1
Infancy Gospel of James
BOOK OF JAMES, OR PROTEVANGELIUM
From "The Apocryphal New
Testament"
M.R. James-Translation and Notes
Oxford:
2
Clarendon Press,
1924
Introduction
Origen mentions the Book of James (and the Gospel of Peter)
as stating that the ' brethren of the Lord' were sons of Joseph by a former
wife. This is the first mention of it, and shows us that the book is as old as
the second century.
3
To collect later references to it is unnecessary. It is generally agreed that the story of the death of Zacharias (chs.
xxii-xxiv) does not properly belong to the text.
4
Origen and other early writers
give a different account of the cause of I~is death: it was, they say, because,
after the Nativity, he still allowed Mary to take her place among the virgins in
the Temple. Difficulty is also caused by the sudden introduction of Joseph as the
narrator in ch. xviii. 2 sqq.
5
We cannot be sure whether this means that a
fragment of a 'Joseph-apocryphon' has been introduced at this point; or, if so,
how far it extends. We are sure, from a sentence of Clement of Alexandria, that
some story of a midwife being present at the Nativity was current in the second
century.
6
We have the book in the original Greek and in several oriental' versions, the
oldest of which is the Syriac. But, oddly enough, there is no Latin version.
7
The
matter is found in an expanded and altered form in the 'Gospel of
Pseudo-Matthew', but we have yet to find an old Latin translation of the present
text. Such a thing seems to have existed, for a book identifiable with ours is
condemned in the Gelasian Decree.
8
In the early chapters the Old Testament is extensively drawn upon, and
imitated; but the author is not familiar with Jewish life or usages. The best recent edition of this book is a French one, by Amann.
9
There is as
yet no really critical edition of the text, in which all manuscripts and
versions are made use of. I follow Tischendorf's in the main.
10
Text
I. I In the histories of the twelve tribes of Israel it is written that there
was one Ioacim, exceeding rich: and he offered his gifts twofold, saying:
11
That
which is of my superfluity shall be for the whole people, and that which is for
my forgiveness shall be for tile Lord, for a propitiation unto me.
2 Now the great day of the Lord drew nigh and the children of Israel offered
their gifts. And Reuben stood over against him saying:
12
It is not lawful for thee
to offer thy gifts first,-forasmuch as thou hast gotten no seed in Israel. 8 And
Ioacim was sore grieved, and went unto the record of the twelve tribes of the
people, saying: I will look upon the record of the twelve tribes of Israel,
whether I only have not gotten seed in Israel.
13
And he searched, and found
concerning all the righteous that they had raised up seed in Israel. And he
remembered the patriarch Abraham, how in the last days God gave him a son, even
Isaac. 4 And Ioacim was sore grieved, and showed not himself to his wife, but
betook himself into the wilderness, and pitched his tent there, and fasted forty
days and forty nights, saying within himself:
14
I will not go down either for meat
or for drink until the Lord my God visit me, and my prayer shall be unto me meat
and drink. II Now his wife Anna lamented with two lamentations, and bewailed herself
with two bewailings, saying:
15
I will bewail my widowhood, and I will bewail my
childlessness.
2 And the great day of the Lord drew nigh, and Judith her handmaid said unto
!;er: How long humblest thou thy soul?
16
The great day of the Lord hath come, and
it is not lawful for thee to mourn: but take this headband, which the mistress
of my work gave me, and it is not lawful for me to put it on, forasmuch as I am
an handmaid, and it hath a mark of royalty. And Anna said:
17
Get thee from me. Lo!
18
I have done nothing (or I will not do so) and the Lord hath greatly humbled me:
peradventure one gave it to thee in subtilty, and thou art come to make me
partaker in thy sin. And Judith said:
19
How shall I curse thee, seeing the Lord
hath shut up thy womb, to give thee no fruit in Israel ?
3 And Anna was sore grieved [and mourned with a great mourning because she
was reproached by all the tribes of Israel. And coming to herself she said:
20
What
shall I do ? I will pray with weeping unto the Lord my God that he visit me].
21
And she put off her mourning garments and cleansed (or adorned) her head and put
on her bridal garments: and about the ninth hour she went down into the garden
to walk there. And she saw a laurel-tree and sat down underneath it and besought
the Lord saying:
22
O God of our fathers, bless me, and hearken unto my prayer, as
thou didst bless the womb of Sarah, and gavest her a son, even Isaac. III. 1 And looking up to the heaven she espied a nest of sparrows in the
laurel-tree, and made a lamentation within herself, saying:
23
Woe unto me, who
begat me ? And what womb brought me forth for I am become a curse before the
children of Israel, and I am reproached, and they have mocked me forth out of
the temple of the Lord? 2 Woe unto me, unto what am I likened ?
24
I am not likened
unto the fowls of the heaven, for even the fowls of the heaven are fruitful
before thee, O Lord. Woe unto me, unto what am I likened ?
25
I am not likened unto
the beasts of the earth, for even the beasts of the earth are fruitful before
thee, O Lord. Woe unto me, unto what am I likened ?
26
I am not likened unto these
waters, for even these waters are fruitful before thee, O Lord. 3 Woe unto me,
unto what am I likened ? I am not likened unto this earth, for even this earth
bringeth forth her fruits in due season and blesseth thee, O Lord.
27
IV. 1 And behold an angel of the Lord appeared, saying unto her: Anna, Anna,
the Lord hath hearkened unto thy prayer, and thou shalt conceive and bear, and
thy seed shall be spoken of in the whole world.
28
And Anna said: As the Lord my
God liveth, if I bring forth either male or female, I will bring it for a gift
unto the Lord my God, and it shall be ministering unto him all the days of its
life.
2 And behold there came two messengers saying unto her:
29
Behold Ioacim thy
husband cometh with his flocks: for an angel of the Lord came down unto him
saying: Ioacim, Ioacim, the Lord God hath hearkened unto thy prayer.
30
Get thee
down hence, for behold thy wife Anna hath conceived. 3 And Ioacim sat him down
and called his herdsmen saying: Bring me hither ten lambs without blemish and
without spot, and they shall be for the Lord my God; and bring me twelve tender
calves, and they shall be for the priests and for the assembly of the elders;
and an hundred kids for the whole people.
4 And behold Ioacim came with his flocks, and Anna stood at the gate and saw
Ioacim coming, and ran and hung upon his neck, saying:
31
Now know I that the Lord
God hath greatly blessed me: for behold the widow is no more a widow, and she
that was childless shall conceive. And Ioacim rested the first day in his house.
32
V. 1 And on the morrow he offered his gifts, saying in himself: If the Lord
God be reconciled unto me, the plate that is upon the forehead of the priest
will make it manifest unto me.
33
And Ioacim offered his gifts and looked earnestly
upon the plate of the priest when he went up unto the altar of tile Lord, and he
saw no sin in himself. And Ioacim said:
34
Now know I that the Lord is become
propitious unto me and hath forgiven all my sins. And he went down from the
temple of the Lord justified, and went unto his house.
2 And her months were fulfilled, and in the ninth month Anna brought forth.
35
And she said unto the midwife: what have I brought forth ? And she said:
36
A
female. And Anna said:
37
My soul is magnified this day, and she laid herself down. And when the days were fulfilled, Anna purified herself and gave suck to the
child and called her name Mary.
38
VI. 1 And day by day the child waxed strong, and when she was six months old
her mother stood her upon the ground to try if she would stand; and she walked
seven steps and returned unto her bosom. And she caught her up, saying:
39
As the
Lord my God liveth, thou shalt walk no more upon this ground, until I bring thee
into the temple of the Lord. And she made a sanctuary in her bed chamber and
suffered nothing common or unclean to pass through it.
40
And she called for the
daughters of the Hebrews that were undefiled, and they carried her hither and
thither.
2 And the first year of the child was fulfilled, and Ioacim made a great
feast and bade the priests and the scribes and the assembly of the elders and
the whole people of Israel. And Ioacim brought the child to the priests, and
they blessed her, saying: 0 God of our fathers, bless this child and give her a
name renowned for ever among all generations.
41
And all the people said: So be it,
so be it.
42
Amen. And he brought her to the high priests, and they blessed her,
saying: 0 God of the high places, look upon this child, and bless her with the
last blessing which hath no successor.
3 And her mother caught her up into the sanctuary of her bed chamber and gave
her suck.
43
And Anna made a song unto the Lord God, saying: I will sing an hymn unto the Lord my God, because he hath visited me and
taken away from me the reproach of mine enemies, and the Lord hath given me a
fruit of his righteousness, single and manifold before him.
44
Who shall declare
unto the sons of Reuben that Anna giveth suck ? Hearken, hearken, ye twelve
tribes of Israel, that Anna giveth suck.
45
And she laid the child to rest in the
bed chamber of her sanctuary, and went forth and ministered unto them. And when
the feast was ended, they gat them down rejoicing, and glorifying the God of
Israel.
46
VII. 1 And unto the child her months were added: and the child became two
years old. And Ioacim said:
47
Let us bring her up to the temple of the Lord that
we may pay the promise which we promised; lest the Lord require it of us (lit.
send unto us), and our gift become unacceptable. And Anna said:
48
Let us wait
until the third year, that the child may not long after her father or mother. And Ioacim said:
49
Let us wait.
2 And the child became three years old, and Ioacim said: Call for the
daughters of the Hebrews that are undefiled, and let them take every one a lamp,
and let them be burning, that the child turn not backward and her heart be taken
captive away from the temple of the Lord.
50
And they did so until they were gone
up into the temple of the Lord. And the priest received her and kissed her and blessed her and said:
51
The Lord
hath magnified thy name among all generations: in thee in the latter days shall
the Lord make manifest his redemption unto the children of Israel. And he made
her to sit upon the third step of the altar.
52
And the Lord put grace upon her and
she danced with her feet and all tile house of Israel loved her. VIII. 1 And her parents gat them down marveling, and praising the Lord God
because tile child was not turned away backward.
53
And Mary was in the temple of the Lord as a dove that is nurtured: and she
received food from the hand of an angel.
2 And when she was twelve years old, there was a council of the priests,
saying: Behold Mary is become twelve years old in the temple of the Lord.
54
What
then shall we do with her ? lest she pollute the sanctuary of the Lord. And they
said unto the high priest:
55
Thou standest over the altar of the Lord. Enter in
and pray concerning her:
56
And whatsoever the Lord shall reveal to thee, that let
us do.
3 And the high priest took the vestment with the twelve bells and went in
unto the Holy of Holies and prayed concerning her. And lo, an angel of tile Lord
appeared saying unto him:
57
Zacharias, Zacharias~ go forth and assemble them that
are widowers of the people, and let them bring every man a rod, and to
whomsoever the Lord shall show a sign, his wife shall she be. And the heralds
went forth over all the country round about Judaea, and the trumpet of the Lord
sounded, and all men ran thereto.
58
IX. 1 And Joseph cast down his adze and ran to meet them, and when they were
gathered together they went to the high priest and took their rods with them. And he took the rods of them all and went into the temple and prayed.
59
And when
he had finished the prayer he took the rods and went forth and gave them back to
them: and there was no sign upon them. But Joseph received the last rod: and 1o,
a dove came forth of the rod and flew upon the bead of Joseph.
60
And the priest
said unto Joseph: Unto thee hath it fallen to take the virgin of the Lord and
keep her for thyself. 2 And Joseph refused, saying:
61
I have sons, and I am an old
man, but she is a girl: lest I became a laughing-stock to the children of
Israel. And the priest said unto Joseph:
62
Year the Lord thy God, and remember
what things God did unto Dathan and Abiram and Korah, how the earth clave and
they were swallowed up because of their gainsaying. And now fear thou, Joseph,
lest it be so in thine house.
63
And Joseph was afraid, and took her to keep her
for himself. And Joseph said unto Mary:
64
Lo, I have received thee out of the
temple of the Lord: and now do I leave thee in my house, and I go away to build
my buildings and I will come again unto thee. The Lord shall watch over thee.
65
X. 1 Now there was a council of the priests, and they said: Let us make a
veil for the temple of the Lord.
66
And the priest said: Call unto me pure virgins
of the tribe of David.
67
And the officers departed and sought and found seven
virgins. And the
priests called to mind the child Mary, that she was of the tribe of avid and
was undefiled before God: and the officers went and fetched her.
68
And they
brought them into the temple of the Lord, and the priest said: Cast me lots,
which of you shah weave the gold and the undefiled (the white) and tile fine
linen and the silk and the hyacinthine, and the scarlet and the true purple.
69
And
the lot of the true purple and the scarlet fell unto Mary, and she took them and
went unto her house.
[And at that season Zacharias became dumb, and Samuel was
in his stead until the time when Zacharias spake again.]But Mary took the
scarlet and began to spin it. XL 1 And she took the pitcher and went forth to fill it with water: and lo a
voice saying:
70
Hail, thou that art highly favoured; the Lord is with thee:
blessed art thou among women. And she looked about her upon the right hand and upon the left, to see whence
this voice should be: and being filled with trembling she~ went to her house and
set down the pitcher, and took the purple and sat down upon her seat and drew
out the thread.
2 And behold an angel of the Lord stood before her saying:
71
Fear not, Mary,
for thou hast found grace before the Lord of all things, and thou shalt conceive
of his word. And she, when she heard it, questioned in herself, saying:
72
Shall I
verily conceive of the living God, and bring forth after the manner of all women
? And the angel of the Lord said:
73
Not so, Mary, for a 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 Highest. And thou shalt call his name Jesus: for
he shall save his people from their sins.
74
And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of
the Lord is before him: be it unto me according to thy word.
75
XII 1 And she made the purple and the scarlet and brought them unto the
priest. And the priest blessed her and said:
76
Mary, the Lord God hath magnified
thy name, and thou shalt be blessed among all generations of the earth. 2 And
Mary rejoiced and went away unto Elizabeth her kinswoman: and she knocked at the
door. And Elizabeth when she heard it cast down the scarlet (al. the wool) and
ran to the door and opened it, and when she saw Mary she blessed her and said:
77
Whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come unto me ? for behold
that which is in me leaped and blessed thee. And Mary forgat the mysteries which
Gabriel the archangel had told her, and she looked up unto the heaven and said:
78
Who am I, Lord, that all the generations of the earth do bless me ? 8 And she
abode three months with Elizabeth, and day by day her womb grew: and Mary was
afraid and departed unto her house and hid herself from the children of Israel. Now she was sixteen years old when these mysteries came to pass.
79
XIII. I Now it was the sixth month with her, and behold Joseph came from his
building, and he entered into his house and found her great with child.
80
And he
smote his face, and cast himself down upon the ground on sackcloth and wept
bitterly, saying: With what countenance shall I look unto the Lord my God ? and
what prayer shall I make concerning this maiden? for I received her out of the
temple of the Lord my God a virgin, and have not kept her safe.
81
Who is he that
hath ensnared me ? Who hath done this evil in mine house and hath defiled the
virgin ?
82
Is not the story of Adam repeated in me ? for as at the hour of his
giving thanks the serpent came and found Eve alone and deceived her, so hath it
befallen me also. 2 And Joseph arose from off the sackcloth and called Mary and
said unto her O thou that wast cared for by God, why hast thou done this ? thou
hast forgotten the Lord thy God. Why hast thou humbled thy soul, thou that wast
nourished up in the Holy of Holies and didst receive food at the hand of an
angel? 3 But she wept bitterly, saying:
83
I am pure and I know not a man. And
Joseph said unto her:
84
Whence then is that which is in thy womb ? and she said: As the Lord my God liveth, I know not whence it is come unto me.
85
XIV. I And Joseph was sore afraid and ceased from speaking unto her (or left
her alone), and pondered what he should do with her.
86
And Joseph said: If I hide
her sin, I shall be found fighting against the law of the Lord: and if I
manifest her unto the children of Israel, I fear lest that which is in her be
the seed of an angel, and I shall be found delivering up innocent blood to the
judgement of death.
87
What then shall I do ? I will let her go from me privily.
88
And the night came upon him. 2 And behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto him
in a dream, saying: Fear not this child, for that which is in her is of the Holy
Ghost, and she shall bear a son and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall
save his people from their sins.
89
And Joseph arose from sleep and glorified the
God of Israel which had shown this favour unto her: and he watched over her. XV.
90
I Now Annas the scribe came unto him and said to him: Wherefore didst
thou not appear in our assembly ? and Joseph said unto him:
91
I was weary with the
journey, and I rested the first day. And Annas turned him about and saw Mary
great with child. 2 And he went hastily to the priest and said unto him:
92
Joseph,
to whom thou bearest witness [that he is righteous] hath sinned grievously. And
the priest said:
93
Wherein ? And he said:
94
The virgin whom he received out of the
temple of the Lord, he hath defiled her, and married her by stealth (lit. stolen
her marriage), and hath not declared it to the children of Israel. And the
priest answered and said:
95
Hath Joseph done this ? And Annas the scribe said:
96
Send officers, and thou shalt find the virgin great with child. And the officers
went and found as he had said, and they brought her together with Joseph unto
the place of judgement. 3 And the priest said:
97
Mary, wherefore hast thou done
this, and wherefore hast thou humbled thy soul and forgotten the Lord thy God,
thou that wast nurtured in the Holy of Holies and didst receive food at the hand
of an angel and didst hear the hymns and didst dance before the Lord, wherefore
hast thou done this ? But she wept bitterly, saying:
98
As the Lord my God liveth I am pure before him
and I know not a man. 4 And the priest said unto Joseph: Wherefore hast thou
done this ?
99
And Joseph said: As the Lord my God liveth I am pure as concerning
her.
100
And the priest said: Bear no false witness but speak the truth: thou hast
married her by stealth and hast not declared it unto the children of Israel, and
hast not bowed thine head under the mighty hand that thy seed should be blessed.
101
And Joseph held his peace. XVI 1 And the priest said:
102
Restore the virgin whom thou didst receive out of
the temple of the Lord. And Joseph was full of weeping.
103
And the priest said: I
will give you to drink of the water of the conviction of the Lord, and it will
make manifest your sins before your eyes. 2 And the priest took thereof and made
Joseph drink and sent him into the hill-country.
104
And he returned whole. He made
Mary also drink and sent her into the hill-country.
105
And she returned whole. And
all the people marvelled, because sin appeared not in them. 3 And the priest
said:
106
If the Lord God hath not made your sin manifest, neither do I condemn you. And he let them go.
107
And Joseph took Mary and departed unto his house rejoicing,
and glorifying the God of Israel. XVII. 1 Now there went out a decree from Augustus the king that all that were
in Bethlehem of Judaea should be recorded.
108
And Joseph said: I will record my
sons: but this child, what shall I do with her ? how shall I record her ? as my
wife ? nay, I am ashamed.
109
Or as my daughter? but all the children of Israel know
that she is not my daughter. This day of the Lord shall do as the Lord willeth.
2 And he saddled the she-ass, and set her upon it, and his son led it and Joseph
followed after.
110
And they drew near (unto Bethlehem) within three miles: and
Joseph turned himself about and saw her of a sad countenance and said within
himself: Peradventure that which is within her paineth her.
111
And again Joseph
turned himself about and saw her laughing, and said unto her: Mary, what aileth
thee that I see thy face at one time laughing and at another time sad ?
112
And Mary
said unto Joseph: It is because I behold two peoples with mine eyes, the one
weeping and lamenting and the other rejoicing and exulting.
8 And they came to the midst of the way, and Mary said unto him:
113
Take me down
from the ass, for that which is within me presseth me, to come forth. And he
took her down from the ass and said unto her:
114
Whither shall I take thee to hide
thy shame ? for the place is desert. XVIII.
115
I And he found a cave there and brought her into it, and set his sons
by her: and he went forth and sought for a midwife of the Hebrews in the country
of Bethlehem.
2 Now I Joseph was walking, and I walked not. And I looked up to the air and
saw the air in amazement.
116
And I looked up unto the pole of the heaven and saw it
standing still, and the fowls of the heaven without motion. And I looked upon
the earth and saw a dish set, and workmen lying by it, and their hands were in
the dish: and they that were chewing chewed not, and they that were lifting the
food lifted it not, and they that put it to their mouth put it not thereto, but
the faces of all of them were looking upward.
117
And behold there were sheep being
driven, and they went not forward but stood still; and the shepherd lifted his
hand to smite them with his staff, and his hand remained up. And I looked upon
the stream of the river and saw the mouths of the kids upon the water and they
drank not.
118
And of a sudden all things moved onward in their course. XIX.
119
I And behold a woman coming down from the hillcountry, and she said to
me: Man, whither goest thou ?
120
And I said: I seek a midwife of the Hebrews.
121
And
she answered and said unto me: Art thou of Israel ?
122
And I said unto her: Yea.
123
And she said: And who is she that bringeth forth in the cave ?
124
And I said: She
that is betrothed unto me.
125
And she said to me: Is she not thy wife?
126
And I said
to her: It is Mary that was nurtured up in the temple of the Lord: and I
received her to wife by lot: and she is not my wife, but she hath conception by
the Holy Ghost.
127
And the midwife said unto him: Is this the truth?
128
And Joseph said unto her: Come hither and see.
129
And the midwife went with him.
2 And they stood in the place of the cave: and behold a bright cloud
overshadowing the cave. And the midwife said:
130
My soul is magnified this day,
because mine eyes have seen marvellous things: for salvation is born unto
Israel. And immediately the cloud withdrew itself out of the cave, and a great
light appeared in the cave so that our eyes could not endure it.
131
And by little
and little that light withdrew itself until the young child appeared: and it
went and took the breast of its mother Mary. And the midwife cried aloud and said:
132
Great unto me to-day is this day, in
that ! have seen this new sight. 3 And the midwife went forth of the cave and
Salome met her. And she said to her:
133
Salome, Salome, a new sight have I to tell
thee. A virgin hath brought forth, which her nature alloweth not.
134
And Salome
said: As the Lord my God liveth, if I make not trial and prove her nature I will
not believe that a virgin hath brought forth.
135
XX. 1 And the midwife went in and said unto Mary: Order thyself, for there is
no small contention arisen concerning thee.
136
Arid Salome made trial and cried out
and said: Woe unto mine iniquity and mine unbelief, because I have tempted the
living God, and lo, my hand falleth away from me in fire.
137
And she bowed her
knees unto the Lord, saying: O God of my fathers, remember that I am the seed of
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob: make me not a public example unto the children of
Israel, but restore me unto the poor, for thou knowest, Lord, that in thy name
did I perform my cures, and did receive my hire of thee. 3 And lo, an angel of
the Lord appeared, saying unto her:
138
Salome, Salome, the Lord hath hearkened to
thee: bring thine hand near unto the young child and take him up, and there
shall be unto thee salvation and joy. 4 And Salome came near and took him up,
saying: I will do him worship, for a great king is born unto Israel.
139
And behold
immediately Salome was healed: and she went forth of the cave justified. And Io,
a voice saying:
140
Salome, Salome, tell none of the marvels which thou hast seen,
until the child enter into Jerusalem. XXI 1 And behold, Joseph made him ready to go forth into Judaea.
141
And there
came a great tumult in Bethlehem of Judaea; for there came wise men, saying: Where is he that is born king of the Jews ? for we have seen his star in the
east and arc come to worship him. 2 And when Herod heard it he was troubled and
sent officers unto the wise men.
142
And he sent for the high priests and examined
them, saying: How is it written concerning the Christ, where he is born ?
143
They
say unto him: In Bethlehem of Judaea: for so it is written.
144
A~d he let them go. And he examined the wise men, saying unto them:
145
What sign saw ye concerning the
king that is born ? And the wise men said:
146
We saw a very great star shining
among those stars and dimming them so that the stars appeared not: and thereby
knew we that a king was born unto Israel, and we came to worship him. And Herod
said:
147
Go and seek for him, and if ye find him, tell me, that I also may come and
worship him. 3 And the wise men went forth. And lo, the star which they saw in
~he east went before them until they entered into the cave: and it stood over
the head of the cave.
148
And the wise men saw the young child with Mar~, his
mother: and they brought out of their scrip gifts, gold-and frankincense and
myrrh. 4 And being warned by the angel that they should not enter into Judaea,
they went into their own country by another way. XXII. 1 But when Herod perceived that he was mocked by the wise men, he was
wroth, and sent murderers, saying unto them:
149
Slay the children from two years
old and under. 2 And when Mary heard that the children were being slain, she was
afraid, and took the young child and wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid him
in an ox-manger.
3 But Elizabeth when she heard that they sought for John, took him and went
up into the hill-country and looked about her where she should hide him: and
there was no hiding-place. And Elizabeth groaned and said with a loud voice: 0
mountain of God, receive thou a mother with a child.
150
For Elizabeth was not able
to go up. And immediately the mountain clave asunder and took her in.
151
And there
was a light shining alway for them: for an angel of the Lord was with them,
keeping watch over them. XXIII.
152
I Now Herod sought for John, and sent officers to Zacharias, saying: Where hast thou hidden thy son?
153
And he answered and said unto them: I am a
minister of God and attend continually upon the temple of the Lord:
154
I know not
where my son is. 2 And the officers departed and told Herod all these things. And Herod was wroth and said:
155
His son is to be king over Israel. And he sent
unto him again, saying:
156
Say the truth: where is thy son ? for thou knowest that
thy blood is under my hand. And the officers departed and told him all these
things. 3 And Zacharias said:
157
I am a martyr of God if thou sheddest my blood:
for my spirit the Lord shah receive, because thou sheddest innocent blood in the
fore-court of the temple of the Lord. And about the dawning of the day Zacharias was slain.
158
And the children of
Israel knew not that he was slain. XXIV. 1 But the priests entered in at the hour of the salutation, and the
blessing of Zacharias met them not according to the manner.
159
And the priests
stood waiting for Zacharias, to salute him with the prayer, and to glorify the
Most High. 2 But as he delayed to come, they were all afraid: and one of them
took courage and entered in: and he saw beside the altar congealed blood: and a
voice saying: Zacharias hath been slain, and his blood shall not be wiped out
until his avenger come.
160
And when he heard that word he was afraid, and went
forth and told the priests. 3 And they took courage and went in and saw that
which was done: and the panels of the temple did wail: and they rent their
clothes from the top to the bottom. And his body they found not, but his blood
they found turned into stone.
161
And they feared, and went forth and told all the
people that Zacharias was slain. And all tile tribes of the people heard it, and
they mourned for him and lamented him three days and three nights.
162
And after the
three days the priests took counsel whom they should set in his stead: and the
lot came up upon Symeon. Now he it was which was warned by the Holy Ghost that
he should not see death until he should see the Christ in the flesh.
163
XXV. 1 Now I, James, which wrote this history in Jerusalem, when there arose
a tumult when Herod died, withdrew myself into the wilderness until the tumult
ceased in Jerusalem. Glorifying the Lord God which gave me the gift, and the wisdom to write this
history.
2 And grace shall be with those that fear our Lord Jesus Christ: to whom be
glory for ever and ever.
164
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Gospels
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Oxyrhynchus 1224
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Traditions of Matthias
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