This explains why the Buddhistic traditions could maintain that the
eternal Spirit separated from the eternal Being and incarnated in the
child of a pious and once illustrious family.

Doubtless the Buddhists, in common with the Evangelists, meant to convey
by this that the child belonged to the royal house of David; but the
text in the Gospels, according to which "the child was born from the
Holy Spirit," admits of two interpretations, while according to Buddha's
doctrine, which is more in conformity with the laws of nature, the
spirit has but incarnated in a child already born, whom God blessed and
chose for the accomplishment of His mission on earth.

The birth of Jesus is followed by a long gap in the traditions of the
Evangelists, who either from ignorance or neglect, fail to tell us
anything definite about his childhood, youth or education. They commence
the history of Jesus with his first sermon, _i.e._, at the epoch, when
thirty years of age, he returns to his country.

All the Evangelists tell us concerning the infancy of Jesus is marked by
the lack of precision: "And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit,
filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon him," says one of the
sacred authors (Luke 2, 40), and another: "And the child grew, and waxed
strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing
unto Israel." (Luke 1, 80.)

As the Evangelists compiled their writings a long time after the death
of Jesus, it is presumable that they committed to writing only those
accounts of the principal events in the life of Jesus which happened to
come to their knowledge.

The Buddhists, on the contrary, who compiled their chronicles soon after
the Passion occurred, and were able to collect the surest information
about everything that interested them, give us a complete and very
detailed description of the life of Jesus.

In those unhappy times, when the struggle for existence seems to have
destroyed all thought of God, the people of Israel suffered the double
oppression of the ambitious Herod and the despotic and avaricious
Romans. Then, as now, the Hebrews put all their hopes in Providence,
whom they expected, would send them an inspired man, who should deliver
them from all their physical and moral afflictions. The time passed,
however, and no one took the initiative in a revolt against the tyranny
of the rulers.

In that era of hope and despair, the people of Israel completely forgot
t