Would Jesus have known who he was as a baby?

[FloralGums]

I was pondering this following a sermon at Midnight Mass.
Was he a totally human baby or do you think he was more than that? Was he sentient?
I was thinking of the visit of the shepherd and Magi, and the flight from Herod and if he was aware.
When do you think he became aware of his true self?
I was hoping there might be someone knowledgeable or with some insights from clerical training or something.

For clarity (incase this comes up in Active) I am posting this on Christian Mumsnetters, which is primarily intended for the use of Christians. Yes I am aware it the internet and anyone can post etc etc but I am not interested in atheists posting about sky fairies or flying spaghetti monsters so won’t be responding to those posts. Feel free to start your own discussion on Philosophy/Religion.

I'm not a Christian but I recently read the Ethiopian gospels. They are very interesting and describe much of his childhood.
I don't think the Catholic church approves of them but they are an interesting read.

Apologies you did say you didn't want to hear from non Christians but I did find the Ethiopian gospels historically very interesting.

I’m interested, @Gettingbysomehow

I think it’s important to offer our own information and our interpretation or beliefs.

It’s not appropriate to tell other people what to believe. Arguing is not the same as discussing.

Why is it offensive to suggest that Jesus may have had ASD/ADHD/schizophrenia/bi polar and was gay?

You should examine your own attitude towards disabled and gay people if you're offended at the suggestion that he was disabled/gay. Is he only fit to worship as the son of a god if he was hetero and not disabled?

It's far more likely that if he did exist that it was one of those kind of things that made him stand out as exceptional rather than that he was the son of a god.

I thought Jesus did exist and that is agreed. I could agree about the asd aspect though, how could anyone know otherwise ?! My ds is autistic and I can see him leading people !!

No contemporaries of Jesus ever wrote about him but I think it is generally accepted that one or more of the many itinerant rabbis that existed back then contributed to the myth of Jesus.

Considering God was against homosexual acts then I would be extremely surprised if Jesus was gay. Also ASD/ADHD etc are all disorders and Jesus was born perfect, so no health issues whatsoever. I wouldn't call it 'offensive' to say Jesus was any of those things, I'd say it's just plain unBiblical and goes against what the prophecies say about Him (a perfect Lamb).

if he did exist....

Of course He existed, what year is it? 2025 AD. AD = Anno Domini. The Year of Our Lord. Now who could that possibly be? Not Elon Musk. It's Jesus Christ. Why do you think that is? Because He truly existed. Whether you believe He's the Son of God or not is another matter, but He absolutely did exist. Why have a calendar that separates before and after Christ if he simply didn't exist at all?

@Nessastats I am not going to give your straw man machinations about disability any attention. On this thread re the opening post it is irrelevant. I have already said my piece regarding the previous disrespectful post regarding Christ Jesus.

He certainly knew who he was when he was when he was 12ish.

As to the OP's question, yes at 12 He clearly had a pretty good idea who He was. I expect the understanding grew gradually from birth onwards.

I assume you're joking because if Jesus existed he would say it's the year 5785. Also, as there's no year 0, was Jesus was born a year after Jesus's birth?

Hmm...interesting question. Was helping my son with his RS homework yesterday and it was all about how Jesus is actually God in human flesh. So if he was born as God, surely he was not a normal baby and may have known he was God.

I am just pointing out that there are different perspectives. We cannot say they are false either as the bible itself is full of contradictions. Being blind Kate and saying only one account is correct is ignorance.

I agree with this appraisal, and it’s supported by scripture which is more important than any of our opinions.

There’s no doubt that by the age of 12 Jesus was fully aware that His Father was God and that He had a duty to be “about His Father’s business (Luke 2: 49). His unexpected ability to discuss theological matters with learned men was remarked on.

”And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.”
Luke 2:47

Nevertheless He submitted Himself to Joseph & Mary and continued living in obscurity until His ministry began (at about age 30 - Luke 3:23) when He was baptised by John in the River Jordan.

He was, and remains and will forever be a fully human Jewish man.

He has always been and is now and forever will be fully God.

Please do not come to the Christian Mumsnetters board and falsely denounce our holy scriptures as being “full of contradictions”.

There is another board for contentious debates, if that’s what you’re seeking.

With all due respect, this is just theory taken from words written by man.

I’m no longer a Christian but it is an interesting question.

The pushing of boundaries and low level “naughtiness” that is a normal part of development particularly in toddlerhood - can that have sat alongside being divine and free of sin? Maybe he was just an uncommonly “angelic” baby and toddler. But then his actions when he was 12 in the temple do show a sort of defiance.

I don't think there's an entry requirement for the board, as long as discussion is respectful anyone can join in.

"I thought Jesus did exist and that is agreed"

No. The historiography of Jesus is still a subject for debate.

Start a thread on the Philosophy/ Religion board if you’re seeking a debate.

I refer you to @MNHQ guidance -

“This board exists primarily for the use of Christian Mumsnetters. Others are welcome to post but please be respectful. For theological debates, please visit our Philosophy/religion forum.”

🙄🙄 This board is for Christian Mumsnetters. Nuff said. Islam teaches a false Jesus. Fact. If you wish to debate this, please see the guidance at the top of this board and take it elsewhere.