TH E G O SP E L O F TH E BI RTH OF

M ARY
In the primiti ve ag es the re wa s a Gosp el extan t bea rin g th is na me, a tt ribut ed to St . Matth e w, and re ceiv ed as genu ine and a uthen tic by sev era l of th e an cien t Ch ri stian sect s. It is to b e found in t he wo rk s o f J ero me , a Fath er of the Church, wh o flou ri shed in the fou rth centu ry, fro m wh enc e th e p re sent translation i s made . Hi s con te mpo rarie s, Epiphan ius, Bish op of Sala mi s, an d Aust in al so me n t ion a gosp el unde r th is t itl e. Th e ancie nt copi es d iffe red f ro m Je rome' s, for fro m one o f the m th e lea rned Fau stu s, a n at ive o f Britain , who be ca me Bi shop of Rie z, in Pro venc e, endeav oure d to p rove that Ch ri st wa s no t the S on of God t ill af te r hi s bapti sm; and tha t h e wa s not o f the house o f Dav id and t rib e of Judah , b e cau se , a cco rding to th e Go spel he cit ed, the Vi rgin he rself was not o f th is t ribe , but of t he t ribe of Le vi ; he r fathe r bein g a p rie st of the na me of Joach i m. It wa s l ike wi se fro m th is Go spel that the se ct of th e Coll yridian s e stablished th e wo rship and o ff ering o f man chet b read and cra ckne ls, o r fin e wa fe rs, as sa c rifi ced to Mary, who m the y i magin ed to ha ve b een bo rn of a Vi rgin , a s Chri st i s relat ed in th e Canonica l Go spe ls to hav e b een bo rn o f h er. Epiphani us li ke wi se cit es a pa ssa ge co nce rning the d eath o f Zach a ria s, wh ich is not in Je ro me 's cop y, vi z. : "Tha t it wa s th e oc casion of th e death o f Zacha ria s in th e te mpl e, tha t when h e had se en a vi sion , he , th rough su rprise, wa s wi l l ing to di sclo se it , and h is mouth wa s stopped . That which he sa w wa s at th e ti me of hi s o ffe ri ng inc ense, and it wa s a man standin g in the fo rm o f an a ss. Wh en he wa s gon e out, and had a mind to speak thu s to th e p eople , Wo e unt o you , wh om do you wo rship? he wh o had appe ared to h im in the te mple took a way the u se of h is sp eech . Afte rwa rds when he reco vered it, and was abl e to spea k, he dec lared th is to th e Je ws; and they sle w hi m. The y add (vi z. th e Gno stic s in thi s book) , t hat on thi s ve ry acc ount the high -p ri est wa s appoint ed by t hei r la wg ive r (by God to Mo se s) to ca rry l itt le be ll s, tha t when soe ve r he we nt in to the te mple to sac rifi ce he , who m th ey wo rshipped , hea ring th e no ise o f the be lls, might hav e ti me enough to hide h imse lf, and not b e ca ught in tha t ugl y shape and f igure. " Th e p rin cipal part of thi s Go spe l i s contain ed in th e Prot evang elion of Ja me s whi ch follo ws n ext in o rde r.

CHAPT ER I 1 The Paren tage o f Mary. 7 Joachim he r fath er, an d Anna her mo ther, go to J eru sa lem to the fea st of th e d e d ica tion . 9 Issacha r, the h igh p riest, reproa ches Joach im fo r being child le ss. T HE blessed and ever gloriou s Vi rgin Mary, spru ng from the royal ra ce a nd family of David, was born in the city of Nazareth, and ed u ca ted a t J eru salem, in the temple of the Lord. 2 Her father's name was Joachim, a nd her mother's Anna. T he family

of her fa ther was of Galilee and the city of Nazareth. T he family of her mother was of Bethlehem. 3 T heir lives were plain and right in the sight of the Lord, piou s a nd fau ltless before men; for they d ivided all their su bstance into three parts; 4 One of which they dev oted to the temple and officers o f the temple; another they distribu ted among strangers, and persons in poor ci rcu mstances; and the third they r eserved for themselves and the u ses of their own family.

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5 In this manner they lived for a bou t twenty years chastely, in the fa vou r of God, and the esteem o f men, withou t any chi ldren. 6 Bu t they vowed, if God shou ld fa vou r them with any issu e, they wou ld devote it to the service o f the Lord; on which accou nt they went at every feast in the year to the temple of the Lor d. 7 And it came to pass, that when the feast of th e ded ication drew nea r, Joachim, with some others o f his tribe, went u p to Jeru sa lem, and a t tha t time, Isachar was high priest; 8 Who, when he saw Joachim along with the rest o f his neig hbou rs, bringing his offerings, despised both him a nd his o fferings, and ask ed him, 9 Why he, who had no children, wou ld presu me to appear among those wh o had? Adding, that his o fferings cou ld never be accep table to God, who was ju dged by him u nwo rthy to have children; the Scriptu re ha ving said, Cu rsed is every o ne who shall not beget a male in Israel. 10 He further said, that he ou ght first to be free from that curse by begetting some issu e, and then come with his o fferings into the presen ce of God. 11 Bu t Joachim being mu ch confou nded with the shame of su ch r eproa ch, retired to the shepherds who were with the cattle in their pa stu res; 12 For he was not inclined to retu rn home, lest his neigh bou rs, who were present and heard all this from the high-priest, shou ld pu blicly r eproa ch him in the same manner. CHAPT ER II.

1 An angel appea rs to Joach im, 9 and in forms him tha t Anna sha ll co nceive and b rin g forth a daugh ter, wh o shall b e ca lled Ma ry, 11 be brough t up in the temp le, 12 and wh ile yet a virg in , in a way u nparalleled , b ring forth the Son of God : 13 Gives h im a sign , 14 and d eparts. BUT when he had been there for some time, on a certain day when he was alone, the angel of the Lord stood by him with a prodigiou s light. 2 To whom, being trou bled at th e appearance, the angel who had a ppeared to him, endeavou ring to compo se him, said: 3 Be not afraid, Joachim, nor trou bled at the sight of me, for I am an angel of the Lord sent by him to you , that I might inform you that you r prayers are heard, and you r alms a scended in the sight of God. 4 For he hath su rely seen you r shame, and heard you u nju stly r eproached for not having children: for God is the avenger of sin, and not of nature; 5 And so when h e shu ts the wo mb of any perso n, he d oes it for this reason, that he may in a more wo nderfu l manner again open it, and that which is born appear to be not the produ ct of lu st, bu t the gift of God. 6 For the first mother of you r n a tion, Sarah, was she n ot barren even till her eightieth year: and yet even in the end of her old age brou ght forth Isaac, in whom the promise was made of a blessing to all na tions. 7 Rachel, also, so mu ch in favou r with God, and beloved so mu ch by holy Jacob, continu ed barren for a long time, yet afterwards was the

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mother of Joseph, who was not only governor of Egypt, bu t delivered ma ny nations from perishing with hu nger. 8 Who among the ju dges wa s more va lia nt than Sampson, or more holy tha n Samu el? And yet both th eir mothers were ba rren. 9 Bu t if reason will not convince you of the tru th of my words, that there are frequ ent conceptions in a dva nced years, and that those who were barren have brou ght forth to their great surprise; therefore Anna you r wife shall bring you a dau g hter, a nd you shall call her name Ma ry; 10 She shall, according to you r vow, be devoted to the Lord from her infancy, and be filled with the Holy Ghost from h er mother's womb; 11 She shall neither eat nor drink a ny thing which is u nclean, nor sha ll her conversation be withou t a mong the co mmo n peo ple, bu t in the temple o f the Lord; that so she ma y not fall u nder any slander or su spicion of what is bad. 12 So in the process o f her years, a s she shall be in a mirac u lou s ma nner born of on e that was barren, so she shall, while yet a virgin, in a wa y u nparalleled, bring forth the Son of the most High God, who sha ll, be called Jesu s, and, accor ding to the signi fica tion of hi s name, be the Saviou r of all nations. 13 And this shall be a sign to you of the things which I declare, nam ely, when y ou come to the g old en ga te of Jeru salem, you shall there meet you r wife Anna, who being very mu ch trou bled that you r etu rned no sooner, shall then rejoice to see you .

14 When the angel had said this, he departed from him. CHAPT ER III. 1 Th e a ngel a ppea rs to Anna ; 2 tells her a daugh ter sha ll be bo rn un to her, 3 devoted to th e service o f the Lord in the temple, 5 , who , being a virg in , an d no t kno wing man , sha ll b ring forth th e Lord, 6 a nd g ives her a sign therefore. 8 Joach im and Anna meet, a nd rejo ice, 10 and p ra ise th e Lord . 11 Anna conceives, and b rings fo rth a daugh ter ca lled Ma ry. AFT ERWARDS the angel appeared to Anna his wife, saying; Fear not, neither think that which you see is a spirit; 2 For I am that angel who hath o ffered u p you r prayers and alms b efore God, and am now sent to you , that I may inform you , that a dau g hter will be born u nto you , who shall be called Mary, and shall be blessed above all women. 3 She shall be, i mmediately u pon her birth, fu ll of the grace of the Lord, and shall continu e du ring th e three years of her weaning in her father's hou se, and afterwards, being devoted to the service of the Lord, shall not depart from the te mple, till she arrive to years of discr etion. 4 In a word, she shall there serve the Lord night and day in fas ting a nd prayer, shall abstain from every u nclean thing, and never k now any man; 5 Bu t, being an u nparalleled i nstance withou t any pollu tion or d efilement, and a virgin not k no wing any man, shall ring forth a son, a nd a maid shall bring forth the Lord, who both by his grace and name and work s, shall be the Saviour of the

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world. 6 Arise therefore, and go u p to J eru salem, and when you shall come to tha t which is called the golden ga te (becau se it is gilt with gold), as a sign of what I have told you , you sha ll meet you r hu sband, for whose sa fety you have been so mu ch co ncerned. 7 When therefore you find these things thu s accomplished, believe tha t a ll the rest which I have told you , shall also u ndou btedly be a ccomplished. 8 According therefore to the co mma nd of the angel, both of them left the places where they were, and when they came to the place spec ified in the angels prediction, they met ea ch other. 9 T hen, rejoicing at each other's v ision, a nd being fu lly sati sfied in the promise of a child, they gave du e tha nk s to the Lord, who e xalts the hu mble. 10 After having praised the Lord, they retu rned home, and lived in a cheerfu l and a ssu red expectation of the promise o f God. 11 So Anna conceived, and brou ght forth a dau ghter, and, a ccording to the a ngel's command, the parents did ca ll her name Mary. CHAPT ER IV. 1 Ma ry brough t to th e temp le a t thre e yea rs old. 6 Ascend s the sta irs o f the temp le by mira cle. 8 Her pa ren ts sacr ifice and retu rn ho me. AND when three years were expired, and the time of her weaning complete, they brou ght the Virgin to the temple of the Lord with offerings. 2 And there were abou t the temple, a ccording to the fifteen Psa lms o f

degrees, fifteen stairs to ascend. 3 For the temple being bu ilt in a mou ntain, the altar of burnt - offering, which was withou t, cou ld not be come n ear bu t by stairs; 4 T he parents of the blessed Virgin and infant Mary pu t her u pon one of these stairs; 5 Bu t while they were pu tting off their clothes, in which they had tra velled, and according to cu s tom pu tting on some that were more neat and clean, 6 In the mean time the Virgin o f the Lord in su ch a manner went u p all the stairs one after another, withou t the help of any to lead her or lift her, that any one wou ld have ju dged from hen ce, that she was o f per fect age. 7 T hu s the Lord did, in the infancy of his Virgin, work this extraordinary work, and evidence by this miracle how great she was lik e to be herea fter. 8 Bu t the parents having offered u p their sacrifice, according to the cu stom of the law, and perfected their vow, left th e Virgin with oth er virgins in the apartments of the te mple, who were to be brou ght u p there, and they retu rned home. CHAPT ER V. 2 Ma ry min istered un to by an gels. 4 The h igh p riest o rders a ll virg in s o f fou rteen yea rs o ld to qu it th e temp le and en deavo ur to be ma rried. 5 Ma ry refuses, 6 ha vin g vo wed her virg in ity to the Lord. 7 Th e h igh p riest co mmands a meeting o f the ch ief person s o f Jeru sa lem, 11 who seek the Lo rd fo r cou nsel in the matter. 13 A vo ice from th e merc y sea t. 1 5 The h igh -priest o beys it by ordering a ll the un ma rried men o f

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the ho use o f David to brin g th eir ro ds to th e a lta r, 17 th at h is rod wh ich sh ou ld flo wer, and on which the Sp irit o f God sho uld sit, shou ld be troth th e Virg in . BUT the Virgin of the Lord, as she a dva nced in years, increased also in perfection s, and according to the sa ying of the P salmist, her father a nd mother forsook her, bu t the Lord took care of her. 2 For she every day had the conv ersa tion of angels, and every day received visitors fro m God, which preserved her fro m all sorts of evil, a nd cau sed her to abou nd with all good things; 3 So that when at length she arrived to her fou rteenth year, as the wick ed cou ld not lay any thing to her cha rge worthy of reproof, so all good perso ns, who were acqu ainted with her, a dmired her life and conversa tion. 4 At that time the high -priest made a pu blic order, T hat all the virgins who had pu blic settlements in the temple, and were come to this age, shou ld return home, and, as they were no w o f a proper matu rity, shou ld, according to the cu stom of their cou ntry, endeavou r to be married. 5 To which command, thou gh all the other virgins readily yielded obedience, Mary the Virgin o f the Lord a lone a nswered, that she cou ld not comply with it, 6 Assigning these reason s, that both she a nd h er parents had devoted her to the service of the Lord; and besides, that she had vowed virginity to the Lord, which vow she was r esolved never to break throu gh by lying with a man. 7 T he high-priest being her eby

brou ght into a difficu lty, 8 Seeing he du rst neither on the one hand dissolve the vow, and disobey the Scriptu re, which says, Vow and pay, 9 Nor on the other hand introdu ce a cu stom, to which the p eople were strangers, commanded, 10 T hat at the a pproaching feast all the principal persons both of Jeru sa lem and the neighb ou ring places shou ld meet togeth er, that he might have their a dvice, how he had best proceed in so di fficu lt a case. 11 When they were accordingly met, they u nanimou sly agreed to seek the Lord, and ask cou nsel from him on this matter. 12 And when they were all engaged in prayer, the high-priest according to the u sual way, went to consu lt God. 13 And immediately there was a voice from the ark, and the mercy seat, which all present heard, that it mu st be enqu ired or sou ght ou t by a prophecy o f Isaiah, to whom the Virgin shou ld be given and be betrothed; 14 For Isaiah saith, there shall come forth a rod ou t of th e stem o f Jesse, and a flower shall spring ou t of its root, 15 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest u pon him, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Cou nsel and Might, the Spirit of Knowl edge and Piety, and the Spirit of the fear of the Lord shall fill him. 16 T hen, according to this prophecy, he appointed, that all the men of the hou se and family of David, who were marriageable, and not married, shou ld bring their several rods to the altar, 17 And ou t of whatsoever p erson's

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rod a fter it was brou ght, a flower shou ld bu d forth, and on the top of it the Spirit of the Lord sh ou ld sit in the a ppearance of a dove, he shou ld be the man to whom the Virgin shou ld be given and be betrothed. CHAPT ER VI. 1 Joseph dra ws back h is rod . 5 The do ve p itch es on it. He b etro ths Ma ry and return s to Beth leh em. 7 Ma ry retu rn s to her paren ts' house a t G a lilee . AMONG the rest there was a man na med Joseph of th e hou se and fa mily of David, and a person very far a dva nced in years, who k ept back his rod, wh en ev ery one besid es pr e sented his. 2 So that when nothing appeared a greea ble to the heavenly voice, the high-priest ju dged it proper to consu lt God again. 3 Who answered that he to whom the Virgin was to be betrothed was the only person o f tho se who were brou ght together, who had not brou ght his rod. 4 Joseph therefore was betrayed. 5 For, when he did bring his rod, a nd a dove coming from Heaven pitched u pon the top of it, every one pla inly saw, that the Virgin was to be betrothed to him. 6 Accordingly, the u su al ceremonies of betrothing being over, he retu rned to hi s own city o f Bethleh em, to set his hou se in ord er, and mak e the needfu l provisions for the ma rria ge. 7 But the Virgin of the Lord, Mary, with sev en other virgins o f the same a ge, who had been weaned at the sa me time, and who had been a ppointed to attend her by the priest, returned to her parents' hou se in G a -

lilee. CHAPT ER VII. 7 The sa lu ta tion of the Virg in by Gabriel, who exp la in s to h er tha t she sha ll conceive, withou t ly ing with a man , wh ile a Virgin, 1 9 by the Holy Gho st co ming upon her with out th e hea ts o f lu st. 21 S he submits. NOW at this time of her first com ing into Galilee, the a ngel Gabriel was sent to her from God, to declare to her the conception of ou r S a viou r, and the manner and way of her conceiving him. 2 Accordingly going into her, he filled the chamber where sh e was with a prodigiou s light, and in a most cou rteou s ma nner salu ting her, he said, 3 Hail, Mary! Virgin of the Lord most a cceptable! O Virgin fu ll of grace! T he Lord is with you . You are blessed above all women, and you are blessed above all men, that have been hitherto born. 4 Bu t the Virgin, who had before been well acquainted with the cou ntenances o f angels, and to who m su ch light from heaven was no u ncommo n thing, 5 Was neither terrified with the vision o f the angel , nor astonished at the greatness of the light, bu t only trou bled about the angel's words, 6 And began to consider what so extraordinary a salu ta tion shou ld mean, what it did po rtend, or what sort of end it wou ld have. 7 To this thou ght the angel, divinely inspired, replies; 8 Fear not, Mary, as thou gh I intended anything inconsi stent with you r cha stity in this salu tation: 9 For you have fou nd favour with

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the Lord, becau se you made virginity you r choice. 10 T herefore while you are a Virgin, you shall conceive withou t sin, a nd bring forth a son. 11 He shall be great, b ecau se he sha ll reign from sea to sea, and from the rivers even to the ends of the ea rth? 12 And he shall be called the Son of the Highest; for he who i s born in a mea n state on earth, reigns in an exa lted one in heaven. 13 And the Lord shall give him the throne of his father David, and he sha ll reign over the hou se of Jacob for ever, and of his k ingdom there sha ll be no end. 14 For he is the King o f Kings, and Lord of Lords, and his throne is forever a nd ever. 15 To this discou rse of the angel the Virgin r eplied, not, as thou gh she were u nbelieving, bu t willing to k now the manner of it. 16 She said, How can that be? For seeing, according to my vow, I have never k nown any man , how can I bea r a child without the addition of a ma n's seed. 17 To this the angel r eplied and sa id, T hink not, Mary, that you shall conceive in the ordinary way. 18 For, withou t lying with a man, while a Virgin, you shall conceive; while a Virgin, you shall bring forth; and while a Virgin shall give su ck . 19 For the Holy Ghost shall come u pon you , and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you , withou t any of the heats of lu st. 20 So that which shall be born o f you shall be only holy, becau se it only is conceived withou t sin, and being born, shall be called the Son

of God. 21 T hen Mary stretching forth her hands, and lifting her eyes to hea ven, said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord! Let it be u nto me according to thy word. CHAPT ER VIII. 1 J osep h returns to Galilee, to ma rry the Virg in he h ad betroth ed ; 4 pe rceives she is with ch ild , 5 is un ea sy, 7 purpo ses to pu t h er a way p rivily, 8 is to ld by the a ngel o f the Lord it is no t the work o f man bu t the Ho ly Gho st; 12 Marries her, bu t keep s cha ste, 13 remo ves with her to Beth leh em, 15 where she bring s forth Ch rist. JOSEPH therefore went from Ju daea to Galilee, with intention to marry the Virgin who was betrothed to him: 2 For it was now near three months since sh e was betrothed to him. 3 At length it plainly appeared she was with child, and it cou ld not be hid from Joseph: 4 For going to the Vi rgin in a free manner, as one espou sed, and talk ing familiarly with her, he perceived her to be with child, 5 And thereu pon began to be u nea sy and dou btfu l, not k nowing what cou rse it wou ld be best to tak e; 6 For being a ju st man, he was not willing to expose her, nor defame her by the su spicion of being a harlot, since he was a piou s man: 7 He pu rposed therefore privately to pu t an end to their agreement, and as pr ivately to send her away. 8 Bu t while he was meditating these things, b ehold the angel o f the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, and said, Joseph, son of David, fear not;

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9 Be not willing to enterta in any su spicion of the Virgin 's being gu ilty of fornication, or to think any thing a miss o f her, neither be afraid to tak e her to wife: 10 For that which is begotten in her a nd now distresses you r mind, is not the work of man, bu t the Holy Ghost. 11 For she of all women is that only Virgin who shall bring forth the Son of God, and you shall call his na me Jesu s, that is, Saviour: for he will sa ve his people from their sins. 12 Joseph thereu pon, according to the command of the angel, married the Virgin, and did not k now her,

bu t k ept her in chastity. 13 And now the ninth month from her conception drew near, when J oseph took his wife and what other things were n ecessary to Bethlehem, the city from whence h e came. 14 And it came to pass, while they were there, the days were fu lfilled for her bringing forth. 15 And she brou ght forth her firstborn son, as the holy Evangelists have tau ght, even ou r Lord Jesu s Christ, who with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, lives and reigns to everlasting ages.