Speculating On The 18 Missing Years Of Jesus Christ

By Lela Perkins


The New Testament in the Holy Bible contains almost everything that is know as the man heralded as the son of God by those of the Christian faith. There are accounts of his miraculous birth, tales from his youth, examples of his teachings as an adult and the events of his infamous death, resurrection and ascension. However, nothing is mentioned of the 18 missing years of Jesus Christ.

Several different biblical writers give accounts of the immaculate conception and historic birth as well as some memorable childhood events. They then skip to tell of the gathering of disciples and preaching of sermons that lead to him being crucified and miraculously resurrected and publicly ascending to Heaven. But from the time he is thirteen, until approximately thirty-one years of age, nothing is written in the Bible.

Lots of conjecture has ensued about exactly where Jesus went, who he was with and what he did during this mysterious time. Some ideas were gathered using rare writings from the era, ancient scrolls as well as books that were once included in the Bible but later banned by the church. Through these sources, many controversial theories have been conceived.

The last biblical mention before the void was of a thirteen year old Jesus being banned from the temple for disagreements with the religious leaders. Some believe that he and the family began traveling to many lands including Mathura, Babylon, Athens, Rome and many others. There are writings from those areas telling of a man fitting the description performing miracles and spreading God's word.

Another popular train of thought is that he lived a life that was very similar to ordinary men in many ways. It is believed that he had many siblings and other relatives that played a big part in his experiences. Some even speculate that he took a wife and possibly even became a father, though these theories are highly controversial and considered heretical by the church.

All theories continue to uphold the belief that he never stopped performing miracles or teaching through example as he traveled. He had disciples and followers in all of the lands he visited who continued his work after he moved on. His mission, regardless of what his personal life might have been, was to spread God's word and let people know how they were expected to live and behave.

One thing most accounts agree upon is that he spent his life working to promote the equal treatment of all people. He was a strong proponent of women's rights and spoke against harsh punishments such as stoning and beating. He taught that everyone had a responsibility to care for the poor and downtrodden and to protect widows, elderly and children.

So many fictional accounts of the 18 missing years of Jesus Christ have been published and circulated throughout the years. Some like to proclaim themselves to be actual fact, though there has yet to be any hardcore proof to support these boast since many of these period writings are questionable or contradictory. Debate on this topic is sure to continue for centuries to come.




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