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23 But perceiving herself daily

to grow big, and being afraid, she

went home, and hid herself from

the children of Israel; and was

fourteen years old when all these

things happened.

CHAPTER X.

1 Joseph returns from building houses, finds the Virgin

grown big, being six months gone with child,

2 is jealous and troubled,

8 reproaches her,

10 she affirms her innocence,

13 he leaves her,

16 determines to dismiss her privately,

17 is warned in a dream that Mary is with child by the Holy Ghost,

20 and glorifies God who had shewn him such favour.

AND when her sixth month was

come, Joseph returned from

his building houses abroad, which

was his trade, and entering into the

house, found the Virgin grown big:

2 Then smiting upon his face,

he said, With what face can I look

up to the Lord my God? or, what

shall I say concerning this young

woman?

3 For I received her a Virgin

out of the temple of the Lord my

God, and have not preserved her

such!

4 Who has thus deceived me?

Who has committed this evil in

my house, and seducing the Virgin

from me, hath defiled her?

5 Is not the history of Adam exactly

accomplished in me?

6 For in the very instant of his

glory, the serpent came and found

Eve alone, and seduced her.

7 Just after the same manner it

has happened to me.

8 Then Joseph arising from the

ground, called her, and said, O

thou who hast been so much

favoured by God, why hast thou

done this?

9 Why hast thou thus debased

thy soul, who wast educated in the

Holy of Holies, and received thy

food from the hand of angels?

10 But she, with a flood of tears,

replied, I am innocent, and have

known no man.

11 Then said Joseph, How

comes it to pass you are with

child?

12 Mary answered, As the Lord

my God liveth, I know not by what

means.

13 Then Joseph was exceedingly afraid,

and went ay from her, considering

what he should do with her;

and he thus reasoned with himself:

14 If I conceal her crime, I shall

be found guilty by the law of the

Lord;

15 And if I discover her to the

children of Israel, I fear, lest

she being with child by an angel,

I shall be found to betray the life

of an innocent person.

16 What therefore shall I do?

I will privately dismiss her.

17 Then the night was come

upon him, when behold an angel

of the Lord appeared to him in a

dream, and said,

18 Be not afraid to take that

young woman, for that which is

within her is of the Holy Ghost,

19 And she shall bring forth

a son, and thou shalt call his name

Jesus, for he shall save his people

from their sins.

20 Then Joseph arose from his

sleep, and glorified the God of

Israel, who had shewn him such

favour, and preserved the Virgin.

CHAPTER XI.

3 Annas visits Joseph, perceives the Virgin big with child,

4 informs the high priest that Joseph had privately married her.

8 Joseph and Mary brought to trial on the charge.

17 Joseph drinks the water of the Lord as an ordeal,

and receiving no harm, returns home.

THEN came Annas the scribe,

and said to Joseph, Wherefore

have we not seen you since

your return?

2 And Joseph replied, Because

I was weary after my journey, and

rested the first day.

3 But Annas turning about

perceived the Virgin big with child.

4 And went away to the priest,

and told him, Joseph in whom you

placed so much confidence, is

guilty of a notorious crime, in

that he hath defiled the Virgin

whom he received out of the temple

of the Lord, and hath privately

married her, not discovering it to

the children of Israel.

5 Then said the priest, Hath

Joseph done this?

6 Annas replied, If you send

any of your servants you will find

that she is with child.

7 And the servants went, and

found it as he said.

8 Upon this both she and Joseph

were brought to their trial, and

the priest said unto her, Mary,

what hast thou done?

9 Why hast thou debased thy

soul, and forgot thy God, seeing

thou wast brought up in the Holy

of Holies, and didst receive thy

food from the hands of angels, and

heardest their songs?

10 Why hast thou done this?

11 To which with a flood of

tears she answered, As the Lord

my God liveth, I am innocent in

his sight, seeing I know no man.

12 Then the priest said to Joseph,

Why hast thou done this?

13 And Joseph answered, As

the Lord my God liveth, I have

not been concerned with her.

14 But the priest said, Lie not,

but declare the truth; thou hast

privately married her, and not

discovered it to the children of

Israel, and humbled thyself under

the mighty hand (of God), that thy

seed might be blessed:

15 And Joseph was silent.

16 Then said the priest

(to Joseph), You must restore to

the temple of the Lord the Virgin

which you took thence.

17 But he wept bitterly, and the

priest added, I will cause you both

to drink the water of the Lord,

which is for trial, and so your

iniquity shall be laid open before

you.—[bitter water that causeth the curse]

18 Then the priest took the water,

and made Joseph drink, and sent him

to a mountainous place,

19 And he returned perfectly

well, and all the people wondered

that his guilt was not discovered.

20 So the priest said, Since the

Lord hath not made your sins

evident, neither do I condemn

you.

21 So he sent them away.

22 Then Joseph took Mary, and

went to his house, rejoicing and

praising the God of Israel.

CHAP. XII.

1 A decree from Augustus for taxing the Jews.

5 Joseph puts Mary on an ass, to return to Bethlehem,

6 she looks sorrowful,

7 she laughs,

8 Joseph inquires the cause of each,

9 she tells him she sees two persons,

one mourning and the other rejoicing.

10 The delivery being near, he takes her

from the ass, and places her in a cave.

AND it came to pass, that there

went forth a decree from

the Emperor Augustus, that all

the Jews should be taxed, who

were of Bethlehem in Judaea.

2 And Joseph said, I will take

care that my children be taxed;

but what shall I do with this young

woman?

3 To have her taxed as my wife

I am ashamed; and if I tax her as

my daughter, all Israel knows she

is not my daughter.

4 When the time of the Lord's

appointment shall come, let him do

as seems good to him.

5 And he saddled the ass, and

put her upon it, and Joseph and

Simon followed after her, and

arrived at Bethlehem within three

miles.

6 Then Joseph turning about

saw Mary sorrowful, and said

within himself, Perhaps she is in

pain through that which is within

her.

7 But when he turned about

again, he saw her laughing, and

said to her,

8 Mary, how happens it, that I

sometimes see sorrow, and sometimes

laughter and joy in thy countenance?

9 And Mary replied to him,

I see two people with mine eyes,

the one weeping and mourning,

the other laughing and rejoicing.

10 And he went again across

the way, and Mary said to Joseph,

Take me down from the ass, for

that which is in me presses to come

forth.

11 But Joseph replied, Whither

shall I take thee? for the place is

a desert.

12 Then said Mary again to Joseph,

take me down, for that which is

within me mightily presses me.

13 And Joseph took her down.

14 And he found there a cave,

and let her into it.

CHAPTER XIII.

1 Joseph seeks a Hebrew midwife,

2 perceives the owls stopping in their flight,

3 the working people at their food not moving,

8 the sheep standing still,

9 the shepherd fixed and immoveable,

10 and kids with their mouths touching

the water but not drinking.

AND leaving her and his sons

in the cave, Joseph went

forth to seek a Hebrew midwife in

the village of Bethlehem.

2 But as I was going (said Joseph),

I looked up into the air,

and I saw the clouds astonished,

and the fowls of the air stopping in

the midst of their flight.

3 And I looked down towards

the earth, and saw a table spread,

and working people sitting around

it, but their hands were upon the

table and they did not move to

eat.

4 They who had meat in their

mouths did not eat.

5 They who lifted their hands

up to their heads did not draw

them back,

6 And they who lifted them up

to their mouths did not put any

thing in;

7 But all their faces were fixed

upwards.

8 And I beheld the sheep dispersed,

and yet the sheep stood still.

9 And the shepherd lifted up

his hand to smite them, and his

hand continued up.

10 And I looked unto a river,

and saw the kids with their mouths

close to the water, and touching it,

but they did not drink.

CHAPTER XIV.

1 Joseph finds a midwife.

10 A bright cloud overshadows the cave.

11 A great light in the cave, gradually

increases until the infant is born.

13 The mid-wife goes out, and tells Salome

that she has seen a virgin bring forth.

17 Salome doubts it.

20 her hand withers,

22 she supplicates the Lord,

28 is cured,

30 but warned not to declare what she had seen.

THEN I beheld a woman coming

down from the mountains,

and she said to me, Where art thou

going, O man?

2 And I said to her, I go to

enquire for a Hebrew midwife.

3 She replied to me, Where is

the woman that is to be delivered?

4 And I answered, In the cave,

and she is betrothed to me.

5 Then said the midwife, Is she

not thy wife?

6 Joseph answered, It is Mary,

who was educated in the Holy of

Holies, in the house of the Lord,

and she fell to me by lot, and is

not my wife, but has conceived by

the Holy Ghost.

7 The midwife said, Is this true?

8 He answered, Come and see.

9 And the midwife went along

with him, and stood in the cave.

10 Then a bright cloud over-

shadowed the cave, and the mid-

wife said, This day my soul is

magnified, for mine eyes have seen

surprising things, and salvation is

brought forth to Israel.

11 But on a sudden the cloud

became a great light in the cave,

so that their eyes could not bear it.

12 But the light gradually

decreased, until the infant appeared,

and sucked the breast of his mother,

Mary.

13 Then the midwife cried out,

and said, How glorious a day is

this, wherein mine eyes have seen

this extraordinary sight!

14 And the midwife went out

from the cave, and Salome met

her.

15 And the midwife said to her,

Salome, Salome, I will tell you a

most surprising thing which I saw,

16 A virgin hath brought forth,

which is a thing contrary to

nature.

17 To which Salome replied, As

the Lord my God liveth unless I

receive particular proof of this

matter, I will not believe that a

virgin hath brought forth.

18 If Then Salome went in, and

the midwife said, Mary, shew thyself,

for a controversy is risen

concerning thee.

19 And Salome received satisfaction.

20 But her hand was withered,

and she groaned bitterly;

21 And said, Woe to me, because

of mine iniquity; for I have

tempted the living God, and my

hand is ready to drop off.

22 Then Salome made her

supplication to the Lord, and said,

O God of my Fathers, remember me,

for I am of the seed of Abraham,

and Isaac, and Jacob.

23 Make me not a reproach

among the children of Israel, but

restore me sound to my parents.

24 For thou well knowest,

O Lord, that I have performed many

offices of charity in thy name,

and have received my reward from

thee.

25 Upon this an angel of the

Lord stood by Salome, and said,

The Lord God hath heard thy

prayer, reach forth thy hand to

the child, and carry him, and by

that means thou shalt be restored.

26 Salome filled with exceeding

joy, went to the child, and said,

I will touch him.

27 And she purposed to worship

him, for she said, This is a great

king, which is born in Israel.

28 And straightway Salome was

cured.

29 Then the midwife went out

of the cave, being approved by God.

30 And lo! a voice came to Salome.

Declare not the strange things

which thou hast seen, till

the child shall come to Jerusalem.

31 So Salome also departed,

approved by God.

CHAPTER XV.

1 Wise men come from the east.

3 Herod alarmed;

8 desires them if they find the child to bring him word.

10 They visit the cave and offer the child their treasure,

11 and being warned in a dream, do not return to Herod,

but go home another way.

THEN Joseph was preparing to

go away, because there arose

a great disorder in Bethlehem by

the coming of some wise men

from the east,

2 Who said, Where is the King

of the Jews born? For we have

seen his star in the east, and are

come to worship him.

3 When Herod heard this, he

was exceedingly troubled, and sent

messengers to the wise men, and

to the priests, and enquired of

them in the town-hall,

4 And said unto them, Where

have you it written concerning

Christ the king, or where should

he be born?

5 Then they say unto him, In

Bethlehem of Judaea; for thus it

is written: And thou Bethlehem in

the land of Judah, art not the least

among the princes of Judah, for

out of thee shall come a ruler,

who shall rule my people Israel.

6 And having sent away the

chief priests, he enquired of the

wise men in the town-hall, and

said unto them, What sign was it

ye saw concerning the king that is

born?

7 They answered him, We saw

an extraordinary large star shining

among the stars of heaven, and so

out-shined all the other stars, as

that they became not visible, and

we knew thereby that a great king

was born in Israel, and therefore

we are come to worship him.

8 Then said Herod to them, Go

and make diligent inquiry; and if

ye find the child, bring me word

again, that I may come and worship

him also.

9 So the wise men went forth,

and behold, the star which they

saw in the east went before them,

till it came and stood over the cave

where the young child was with

Mary his mother.

10 Then they brought forth out

of their treasures, and offered unto

him gold and frankincense, and

myrrh.

11 And being warned in a dream

by an angel, that they should not

return to Herod through Judaea,

they departed into their own country

by another way.

CHAPTER XVI.

1 Herod enraged, orders the infants in Bethlehem to be slain.

2 Mary puts her infant in an ox-manger.

3 Elizabeth flees with her son John to the mountains.

6 A mountain miraculously divides and receives them.

9 Herod incensed at the escape of John, causes Zacharias

to be murdered at the altar.

23 The roofs of the temple rent, the body miraculously

conveyed, and the blood petrified.

25 Israel mourns for him.

27 Simeon chosen his successor by lot.

THEN Herod perceiving that

he was mocked by the wise

men, and being very angry,

commanded certain men to go and

to kill all the children that were

in Bethlehem, from two years old

and under.

2 But Mary hearing that the

children were to be killed, being

under much fear, took the child,

and wrapped him up in swaddling

clothes, and laid him in an ox-

manger, because there was no

room for them in the inn.

3 Elizabeth also, hearing that

her son John was about to be

searched for, took him and went

up unto the mountains, and looked

around for a place to hide him;

4 And there was no secret place

to be found.

5 Then she groaned within herself,

and said, O mountain of the Lord,

receive the mother with the child.

6 For Elizabeth could not climb up,

7 And instantly the mountain

was divided and received them.

8 And there appeared to them

an angel of the Lord to preserve

them.

9 But Herod made search after

John, and sent servants to Zacharias,

when he was (ministering) at the altar,

and said unto him, Where hast thou hid

thy son?

10 He replied, to them, I am a

minister of God, and a servant at

the altar: how should I know

where my son is?

11 So the servants went back,

and told Herod the whole; at

which he was incensed, and said,

Is not this son of his like to be

king of Israel?

12 He sent therefore again his

servants to Zacharias, saying, Tell

us the truth, where is thy son, for

you know that your life is in my

hand.

13 So the servants went and told

him all this:

14 But Zacharias replied to

them, I am a martyr for God, and

if ye shed my blood, the Lord will

receive my soul.

15 Besides know that ye shed

innocent blood.

16 However Zacharias was murdered

in the entrance of the temple

said altar, and about the partition;

17 But the children of Israel

knew not when he want killed.

18 Then at the hour of salutation

the priests went into the temple

but Zacharias did not according

to custom, meet them and bless them.

19 Yet they still continued

waiting for him to salute them;

20 And when they found he did

not in a long time come, one of

them ventured into the holy place

where the altar was, and he saw

blood lying upon the ground

congealed:

21 When, behold, a voice from

heaven said, Zacharias is murdered,

and his blood shall not be

wiped away, until the revenger

of his blood come.

22 But when he heard this, he

was afraid; and went forth and told

the priests what he had seen and

heard; and they all went in, and

saw the fact.

23 Then the roofs of the temple

howled, and were rent from the

top to the bottom:

24 And they could not find the

body, but only blood made hard

like stone.

25 And they went away, and

told the people, that Zacharias

was murdered, and all the tribes

of Israel heard thereof, and mourned

for him, and lamented three days:

26 Then the priests took

council together concerning

a person to succeed him.

27 And Simeon and the other

priests cast lots, and the lot fell

upon Simeon.

28 For he had been assured by

the Holy Spirit, that he should not

die, till he had seen Christ come in

the flesh.

(I James wrote this History in Jerusalem: and when the disturbance

was I retired into a desert place, until the death of Herod, and the

disturbances ceased at Jerusalem. That which remains is, that I

glorify God that he hath given me such wisdom to write unto you who

are spiritual, and who love God: to whom (be ascribed) glory and

dominion for ever and ever. Amen.)

THE PROTEVANGELION.

Note on the death of Zacharias in Chap. 16.

There is a story both in the Jerusalem and Babylonish Talmud very similar

to this. It is cited by Dr. Lightfoot, Talmud, Hierosol, in Taanith, fol.

69; and Talmud. Babyl. in Sanhedr., fol. 96. "O Rabbi Jochanan said,

Eighty thousand priests were slain for the blood of Zacharias. Rabbi

Judas asked Rabbi Achan, Where did they kill Zacharias? Was it in the

woman's court, or in the court of Israel? He answered, Neither in the

court of Israel, nor in the court of women, but in the court of the

priests; and they did not treat his blood in the same manner as they were

wont to treat the blood of a ram or young goat. For of these it is

written, He shall pour out his blood, and cover it with dust. But it is

written here, The blood is in the midst of her: she set it upon the top

of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground. (Ezek. xxiv. 7.) But why

was this? That it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance: I have

set his blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered.

They committed seven evils that day: they murdered a priest, a prophet,

and a king; they shed the blood of the innocent; they polluted the court:

that day was the Sabbath: and the day of expiation. When therefore

Nebuzaradan came there (viz. to Jerusalem,) he saw his blood bubbling,

and said to them, What meaneth this? They answered, It is the blood of

calves, lambs, and rams, which we have offered upon the altar. He

commanded then, that they should bring calves, and lambs, and rams, and

said I will try whether this be their blood: accordingly they brought

and slew them, but the blood of Zacharias still bubbled, but the blood of

these did not bubble. Then he said, Declare to me the truth of this

matter, or else I will comb your flesh with iron combs. Then said they to

him, He was a priest, prophet, and judge, who prophesied to Israel all

these calamities which we have suffered from you; but we arose against

him, and slew him. Then, said he, I will appease him; then he took the

rabbis and slew them upon his (viz. Zacharias's) blood, and he was not

yet appeased. Next he took the young boys from the schools, and slew them

upon his blood; and yet it bubbled. Then he brought the young priests and

slew them in the same place, and yet it still bubbled. So he slew at

length ninety-four thousand persons upon his blood, and it did not as yet

cease bubbling; then he drew near to it, and said, O Zacharias,

Zacharias, thou halt occasioned the death of the chief of thy

countrymen, shall I slay them all? then the blood ceased, and did bubble

no more."

REFERENCES TO THE PROTEVANGELION.

[This Gospel is ascribed to James. The allusions to it in the ancient

Fathers are frequent, and their expressions indicate that it had

obtained a very general credit in the Christian world. The controversies

founded upon it chiefly relate to the age of Joseph at the birth of

Christ, and to his being a widower with children, before his marriage

with the Virgin. It seems material to remark, that the legends of the

latter ages affirm the virginity of Joseph, notwithstanding Epiphanius,

Hilary, Chrysostom, Cyril, Euthymius, Thephylaet, Occumenius, and indeed

all the Latin Fathers till Ambrose, and the Greek Fathers afterwards,

maintain the opinions of Joseph's age and family, founded upon their

belief in the authenticity of this book. It is supposed to have been

originally composed in Hebrew. Postellus brought the MS. of this Gospel

from the Levant, translated it into Latin, and sent it to Oporimus,

a printer at Basil, where Bibliander, a Protestant Divine, and the

Professor of Divinity at Zurich, caused it to be printed in 1552.

Postellus asserts that it was publicly read as canonical in the eastern

churches they making no doubt that James was the author, of it. It is,

nevertheless considered apocryphal by some of the most learned divines in

the Protestant and Catholic churches.]