The Christian Gospels give two widely differing genealogies for Jesus, which have baffled theologians throughout the centuries. Not only are these genealogies irreconcilable, but the stories of the two accounts of the birth of Jesus, as given by Matthew and Luke, are also radically different. How can we account for this?

An ancient tradition tells that there were two children named Jesus, a year apart in age and both born to parents named Mary and Joseph. These two children, brought up in close proximity, eventually "united" in a mysterious way, resulting in a single "Jesus" destined to grow up and fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament.

In grappling with this mystery, Nesfield-Cookson uses all available sources--biblical accounts, Christian apocryphal writings, Aramaic and Hebrew documents discovered in the Qumran caves in the twentieth century (the "Dead Sea Scrolls"), writings by Syrian theologians of the thirteenth century, and, in particular, statements by Rudolf Steiner, the first modern thinker--to speak of the existence of two Jesus children. The author also refers to the many works of art--largely by Italian artists of the Renaissance period--which appear to depict two Jesus children. Fifteen of these paintings are reproduced as beautiful, full-color plates.

The author also develops a parallel theme regarding the mystery of Christ and Jesus--the gradual descent of Christ (the Spirit of the Sun) from the spiritual world into the physical body of Jesus.