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The lost years of Jesus -

Much of Jesus’ life is described in the Bible, except for an 18-year period between the ages of 12 and 30. These are known as the lost/unknown/missing years of Jesus.

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The lost years of Jesus -

The life of Jesus as a newborn is well documented in the Bible, and so are the years of his ministry. But there is a huge gap that was not documented and has led to a number of theories. Let’s take a look at some of them now.

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Jesus stayed in Nazareth and worked as a carpenter -

One theory keeps it simple: Jesus lived in Nazareth, where he learned carpentry from his father, Joseph. Then, as an adult, Jesus became a carpenter himself. Sons usually followed their father's profession, so it’s a plausible theory.

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Jesus stayed in Nazareth and worked as a carpenter -

The Gospels also seem to back this idea up. Mark 6:3 reads: “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon?” Still, some theologists disagree, including early Christian writer Origen, who said that "Jesus himself is not described as a carpenter anywhere in the Gospels accepted by the churches."

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Jesus got married and had children -

In the book 'The Lost Gospel,' authors Barrie Wilson and Simcha Jacobovici claim that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children during the lost years.

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Jesus got married and had children -

The authors base this idea on a 1,500-year-old Aramaic book discovered in the British Library.

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Jesus got married and had children -

There are other sources hinting that Jesus might have been married, most notably a 4th-century Egyptian papyrus (pictured) containing a quote from Jesus referring to his wife. The papyrus, written in the archaic Coptic language, contains the phrase “Jesus said to them, 'My wife…'.”

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Jesus became a follower of John the Baptist -

The theory that Jesus worked as a carpenter for almost 20 years and then became a religious figure doesn’t convince many scholars. In fact, some suggest that, instead, Jesus spent time as a student with John the Baptist before gathering his own followers.

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Jesus became a follower of John the Baptist -

Bruce Chilton's book 'Rabbi Jesus' argues that after visiting the Temple, Jesus didn't return to Nazareth but joined John the Baptist as a disciple. Chilton stated that, “Jesus had a rebellious, venturesome spirit. He did not become a passionate religious genius by moldering in the conventional piety of a village that barely accepted him.”

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Jesus became a follower of John the Baptist -

The Bible may offer some backup for this theory in Matthew 3:13-17, which describes the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.

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Jesus spent years studying and arguing with scholars -

The Bible only mentions Jesus once between his birth and his thirties, which is in the story of Jesus at the Temple. Luke 2:41-52 says that Mary and Joseph unintentionally left Jesus behind in Jerusalem when he was 12 years old. When they returned to the city, they found Jesus in the Temple, engaged in discussions with the scholars.

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Jesus spent years studying and arguing with scholars -

It's safe to say that Jesus spent a lot of time learning. Even at the age of 12, he told his parents not to be surprised that he had been arguing with scholars for days. This suggests that Jesus likely spent many years studying before he began gathering followers.

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Jesus became a monk and lived by the Dead Sea -

The Dead Sea scrolls were found in the dry desert southeast of Jerusalem in 1947. It’s possible that the scrolls hint about Jesus' whereabouts during his lost years.

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Jesus became a monk and lived by the Dead Sea -

The theory goes that when Jesus was young, he visited Qumrān (pictured), where the Essenes (a mystic Jewish sect) lived. The Dead Sea scrolls contain their old religious writings, and there are indications that John the Baptist might have been influenced by this group.

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Jesus became a monk and lived by the Dead Sea -

If John the Baptist was taught by the Essene sect, it's possible that Jesus might have also been associated with them. Additionally, one of the scrolls actually describes a person who could well be Jesus. This individual is referred to as the "Son of God" and the "Son of the Most High."

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Jesus traveled to India -

A lot can happen in 18 years, and one theory says that Jesus might have traveled to India—multiple times. According to the theory, Jesus learned about Buddhism in Kashmir. There's even a story that Jesus visited a Buddhist monastery north of Srinagar and participated in a religious gathering in 80 CE, even though he was believed to have died years earlier.

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Jesus traveled to India -

It’s been theorized that Jesus could have traveled to India to return the visit from the Three Wise Men from the East. This could also explain why Jesus instructed Saint Thomas to go to India and spread the Gospel there.

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Jesus was a shepherd -

Maybe Jesus spent his lost years as a real shepherd before becoming a metaphorical one. In John 10:11, Jesus says: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Could he have had some real-world experience with this?

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Jesus was a shepherd -

Hypothetically, Jesus could have quit his father's carpentry profession and spent years as a shepherd instead. The job would have given Jesus plenty of time for deep thinking, that’s for sure!

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Jesus spent years in solitude -

Jesus was great with people in his thirties, but maybe he wasn’t always like that. His teenage years might have been his loner years, where he dedicated time to introspection and reflection, much like a monk would do.

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Jesus traveled to Tibet, Nepal, and India, and lived in a monastery -

A mysterious manuscript from the 3rd century, called ‘Life of Saint Issa, Best of the Sons of Men,’ says that Jesus learned from yogis in India, Nepal, and Tibet.

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Jesus traveled to Tibet, Nepal, and India, and lived in a monastery -

Many scholars dismiss this possibility completely. The theory was proposed by Russian aristocrat and spy Nicolas Notovitch. He claimed to have seen the manuscript in the Hemis monastery (pictured) in Ladakh, India, during a trip in 1894. However, the monastery disputed his claims.

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Jesus traveled to Tibet, Nepal, and India, and lived in a monastery -

While it has been dismissed as a hoax by many, there have been a few visitors to the Hemis monastery who claim to have encountered the same manuscript.

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Jesus traveled to Britain -

One theory says that Jesus traveled to Britain with his uncle, Joseph of Arimathaea, who was a tin trader. Not only that, but that he actually studied with the druids in Glastonbury. “He needed to go around to learn bits and pieces about ancient wisdom, and the druids in Britain went back hundreds if not thousands of years. He probably came here to meet the druids, to share his wisdom and gain theirs,” said Church of Scotland minister Dr. Gordon Strachan.

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Jesus traveled to Britain -

The theory gained popularity in the 19th century with a poem by William Blake, which went: “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?”

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Jesus traveled to the Americas -

One theory suggests that Jesus traveled to the New World. Archaeologist L. Taylor Hansen proposed that a figure known as the "White Prophet" visited various Native American tribes during the period of Jesus' lost years. There are stories about this "White Prophet" in places such as Mexico, Peru, and North America.

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Jesus traveled to the Americas -

Legend has it that this "White Prophet" was able to speak many languages, heal the sick, and bring the dead back to life. Sounds a whole lot like Jesus, right?

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Jesus lived (and died) in Japan -

According to this theory, Jesus traveled to Japan when he was 21 to study theology. Jesus settled in the town of Shingo and stayed in the country for 12 years.

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Jesus lived (and died) in Japan -

The theory also says that Jesus was actually not crucified. Before this could happen, he fled Judea and went back to Shingo, where he died when he was 106. Today, Shingo claims to have been Christ's hometown, and every year thousands of people visit the supposed Tomb of Jesus Christ.

Sources: (History) (National Geographic) (The Independent) (PBS) (BBC) (SBS) (Ranker) 

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