The Child Jesus (Divine Infant, Baby Jesus, Infant Jesus, Christ Child) represents Jesus from his Nativity to age 12. At 13 he was considered to be adult, in accordance with the Jewish custom of his time, and that of most Christian cultures until recent centuries. The Child Jesus is frequently depicted in art, from around the third or fourth century onwards, in icons and paintings, sculpture, and all the media available. Common depictions are of Nativity scenes showing the birth of Jesus, with his mother, The Blessed Virgin Mary, and his legal father St. Joseph. Depictions as a baby with his mother, known as Madonna and Child, are iconographic types in Eastern and Western traditions. Other scenes from his time as a baby, of his circumcision, Presentation at the temple, the Adoration of the Three Magi, and the Flight to Egypt, are common. The Infant Jesus of Prague is one of the best know devotions to the Child Jesus.
|
|
