THE LOST YEARS OFJESUS (5)

THE LOST YEARS OF JESUS 2 3
which our Lord possessed while He still
fulfilled the office of a Teacher, even as the
Gospel and all the elders testify; those who
were conversant in Asia with John, the disciple
of the Lord, [affirming] that John conveyed
to them that information. [Against
Heresies, c. 180]5
View supported by third-century Gnostic text
Pistis Sophia:
It came to pass, when Jesus had risen from
the dead, that he passed eleven years discoursing
with his disciples and instructing
them 6
Impact of his life and teachings incalculable.
Sought to effect change by purifying men's hearts.
Called the greatest revolutionary.
Story told in various forms in New Testament
and apocryphal writings. Followers, now 1.4 billion,
called Christians.7
Largest of all faiths.
Christian nations now culturally, economically,
and politically dominant. All human history
divided by his birth—B.C., A.D. Suggests his coming
is the pivot of history.
You take a deep breath and exhale slowly. This
is no small case. An investigation into the past of
one of the most influential persons in history. You
look up from your desk, past the typewriter to a
calendar on the wall. It is an old, old case. You
return to the file. It is full of unanswered questions.