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The article focuses on the limited information available about Jesus' early life in the canonical gospels and explores alternative sources such as apocryphal "infancy gospels" to fill the historical gaps. Topics include the vivid and fantastical episodes in these non-canonical texts, the psychological insights into Jesus' childhood found in the Gospel of Thomas, and various theories, including religious syncretism, attempting to explain the unknown years of Jesus.

The article discusses the importance of baptism and how it was sometimes considered insignificant throughout Christian history. It highlights that Vatican II helped restore the significance of baptism, emphasizing the shared priesthood of all baptized people. It mentions that St. Augustine explained to newly baptized individuals that by becoming a Christian, become united with Jesus Christ.

The article reports on the origins of the Gospels. It mentions The Gospels should be viewed as writings not outside literate culture but at its center in the first centuries C.E., the Jesus of the Gospels can be fruitfully compared with the Cynics, Aesop, the pastoral heroes of the Greek novel, or witty underdogs in the biographical tradition.