The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ

The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ is a book by Nicolas Notovitch, first published in 1894. The book claims to be based on ancient Tibetan manuscripts that detail Jesus Christ’s travels to India and Tibet during the so-called "lost years" between his youth and the beginning of his public ministry.

According to Notovitch, these manuscripts were discovered during his visit to the Hemis Monastery in Ladakh, where Buddhist monks shared with him accounts of "Saint Issa," a figure whose life and teachings bore a striking resemblance to those of Jesus. The book suggests that Jesus spent years studying Eastern philosophies and religious traditions, shaping his later teachings in Palestine.

Notovitch’s account was met with skepticism almost immediately. Scholars and missionaries who visited Hemis Monastery after him found no evidence of the manuscripts he described, and some even accused him of fabricating the story. Despite this, the idea that Jesus may have traveled to India and studied Eastern traditions has intrigued many and has been explored in later writings.