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| The Protevangelium of James.
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The Protevangelium
of James.
————————————
The Birth of Mary the Holy Mother of
God, and Very Glorious Mother of Jesus Christ. 1554
1. In the records of
the twelve tribes of Israel was Joachim, a man rich exceedingly; and he
brought his offerings double,1555
saying: There
shall be of my superabundance to all the people, and there shall be the
offering for my forgiveness1556
| 1556 The readings vary,
and the sense is doubtful. Thilo thinks that the sense is:
What I offer over and above what the law requires is for the benefit of
the whole people; but the offering I make for my own forgiveness
(according to the law’s requirements) shall be to the Lord, that
He may be rendered merciful to me. | to the Lord for a
propitiation for me.1557
| 1557 The Church of Rome
appoints March 20 as the Feast of St. Joachim. His liberality is
commemorated in prayers, and the lessons to be read are Wisdom 31; Matt. 1" id="vii.iv-p9.1" parsed="|Wis|31|0|0|0;|Matt|1|0|0|0" osisRef="Bible:Wis.31 Bible:Matt.1">Wisd.
xxxi. and Matt. i. | For the
great day of the Lord was at hand, and the sons of Israel were bringing
their offerings. And there stood over against him Rubim,
saying: It is not meet for thee first to bring thine offerings,
because thou hast not made seed in Israel.1558
And Joachim was exceedingly
grieved, and went away to the registers of the twelve tribes of the
people, saying: I shall see the registers of the twelve tribes of
Israel, as to whether I alone have not made seed in Israel. And
he searched, and found that all the righteous had raised up seed in
Israel. And he called to mind the patriarch Abraham, that in the
last day1559
| 1559 Another reading
is: In his last days. | God gave him a son
Isaac. And Joachim was exceedingly grieved, and did not come into
the presence of his wife; but he retired to the desert,1560
and there pitched his tent, and fasted forty
days and forty nights,1561
saying in
himself: I will not go down either for food or for drink until
the Lord my God shall look upon me, and prayer shall be my food and
drink.
2. And his wife Anna1562
mourned in two mournings, and lamented in two lamentations,
saying: I shall bewail my widowhood; I shall bewail my
childlessness. And the great day of the Lord was at hand; and
Judith1563
| 1563 Other forms of the
name are Juth, Juthin. | her maid-servant
said: How long dost thou humiliate thy soul? Behold, the
great day of the Lord is at hand, and it is unlawful for thee to
mourn. But take this head-band, which the woman that made it gave
to me; for it is not proper that I should wear it, because I am a
maid-servant, and it has a royal appearance.1564
And Anna said: Depart from me;
for I have not done such things, and the Lord has brought me very
low. I fear that some wicked person has given it to thee, and
thou hast come to make me a sharer in thy sin. And Judith
said: Why should I curse thee, seeing that1565
| 1565
Severalmss. insert: Thou hast not
listened to my voice; for. | the Lord hath shut thy womb, so as not to
give thee fruit in Israel? And Anna was grieved exceedingly, and
put off her garments of mourning, and cleaned her head, and put on her
wedding garments, and about the ninth hour went down to the garden to
walk. And she saw a laurel, and sat under it, and prayed to the
Lord, saying: O God of our fathers, bless me and hear my prayer,
as Thou didst bless the womb of Sarah, and didst give her a son
Isaac.1566
3. And gazing towards the heaven, she saw a
sparrow’s nest in the laurel,1567
and made a
lamentation in herself, saying: Alas! who begot me? and what womb
produced me? because I have become a curse in the presence of the sons
of Israel, and I have been reproached, and they have driven me in
derision out of the temple of the Lord. Alas! to what have I been
likened? I am not like the fowls of the heaven, because even the
fowls of the heaven are productive before Thee, O Lord. Alas! to
what have I been likened? I am not like the beasts of the earth,
because even the beasts of the earth are productive before Thee, O
Lord. Alas! to what have I been likened? I am not like
these waters, because even these waters are productive before
Thee, O Lord. Alas! to what have I been likened? I am not
like this earth, because even the earth bringeth forth its fruits in
season, and blesseth Thee, O Lord.1568
| 1568 Many of
themss. here add: Alas! to what have I
been likened? I am not like the waves of the sea, because even
the waves of the sea, in calm and storm, and the fishes in them, bless
Thee, O Lord. |
4. And, behold, an angel of the Lord stood
by, saying: Anna, Anna, the Lord hath heard thy prayer, and thou
shalt conceive, and shall bring forth; and thy seed shall be spoken of
in all the world. And Anna said: As the Lord my God liveth,
if I beget either male or female, I will bring it as a gift to the Lord
my God; and it shall minister to Him in holy things all the days of its
life.1569
And, behold, two angels came, saying
to her: Behold, Joachim thy husband is coming with his
flocks.1570
For an angel
of the Lord went down to him, saying: Joachim, Joachim, the Lord
God hath heard thy prayer. Go down hence; for, behold, thy wife
Anna shall conceive. And Joachim went down and called his
shepherds, saying: Bring me hither ten she-lambs without spot or
blemish, and they shall be for the Lord my God; and bring me twelve
tender calves, and they shall be for the priests and the elders; and a
hundred goats for all the people. And, behold, Joachim came with
his flocks; and Anna stood by the gate, and saw Joachim coming, and she
ran and hung upon his neck, saying: Now I know that the Lord God
hath blessed me exceedingly; for, behold the widow no longer a widow,
and I the childless shall conceive. And Joachim rested the first
day in his house.
5. And on the following day he brought his
offerings, saying in himself: If the Lord God has been rendered
gracious to me, the plate1571
on the
priest’s forehead will make it manifest to me. And Joachim
brought his offerings, and observed attentively the priest’s
plate when he went up to the altar of the Lord, and he saw no sin in
himself. And Joachim said: Now I know that the Lord has
been gracious unto me, and has remitted all my sins. And he went
down from the temple of the Lord justified, and departed to his own
house. And her months were fulfilled, and in the ninth1572
| 1572 Various readings
are: Sixth, seventh, eighth. | month Anna brought forth. And she
said to the midwife: What have I brought forth? and she
said: A girl. And said Anna: My soul has been
magnified this day. And she laid her down. And the days
having been fulfilled, Anna was purified, and gave the breast to the
child,1573
| 1573 One of the MSS
inserts: On the eighth day. | and called her
name Mary.
6. And the child grew strong day by day; and
when she was six1574
| 1574 One of
themss. has nine. | months old, her
mother set her on the ground to try whether she could stand, and she
walked seven steps and came into her bosom; and she snatched her up,
saying: As the Lord my God liveth, thou shalt not walk on this
earth until I bring thee into the temple of the Lord. And she
made a sanctuary in her bed-chamber, and allowed nothing common or
unclean to pass through her. And she called the undefiled
daughters of the Hebrews, and they led her astray.1575
| 1575 This is the
reading of most mss.; but it is difficult to
see any sense in it. One ms. reads:
They attended on her. Fabricius proposed: They bathed
her. | And when she was a year old, Joachim
made a great feast, and invited the priests, and the scribes, and the
elders, and all the people of Israel. And Joachim brought the
child to the priests; and they blessed her, saying: O God of our
fathers, bless this child, and give her an everlasting name to be named
in all generations. And all the people said: So be it, so
be it, amen. And he brought her to the chief priests; and they
blessed her, saying: O God most high, look upon this child, and
bless her with the utmost blessing, which shall be for ever. And
her mother snatched her up, and took her into the sanctuary of her
bed-chamber, and gave her the breast. And Anna made a song to the
Lord God, saying: I will sing a song to the Lord my God, for He
hath looked upon me, and hath taken away the reproach of mine enemies;
and the Lord hath given the fruit of His righteousness, singular in its
kind, and richly endowed before Him. Who will tell the sons of
Rubim that Anna gives suck? Hear, hear, ye twelve tribes of
Israel, that Anna gives suck. And she laid her to rest in the
bed-chamber of her sanctuary, and went out and ministered unto
them. And when the supper was ended, they went down rejoicing,
and glorifying the God of Israel.1576
| 1576 Two of
themss. add: And they gave her the name
of Mary, because her name shall not fade forever. This derivation
of the name—from the root mar, fade—is one of a
dozen or so. |
7. And her months were added to the
child. And the child was two years old, and Joachim said:
Let us take her up to the temple of the Lord, that we may pay the vow
that we have vowed, lest perchance the Lord send to us,1577
| 1577 This is
taken to mean: Send someone to us to warn us that we have been
too long in paying our vow. One ms.
reads, lest the Lord depart from us; another, lest the Lord move away
from us. | and our offering be not received.
And Anna said: Let us wait for the third year, in order that the
child may not seek for father or mother. And Joachim said:
So let us wait. And the child was three years old, and Joachim
said: Invite the daughters of the Hebrews that are undefiled, and
let them take each a lamp, and let them stand with the lamps burning,
that the child may not turn
back, and her heart be captivated from the temple of the Lord.
And they did so until they went up into the temple of the Lord.
And the priest received her, and kissed her, and blessed her,
saying: The Lord has magnified thy name in all generations.
In thee, on the last of the days, the Lord will manifest His redemption
to the sons of Israel. And he set her down upon the third step of
the altar, and the Lord God sent grace upon her; and she danced with
her feet, and all the house of Israel loved her.
8. And her parents went down marvelling, and
praising the Lord God, because the child had not turned back. And
Mary was in the temple of the Lord as if she were a dove that dwelt
there, and she received food from the hand of an angel. And when
she was twelve1578
| 1578 Or,
fourteen. Postel’s Latin version has ten. | years old
there was held a council of the priests, saying: Behold, Mary has
reached the age of twelve years in the temple of the Lord. What
then shall we do with her, lest perchance she defile the sanctuary of
the Lord? And they said to the high priest: Thou standest
by the altar of the Lord; go in, and pray concerning her; and whatever
the Lord shall manifest unto thee, that also will we do. And the
high priest went in, taking the robe1579
with the
twelve bells into the holy of holies; and he prayed concerning
her. And behold an angel of the Lord stood by him, saying unto
him: Zacharias, Zacharias, go out and assemble the widowers of
the people, and let them bring each his rod; and to whomsoever the Lord
shall show a sign, his wife shall she be. And the heralds went
out through all the circuit of Judæa, and the trumpet of the Lord
sounded, and all ran.
9. And Joseph, throwing away his axe, went
out to meet them; and when they had assembled, they went away to the
high priest, taking with them their rods. And he, taking the rods
of all of them, entered into the temple, and prayed; and having ended
his prayer, he took the rods and came out, and gave them to them:
but there was no sign in them, and Joseph took his rod last; and,
behold, a dove came out of the rod, and flew upon Joseph’s
head. And the priest said to Joseph, Thou hast been chosen by lot
to take into thy keeping the virgin of the Lord. But Joseph
refused, saying: I have children, and I am an old man, and she is
a young girl. I am afraid lest I become a laughing-stock to the
sons of Israel. And the priest said to Joseph: Fear the
Lord thy God, and remember what the Lord did to Dathan, and Abiram, and
Korah;1580
how the earth
opened, and they were swallowed up on account of their
contradiction. And now fear, O Joseph, lest the same things
happen in thy house. And Joseph was afraid, and took her into his
keeping. And Joseph said to Mary: Behold, I have received
thee from the temple of the Lord; and now I leave thee in my house, and
go away to build my buildings, and I shall come to thee. The Lord
will protect thee.
10. And there was a council of the priests,
saying: Let us make a veil for the temple of the Lord. And
the priest said: Call to me the undefiled virgins of the family
of David. And the officers went away, and sought, and found seven
virgins. And the priest remembered the child Mary, that she was
of the family of David, and undefiled before God. And the
officers went away and brought her. And they brought them into
the temple of the Lord. And the priest said: Choose for me
by lot who shall spin the gold, and the white,1581
| 1581 Lit.,
undefiled. It is difficult to say what colour is meant, or if it
is a colour at all. The word is once used to mean the sea, but
with no reference to colour. It is also the name of a stone of a
greenish hue. |
and the fine linen, and the silk, and the blue,1582
and the scarlet, and the true
purple.1583
And the
true purple and the scarlet fell to the lot of Mary, and she took them,
and went away to her house. And at that time Zacharias was dumb,
and Samuel was in his place until the time that Zacharias spake.
And Mary took the scarlet, and span it.
11. And she took the pitcher, and went out
to fill it with water. And, behold, a voice saying: Hail,
thou who hast received grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou
among women!1584
And she
looked round, on the right hand and on the left, to see whence this
voice came. And she went away, trembling, to her house, and put
down the pitcher; and taking the purple, she sat down on her seat, and
drew it out. And, behold, an angel of the Lord stood before her,
saying: Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found grace before the Lord
of all, and thou shalt conceive, according to His word. And she
hearing, reasoned with herself, saying: Shall I conceive by the
Lord, the living God? and shall I bring forth as every woman brings
forth? And the angel of the Lord said: Not so, Mary; for
the power of the Lord shall overshadow thee: wherefore also that
holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of the
Most High. And thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save
His people from their sins. And Mary said: Behold, the
servant of the Lord before His face: let it be unto me according
to thy word.
12. And she made the purple and the scarlet, and
took them to the priest. And the priest blessed her, and
said: Mary, the Lord God hath magnified thy name, and thou shalt be
blessed in all the generations of the earth. And Mary, with great
joy, went away to Elizabeth her kinswoman,1585
and knocked at the door. And when Elizabeth heard her, she threw
away the scarlet,1586
| 1586 Other readings
are: the wool—what she had in her hand. | and ran to the
door, and opened it; and seeing Mary, she blessed her, and said:
Whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
for, behold, that which is in me leaped and blessed thee.1587
But Mary had forgotten the
mysteries of which the archangel Gabriel had spoken, and gazed up into
heaven, and said: Who am I, O Lord, that all the generations of
the earth should bless me?1588
And she
remained three months with Elizabeth; and day by day she grew
bigger. And Mary being afraid, went away to her own house, and
hid herself from the sons of Israel. And she was sixteen1589
| 1589 Six
mss. have sixteen; one, fourteen;
two, fifteen; and one, seventeen. | years old when these mysteries
happened.
13. And she was in her sixth month; and,
behold, Joseph came back from his building, and, entering into his
house, he discovered that she was big with child. And he
smote1590
| 1590 The Latin
translation has hung down. | his face,1591
and threw
himself on the ground upon the sackcloth, and wept bitterly,
saying: With what face shall I look upon the Lord my God? and
what prayer shall I make about this maiden? because I received her a
virgin out of the temple of the Lord, and I have not watched over
her. Who is it that has hunted me1592
down? Who has done this evil thing in my house, and defiled the
virgin? Has not the history of Adam been repeated in me?
For just as Adam was in the hour of his singing praise,1593
and the serpent came, and found Eve
alone, and completely deceived her, so it has happened to me
also. And Joseph stood up from the sackcloth, and called Mary,
and said to her: O thou who hast been cared for by God, why hast
thou done this and forgotten the Lord thy God? Why hast thou
brought low thy soul, thou that wast brought up in the holy of holies,
and that didst receive food from the hand of an angel? And she
wept bitterly, saying: I am innocent, and have known no
man. And Joseph said to her: Whence then is that which is
in thy womb? And she said: As the Lord my God liveth, I do
not know whence it is to me.
14. And Joseph was greatly afraid, and
retired from her, and considered what he should do in regard to
her.1594
And Joseph said: If I conceal
her sin, I find myself fighting against the law of the Lord; and if I
expose her to the sons of Israel, I am afraid lest that which is in her
be from an angel,1595
| 1595 Lit.,
angelic; one ms. has holy; the
Latin translation, following a slightly different reading, that it
would not be fair to her. | and I shall be
found giving up innocent blood to the doom of death. What then
shall I do with her? I will put her away from me secretly.
And night came upon him; and, behold, an angel of the Lord appears to
him in a dream, saying: Be not afraid for this maiden, for that
which is in her is of the Holy Spirit; and she will bring forth a Son,
and thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from
their sins.1596
And Joseph
arose from sleep, and glorified the God of Israel, who had given him
this grace; and he kept her.
15. And Annas the scribe came to him, and
said: Why hast thou not appeared in our assembly? And
Joseph said to him: Because I was weary from my journey, and
rested the first day. And he turned, and saw that Mary was with
child. And he ran away to the priest,1597
| 1597 Three
mss. have high priest. |
and said to him: Joseph, whom thou didst vouch for, has committed
a grievous crime. And the priest said: How so? And he
said: He has defiled the virgin whom he received out of the
temple of the Lord, and has married her by stealth, and has not
revealed it to the sons of Israel. And the priest answering,
said: Has Joseph done this? Then said Annas the
scribe: Send officers, and thou wilt find the virgin with
child. And the officers went away, and found it as he had said;
and they brought her along with Joseph to the tribunal. And the
priest said: Mary, why hast thou done this? and why hast thou
brought thy soul low, and forgotten the Lord thy God? Thou that
wast reared in the holy of holies, and that didst receive food from the
hand of an angel, and didst hear the hymns, and didst dance before Him,
why hast thou done this? And she wept bitterly, saying: As
the Lord my God liveth, I am pure before Him, and know not a man.
And the priest said to Joseph: Why hast thou done this? And
Joseph said: As the Lord liveth, I am pure concerning her.
Then said the priest: Bear not false witness, but speak the
truth. Thou hast married her by stealth, and hast not revealed it
to the sons of Israel, and hast not bowed thy head under the strong
hand, that thy seed might be blessed. And Joseph was
silent.
16. And the priest said: Give up the
virgin whom thou didst receive out of the temple of the Lord. And
Joseph burst into tears. And the priest said: I will give
you to drink of the water of the ordeal of the Lord,1598
and He shall make manifest your sins in
your eyes. And the priest took the water, and gave Joseph to drink
and sent him away to the hill-country; and he returned unhurt.
And he gave to Mary also to drink, and sent her away to the
hill-country; and she returned unhurt. And all the people
wondered that sin did not appear in them. And the priest
said: If the Lord God has not made manifest your sins, neither do
I judge you. And he sent them away. And Joseph took Mary,
and went away to his own house, rejoicing and glorifying the God of
Israel.
17. And there was an order from the Emperor
Augustus, that all in Bethlehem of Judæa should be
enrolled.1599
And Joseph
said: I shall enrol my sons, but what shall I do with this
maiden? How shall I enrol her? As my wife? I am
ashamed. As my daughter then? But all the sons of Israel
know that she is not my daughter. The day of the Lord shall
itself bring it to pass1600
| 1600 Or: On this day
of the Lord I will do, etc. | as the Lord
will. And he saddled the ass, and set her upon it; and his son
led it, and Joseph followed.1601
| 1601 Another reading
is: And his son Samuel led it, and James and Simon followed. | And when they
had come within three miles, Joseph turned and saw her sorrowful; and
he said to himself: Likely that which is in her distresses
her. And again Joseph turned and saw her laughing. And he
said to her: Mary, how is it that I see in thy face at one time
laughter, at another sorrow? And Mary said to Joseph:
Because I see two peoples with my eyes; the one weeping and lamenting,
and the other rejoicing and exulting. And they came into the
middle of the road, and Mary said to him: Take me down from off
the ass, for that which is in me presses to come forth. And he
took her down from off the ass, and said to her: Whither shall I
lead thee, and cover thy disgrace? for the place is desert.
18. And he found a cave1602
| 1602
Bethlehem…used to be overshadowed by a grove of Thammuz,
i.e., Adonis; and in the cave where Christ formerly wailed as an
infant, they used to mourn for the beloved of Venus (Jerome to
Paulinus). In his letter to Sabinianus the cave is repeatedly
mentioned: “That cave in which the Son of God was
born;” “that venerable cave,” etc., “within the
door of what was once the Lord’s manger, now the
altar.” “Then you run to the place of the
shepherds.” There appears also to have been above the altar
the figure of an angel, or angels. See also Justin,
Tryph., 78. | there, and led her into it; and leaving his
two sons beside her, he went out to seek a widwife in the district of
Bethlehem.
And I Joseph was walking, and was not walking; and I
looked up into the sky, and saw the sky astonished; and I looked up to
the pole of the heavens, and saw it standing, and the birds of the air
keeping still. And I looked down upon the earth, and saw a trough
lying, and work-people reclining: and their hands were in the
trough. And those that were eating did not eat, and those that
were rising did not carry it up, and those that were conveying anything
to their mouths did not convey it; but the faces of all were looking
upwards. And I saw the sheep walking, and the sheep stood still;
and the shepherd raised his hand to strike them, and his hand remained
up. And I looked upon the current of the river, and I saw the
mouths of the kids resting on the water and not drinking, and all
things in a moment were driven from their course.
19. And I saw a woman coming down from the
hill-country, and she said to me: O man, whither art thou
going? And I said: I am seeking an Hebrew midwife.
And she answered and said unto me: Art thou of Israel? And
I said to her: Yes. And she said: And who is it that
is bringing forth in the cave? And I said: A woman
betrothed to me. And she said to me: Is she not thy
wife? And I said to her: It is Mary that was reared in the
temple of the Lord, and I obtained her by lot as my wife. And yet
she is not my wife, but has conceived of the Holy Spirit.
And the widwife said to him: Is this true?
And Joseph said to her: Come and see. And the midwife went
away with him. And they stood in the place of the cave, and
behold a luminous cloud overshadowed the cave. And the midwife
said: My soul has been magnified this day, because mine eyes have
seen strange things—because salvation has been brought forth to
Israel. And immediately the cloud disappeared out of the cave,
and a great light shone in the cave, so that the eyes could not bear
it. And in a little that light gradually decreased, until the
infant appeared, and went and took the breast from His mother
Mary. And the midwife cried out, and said: This is a great
day to me, because I have seen this strange sight. And the
midwife went forth out of the cave, and Salome met her. And she
said to her: Salome, Salome, I have a strange sight to relate to
thee: a virgin has brought forth—a thing which her nature
admits not of. Then said Salome: As the Lord my God liveth,
unless I thrust in my finger, and search the parts, I will not believe
that a virgin has brought forth.
20. And the midwife went in, and said to
Mary: Show thyself; for no small controversy has arisen about
thee. And Salome put in her finger, and cried out, and
said: Woe is me for mine iniquity and mine unbelief, because I
have tempted the living God; and, behold, my hand is dropping off as if
burned with fire. And she bent her knees before the Lord,
saying: O God of my fathers, remember that I am the seed of
Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; do not make a show of me to the sons of
Israel, but restore me to the poor; for Thou knowest, O Lord, that in
Thy name I have performed my services, and that I have received my
reward at Thy hand. And,
behold, an angel of the Lord stood by her, saying to her: Salome,
Salome, the Lord hath heard thee. Put thy hand to the infant, and
carry it, and thou wilt have safety and joy. And Salome went and
carried it, saying: I will worship Him, because a great King has
been born to Israel. And, behold, Salome was immediately cured,
and she went forth out of the cave justified. And behold a voice
saying: Salome, Salome, tell not the strange things thou hast
seen, until the child has come into Jerusalem.
21. And, behold, Joseph was ready to go into
Judæa. And there was a great commotion in Bethlehem of
Judæa, for Magi came, saying: Where is he that is born king
of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and have come to
worship him. And when Herod heard, he was much disturbed, and
sent officers to the Magi. And he sent for the priests, and
examined them, saying: How is it written about the Christ? where
is He to be born? And they said: In Bethlehem of
Judæa, for so it is written.1603
| 1603 Two
mss. here add: And thou Bethlehem, etc.,
from Mic. v.
2. | And he
sent them away. And he examined the Magi, saying to them:
What sign have you seen in reference to the king that has been
born? And the Magi said: We have seen a star of great size
shining among these stars, and obscuring their light, so that the stars
did not appear; and we thus knew that a king has been born to Israel,
and we have come to worship him. And Herod said: Go and
seek him; and if you find him, let me know, in order that I also may go
and worship him. And the Magi went out. And, behold, the
star which they had seen in the east went before them until they came
to the cave, and it stood over the top of the cave. And the Magi
saw the infant with His mother Mary; and they brought forth from their
bag gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by
the angel not to go into Judæa, they went into their own country
by another road.1604
22. And when Herod knew that he had been
mocked by the Magi, in a rage he sent murderers, saying to them:
Slay the children1605
from two years old
and under. And Mary, having heard that the children were being
killed, was afraid, and took the infant and swaddled Him, and put Him
into an ox-stall. And Elizabeth, having heard that they were
searching for John, took him and went up into the hill-country, and
kept looking where to conceal him. And there was no place of
concealment. And Elizabeth, groaning with a loud voice,
says: O mountain of God, receive mother and child. And
immediately the mountain was cleft, and received her. And a light
shone about them, for an angel of the Lord was with them, watching over
them.
23. And Herod searched for John, and sent
officers to Zacharias, saying: Where hast thou hid thy son?
And he, answering, said to them: I am the servant of God in holy
things, and I sit constantly in the temple of the Lord: I do not
know where my son is. And the officers went away, and reported
all these things to Herod. And Herod was enraged, and said:
His son is destined to be king over Israel. And he sent to him
again, saying: Tell the truth; where is thy son? for thou knowest
that thy life is in my hand. And Zacharias said: I am
God’s martyr, if thou sheddest my blood; for the Lord will
receive my spirit, because thou sheddest innocent blood at the
vestibule of the temple of the Lord. And Zacharias was murdered
about daybreak. And the sons of Israel did not know that he had
been murdered.1606
| 1606 Another reading
is: And Herod, enraged at this, ordered him to be slain in the
midst of the altar before the dawn, that the slaying of him might not
be prevented by the people. [This incident was probably suggested
by the reference to “Zacharias the son of Barachias” in
Matt. xxiii. 35; Luke xi.
51; but comp. 2 Chron. xxiv. 20–22.—R.] |
24. But at the hour of the salutation the
priests went away, and Zacharias did not come forth to meet them with a
blessing, according to his custom.1607
| 1607 Lit., the blessing
of Zacharias did not come forth, etc. | And
the priests stood waiting for Zacharias to salute him at the
prayer,1608
and to glorify
the Most High. And he still delaying, they were all afraid.
But one of them ventured to go in, and he saw clotted blood beside the
altar; and he heard a voice saying: Zacharias has been murdered,
and his blood shall not be wiped up until his avenger come. And
hearing this saying, he was afraid, and went out and told it to the
priests. And they ventured in, and saw what had happened; and the
fretwork of the temple made a wailing noise, and they rent their
clothes1609
| 1609 Another reading
is: And was rent from the top, etc. | from the top even
to the bottom. And they found not his body, but they found his
blood turned into stone. And they were afraid, and went out and
reported to the people that Zacharias had been murdered. And all
the tribes of the people heard, and mourned, and lamented for him three
days and three nights. And after the three days, the priests
consulted as to whom they should put in his place; and the lot fell
upon Simeon. For it was he who had been warned by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death until he should see the Christ in the
flesh.1610
And I James that wrote this history in Jerusalem, a
commotion having arisen when Herod died, withdrew myself to the
wilderness until the commotion in Jerusalem ceased, glorifying
the Lord God, who had given
me the gift and the wisdom to write this history.1611
| 1611 [Assuming that
this is among the most ancient of the Apocryphal Gospels, it is
noteworthy that the writer abstains from elaborating his statements on
points fully narrated in the Canonical Gospels. The
supplementary character of the earliest of these writings is
obvious. But what a contrast between the impressive silence of
the New Testament narratives, and the garrulity, not to say indelicacy,
of these detailed descriptions of the Nativity!—R.] | And grace shall be with them that
fear our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory to ages of ages.
Amen.1612
| 1612 The
mss. vary much in the doxology. |
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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