Jesus in Egypt: Discovering the Secrets of Christ's Childhood Years

by Paul Perry

The Bible contains but a few verses about the years the Holy Family spent in Egypt–their flight from Herod’s death sentence, the weary journey, their return to Israel after Herod died. But what exactly happened to Jesus and His parents in this ancient land of magic and myth? How did the sojourn in Egypt change Jesus’s life and influence His teachings? In search of answers, bestselling author Paul Perry set out to follow the Holy Family’s mysterious journey himself. In this fascinating book, Perry tells the story of his own amazing trek into Egypt–and the deeper story of the miracles and marvels he uncovered along the way.

Poring over the narratives of the apocrypha, Perry was able to draw a rough map of the Holy Family’s route through Egypt–from their entrance across the burning sands of the Sinai Desert to their zigzagging path down to the Nile. With devout guides and temperamental transportation, he ventured to find the places where Jesus had slept, suffered, performed miracles, and engaged in innocent acts of mischief. Near Bubastis, he came upon an enormous field of fallen idols that–legend says–the infant Jesus had toppled and broken. At Belbeis, Perry almost started a riot when he questioned an Egyptian girl about the site of a tree that Jesus and Mary had rested under. In Abu Hinnis, he found fourth-century paintings of Jesus coming to Egypt on the wall of a hermit cave. Near the spot where an angel was said to have appeared to Joseph, he photographed an apparition of light, a photo that has now been declared a “spiritual message from the Lord” by an Egyptian bishop.

Part travel adventure, part spiritual journey, part historical detective story, Jesus in Egypt recounts a modern-day pilgrimage into an ancient and often baffling land. In the basements of Coptic churches and the teeming back streets of Cairo, in shrines thronged by worshipers and desert wastes haunted by saints, Perry turned up shards of the past, tales passed down through countless generations, and ghostly emanations of antiquity.

This extraordinary book unfolds a chapter in the life of Jesus that has been shrouded in mystery and misunderstanding for two millennia. Combining ancient texts, interviews with clerics and Christian scholars, and his own startling encounters with contemporary Egypt, Paul Perry has fashioned a book of wonders and revelations.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Religion

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Paul Perry is an author of a wide variety of subjects from near-death experiences to biographies of authors including Hunter S. Thompson. He is also a documentary film maker. Perry's writing and film making earned him a knighthood in the Royal Family of Portugal.

There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paul Perry's "Jesus in Egypt" wrestles with the notion that something can be true even if it didn't happen. Like the best fiction. Only these stories are theological in nature; they tell us something of God in Christ and what He's doing in our world. The narrative of Perry's story jerked and started and then became repetitive, and often the dialogue felt woody, but it also felt familiar from my own travels in the region and that kept me interested in where he would go and who he would talk to next. As far as the historical Jesus goes, there isn't much here, even counting oral tradition and legend. And there are many reasons why a 12th-century homily is no primary source! The Infancy Gospels are also later embellishments to fill in the years of Jesus' childhood that are missing from the canonical gospels. Yet Perry quickly admits that this is not what his pilgrimage to discover "the secrets of Christ's childhood" will shape up to be. Instead of finding tangible evidence of "the historical Jesus," Perry experiences a rich traditional Coptic understanding of Him, complete with fantastic miracles and a faith ambivalent towards "scientific proof."

[Jeff G · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really detailed and interesting read. I first watched the documentary which at present time is available to view on Hulu. This led to me buying the book.

Coptic Christianity is a fascinating denomination and filled with wonderful people. Even as a Roman Catholic I’ve always felt myself drawn and interested in the history and culture of the Coptic church.

The holy family trail is something I would love to visit in person someday. This book brought me just a little bit closer to that and I thank the author for writing this and sharing his experience.

[Michael Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my few sojourns into non-fiction. I was preparing for a Bible Study presentation. I was hyped to read about the life of Christ in Egypt. There were some references to miracles performed by the Baby Jesus. There was not a lot of proof. I learned about some of the early Martyrs for the faith. There were encounters with modern day dangers like land mines and lackadaisical attitudes. I needed more proof.

[Ashley Ritchie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. More like a travel journal, but gives one an introductory view of the Coptic tradition of the Holy Family's Flight into Egypt. Perry's personal experienes and reflections are, well, his own. It makes for light reading.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned that there is more to Faith in Jesus than the Bible. It needs to appreciated that what was made Canonical isn't necessarily the true story of Jesus. It is said that the stories in the Bible were passed down orally first, and since this is the case, their may be missing pieces of the story. Jesus was in Egypt for 12 years, and it is a fact that the canonical Bible says nothing about this time, only that The Holy Family traveled to Egypt during Herod's "Slaughter of Innocents". There is no disputing this if your a faithful Christian.

I don't believe it's wrong to search for the Truth, and after reading this book, my Faith in Hope and Love is stronger. It's amazing that there are Christians in Egypt, who believe in the story of peace that was presented by the figure of Jesus. Even if you don't believe Jesus existed, certainly the story, the idea, is a message of hope similar to other heroic tales such as King Arthur, Hercules, and Superman. If you believe in Heroes, you should consider reading this book.

-Kevin

[Glenn Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting an dwell written book about the travels of the Holy Family in Egypt while they escaped the Roman soldiers sent by King Herod to kill Jesus. Many of the stops and stays according to the Coptic Church. Many places where miracles occurred and still do. This brings into play much of the history of the times, from Roman with the pagan temples, the various Roman emperors (Diocletian, who persecuted the Christians and had his own wife murdered after she converted, Constantine and others), historians (Roman, Christian and Muslim) and current Church leaders.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intreging. He is a wonderful story teller of his travels, the people he met and his experiences. I did find it a bit hard to finish as I felt like I had gotten what I wanted out of the book, but definitely worth the read.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, not sure how much of the myths are true that are swirling around Egypt, but I found this book interesting and expanded my thinking and imagination on what the early years of Jesus looked like in Egypt on the run from Herod.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately you have to be very interested in the historical Jesus to enjoy this book. I'd pass.