'Enlightening and engaging, this is a must read for everyone interested in the historical Jesus and the birth of Christianity.' Nick Holmes, author of The Roman Revolution: Crisis and Christianity in Ancient Rome As a boy, Jesus was a refugee, an outsider, an immigrant in the Galilee in which he grew up, and a witness to horrific atrocities by the occupying Roman overlords. All this and more is explored in this scholarly but highly accessible investigation into the world of Jesus, ranging from his birth to his coming of age at his Bar Mitzvah and beyond. Joan Taylor, a world authority on the history and literature of the first century CE, draws both on the latest archaeological findings and on the historical clues to be found within ancient texts of the period. The result is a book that brings the story of Jesus' childhood clearly and vividly to life as never before, while also pointing to the many ways in which his experiences as a child are likely to have influenced his life, attitudes and actions as an adult.