The Unknown Life of Jesus: The Original Text of Nicolas Notovich's 1887 Discovery (Paperback)

by Nicolas Notovitch (Author), J. H. Connelly (Translator), L. Landsberg (Translator) "During my sojourn in India, I often had occasion to converse with the Buddhists, and the accounts they gave me of Thibet excited my curiosity..." (more)
Key Phrases: chief lama, Jesus Christ, Most High, King of Heaven

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Controversial since it was first published in 1887, Nicolas Notovitch's The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ relates that Jesus Christ spent the years of his life unaccounted for in the Bible— from the age of 13 to 29—studying with Buddhists and others in India and Asia.

In this memoir, Notovitch writes that it was his goal to take an "extended journey through the Orient...to study the customs and habits of the inhabitants of India." On the way to Leh, the capital of Ladak, he visited a Buddhist monastery near Mulbek, close to the Wakha River. Here a Lama told him that Jesus, whom the Buddhists called "Issa," had visited the region and that there were manuscripts documenting this in the Lhasa archives in Tibet. He was told copies of these documents existed also in some of the larger monasteries elsewhere.

Intrigued, Notovitch determined to delay his return to Europe with the hope of viewing these documents himself. On his way to Leh, the capital of Ladak, Notovitch found himself laid up at the Hemis Monastery with a broken leg. During his stay, he was under the care of Buddhist monks whom he befriended. He eventually convinced one of the monks to read from these documents and, as an interpreter translated, Notovitch made notes.

Much of what Notovitch recorded supports and amplifies the Jesus the West is familiar with. For instance, Jesus is said to have angered the monks over his teachings that humans, regardless of caste, are equal. Yet, an expanded view of Jesus' teachings, more in line with the texts known as the Gnostic Gospels, is presented. An example of this is the Tibetan manuscripts' record of Jesus preaching that within each person "dwells a part of the spirit of the Most High."

About the Author
Nicolas Notovitch was a Russian aristocrat and journalist born in Crimea in 1858 of Jewish parents. He and his brother Osip converted to the Greek Orthodox Christian religion as young men. Notovitch authored twelve books, mostly on Russian politics. He was fluent in French as well as Russian and wrote in both languages. It is said that Rudyard Kipling's character "Dirkovich" in his short story The Man Who Was was based on Notovitch and his life.

Product Details

• Paperback: 122 pages
• Publisher: Linden Publishing (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1884956416
• ISBN-13: 978-1884956416
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #157,198 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Explanatory notes and extensive information , February 4, 2005

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

A controversial manuscript since its first publication in 1890, The Unknown Life of Jesus is the original text of Nicolas Notovitch's efforts to learn of the years of Jesus' life unaccounted for in the Bible - when he was between the ages of 13 and 29. During Notovitch's travels through India, he learned of ancient manuscripts allegedly documenting Jesus' visit to Buddhist monasteries. Notovitch eventually persuaded a monk to read from these documents, and as an interpreter translated, Notovitch transcribed. The resulting text resembles the Gnostic Gospels, and offer remarkable insights - they portray Jesus as angering the priests of Brahma due to his teachings that all humans are equal regardless of caste, and as one who claimed that within each person resides "a part of the spirit of the Most High". Originally disdained as a hoax by scholars and theologians, The Unknown Life of Jesus has since acquired some credibility as corroborating information surfaced. The Unknown Life of Jesus features explanatory notes and extensive information about Notovitch's journey as well as the original text itself, and is especially recommended for theological and spiritual studies shelves.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly interesting account of the missing years of Jesus...., November 15, 2006

By	S. Austin (Upstate New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Notovich recounts his journey to Ladakh near the Tibetan and Indian borders, where he viewed manuscripts that described the travels of Issa (Jesus) in India during the "missing" or undetailed years of his life. Evidently, Jesus studied Buddhist wisdom and also preached there also. The teachings that Notovich relates concerning Jesus ring true in terms of their profundity. His account of the trial and the crucifixion of Jesus are quite interesting also. In this version, an exact about face from the accepted version in the gospels, the Jewish priests respected Jesus and wanted him acquitted. Pontius Pilate wanted Jesus put to death, because he feared a political insurrection from the Jews led by Jesus, since Jesus was a descendant of King David. The Jewish priests, on the other hand, viewed Jesus as a great teacher and prophet. They washed their hands of the situation when Pilate decided to condemn Jesus to death. This, to me, makes more sense. A lot of anti-semitism has arisen from the official gospel versions. It makes more sense that a powerful and fearful government official would condemn Jesus to death, not the leaders of his own religion. Jesus, was after all, a Jewish reformer and did not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill it. I like this book. Buy it and read it with an open mind and open heart.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, but it's not evidence of anything, February 22, 2007

By	Gunnar S. Storms (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is interesting since it presents the possibility that the lost years of Jesus were spent in India, where he studied eastern religions and acquired the ability to perform miracles, which he brought back with him on his return to Israel. This is a nice idea, and I really,really want to believe it, however this book and the "Life of Saint Issa" manuscript presents no evidence of this. Instead of documenting his supposed time spent in India, it is actually just a alternate retelling of the New Testament in a brief 28 pages. It mentions his birth and early life and his leaving his family and travelling to India at age 13, studying the Vedas and Buddhism, preaching to the commoners and thus angering the Brahmins who want him killed. Eventually he returns to Israel at age 29 where he is put on trial and in this version it is Pilate who wants him killed and the Jews who want to spare him. He's then crucified but does not return from the dead as in the Bible.

My question is this: if this supposedly documents Jesus' time spent in India, how could the authors of this manuscript have possibly known the details of his birth and death? Shouldn't it focus exclusively on his time spent in India, since that's the only thing the original authors of the manuscript could have known about?

Also, of the 122 pages of the book, only 28 are the "Life of Saint Issa", the rest is describing how Notovich came across it. In the 28 pages, there is suprisingly little detail of Jesus' time in India (maybe a few pages), and the rest is spent describing what had already been said in the Bible about Jesus's early life and death.