Americas?

These alternate histories, or alternate facts if you like, are an industry in themselves. If any or some were
true, it would shatter the beliefs and foundation of Christianity.

But there’s such a lack of irrefutable evidence for each one that they need to be taken with a big sack of
salt. Here’s a look at these nonetheless fascinating theories.

Jesus studies Hinduism and Buddhism in India

Could a hidden manuscript be proof of Jesus’ time in India?

One of the most prevalent theories is that Jesus trained with mystics in the Himalayas. “Russian
aristocrat, Cossack officer, spy, and journalist” Nicolas Notovitch claimed in an account of his 1894 trip to
the Himis monastery in Tibet to have seen the 3rd Century AD manuscript, the Life of Saint Issa, Best of
the Sons of Men, detailing Jesus’ missing years. It claimed Jesus, called Issa by monks, studied under
yogis in India, Nepal and Tibet.

Others have also claimed to have set their eyes upon the manuscript, said to remain hidden by Buddhists
in a Himalayan monastery. Adding to the theory is the idea that Jesus survived the crucifixion and
returned to India, and is in fact buried there.

Jesus visits Great Britain with his uncle

This theory posits that Jesus communed with Druids in Glastonbury, Britain

The theory that Jesus visited Britain as a young man gained momentum with the poem Jerusalem
written by William Blake with the verses “And did those feet in ancient time / Walk upon England’s
mountains green? And was the Holy Lamb of God / On England’s pleasant pastures seen?”

As legend would have it, Jesus travelled some 2,000 years ago to the West Country with Joseph of
Arimathaea, a tin trader who some believe was Jesus’ uncle. Jesus is said to have studied with Druids in
Glastonbury, the idea being that Druidism held some similarities to the Christian faith. The theory has it
that Jesus built a chapel there.

Documentary And Did Those Feet posits that Jesus may have come to Britain to further his learning.

"If somebody was wanting to learn about the spirituality and thinking not just of the Jews but also the
classical and Greek world he would have to come to Britain, which was the centre of learning at the
time,” the film’s director and producer Ted Harrison told The Independent, but admitting there’s no
archeological finds that he knows of to back this up.

Of course, Britain is at the heart of the Holy Grail legend, the cup said to be used by Jesus at the Last
Supper, and in one theory used by Joseph of Arimathaea to collect Jesus’ blood during his crucifixion. As
one Arthurian legend would have it, the medieval military order the Knights Templar seized the holy grail
during the Crusades.

Jesus goes to Japan

This whacky theory claims that Jesus visited Japan at 21, was never crucified, and returned to Japan
where he is buried in the hamlet of Shingo.

Here’s a fascinating idea; at 21-years-old legend has it that Jesus became a disciple of a Buddhist master
near Mount Fuji, immersing himself in Japanese culture and learning the language.

But it’s what supposedly happened later that is really bonkers. As Smithsonian Magazine reports, a
variation on one of the many ‘Swoon’ theories (which argue that Jesus never died) posits that his
younger brother Isukiri took his place on the cross.

Jesus then returned to Japan with his brother’s severed ear and a lock of the virgin Mary’s hair, settling
down in the northern mountain hamlet of Shingo with a farmer’s daughter named Miyuko, and fathered
three daughters. He grew garlic!! He died aged 106!!
It’s a legend that has a huge following. Every year some 20,000 people visit Shingo, also known as
Kirisuto no Sato (Christ’s Hometown) to the supposed site of Jesus’ burial (cared for by a local yoghurt
factory!), a modest mound with a cross on top. His brother’s ear is said to be interred next door.

Jesus visits tribes in The Americas

Jesus was a busy man according to this theory, “the White Prophet” travelling across the American
continents

Is this one’s true, then Jesus really must have got around. Archeologist L. Taylor Hansen in her book He
Walked the Americas explores Native American legends that say a “White Prophet” visited tribes
throughout Peru, South and Central America, Mexico and North America in his missing years.

According to the legends, this “White Prophet” had the ability to speak in a thousand languages, raise
the dead and heal the sick, not unlike biblical descriptions.