Question about Jesus, the early years. Serious answers only.

[Archer77]

Bro they were trying to be low key not trying to get attention

Who documented this flight to safety?

[Bad Boy Dazza]

Yes those books where circulating but so were many other books, very few of which survived to the present day thanks to the early church.

There was a great deal of debate at the time over which books would be considered canon.  The book of revelation in particular was a contentious choice with many on the council protesting that it should not be included.  

You quoted me just before I modified my post  .  Yes there were other documents in circulation.   Many of these documents were preserved, but you would have to go to the vatican library to find them.  For example I know there is stuff about Mary and Joseph that is not in the bible.

[Bad Boy Dazza]

the bible was not out together by the church ,much less the catholic church.  It was done by the council of nicia (spelling way off) under Constantine's order, a pagan.  The catholic church did not come around for some 1400 years

You can debate Constantine's faith, but the Catholic church WERE the council.

You can see a list of the attendees here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea

[Onetimehard]

Who documented this flight to safety?

Don't understand the question, seems like you guys are under the impression that someone is on stand by with a pen and a note pad 

No one documented it at the time, it was later documented by one of the gospels

[Archer77]

You can debate Constantine's faith, but the Catholic church WERE the council.

You can see a list of the attendees here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea

This is an important fact.  Some argue Constantine's faith wasn't authentic and he was attempting to use Christianity for the purpose of power and control.  My honest opinion is his faith probably was legit.

[Borracho]

I must've accidentally logged on to biblestudy.com

[Archer77]

Don't understand the question, seems like you guys are under the impression that someone is on stand by with a pen and a note pad 

No one documented it at the time, it was later documented by one of the gospels

I'm kind of leading you. I was hoping someone was going to bring up non-biblical evidence for Jesus existing.  I know a bit about this though it isn't my normal area of study.  By the way, I am a historian but NOT a religious scholar.

[Onetimehard]

I'm kind of leading you. I was hoping someone was going to bring up non-biblical evidence for Jesus existing.  I know a bit about this though it isn't my normal area of study.  By the way, I am a historian but NOT a religious scholar.

[Disgusted]

Buddy of mine is in Israel at the moment walking the path of Jesus.

[El Diablo Blanco]

Buddy of mine is in Israel at the moment walking the path of Jesus.

So the Path was documented but not his early life. Got it.

[El Diablo Blanco]

Don't understand the question, seems like you guys are under the impression that someone is on stand by with a pen and a note pad 

No one documented it at the time, it was later documented by one of the gospels

No, but it's like.  "hey there is the son of God, born of a virgin"

Okay buddy, see ya in 20 years.  Have fun.  Go hide.  bye...

[Disgusted]

So the Path was documented but not his early life. Got it.

Got me.  I wasn't alive then.

[El Diablo Blanco]

Got me.  I wasn't alive then.

Sorry, I confused you with Wes for a second

[Disgusted]

Sorry, I confused you with Wes for a second

  ouch.

[Onetimehard]

No, but it's like.  "hey there is the son of God, born of a virgin"

Okay buddy, see ya in 20 years.  Have fun.  Go hide.  bye...

No it's like " hey there is the son of God, let's kill him" Of course he is going to hide for 20 year, but it was actually 30 years 

[Bad Boy Dazza]

No, but it's like.  "hey there is the son of God, born of a virgin"

Okay buddy, see ya in 20 years.  Have fun.  Go hide.  bye...

You seem to be missing the point.

Point - for the purpose of this discussion we assume Jesus was a real person and God incarnate.

Someone had to document his life.   It was not the Justin Bieber era.  People didn't record the day to day activities of young teens.  And Jesus was not a "star".  His parents did not understand who he truly was until adulthood (at which point Joseph had passed away).  His parents like so many at the time did not keep a diary of his life as a child.  

He never started his mission until he was 30.  So this was the first time that it occurred to anyone to start preserving his activities/teachings.  These were real people, either writing down what they saw, or passing their memories to another to commit to paper.  They did not have intimate knowledge of his childhood, and would only have been able to go from what Mary told them.  

It is really no different to someone like Napoleon.  I would be surprised if there are many details on his childhood before he started to rise to power.

[El Diablo Blanco]

You seem to be missing the point.

Point - for the purpose of this discussion we assume Jesus was a real person and God incarnate.

Someone had to document his life.   It was not the Justin Bieber era.  People didn't record the day to day activities of young teens.  And Jesus was not a "star".  His parents did not understand who he truly was until adulthood (at which point Joseph had passed away).  His parents like so many at the time did not keep a diary of his life as a child.  

He never started his mission until he was 30.  So this was the first time that it occurred to anyone to start preserving his activities/teachings.  These were real people, either writing down what they saw, or passing their memories to another to commit to paper.  They did not have intimate knowledge of his childhood, and would only have been able to go from what Mary told them.  

It is really no different to someone like Napoleon.  I would be surprised if there are many details on his childhood before he started to rise to power.

He is not a normal child, this wasn't a normal situation.  He was supposedly born from a VIRGIN.  Wasn't there some spectacle when he was born?  Three wise men and such? Didn't news spread about his birth that the messiah had come?  These are extraordinary circumstances to actually try paying attention to. 

[Onetimehard]

He is not a normal child, this wasn't a normal situation.  He was supposedly born from a VIRGIN.  Wasn't there some spectacle when he was born?  Three wise men and such? Didn't news spread about his birth that the messiah had come?  These are extraordinary circumstances to actually try paying attention to. 

Ya but when you have people trying to kill you all that goes down the drain. Ya people knew there was a Messiah around but no one knew it was actually him when he walked among people, if they did he would have been killed.

[Bad Boy Dazza]

He is not a normal child, this wasn't a normal situation.  He was supposedly born from a VIRGIN.  Wasn't there some spectacle when he was born?  Three wise men and such? Didn't news spread about his birth that the messiah had come?  These are extraordinary circumstances to actually try paying attention to. 

Correct, he was extremely special.  Mary and Joseph must have believed him to be destined for great things, perhaps a prophet or something similar.  But no concept of him as God incarnate.  Joseph was a carpenter (possibly illiterate).  Mary was probably illiterate.  They went into hiding to save his life as a baby, and would have carried that sense of danger for many years after, therefore seeking to keep his "special" status to themselves.

The point of the new testament (except revelations) is that it is not some supernaturally sent book.  It is the memories of real, ordinary people.  They themselves were not scholars.   That is part of it's beauty and fascination to me.  Because whether you believe it or not, these were real people, who lived fascinating lives and died (often horrific deaths).   The apostle Paul was a very real person, and in his early days he had persecuted and killed Christians.   It is an amazing document.

[Man of Steel]

So the Path was documented but not his early life. Got it.

Just small parts of his childhood were documented.  

The focus was his ministry in his adult years...this is the the essence of the New Testament.  The bible shouldn't be identified as a "biography" or "diary of Christ's life".  It's truly about the establishment of the new convenant and his ministry therein.  This isn't to suggest that his childhood wouldn't be extremely interesting to understand fully, but the whole of that history wasn't the inspiration for the authors of the gospels.


Personally I wish there was a full accounting of Jesus Christ's entire life on Earth, but sadly there isn't.

[Onetimehard]

Just small parts of his childhood were documented.  

The focus was his ministry in his adult years...this is the the essence of the New Testament.  The bible shouldn't be identified as a "biography" or "diary of Christ's life".  It's truly about the establishment of the new convenant and his ministry therein.  This isn't to suggest that his childhood wouldn't be extremely interesting to understand fully, but the whole of that history wasn't the inspiration for the authors of the gospels.


Personally I wish there was a full accounting of Jesus Christ's entire life on Earth, but sadly there isn't.

I think the OP was under the impression that since the 3 wise men knew where he was and who he was then so did everyone else everywhere he walked during his life.

Which is not the case, the real scenario is that no one knew who he was until they witnessed miracles when he turned 30.

[Man of Steel]

I think the OP was under the impression that since the 3 wise men knew where he was and who he was then so did everyone else everywhere he walked during his life.

Which is not the case, the real scenario is that no one knew who he was until they witnessed miracles when he turned 30.

Exactly.   Certainly the OT prophecies were known, but the when and where and all that wasn't.   Christ demonstrated he was the fulfillment of prophecy and that's when people began to take note.  If it was widespread knowledge prior to that the Sanhedrin most likely would've interferred much earlier on his life....maybe his life would've been taken as a child.   Herod certainly tried.