Jacopo Bellini's Madonna and Child Blessing depicts the infant Jesus in the act of blessing the viewer

The Child Jesus, Christ Child, or Divine Infant, represents the infant Jesus until to the age of twelve. At thirteen he was considered to have become adult, in accordance with both the Jewish custom of his own time, and that of most Christian cultures until recent centuries. The Child Jesus has been very frequently depicted in art, from around the third or fourth century onwards, in icons and paintings, sculpture, and all the media available. The most common depictions are of Nativity scenes showing the birth of Jesus, with his mother, Mary, and his legal father Joseph, and depictions of him as a baby with his mother, known as Madonna and Child, of which there are a number of iconographical types in both Orthodox and Western traditions. Other scenes from his time as a baby, of his circumcision, Presentation at the temple, the Adoration of the Three Magi, and the Flight to Egypt, are common. Scenes showing his developing years are relatively rare, as these are hardly mentioned in the Gospels. A number of apocryphal texts, the Infancy Gospels grew up with legendary accounts of the intervening period, and these are sometimes shown. Download high resolution version (618x866, 147 KB)Madonna and Child Blessing by Jacopo Bellini (c. ... Download high resolution version (618x866, 147 KB)Madonna and Child Blessing by Jacopo Bellini (c. ... Madonna and Child Blessing (c. ... This article presents a description of Jesus life, as based on the four gospels. ... For other uses, see Gospel (disambiguation). ... The Nativity by Petrus Christus, c. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... In the synoptic gospels, Jesus is baptised by John the Baptist. ... The temptation of Christ in Christianity, refers to the temptation of Jesus by the devil as detailed in each of the Synoptic Gospels, at Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, and Luke 4:1-13. ... According to the Canonical Gospels, the Ministry of Jesus began when Jesus was around 30 years old, and lasted a period of 1-3 years. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Relation to other religions Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      For... The Seventy Disciples or Seventy-two Disciples were early followers of Jesus mentioned in the Gospel of Luke . ... The Sermon on the Mount by Carl Heinrich Bloch. ... According to the canonical Gospels, Jesus worked many miracles in the course of his ministry, which may be categorized into cures, exorcisms, dominion over nature, three instances of raising the dead, and various others. ... Despite recording many Miracles of Jesus, particularly in Capernaum, the Gospels also record some Rejection of Jesus. ... Icon of the Transfiguration (15th century, Novgorod) The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event reported by the Synoptic Gospels in which Jesus was transfigured upon a mountain (Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:1-8, Luke 9:28-36). ... The evangelical counsels or counsels of perfection are poverty, chastity, and obedience. ... For the book by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. ... The narrative of Jesus and the Money Changers occurs in both the Synoptic Gospels and in the Gospel of John, although it occurs close to the end of the Synoptic Gospels (at Mark 11:15-19, 11:27-33, Matthew 21:12-17, 21:23-27 and Luke 19:45... According to the Canonical Gospels, the Ministry of Jesus began when Jesus was around 30 years old, and lasted a period of 1-3 years. ... For other uses, see Second Coming (disambiguation). ... Look up Paraclete in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Mary Magdalene is traditionally depicted with a vessel of ointment, in reference to the Anointing of Jesus, in reality the jar is more likely to have been an Amphora, a much larger object. ... For other uses, see The Last Supper (disambiguation). ... The Passion is the theological term used for the suffering, both physical and mental, of Jesus in the hours prior to and including his trial and execution by crucifixion. ... Gethsemane by Wassilij Grigorjewitsch Perow The Arrest of Jesus is a pivotal event recorded in the Canonical Gospels, in which Jesus is arrested. ... The Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus is an event reported by all the Canonical Gospels, in Mark 14:53–65, Matthew 26:57–68, Luke 22:63–71 and John 18:12-24. ... Pontius Pilate (Latin Pontius Pilatus) was the governor of the small Roman province of Judea from 26 until 36? AD although Tacitus believed him to be the procurator of that province. ... The Passion is the theological term used for the suffering, both physical and mental, of Jesus in the hours prior to and including his trial and execution by crucifixion. ... Joseph of Arimathea by Pietro Perugino. ... In the Supper at Emmaus, Caravaggio depicted the moment the disciples recognise Jesus The Resurrection appearances of Jesus are reported in the New Testament to have occurred after his death and burial. ... In Christian tradition, the Great Commission is the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciples, that they spread the faith to all the world. ... The Christian doctrine of the Ascension holds that Jesus bodily ascended to heaven following his resurrection. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... This article is about the religious artifacts. ... According to the New Testament, Mary (Judeo-Aramaic מרים Maryām Bitter; Arabic مريم (Maryam); Septuagint Greek Μαριαμ, Mariam, Μαρια, Maria; Geez: ማሪያም, Māryām; Syriac: Mart, Maryam, Madonna), was the mother of Jesus of Nazareth, who at the time of his conception was the betrothed wife of Saint Joseph (cf. ... For other uses, see Saint Joseph (disambiguation). ... Our Lady redirects here. ... In Jörg Breu the Youngers painting, the Madonna and Child fix the spectator with a gaze that invites the pious to contemplation and prayer The Madonna and Child is one of the central icons of Christianity. ... Look up Iconography in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... ... This article is about male circumcision. ... The Three Wise Men are given the names Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar in this late 6th century mosaic from the Basilica of St Apollinarius in Ravenna, Italy. ... For other uses, see Gospel (disambiguation). ... Several surviving infancy gospels give an idea of the miracle literature that was created in the early Christian church to satisfy the hunger of early Christians for more detail about the early life of their Savior. ...

Holy Family

This "original nuclear family" symbolized the Holy Trinity to many early Christian believers.^{[citation needed]} They solidified the family unit with such deep spiritual significance that the Holy Family eventually became an integral part of Roman Catholic religious dogma. The term nuclear family developed in the western world to distinguish the family group consisting of parents (usually a father and mother) and their children, from what is known as an extended family. ... This article concerns the holy Trinity of Christianity. ... The Flight into Egypt: Jesus, the Virgin Mary and St. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... For other senses of this word, see dogma (disambiguation). ...

The Scriptures and many apocryphal works were passed down either by word of mouth or through song, and later in works of art. The symbolism of the Child Jesus in art reached its apex during the Renaissance: the holy family was a central theme in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci and many other masters Many religions and spiritual movements hold certain written texts (or series of spoken legends not traditionally written down) to be sacred. ... This article is about the European Renaissance of the 14th-17th centuries. ... “Da Vinci” redirects here. ...

The canonical gospels say nothing of Jesus' childhood between his infancy and the Finding in the Temple at the age of twelve. This 15th century page from a Book of Hours shows the typical medieval composition Depiction of Jesus at age twelve from Jesus and the doctors of the Faith, a painting by the entourage of Giuseppe Ribera. ...

Legends

From the 4th century to the Renaissance many stories were passed down concerning Jesus' early childhood, where even as a baby Jesus revealed his powers to protect his parents during their journey to and from Egypt. The majority of these stories were derived from apocryphal books, such as the Infancy Gospel of Thomas. As the majority of Christians at the time were illiterate, the stories acquired a dark or morbid feel similar to the Brothers Grimm tales, as concern for approval from the Roman Curia began to wane in the later centuries. Apocrypha (from the Greek word , meaning those having been hidden away[1]) are texts of uncertain authenticity or writings where the authorship is questioned. ... The Infancy Gospel of Thomas is a non-canonical text that was part of a popular genre, aretalogy, of the 2nd and 3rd centuries— a miracle literature of Infancy gospels that was both entertaining and inspirational, written to satisfy a hunger for more miraculous and anecdotal stories of the childhood... For other uses, see Brothers Grimm (disambiguation). ... The Roman Curia — usually called the Vatican — is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See, coordinating and providing the necessary organisation for the correct functioning of the Catholic Church and the achievement of its goals. ...

Saint Joseph and the Child Jesus

These medieval stories often depicts Jesus as a fearless and carefree child who innocently gets into mischief that inexorably led to his playmates' demise. The most common one is the cloud story^{[citation needed]}. The child Jesus, wanting to play in the clouds, crawled into the sky on a sunbeam, but all of the playmates who followed him soon lost their faith and fell to their deaths. Another story tells of a child who cursed the channel that supplied water to the pools in which Jesus usually bathed, a tidal wave swept the boy away and cleared the channel. This other child is sometimes known as the "Judas Child."^{[citation needed]} Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Saint Joseph (disambiguation). ...

These events worried the other children's parents so they forbid them to play with Jesus. Once, when the child Jesus arrived in the town plaza to play, parents quickly hid their children in a large kiln-oven for shelter. The child Jesus, naturally well aware of this, inquired about his playmates' whereabouts and was told all the children had left. When he asked what the noise coming from the large oven was he was told that pigs were being cooked. Jesus left and when the parents opened the oven doors, they found (according to which version of the story one heard) either uncooked squealing piglets or roasted chops.

The stories created about the activities of the child Jesus were not all gruesome, and detail that even as a baby or child Jesus set out to do the Divine Will of his father, God. Other stories chronicle how even as an infant, Jesus' smile could make the rain or storms end and the sun shine, or could heal the sick. Another story tells of how a baby that was dying was placed in a tub of his bathwater and was brought back to life, and that any child in his presence would not cry or fret. In many religions, the supreme God is given the title and attributions of Father. ...

In the Philippines

The importance of the Child Jesus symbol has survived to some degree in the Philippines. During the Spanish Conquest of the Philippines, when the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan landed in Cebu on April 7, 1521, the island's rulers King Humabon and Queen Juana were converted to Christianity along with four hundred of their subjects a few weeks after Magellan's arrival. Spanish colonization of the Americas began with the arrival in the Americas of Christopher Columbus in 1492. ... For the Presidential railcar named Ferdinand Magellan, see Ferdinand Magellan Railcar. ... Cebu is an island of the Philippines. ... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... Events January 3 - Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem. ...

Saint Christopher carrying the Child Jesus

Magellan planted a large wooden cross and gave Queen Juana a steel replica of the Santo Niño (the Holy Child) to commemorate the event. While the original cross is still on public display in Cebu, the symbol of the Child Jesus, and reproductions of the original, can be seen throughout the Philippine archipelago as the venerated Santo Niño de Cebu in the Child-King pose wearing a gold crown, holding a sceptre and draped in a flowing cape. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 329 × 598 pixelsFull resolution (1576 × 2866 pixel, file size: 289 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Child Jesus ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 329 × 598 pixelsFull resolution (1576 × 2866 pixel, file size: 289 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Child Jesus ... For other uses, see Saint Christopher (disambiguation). ... An image of the Santo Niño de Cebu can be commonly found in many Filipino homes. ... Santo Niño de Cebu is a is a representation of the Child Jesus, somewhat related to the Infant Jesus of Prague. ...

The term "Child Jesus" also refers to the Infant Jesus of Prague. Infant Jesus of Prague Infant Jesus of Prague (Pražské jezulátko in Czech) is a famous statue of infant Jesus located in the Church of Our Lady Victorious in Malá Strana, Prague. ...

See also

• Infant Jesus of Prague
• Divine Infant Jesus
• Santo Niño de Atocha
• Santo Niño de Cebu
• Holy Infant of Good Health
• Madonna and Child
• Holy Prepuce
• Holy Umbilical Cord
• Infancy Gospels
• Ježíšek