The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-13
CHRIST'S LOST YEARS
DID HE SPEND THEM IN THE soCIE-
TY OF WISE MEN OF THE EAST.
Review of u Book Which Processes to
Give "a History of the Savior from
B0yhOOd to the Age of Thirty.

TIL. following review of a book which
has been much talked of in certain cir
cles is from the private correspondence
of a gentleman in Washington, ID. c.,
with a friend in this city and has been
kindly furnished to the Journal by the
latter. The writer says:
I have in my possession and have
read with much interest the
Life of Jesus Christ" The book pur-
ports to be a translation from the
French into English by j. r. Gandhi
B. A., of Bombay, India. MIR. q. be-
longs to a religious sect called he jams,
which claims to be the oldest religious
organization in the world. The French
work is a translation by Nicolas Noto-
witch, a Russian, from the Thibetan
language. which in turn was a trans
lation from the original manuscripts
written in the Pail dialect. From the
English translation of the preface to
the French work / CLEAN the following:
In 1s77-7S Nicolas Notovitch was a trav-
eler In the Orient. Having visited all
the noted localities In the Balkan
peninsula he crossed the Caucasus
mountain to central Asia and Persia,
dHu III 100 L " Aiioihs -
Thibet he heard that there existed In the
archives Of a monastery at Lassa very
ancient memoirs treating of the life
of Jesus Christ, and that other monas-
teries possessed copies, in part at least.
OF the Lassa manuscripts, among them
the Himis monastery, near Leah. the
capital of Ladak. He visited this mon
astery. 1 will omit the details of the
manner in which he overcame the scru-
pies of the mon in regard to allowing
foreigners to consult their sacred writ
ings. Suffice it to say that he was per-
mitted, with the aid of a Thibetan
translator, to make copious notes. Upon
his return to Europe he submitted these
notes to certain clericals and scholars.
At Rome a cardinal who had great in
fuence with the Pope is quoted as fol-
lows: What is the use of having thai
published? No one will attach any
great Importance to- it, and you will
only create numerous m If it is
a question of money with you | can
obtain for you a in exchange
| for your notes which will remunerate
you we'll for all expense and the time
lost" Notovitch declined the offer. At
Paris he consulted with Cardinal Ro-
tell, who also opposed the publication.
1.-THE church." he said, suffers already
too much from this new current Of
atheistic ideas, and you will only fur
nish new pasture to the calumniatorS
and slanderers of he evangelical doc
trine. 1 say this in the interest of all
Christian churches"
DISTRUSTED REMAIN.
Meeting with no encouragement from
| the clericals, Notovitch them consulted
with M. Jules Simon, who was much in
terested and advised him to submit his
notes to nj. Renan. He did So. TIE re-.
quest of Renan that the notes be left
with him so that he could make a re-
| port thereon to the French Academy
was politely declined for the time being
| by Notovitch on the ground that he de-
sired to revise them. His real reason
was an impression that credit would be
given to the French philosopher for the
discovery. The notes remained in the
authors possession until after the death
of Renan, which occurred within a short
time after the interview. They were
then given to the world. The foregoing
is an abstract of the salient points of
| Notovitch's preface to the French work.
1 now pass to the translator's Intro
duction." In view of the fact that it
is denied by some that commercial re-
lations existed between India and the
countries bordering on the Mediter-
ranean during the time of Christ Mr..
Gandhi deems 1t necessary to prove that
such relations existed, not only during
the tim OF Christ, but had existed for
centuries prior to his birth, and the evil
dence he relies on is drawn from the
books of the Old Testament. The fire.
Quent illusions in these writings to the
products of India clearly indicate that
India was in touch with Palestine. Such
being the case, Mr.. Gandhi is warranted
in mooting the question, rs it improb-
able that Christ may have visited India
during that period of His life of which
the evangelists are silent, namely, be-
tween thirteen and tw~enty-nine?" The
sacred writings of the jams and Bud
dhists say He was there, and that He
came with a caravan of merchants.
He was known as Saint Issa. The
theory has long been held by some that
Jesus preached in India. In consider
ton naturally arises, after reading GER
tain chapters in Luke, Where was
Jesus for sixteen yearS?' In the second
chapter We hear of Him at the age of
twelve years disputing with the doctors
in the temple. In the third chapter we
are told of His baptism by John at the
age of thirty, when His illustrations
began. In the fourth chapter, after one
of His powerful sermons He uses these
significant words (twenty-fourth verse;:
verify l say unto you no prophet is
accepted in his own country" Car it
be that He had been honored elsewhere?
We are told that He grew in wisdom
and stature. Where did He grow in
wisdom? After His debate with the
doctors at the early age of twelve years
is it not reasonable to suppose He
would have been heard from often be-
fore He reached thirty if He was in
Palestine all the time?
FROM H CHRONICLES.
But hear what the Buddhist chron-
icles have to say:
"a wonderful child was born in the lane
of Israel; God himself spoke by the moutf
of this child of the insignifcance of body
and the grandeur of soul. Tn parents OF
this child were poor people, belonging by
birth to a family distinguished for fheil
piety. who had forgotten their ancient
grandeur on earth in celebrating the name
of the Creator and thanking Him for the
misfortunes with which he was pleased
to try them. To reward this family for re
naming firm in the path of truth Coo
blessed their first born child and elected
Him to go forth and uplift those that haC
fallen in evil, and to cure those that were
suffering. The divine child, to whom the,
gave the name of Issa, began to speak
while yet a child. of the one undivisibl,
God. exhorting the erring souls to repent
and to purify themselves from those sins o
which they We're guilty. People came from
all parts to listen to Him. and they mar
veled at the words of wisdom which ISSUED