History Main / JesusTheEarlyYears

->''"And did those feet, in ancient time\\

On England's pleasant pastures seen?"''
-->-- '''Creator/WilliamBlake'''.

Naturally, as with all [[StockUnsolvedMysteries unexplained mysteries]] about famous people, fiction writers have pounced on this period. Maybe he was [[JesusWasWayCool a bit of a party animal?]] Maybe he [[KungFuJesus sheltered himself away in a Shaolin monastery to learn how to fight evil?]] We deserve to know!

The missing years are often treated as the result of a [[AncientConspiracy Vatican cover-up]], especially as some of the Gnostic Gospels, which weren't deemed worthy of inclusion in the Bible, contain stories about Jesus' youth. It's more likely that his early life was fairly mundane, probably involving working as an apprentice carpenter in the Nazareth area, and it just [[TheLawOfConservationOfDetail wasn't interesting enough to mention]] in a tale about a great prophet. The fascination with [[RagsToRiches great people working their way up from humble origins]] is a much more recent phenomenon.

* ''Literature/TheBreathOfGod'' by Jeffrey Small is a suspense novel that follows an American graduate student who journeys to the Himalayas in search of proof that Jesus travelled through India during his lost years. Although the majority of the novel takes place in the present day, several chapters tell the story from the perspective of a teenage Jesus as he struggles with culture and teachings so different from his own.

* There is an Myth/ArthurianLegend that Jesus traveled to Britain during his lost years -- specifically, visiting UsefulNotes/{{Cornwall}} and the Isle of Avalon (ie. Glastonbury) in the company of Joseph of Arimathea, who according to this particular legend was the Virgin Mary's uncle (which would make him Jesus's great-uncle [[note]] this [[FridgeBrilliance offers an explanation]] as to why would Pontius Pilate allow Joseph to take and bury Jesus's body after the Crucifixion[[/note]]). Joseph, described as a rich merchant in the Bible, is in this legend a metal trader with business links extending to Britain [[note]] Cornish tin is known to have been exported as far as the Middle East several centuries before the birth of Christ [[/note]] so their journey would have been something of an extended business trip. As a follow-up to this, Joseph of Arimathea returned to Britain after the Crucifixion (establishing one of the first churches anywhere in the world on the site of what would become Glastonbury Abbey) and brought [[Myth/KingArthurAndTheHolyGrail the Holy Grail]] with him, which explains why the Knights of the Round Table are seeking it there. Creator/WilliamBlake's poem "And did those feet in ancient time" (better known as the lyrics to "Jerusalem") was inspired by this story ("Jerusalem" is an unofficial national anthem in England).
* One [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shingo,_Aomori#Local_attractions Japanese village]] claims that Jesus studied theology in Japan during the missing years. Not only that, but when he was going to be killed by the Romans, he pulled a TwinSwitch with his brother Isukiri, who [[HeroicSacrifice sacrificed himself]] for Jesus. Jesus then returned to Japan, married, had a family, and lived as a farmer in said village until dying peacefully at 106. It should be noted that [[https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-little-known-legend-of-jesus-in-japan-165354242/ most of the residents aren't Christians and treat the story more like a beloved local legend]].

-->'''God:''' Gosh, you know, I'd love to, son, but this isn't a very good time right now. ''[=*Hangs up, and returns to the girl in his bed*=]''\\

'''God:''' Aww come on baby, it's my birthday!\\

* ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Urantia_Book The Urantia Book]]'', a [[{{Doorstopper}} lengthy]] tome first published in 1955, claiming to be a collection of revelations about religion and cosmology channeled from celestial beings, has an entire section called "The Life and Teachings of Jesus" that includes an extremely detailed account of his birth and childhood, starting with an exact day and time of his birth (the 7th of August, 7 BCE, at noon).

* There is an Myth/ArthurianLegend that Jesus traveled to Britain during his lost years -- specifically, visiting UsefulNotes/{{Cornwall}} and the Isle of Avalon (ie. Glastonbury) in the company of Joseph of Arimathea, who according to this particular legend was the Virgin Mary's uncle (which would make him Jesus's great-uncle [[note]] this [[FridgeBrilliance offers an explanation]] as to why would Pontius Pilate allowed Joseph to take and bury Jesus's body after the Crucifixion[[/note]]). Joseph, described as a rich merchant in the Bible, is in this legend a metal trader with business links extending to Britain [[note]] Cornish tin is known to have been exported as far as the Middle East several centuries before the birth of Christ [[/note]] so their journey would have been something of an extended business trip. As a follow-up to this, Joseph of Arimathea returned to Britain after the Crucifixion (establishing one of the first churches anywhere in the world on the site of what would become Glastonbury Abbey) and brought [[Myth/KingArthurAndTheHolyGrail the Holy Grail]] with him, which explains why the Knights of the Round Table are seeking it there. Creator/WilliamBlake's poem "And did those feet in ancient time" (better known as the lyrics to "Jerusalem") was inspired by this story ("Jerusalem" is an unofficial national anthem in England).

* ''The Breath of God'' by Jeffrey Small is a suspense novel that follows an American graduate student who journeys to the Himalayas in search of proof that Jesus travelled through India during his lost years. Although the majority of the novel takes place in the present day, several chapters tell the story from the perspective of a teenage Jesus as he struggles with culture and teachings so different from his own.
* The ''Christ the Lord'' series by Creator/AnneRice focuses on this period.

* ''The Tribune'' by Patrick Larkin tells of the adventures of a Roman officer named Lucius as he investigates murders and uncovers conspiracies in Judea. He encounters many YoungFutureFamousPeople from the New Testament, including Jesus, Paul, and Mary Magdalene. He himself turns out to be Luke.
* ''Yeshua: A Personal Memoir of the Missing Years of Jesus'', by Stanislaw Kapuscinski, is a fictional account of Jesus's journey to India and his preparation there for his later Palestinian mission. Kapuscinski weaves his own philosophy into the story.

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* ''Webcomic/{{Tomics}}'' uses this premise as a plotline for many strips. A lot of them focus on the life of young Jesus, and how he interacts with people like his parents Mary & Joseph and with his cousin John the Baptist.

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* ''Manga/ShamanKing'' implies the Jesus was the [[KungFuJesus winner]] of his era's Shaman fight. It can be implied this was the period were he was a participant in the tournament.

* Myth/KingArthur: There is an Myth/ArthurianLegend that Jesus traveled to Britain during his lost years -- specifically, visiting UsefulNotes/{{Cornwall}} and the Isle of Avalon (ie. Glastonbury) in the company of Joseph of Arimathea, who according to this particular legend was the Virgin Mary's uncle (which would make him Jesus's great-uncle [[note]] this [[FridgeBrilliance offers an explanation]] as to why would Pontius Pilate allowed Joseph to take and bury Jesus's body after the Crucifixion[[/note]]). Joseph, described as a rich merchant in the Bible, is in this legend a metal trader with business links extending to Britain [[note]] Cornish tin is known to have been exported as far as the Middle East several centuries before the birth of Christ [[/note]] so their journey would have been something of an extended business trip. As a follow-up to this, Joseph of Arimathea returned to Britain after the Crucifixion (establishing one of the first churches anywhere in the world on the site of what would become Glastonbury Abbey) and brought [[Myth/KingArthurAndTheHolyGrail the Holy Grail]] with him, which explains why the Knights of the Round Table are seeking it there. Creator/WilliamBlake's poem "And did those feet in ancient time" (better known as the lyrics to "Jerusalem") was inspired by this story ("Jerusalem" is an unofficial national anthem in England).

* Myth/KingArthur: There is an Arthurian legend that Jesus traveled to Britain during his lost years -- specifically, visiting UsefulNotes/{{Cornwall}} and the Isle of Avalon (ie. Glastonbury) in the company of Joseph of Arimathea, who according to this particular legend was the Virgin Mary's uncle (which would make him Jesus's great-uncle [[note]] this [[FridgeBrilliance offers an explanation]] as to why would Pontius Pilate allowed Joseph to take and bury Jesus's body after the Crucifixion[[/note]]). Joseph, described as a rich merchant in the Bible, is in this legend a metal trader with business links extending to Britain [[note]] Cornish tin is known to have been exported as far as the Middle East several centuries before the birth of Christ [[/note]] so their journey would have been something of an extended business trip. As a follow-up to this, Joseph of Arimathea returned to Britain after the Crucifixion (establishing one of the first churches anywhere in the world on the site of what would become Glastonbury Abbey) and brought the HolyGrail with him, which explains why the Knights of the Round Table are seeking it there. Creator/WilliamBlake's poem "And did those feet in ancient time" (better known as the lyrics to "Jerusalem") was inspired by this story ("Jerusalem" is an unofficial national anthem in England).