Even though the canonical Jesus' infancy stories have always provoked great interest in popular culture and in the arts, they have been neglected in research during the last decades due to the relatively late date of their redaction. Since the monograph by Raymond Brown, The Birth of the Messiah, the researchers working on this topic have not attempted to consider its historical impact. In this volume, an international team of scholars proposes firstly a reconsideration of the historical background of these stories in terms of early Jewish and Christian identity quests. Secondly, they deal with early Christian questions on Jesus' infancy and childhood through canonical and apocryphal Gospels including information from Patristic and documentary literature. On the theological level, this volume illustrates the impact that these apocryphal texts, recognized as "useful for the soul" (a phrase coined by François Bovon), have had on the Christian faith. Contributors: Philip Alexander, Frédéric Amsler, Daniel Barbu, Simon Butticaz, Valentina Calzolari, Claire Clivaz, José Costa, Elian Cuvillier, Adriana Destro, Luc Devillers, Jörg Frey, Daniel Gerber, Christian Grappe, Christophe Guignard, Jean-Daniel Kaestli, Ursula Ulrike Kaiser, Moisés Mayordomo, Simon Claude Mimouni, Enrico Norelli, David Pastorelli, Mauro Pesce, Francesca Prescendi, François Rosset, Anders Runesson, Andrea Taschl-Erber, Geert van Oyen, Joseph Verheyden, Benedict Viviano, Sever J. Voicu, Lily Vuong

Born 1983; PhD student in History of Religions, University of Lausanne (Switzerland).