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
Eatin 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 sup-
posed to have been originally composed in Hebrew. Postellus brought the MS. of this Gospel
from the Eevant, translated it into Eatin, 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 apocryph-
al by some of the most learned divines in the Protestant and Catholic churches.
A Historical Account of the BIRTH
of CHRIST, and the perpetual VIRGIN
MARY, his Mother, by JAMES THE
LESSER, Cousin and brother of the
Eord Jesus, chief Apostle and first bishop of the Christians in Jerusalem.
CHAPTER I.
Joachim, a rich man, offers to the
Eord, is opposed by Reuben the high
priest, because he has not begotten issue
in Israel, retires into the wilderness and
fasts forty days and forty nights.
IN the history of the twelve tribes
of Israel we read there was a certain
person called Joachim, who being
very rich, made double offerings to
the Lord God, having made this resolution: My substance shall be for
the benefit of the whole people, that
I may find mercy from the Lord God
for the forgiveness of my sins. But at a certain great feast of the
Lord, when the children of Israel
offered their gifts, and Joachim also
offered his, Reuben the high-priest
opposed him, saying, it is not lawful
for thee to offer thy gifts, seeing
thou hast not begot any issue in Israel.
At this, Joachim being concerned
very much, went away to consult the
registries of the twelve tribes, to see
whether he was the only person who
had begot no issue. But upon inquiry he found that all
the righteous had raised up seed in
Israel; Then he called to mind the patriarch Abraham, How that God in the
end of his life had given him his son
Isaac; upon which he was exceed-
ingly distressed, and would not be
seen by his wife: But retired into the wilderness,
and fixed his tent there, and fasted
forty days and forty nights, saying to
himself, I wll not go down either to eat or
drink, till the Lord my God shall
look down upon me, but prayer shall
be my meat and drink.
CHAPTER. II.
Anna, the wife of Joachim mourns her
barrennes, is reproached with it by Juith her maid, sits under a laurel tree
and prays to the Lord.
IN the mean time his wife Anna was
distressded and perplexed on a double
account, and said, I will mourn both
for my widowhood and my barren-
ness. Then drew near a great feast of
the Lord, and Judith her maid, said,
How long will you thus afflict your
soul? The feast of the Lord is now
come, when it is unlawful for any
one to mourn. Take therefore this hood which
was given by one who makes such
things, for it is not fit that I, who
am a servant should wear it, but it
well suits a person of your greater
character.
But Anna replied, Depart from
me, I am not used to such things; besides, the Lord hath greatly humbled
me. I fear some ill-designing person
hath given thee this, and thou art
come to reproach me with my sin. Then Judith her maid answered,
what evil shall I wish you, when you
will not hearken to me? I cannot wish you a greater curse
than you are under, in that God hath
shut up your womb, that you should
not be a mother in Israel.
8 At this Anna was exceedingly
troubled, and having on her wedding
garment, went about three o'clock in
the afternoon to walk in her garden. And she saw a laurel-tree and sat
under it, and prayed unto the Lord,
saying, O God of my fathers, bless me
and regard my prayer, as thou didst
bless the womb of Sarah; and gavest
her a son Isaac.
CHAPTER III.
Anna perceiving a sparrow's nest in the
laurels bemoans her barrenness.
AND as she was looking towards
heaven she perceive a sparrow's nest
in the laurel,
2 And mourning within herself, she
said, Wo is me, who begat me? and
what womb did bear me, that I
should be thus accursed before the
children of Israel, and that they
should reproach and deride me in
the temple of my God: Wo is me, to
what can I be compared?
3 I am not comparable to the very
beasts of the earth, for even the
beasts of the earth are fruitful be-
fore thee, O Lord! Wo is me, to what
can I be compared?
4 I am not compared to the brute
animal, for even the brute animals
are fruitful before thee, O Lord! Wo
is me, to what am I comparable?
5 I cannot be comparable to these
waters, for even the waters are fruit-
ful before thee, O Lord! Wo is me,
to what can I be compared?
6 I am not comparable to the waves
of the sea; for these, whether they
are calm, or in motion, with the
fishes which are in them, praise thee,
O Lord! Wo is me to what can I be
compared?
7 I am not comparable to the very
earth, for the earth produces its
fruits, and praises thee, O Lord!
CHAPTER IV.
An Angel appears to Anna and tells
her she shall conceive; two angels appear
on the same errand. Joachim sacrifices. Anna goes to meet him, rejoicing that
she shall conceive.
THEN an angel of the Lord stood
by her and said, Anna, Anna, the
Lord hath heard thy prayer; thou
shalt conceive and bring forth, and
thy progeny shall be spoken of in all
the world. And Anna answered, As the Lord
my God liveth, whatever I bring forth, whether it be male or female,
I will devote it to the Lord my God
and it shall minister to him in holy
things, during its whole life. And behold there appeared two
angels, saying unto her, Behold
Joachim thy husband is coming with
his shepherds. For an angel of the Lord hath also
come down to him, and said, The
Lord God hath heard thy prayer,
make haste and go hence, for behold
Anna thy wife 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 calves
without blemish, and the twelve
calves shall be for the priests and the
elders. Bring me also a hundred goats,
and the hundred goats shall be for
the whole people. And Joachim went down with the
shepherds, and Anna stood by the
gate and saw Joachim coming with
the shepherds. And she ran, and hanging about
his neck, said, Now I know that the
Lord hath greatly blessed me: For behold, I who was as a wid-
ow am no longer as a widow, and I
who was barren shall conceive.
CHAPTER V.
Joachim abides the first day in his
house but sacrifices on the morrow. Consults the plate on the priests forehead, and is without sin. Anna brings forth
a daughter, whom she calls Mary.
AND Joachim abode the first day in
his house, but on the morrow he
brought his offerings, and said, If the Lord be propitious to me
let the plate which is on the priests
forehead make it manifest. And he consulted the plate which
the priest wore, and saw it, and be-
hold sin was not found in him. And Joachim said, Now I know
that the Lord is propitious to me,
and hath taken away all my sins. And he went down from the
temple of the Lord justified, and he
went to his own house. And when nine months were ful-
filled to Anna, she brought forth,
and said to the midwife, What have I
brought forth? And she told her, A girl. Then Anna said, The Lord hath
this day magnified my soul; and she
laid her in bed. And when the days of her purific-
ation were accomplished, she gave
suck to the child; and called her
name Mary.
CHAPTER VI.
Mary at nine months old, walks nine
steps. Anna keeps her holy. When
she is a year old, Joachim makes a great
feast. Anna gives her the breast, and
sings a song to the Lord.
AND the child increased in strength
every day, so that when she was nine
months old, her mother put her
upon the ground, to try if she could
stand; and when she had walked nine
steps, she came again to her mother's lap. Then her mother caught her up,
and said, As the Lord my God liveth,
thou shalt not walk again on this
earth, till I bring thee into the
temple of the Lord. Accordingly she made her cham-
ber a holy place, and suffered noth-
ing uncommon or unclean to come
near her, but invited certain un-
defiled daughters of Israel, and they
drew her aside.
But when the child was a year old,
Joachim made a great feast, and invited the priests, scribes, elders, and
all the people of Israel; And Joachim then made an offer-
ing of the girl to the chief- priests,
and they blessed her, saying, The
God of our fathers bless this girl,
and give her a name famous and last-
ing through all generations. And all
the people replied, So be it, Amen: Then Joachim a second time
offered her to the priests, and they
blessed her, saying, O most high
God, regard this girl, and bless her
with an everlasting blessing. Upon this her mother took her up,
and gave her the breast, and sung the
following song to the Lord. I will sing a song unto the Lord
my God, for he hath visited me, and
taken away from me the reproach of
mine enemies, and hath given me the
fruit of his righteousness, that it
may now be told the sons of Reuben,
that Anna gives suck. Then she put the child to rest in
the room which she had consecrated,
and she went out and ministered
unto them. And when the feast was ended,
they went away rejoicing, and prais-
ing the God of Israel.
CHAPTER VII.
Mary being three years old, Joachim
causes certain virgins to light each a
lamp, and goes with her to the temple. The high-priest places her on the third
step of the altar, and sits dances with her
feet.
BUT the girl grew, and when she
was two years old, Joachim said to
Anna, Let us lead her to the temple
of the Lord, that we may perform
our vow, which we have vowed unto
the Lord God, lest he should be
angry with us, and our offering be
unacceptable. But Anna said, Let us wait the
third year, lest she should be at a
loss to know her father.
And Joachim
said, Let us then wait. And when the child was three
years old, Joachim said, Let us invite
the daughters of the Hebrews, who
are undefiled, and let them take each
a lamp, and let them be lighted, that
the child may not turn back again,
and her mind be set against the
temple of the Lord, And they did thus till they ascen-
ded into the temple of the Lord.
And the high-priest received her, and
blessed her, and said, Mary, the Lord
God hath magnified thy name to all
generations, and to the very end of
time by thee will the Lord shew his
redemption to the children of Israel. And he placed her upon the third
step of the altar, and the Lord gave
unto her grace, and she dance with
her feet, and all the house of Israel
loved her.
CHAPTER VIII.
Mary fed in the temple by angels. When twelve years old the priests consult
what to do with her. The angel of the
Tord warns Zacharias to call together all
the widowers, each bringing a rod. The
people meet by sound of trumpet. Joseph
throws away his hatchet, and goes to the
meeting.
A dove comes forth from his
rod, and alights on his head. He is
chosen to betroth the Virgin, refuses
because he is an old man, 1is compelled, takes her home, and goes to mind his
trade of building.
AND her parents went away filled
with wonder, and praising God, because the girl did not return back to
them. But Mary continued in the temple
as a dove educated there, and received her food from the hand of an
angel. And when she was twelve years of age, the priests met in a council, and
said, Behold, Mary is twelve years of
age, what shall we do with her, for
fear lest the holy place of the Lord
our God should be defiled?
Then replied the priests to
Zacharias the high-priest, Do you
stand at the altar of the Lord, and
enter into the holy place, and make
petitions concerning her, and what-
soever the Lord shall manifest unto
you, that do. Then the high-priest entered into
the Holy of Holies, and taking away
with him the breast-plate of judg-
ment made prayers concerning her; And behold the angel of the Lord
came to him, and said, Zacharias,
Zacharias, Go forth and call together
all the widowers among the people,
and let every one of them bring his
rod, and he by whom the Lord shall
shew a sign shall be the husband of
Mary.
And the criers went out through
all Judaea, and the trumpet of the
Lord sounded, and all the people ran
and met together. Joseph also throwing away his
hatchet, went out to meet them; and
when they were met, they went to
the high-priest; taking every man his
rod. After the high-priest had received
their rods, he went into the temple
to pray; And when he had finished his
prayer, he took the rods, and went
forth and distributed them, and
there was no miracle attended them. The last rod was taken by Joseph,
said behold a dove proceeded out of
the rod, and flew upon the head of
Joseph. And the high-priest said, Joseph,
Thou art the person chosen to take
the Virgin of the Lord, to keep her
for him: But Joseph refused, saying, I am
an old man, and have children, but
she is young, and I fear lest I should
appear ridiculous in Israel. The high-priest replied,
Joseph, Fear the Lord thy God, and
remember how God dealt with Dath-
an, Korah, and Abiram, how the
earth opened and swallowed them
up, because of their contradiction. Now therefore, Joseph, fear God
lest the like things should happen in
your family. Joseph then being afraid, took
her unto his house, and Joseph said
unto Mary, Behold, I have taken thee
from the temple of the Lord, and
now I will leave thee in my house; I
must go to mind my trade of build-
ing. The Lord be with thee.
CHAPTER IX.
The priests desire a new veil for the
temple, seven virgins cast lots for mak-
ing different parts of it, the lot to spin
the true purple falls to Mary. Zacharias, the high priest, becomes dumb. Mary
takes a pot to draw water, and hears a
voice, trembles and begins to work, an angel Appears and salutes her, and
tells her she shall conceive by the Holy
Ghost, she submits. Visits her
cousin Elizabeth, whose child in her
womb leaps.
AND it came to pass, in a council
of the priests, it was said, Let us
make a new veil for the temple of
the Lord. And the high-priest said, Call together to me seven undefiled virgins
of the tribe of David. And the servants went and
brought them into the temple of the
Lord, and the high-priest said unto
them, Cast lots before me now, who
of you shall spin the golden thread,
who the blue, who the scarlet, who
the fine linen, and who the true purple.
Then the high-priest knew Mary;
that she was of the tribe of David;
and he called her, and the true
purple fell to her lot to spin, and she
went away to her own house. But from that time Zacharias the
high-priest became dumb, and
Samuel was placed in his room till
Zacharias spoke again. But Mary took the true purple;
and did spin it. And she took a pot, and went out
to draw water, and heard a voice say-
ing unto her, Hail thou who art full
of grace, the Lord is with thee; thou
art blessed among women. And she looked round to the right
and to the left (to see) whence that
voice came, and then trembling went
into her house, and laying down the
water-pot, she took the purple, and
sat down in her seat to work it. And behold the angel of the Lord
stood by her, and said, Fear not,
Mary, for thou hast found favour in
the sight of God. Which when she heard, she
reasoned with herself what that sort
of salutation meant. And the angel said unto her, The
Lord is with thee, and thou shalt
conceive: To which she replied, What! shall
I conceive by the living God and
bring forth as all other women do? But the angel returned answer,
Not so, O Mary, but the Holy Ghost
shall come upon thee, and the power
of the Most High shall overshadow
thee; Wherefore that which shall be
born of thee shall be holy, and shall
be called the Son of the Living God,
and thou shalt call his name Jesus;
for he shall save his people from
their sins.
And behold thy cousin Elizabeth,
she also hath conceived a son in her
old age. And this now is the sixth month
with her, who was called barren: for
nothing is impossible with God. And Mary said, Behold the hand-
maid of the Lord; let it be unto me
according to thy word. And when she had wrought her
purple, she carried it to the high-
priest, and the high-priest blessed
her, saying, Mary, the Lord God hath
magnified thy name, and thou shalt
be blessed in all the ages of the
world. Then Mary, filled with joy, went
away to her cousin Elizabeth, and
knocked at the door.
Which when Elizabeth heard, she
ran and opened to her, and blessed
her, and said, Whence is this to me,
that the mother of my Lord should
come unto me? For lo! as soon as the voice of
thy salutation reached my ears, that
which is in me leaped and blessed
thee. But Mary, being ignorant of all
those mysterious things which the
archangel Gabriel had spoken to her,
lifted up her eyes to heaven, and
said, Lord! What am I, that all the
generations of the earth should call
me blessed? But perceiving herself daily to
grow big, and being afraid, she went
home, and hid herself from the chil-
dren of Israel; and was fourteen
years old when all these things
happened.
CHAPTER X.
Joseph returns from building houses,
finds the Virgin grown big, being six
months gone with child, is jealous and
troubled, reproaches her, she affirms
her innocence, he leaves her, determines to dismiss her privately, is warned in a dream that Mary is with
child by the Holy Ghost, 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: 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? For I received her a Virgin out of
the temple of the Lord my God, and
have not preserved her such! Who has thus deceived me? Who
has committed this evil in my house,
and seducing the Virgin from me,
hath defiled her? Is not the history of Adam exactly
accomplished in me? For in the very instant of his
glory, the serpent came and found
Eve alone, and seduced her. Just after the same manner it has
happened to me. 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? Why hast thou thus debased thy
soul, who wast educated in the Holy
of Holies, and received thy food
from the hand of angels? But she, with a flood of tears,
replied, I am innocent, and have
known no man.
Then said Joseph, How comes it
to pass you are with child? Mary answered, As the Lord my
God liveth, I know not by what
means. Then Joseph was exceedingly
afraid, and went ay from her, consid-
ering what he should do with her;
and he thus reasoned with himself: If I conceal her crime, I shall be
found guilty by the law of the Lord; 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 inno-
cent person. What therefore shall I do? I will
privately dismiss her. Then the night was come upon
him, when behold an angel of the
Lord appeared to him in a dream,
and said, Be not afraid to take that young
woman, for that which is within her
is of the Holy Ghost, And she shall bring forth a son,
and thou shalt call his name Jesus,
for he shall save his people from
their sins. Then Joseph arose from his
sleep, and glorified the God of Is-
rael, who had shewn him such fa-
vour, and preserved the Virgin.
CHAPTER XI
Annas visits Joseph, perceives the Virgin big with child, informs the high
priest that Joseph had privately married
her. Joseph and Mary brought to trial
on the charge. 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? And Joseph replied, Because I was
weary after my journey, and rested
the first day. But Annas turning about perceived the Virgin big with child. 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 de-
filed the Virgin whom he received
out of the temple of the Lord, and
hath privately married her, not dis-
covering it to the children of Israel. Then said the priest, Hath Joseph done this? Annas replied, If you send any of
your servants you will find that she
is with child. And the servants went, and found
it as he said. Upon this both she and Joseph
were brought to their trial, and the
priest said unto her, Mary, what hast
thou done? 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? Why hast thou done this?
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. Then the priest said to Joseph,
Why hast thou done this? And Joseph answered, As the
Lord my God liveth, I have not been
concerned with her. 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: And Joseph was silent. Then said the priest (to Joseph),
You must restore to the temple of
the Lord the Virgin which you took
thence. 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 wa-
ter that causeth the curse] Then the priest took the water,
and made Joseph drink, and sent him
to a mountainous place, And he returned perfectly well,
and all the people wondered that his
guilt was not discovered. So the priest said, Since the Lord
hath not made your sins evident,
neither do I condemn you. So he sent them away. Then Joseph took Mary, and
went to his house, rejoicing and
praising the God of Israel.
CHAPTER XII.
A decree from Augustus for taxing the
Jews. Joseph puts Mary on an ass, to
return to Bethlehem, she looks sorrowful, she laughs, Joseph inquires the
cause of each, she tells him she sees two
persons, one mourning and the other rejoicing. 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. And Joseph said, I will take care
that my children be taxed; but what
shall I do with this young woman? 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. When the time of the Lord's ap-
pointment shall come, let him do as
seems good to him. And he saddled the ass, and put
her upon it, and Joseph and Simon
followed after her, and arrived at
Bethlehem within three miles. Then Joseph turning about saw
Mary sorrowful, and said within him-
self, Perhaps she is in pain through
that which is within her. But when he turned about again,
he saw her laughing, and said to her, Mary, how happens it, that I
sometimes see sorrow, and some-
times laughter and joy in thy coun-
tenance? And Mary replied to him, I see
two people with mine eyes, the one
weeping and mourning, the other
laughing and rejoicing. 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. But Joseph replied, Whither shall
I take thee? for the place is a desert. Then said Mary again to Joseph,
take me down, for that which is
within me mightily presses me. And Joseph took her down.
14 And he found there a cave, and
let her into it.
CHAPTER XIII.
Joseph seeks a Hebrew midwife, perceives the owls stopping in their flight, the working people at their food not moving, the sheep standing still, the shep-
herd fixed and immoveable, 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. 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. 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. They who had meat in their
mouths did not eat. They who lifted their hands up to
their heads did not draw them back, And they who lifted them up to
their mouths did not put any thing
in; But all their faces were fixed up-
wards. And I beheld the sheep dispersed,
and yet the sheep stood still. And the shepherd lifted up his
hand to smite them, and his hand
continued up. 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.
Joseph finds a midwife. A bright
cloud overshadows the cave. A great
light in the cave, gradually increases until
the infant is born. The mid-wife goes
out, and tells Salome that she has seen a
virgin bring forth. Salome doubts it. her hand withers, she supplicates
the Lord, is cured, 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? And I said to her, I go to enquire
for a Hebrew midwife. She replied to me, Where is the
woman that is to be delivered? And I answered, In the cave, and
she is betrothed to me. Then said the midwife, Is she not
thy wife? 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.
The midwife said, Is this true? He answered, Come and see. And the midwife went along with
him, and stood in the cave. Then a bright cloud overshadowed the cave, and the midwife
said, This day my soul is magnified,
for mine eyes have seen surprising
things, and salvation is brought forth to Israel. But on a sudden the cloud became a great light in the cave, so
that their eyes could not bear it. But the light gradually decreased,
until the infant appeared, and sucked
the breast of his mother, Mary. Then the midwife cried out, and
said, How glorious a day is this,
wherein mine eyes have seen this ex-
traordinary sight! And the midwife went out from
the cave, and Salome met her. And the midwife s God livethaid to her, Salome, Salome, I will tell you a most
surprising thing which I saw, A virgin hath brought forth,
which is a thing contrary to nature. To which Salome replied, As the
Lord y unless I receive
particular proof of this matter, I
will not believe that a virgin hath
brought forth. If Then Salome went in, and the
midwife said, Mary, shew thyself, for
a controversy is risen concerning
thee.
And Salome received satisfaction. But her hand was withered, and
she groaned bitterly; And said, Woe to me, because of
mine iniquity; for I have tempted the
living God, and my hand is ready to
drop off. Then Salome made her supplica-
tion to the Lord, and said, O God of
my Fathers, remember me, for I am
of the seed of Abraham, and Isaac,
and Jacob. Make me not a reproach among
the children of Israel, but restore me
sound to my parents. For thou well knowest, O Lord,
that I have performed many offices
of charity in thy name, and have received my reward from thee.
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. Salome filled with exceeding joy,
went to the child, and said, I will
touch him. And she purposed to worship
him, for she said, This is a great
king, which is born in Israel. And straightway Salome was
cured. Then the midwife went out of
the cave, being approved by God. And lo! a voice came to Salome.
Declare not the strange things which
thou hast seen, till the child shall
come to Jerusalem. So Salome also departed, approved by God.
CHAPTER XV.
Wise men come from the east. Herod
alarmed; desires them if they find the
child to bring him word. They visit the
cave and offer the child their treasure, 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 dis-
order in Bethlehem by the coming of
some wise men from the east, 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. When Herod heard this, he was
exceedingly troubled, and sent mes-
sengers to the wise men, and to the
priests, and enquired of them in the
town-hall, And said unto them, Where have
you it written concerning Christ the
king, or where should he be born?
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. 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? They answered him, We saw an ex-
traordinary 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.
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. 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. Then they brought forth out of
their treasures, and offered unto him
gold and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned in a dream by
an angel, that they should not return
to Herod through Judaea, they de-
parted into their own country by an-
other way.
CHAPTER XVI.
Herod enraged, orders the infants in
Bethlehem to be slain. Mary puts her
infant in an ox-manger. Elizabeth flees
with her son John to the mountains. A
mountain miraculously divides and receives them. Herod incensed at the es-
cape of John, causes Zacharias to be
murdered at the altar. The roofs of
the temple rent, the body miraculously
conveyed, and the blood petrified. Israel mourns for him.
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. 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. 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; And there was no secret place to
be found. Then she groaned within herself,
and said, O mountain of the Lord,
receive the mother with the child. For Elizabeth could not climb up, And instantly the mountain was
divided and received them. And there appeared to them an
angel of the Lord to preserve them. But Herod made search after
John, and sent servants to Zacharias,
when he was (ministering) at the al-
tar, and said unto him, Were hast
thou hid thy son?
1He replied, to them, I am a minister of God, and a servant at the altar: how should I know where my
son is? 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? 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. So the servants went and told
him all this: But Zacharias replied to them, I
am a martyr for God, and if ye skied my blood, the Lord will receive my
soul. Besides know that ye shed inno-
cent blood.
However Zacharias was murdered
in the entrance of the temple said altar, and about the partition; But the children of Israel knew
not when he want killed. Then at the hour of salutation
the pnests went into the temple but
Zacharias did not according to cus-
tom, meet them and bless them. Yet they still continued waiting
for him to salute them; 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: 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. 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. Then the roofs of the temple
howled, and were rent from the top
to the bottom: And they could not find the
body, but only blood made hard like
stone.
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: Then the priests took council to-
gether concerning a person to suc-
ceed him. And Simeon and the other
priests cast lots, and the lot fell
upon Simeon. 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, un-
til the death of Herod, and the dis-
turbances 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.)
"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 writ-
ten 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: 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
rabbins 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 occa-
sioned the death of the chief of thy countrymen, shall I slay them all? then
the blood ceased, and did bubble no more."
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