 Introduction to Anti-Nicene Christian Library, Translations of the Writings of the Fathers down to AD 325. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Anti-Nicene Christian Library, Translations of the Writings of the Fathers down to AD 325 by Alexander Roberts, Editor. Introduction. Our aim in these translations has been to give a rendering of the original as literal as possible. And to this we have adhered even in cases and they are not a few in which the Latin or the Greek is not in strict accordance with grammatical rule. It was thought advisable in all cases to give the reader the means of forming an accurate estimate of the style as well as the substance of these curious documents. The apocryphal gospels, properly so called, consists of 22 separate documents of which 10 are written in Greek and 12 in Latin. These 22 may be classed under three heads. A. Those relating to the history of Joseph and the Virgin Mary, previous to the birth of Christ. B. Those relating to the infancy of the Savior and C. Those relating to the history of Pilate. The origins of the traditions are the Proto-Evangelium of James, the Gospel of Thomas and the Acts of Pilate. All or most of the others can be referred to these three as compilations, modifications or amplifications. There is abundant evidence of the existence of many of these traditions in the second century. Though it cannot be made out that any of the books were then in existence in their present form. The greater number of the authorities on the subject, however, seem to agree in assigning to the first four centuries of the Christian era the following five books. One, the Proto-Evangelium of James. Two, the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew. Three, the History of Joseph the Carpenter. Four, the Gospel of Thomas. And five, the Gospel of Nicodemus. We proceed to give a very brief notice of each of them. The Proto-Evangelium of James. The name of Proto-Evangelium was first given to it by Postel, whose Latin version was published in 1552. The James is usually referred to St. James the Less, the Lord's brother, but the titles vary very much. Origin in the end of the second century mentions a book of James, but it is by no means clear that he refers to the book in question. Justin Martyr, in two passages, refers to the cave in which Christ was born. And from the end of the fourth century down, there are numerous illusions and ecclesiastical writings to statements made in the Proto-Evangelium. For his edition, Tischendorf made use of seventeen manuscripts, one of them belonging to the ninth century. The Greek is good of the kind and free from errors and corruptions. There are translations of it into English by Jones, 1722, and Cooper, 1867. The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew. The majority of the manuscripts attribute this book to Matthew, though the titles vary much. The letters prefixed, professing to be written to and by St. Jerome, exist in several of the manuscripts. But no one who is acquainted with the style of Jerome's letters will think this one authentic. There are, however, in his works many illusions to some of the legends mentioned in this book. Chapters 1 through 24 were edited by Thilo. Chapters 25 to the end are edited for the first time by Tischendorf. It is not very clear whether the Latin be original or a direct translation from the Greek. In most part it seems to be original. The list of epithets, however, applied to the triangles of the Alpha in chapter 31 are pretty obviously mistranslations of Greek technical terms, which it might not be difficult to reproduce. Gospel of the Nativity of Mary. This work, which is in substance the same as the earlier part of the proceeding, yet differs from it in several important points, indicating a later date and a different author. It has acquired great celebrity from having been transferred almost entire to the Historia Lombardica, or Legenda Orore, in the end of the 13th century. Medieval poetry and sacred art have been much indebted to its pages. The original is in Latin and is not a direct translation from the Greek. In many passages it follows very closely the Vulgate translation. The History of Joseph the Carpenter. The original language of this history is Coptic. From the Coptic it was translated into Arabic. The Arabic was published by Wallen in 1722 with a Latin translation and copious notes. Wallen's version has been republished by Fabricius and later in somewhat amended form by Thilo. This amended form of Wallen's version is the text adopted by Tischendorf. Chapters 14 through 23 have been published in the Sahidic Test by Zoega in 1810 with a Latin translation and more correctly by Deloree in 1835 with a French translation. Tischendorf employs various arguments in support of his opinion that the work belongs to the 4th century. It is found, he said, in both dialects of the Coptic. The eschatology of it is not inconsistent with an early date. The Feast of the Thousand Years of Chapter 26 have become part of heretical opinion after the 3rd century. The death of the Virgin Mary in Chapter 5 is inconsistent with the doctrine of the assumption which began to prevail in the 5th century. The Gospel of Thomas. Like the proto-evangelium of James, the Gospel of Thomas is of undoubted antiquity. It is mentioned by name by Origen, quoted by Arrhenius, and the author of the Filoso Humana, who says that it was used by the Nashashins, a Gnostic sect of the 2nd century. Cyril of Jerusalem, who passed in 386, attributes the authorship not to the apostle, but to a Thomas who was one of the three disciples of Manus. This fact, of course, indicates that Cyril knew nothing of the antiquity of the book he was speaking of. This Manichean origin has been adopted by many writers, of whom the best known are in recent times R. Simon and Mingarelli. The text of the first Greek form is obtained from a Bologna manuscript published by Mingarelli, with a Latin translation in 1764. A Dresden manuscript of the 16th century edited by Thilo, a Viennese fragment edited by Lambesius, and a Parisian fragment first brought to light by Coteler in his edition of the Apostolic Constitutions and translated into English by Jones. The second Greek form is published for the first time by Tischendorf, who got the manuscript, which is on paper, of the 14th or 15th century from one of the monasteries on Mount Sinai. The Latin form is also published for the first time from a Vatican manuscript. There is another Latin text existing in a Palmaset, which Tischendorf assigns to the 5th century, and asserts to be much nearer the ancient Greek copy than any of the other manuscripts. It seems pretty clear from the contents of the book that its author was a Gnostic, a Doistist, and a Markosian, and it was held in estimation by the Nashashines and the Manicheans. It's bearing upon Christian art, and to some extent Christian dogma is well known. The Greek of the original is by no means good, and the Latin translator has in many cases mistaken the meaning of common Greek words. Arabic Gospel of the Saviour's Infancy. Chapters 1 through 9 are found on the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, and on the Proto-Evangelium of James. Chapters 36 to the end are compiled from the Gospel of Thomas. The rest of the book, chapters 10 through 35, is thoroughly oriental in its character, reminding one of the tales of the Arabian Knights, or in the episodes in the Golden S of Apuleias. It is evident that the work is a compilation and that the compiler was an oriental. Various arguments are adduced to prove that the original language of it was Syriac. It was first published with a Latin translation and copious notes by Professor Syke of Cambridge in 1697, afterwards by Fabricius, Jones, Schmidt, and Thilo. Titian Dorf's text is Syke's Latin version, amended by Fleischer. There are not sufficient data for fixing with any accuracy the time at which it was composed or compiled. The Gospel of Nicodemus. The six documents inserted under this name are various forms of two books, two in Greek and one in Latin of the Axopilot. One in Greek and two in Latin of the descent of Christ to the world below. Of 12 manuscripts, only two or three give the second part consecutively with the first, nor does it so appear in the Coptic translation. The title of Gospel of Nicodemus does not appear before the 13th century. Just a martyr mentions a book called the Axopilot and Eusebius informs us that the Emperor Maximum allowed or ordered a book composed by the pagans under this title to be published in a certain portion of the empire and even to be taught in the schools. But neither of these could have been the work under consideration. Titian Dorf attributes it to the second century, which is probably too early, though without doubt the legend was formed by the end of the second century. Mori places it in the beginning of the fifth century, from 405 to 420, and Renan concurs in this opinion. Enable Writer in the Quarterly Review, volume 116, assigns it to 439. The author of the article, Pilate in Smith's Bible Dictionary, gives the end of the third century as the probable date. The author was probably a Hellenistic Jew converted to Christianity, or as Titian Dorf and Mori conclude, a Christian imbued with Judaic and Gnostic beliefs. The original language was most probably Greek, though as in the case of Pseudo-Matthew, the history of Joseph the Carpenter, etc. The original language is, in many of the prophecies, stated to have been Hebrew. Some think that Latin was the original language on the ground that Pilate would make his report to the emperor, and that the official language. The Latin text we have, however, is obviously a translation, made moreover by a man to whom Greek was not very familiar, as is obvious from several instances specified in our notes to the text. The aditio-princepts of the Latin text is without place or date, and it has been re-edited by Jones, Birch, Fabricius, Thilo, and others. The Greek text of Part 1 and of a portion of Part 2 was first published by Birch, and afterwards in a much improved form, with the addition of copious notes and pro-legomena by Thilo. The latter part of this pro-legomena contains a full account of the English, French, Italian, and German translations. For his edition, Tischendorf consulted 39 ancient documents, of which a full account is given in his pro-legomena. For an interesting account of these documents, see the introduction to Mr. BH Cooper's translation of the Apocryphal Gospels. The letter of Pontius Pilate. The text is formed from four authorities, none of them ancient. The report of Pilate. The first of these documents was first published by Fabricius with a Latin translation. The second by Birch and then by Thilo. Tischendorf has made use of five manuscripts, the earliest of the 12th century. It does not seem possible to assign a date. The Paradosis of Pilate. It has been well remarked by the author of the article in the quarterly review above referred to that the early church looked on Pilate with no unfavorable eye, that he is favorably shown in the catacombs, that the early fathers interpreted him as a figure of the early church and held him to be guiltless of Christ's death, that the creeds do not condemn him, and the Coptic Church has even made him a saint. He remarks also that Dante finds punishments for kyphus and anus, but not for Pilate. The text was first edited by Birch and afterwards by Thilo. Tischendorf makes use of five manuscripts, of which the earliest belongs to the 12th century. The Death of Pilate. This is published for the first time by Tischendorf from a Latin manuscript of the 14th century. The language shows it to be of a late date. It appears almost entire in the legend Aurea. The Narratives of Joseph. This history seems to have been popular in the Middle Ages if we judge from the number of the Greek manuscripts of it which remain. It was first published by Birch and after him by Thilo. For his edition, Tischendorf made use of three manuscripts, of which the oldest belongs to the 12th century. And finally, The Avenging of the Saviour. This version of the legend of Veronica is written in very barbarous Latin, probably of the 7th or 8th century. An Anglo-Saxon version, which Tischendorf concludes to be derived from the Latin, was edited and translated for the Cambridge Antiquarian Society by C.W. Goodwin in 1851. The Anglo-Saxon text is from a manuscript in the Cambridge Library, one of a number presented to the Cathedral of Exeter by Bishop Leofric in the beginning of the 11th century. The reader will observe that there are in this document two distinct legends, somewhat clumsily joined together, that of Nathan's Embassy and that of Veronica. End of Introduction. Section 1 of the Anti-Nicene Christian Library. Translations of the Writings of the Fathers, down to AD 325. Alexander Roberts, editor. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. The Proto-Evangelium of James. The Birth of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, and very glorious Mother of Jesus Christ. In the records of the 12 tribes of Israel was Joachim, a man rich exceedingly, and he brought his offerings double, saying, And there shall be the offering of my forgiveness to the Lord, for a propitiation for me, for the great day of the Lord was at hand, and the sons of Israel were bringing their offerings. And there stood over against him, Rubin, saying, It is not meat for thee first to bring down offerings, because thou hast not made seed in Israel. And Joachim was exceedingly grieved and went away to the registers of the 12 tribes of the people, saying, I shall see the registers of the 12 tribes of Israel as to whether I alone have not made seed in Israel. And he searched and found that all the righteous had raised up seed in Israel. And he called to mind the patriarch Abraham, that in the last day God gave him a son, Isaac. And Joachim was exceedingly grieved and did not come into the presence of his wife, but he retired to the desert. And there pitched his tent and fasted forty days and forty nights, saying in himself, I will not go down either for food or for drink until the Lord my God shall look upon me. In prayer shall be my food and drink. And his wife Anna mourned in two mornings and lamented in two lamentations, saying, I shall bewail my widowhood, I shall bewail my childlessness. And the great day of the Lord was at hand, and Judith, her maid-servant, said, How long dost thou humiliate thy soul? Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand, and it is unlawful for thee to mourn. But take this headband, which the woman that made it gave to me. For it is not proper that I should wear it, because I am a maid-servant, and it has a royal appearance. And Anna said, Depart from me, for I have not done such things, and the Lord has brought me very low. I fear that some wicked person has given it to thee, and now has come to make me a sharer and thysim. And Judith said, Why should I curse thee, seeing that the Lord hath shut thy womb, so as not to give thee fruit in Israel? And Anna was grieved exceedingly, and put off her garments of mourning, and cleaned her head, and put on her wedding garments. And about the ninth hour went down to the garden to walk. And she saw a laurel, and sat under it, and prayed to the Lord, saying, O God of our fathers, Bless me and hear my prayer, as thou disblessed the womb of Sarah and disgive her a son Isaac. And gazing toward the heaven, she saw a sparrow's nest in the laurel, and made a lamentation in herself, saying, Alas, who begot me, and what womb produced me, because I have become a curse in the presence of the sons of Israel? And I have been reproached, and they have driven me in derision out of the temple of the Lord. Alas, to what have I been likened? I am not like the fowls of the heaven, because even the fowls of the heaven are productive before the O Lord. Alas, to what have I been likened? I am not like the beasts of the earth, because even the beasts of the earth are productive before the O Lord. Alas, to what have I been likened? I am not like these waters, because even these waters are productive before the O Lord. Alas, to what have I been likened? I'm not like this earth, because even the earth bringeth forth its fruits and season, and blesseth thee, O Lord. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by, saying, Anna, Anna, the Lord hath heard thy prayer, and thou shalt conceive, and shalt bring forth, and thy seed shall be spoken of in all the world. And Anna said, As the Lord my life liveth, if I beget either male or female, I will bring it up as a gift to the Lord my God, and it shall minister him in holy things all the days of its life. And behold, two angels came, saying to her, Behold, Joachim the husband is coming with his flocks. For an angel of the Lord went down to him, saying, Joachim, Joachim, the Lord God hath heard thy prayer, go down hence, for behold, thy wife, Anna, shall conceive. And Joachim went down and called his shepherd, saying, Bring me hither ten she-lams without spot or blemish, and they shall be for the Lord my God, and bring me twelve tender calves, and they shall be for the priests and the elders, and a hundred goats for all the people. And behold, Joachim came with his flocks, and Anna stood by the gate, and saw Joachim coming, and she ran, and hung upon his neck, saying, Now I know that the Lord God hath blessed me exceedingly, for behold, the widow no longer a widow, and I, the childless, shall conceive. And Joachim rested the first day in his house. And on the following day he brought his offering, saying in himself, If the Lord God hath been render gracious to me, the plate on the priest's forehead will make it manifest to me. And Joachim brought his offerings, and observed attentively the priest's plate when he went up to the altar of the Lord, and he saw no sin in himself. And Joachim said, Now I know that the Lord hath been gracious unto me, and hath remitted all my sins. And he went down from the temple of the Lord, justified, and departed to his own house. And her months were fulfilled, and in the ninth month Anna brought forth, and she said to the midwife, What have I brought forth? And she said a girl, and said, Anna, My soul has been magnified this day. And she laid her down, and the days having been fulfilled Anna was purified, and gave the breast to the child, and called her name Mary. And the child grew strong day by day, and when she was six months old, her mother set her on the ground to try whether she could stand. And she walked seven steps, and came into her bosom, and she snatched her up, saying, As the Lord, my God, live it, thou shalt not walk on this earth until I bring thee into the temple of the Lord. And she made a sanctuary in her bedchamber, and allowed nothing common or unclean to pass through her. And she called the undefiled daughters of the Hebrews, and they led her astray. And when she was a year old, Joachim made a great feast, and invited the priests and the scribes and the elders and all the people of Israel. And Joachim brought the child to the priests, and they blessed her, saying, O God of our fathers, bless this child, and give her an everlasting name to be named in all generations. And all the people said, So be it, so be it, amen. And he brought her to the chief priests, and they blessed her, saying, O God most high, look upon this child and bless her with the utmost blessing, which shall be forever. And her mother snatched her up, and took her into the sanctuary of her bedchamber, and gave her the breast. And Anna made a song to the Lord, God, saying, I will sing a song to the Lord, my God, for he hath looked upon me, and hath taken away the reproach of mine enemies, and the Lord hath given me the fruit of his righteousness. Singular in its kind, enriched the endowed before him. Who will tell the sons of Rubim that Anna gives suck? Here he twelve tribes of Israel, that Anna gives suck, and she laid her to rest in the bedchamber of her sanctuary, and went out and ministered unto them. And when the supper was ended, they went down rejoicing in glorifying the God of Israel. Then her months were added to the child, and the child was two years old. And Joachim said, Let us take her up to the temple of the Lord, that we may pay the vow that we have vowed, lest perchance the Lord send to us, and our offering be not received. And Anna said, Let us wait for the third year, in order that the child may not seek for father or mother. And Joachim said, So let us wait. And the child was three years old, and Joachim said, Wait the daughters of the Hebrews that are undefiled, and let them take each a lamp, and let them stand with the lamps burning, that the child may not turn back, and her heart be captivated by the temple of the Lord. And they did so until they went up into the temple of the Lord. And the priests received her, and kissed her, and blessed her, saying, The Lord has magnified thy name in all generations. In thee, on the last of the days, the Lord will manifest his redemption to the sons of Israel. And he set her down upon the third step of the altar, and the Lord God sent grace upon her, and she danced with her feet, and all the house of Israel loved her. And her parents went down marveling and praising the Lord God, because the child had not turned back. And Mary was in the temple of the Lord, as if she were a dove that dwelt there, and she received food from the hand of an angel. And when she was twelve years old, there was held the council of the priests, saying, Behold, Mary has reached the age of twelve years in the temple of the Lord. What then shall we do with her, lest perchance she defile the sanctuary of the Lord? And they said to the high priest, Thou standest by the altar of the Lord. Go in and pray concerning her, and whatever the Lord shall manifest unto thee, that also will we do. Then the high priest went in, taking the robe with the twelve bells into the holy of holies, and he prayed concerning her. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, saying unto him, Zechariahs, Zechariahs, go out and assemble the widowers of the people, and let them bring each his rod, and to whomever the Lord shall show a sign, his wife shall she be. And the heralds went out through all the circuits of Judea, and the trumpet of the Lord sounded, and all ran. And Joseph, throwing away his acts, went out to meet them. When they had assembled, they went away to the high priest, taking with them their rods. And he, taking the rods of all of them, entered into the temple and prayed. And having entered his prayer, he took the rods and came out, and gave them to them. But there was no sign in them. And Joseph took his rod last, and behold, the dove came out of the rod, and flew upon Joseph's head. And the priest said to Joseph, Thou hast been chosen by lot to take into thy keeping the virgin of the Lord. But Joseph refused, saying, I have children, and I am an old man, and she is a young girl. I am afraid lest I become a laughing stock to the sons of Israel. And the priest said to Joseph, Fear the Lord thy God, and remember what the Lord did to Dathan, and Abraham, and Korah, how the earth opened, and they were swallowed up on account of their contradiction. And now fear, O Joseph, lest the same things happen in thy house. And Joseph was afraid, and took her into his keeping. And Joseph said to Mary, Behold, I have received thee from the temple of the Lord, and now I leave thee in my house, and go away to build my buildings, and I shall come to thee. The Lord will protect thee. And there was a counsel of the priest saying, Let us make avail for the temple of the Lord. And the priest said, Call to me, undefiled virgins of the family of David. And the officers went away, and sought, and found seven virgins. And the priest remembered the child Mary, that she was of the family of David, and undefiled before God. And the officers went away, and brought her. And they brought them into the temple of the Lord. And the priest said, Choose for me by lot, who shall spin the gold, and the white, and the fine linen, and the silk, and the blue, and the scarlet, and the true purple. And the true blue and the scarlet fell to the lot of Mary, and she took them and went away to her house. And all that time Zacharias was dumb, and Samuel was in his place until the time that Zacharias spake. And Mary took the scarlet and spanned it. And she took the pitcher, and went out to fill it with water. And behold, a voice saying, Hail thou who hast received grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women. She looked round, on the right hand, and on the left, to see whence this voice came. And she went away, trembling to her house, and put down the pitcher. And taking the purple, she sat down on her seat, and drew it out. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before her, saying, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace before the Lord of all, and thou shalt conceive according to his word. And she, hearing, reasoned with herself, saying, Shall I conceive by the Lord the living God, and shall I bring forth as every woman brings forth? And the angel of the Lord said, Not so, Mary, for the power of the Lord shall overshadow thee, wherefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of the Most High, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. And Mary said, Behold the servant of the Lord before his face, let it be unto me according to thy word. And she made the purple and the scarlet, and took them to the priest. And the priest blessed her, and said, Mary, the Lord hath magnified thy name, and thou shalt be blessed in all the generations of the earth. And Mary, with great joy, went away to Elizabeth, her Kimswoman, and knocked at the door. And when Elizabeth heard her, she threw away the scarlet, and ran to the door, and opened it. And seeing Mary, she blessed her, and said, Once is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me. For behold, that which is in me leaped in bless thee. But Mary had forgotten the mysteries of which the archangel Gabriel had spoken, and gazed up into heaven, and said, Who am I, O Lord, that all the generations of the earth should bless me? And she remained three months with Elizabeth, and day by day she grew bigger. And Mary, being afraid, went away to her own house, and hid herself from the sons of Israel. And she was sixteen years old when these mysteries happened. And she was in her sixth month, and bold Joseph came back from his building, and entry into his house he discovered that she was big with child. And he smote his face, and threw himself on the ground upon the sackcloth, and leapt bitterly, saying, With what face shall I look upon the Lord, my God? And what prayer shall I make about this maiden? Because I have received her a virgin out of the temple of the Lord, and I have not watched over her. Who is it that has hunted me down? Who has done this evil thing in my house, and defiled the virgin? Has not the history of Adam been repeated in me? For just as Adam was in the hour of his singing praise, and the serpent came, and found Eve alone, and completely deceived her. So it has happened to me also. And Joseph stood up from the sackcloth, and called Mary, and said to her, O thou who hast been cared for by God, why hast thou done this, and forgotten the Lord thy God? Why hast thou brought low thy soul, thou that wast brought up in the holy of holies, and thou dist received food from the hand of an angel? And she wept bitterly, saying, I am innocent, and have no man. And Joseph said to her, Once then is that which is in thy womb. And she said, As the Lord my God liveth, I do not know once it is to me. And Joseph was greatly afraid, and retired from her, and considered what he should do in regard to her. And Joseph said, If I conceal her sin, I find myself fighting against the law of the Lord. And if I expose her to the sons of Israel, I'm afraid lest that which is in her be from an angel, and I shall be found giving up innocent blood to the doom of death. What then shall I do with her? I will put her away from me secretly. And night came upon him, and behold, an angel of the Lord appears to him in a dream, saying, Be not afraid for the maiden, for that which is in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth the Son, and thou it shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. And Joseph arose from sleep, and glorified the God of Israel, who had given him this grace, and he kept her. And Annas the scribe came to him, and said, Why has thou not appeared in our assembly? And Joseph said to him, Because I was weary from my journey, and rested the first day. And he turned and saw that Mary was with child. And he ran away to the priest, and said to him, Joseph, whom thou dost vows for, has committed a grievous crime. And the priest said, How so? And he said he has defiled the virgin whom he received out of the temple of the Lord, and has married her by stealth, and has not revealed it to the sons of Israel. And the priest answering said, Has Joseph done this? Then said Annas the scribe, Send officers, and thou wilt find the virgin with child. And the officers went away and found it as he had said. And they brought her along with Joseph to the tribunal. And the priest said, Mary, why hast thou done this? And why hast thou brought thy soul low, and forgotten the Lord thy God? Thou that wast reared in the holies, and thou dost receive food from the hand of an angel, and dost hear the hymns, and dost dance before him. Why hast thou done this? She what bitterly sang, As the Lord my God liveth, I am pure before him, and know not a man. And the priest said to Joseph, Why hast thou done this? And Joseph said, As the Lord liveth, I am pure concerning her. Then said the priest, Bear not false witness, but speak the truth. Thou hast married her by stealth, and has not revealed it to the sons of Israel, and has not bowed thy head under the strong hand that thy seed might be blessed. And Joseph was silent. And the priest said, Give up the virgin, whom thou dost receive out of the temple of the Lord. And Joseph burst into tears. And the priest said, I will give you to drink of the water of your deal of the Lord. And ye shall make manifest your sins in your eyes. And the priest took the water, gave Joseph to drink, and sent him away to the hill country. And he returned unhurt. And he gave to Mary also to drink, and sent her away to the hill country. And she returned unhurt. And all the people wondered that sin did not appear in them. And the priest said, The Lord God has not made manifest your sins, neither do I judge you. And he sent them away. And Joseph took Mary and went away to his own house, rejoicing and glorifying the God of Israel. And then there was an order from the emperor Augustus that all in Bethlehem of Judea should be enrolled. And Joseph said, I shall enroll my sons, but what shall I do with this maiden? How shall I enroll her as my wife? I'm ashamed as my daughter then, but all the sons of Israel know that she is not my daughter. The day of the Lord shall itself bring it to pass as the Lord will. And he saddled the ass and set her upon it. And his son led it, and Joseph followed. And when they had come within three miles, Joseph turned and saw her sorrowful. And he said to himself, likely that which is in her distresses her. And again, Joseph turned and saw her laughing. And he said to her, Mary, how is it that I see in my face at one time laughter at another sorrow? And Mary said to Joseph, because I see two peoples with my eyes, the one weeping, lamenting, and the other rejoicing and exulting. And he came into the middle of the road. And Mary said to him, take me down off the ass for that which is in me presses to come forth. And he took her down from off the ass and said to her, whether shall I lead thee and cover thy disgrace for the place's desert? And he found a cave there and led her into it. Then leaving his two sons beside her, he went out to seek a midwife in the district of Bethlehem. And I, Joseph, was walking and was not walking. And I looked up into the sky and saw the sky astonished. And I looked up to the pole of the heavens and saw it standing in the birds of the air keeping still. And I looked down upon the earth and saw a trough flying and work people reclining. And their hands were in the trough. And those that were eating did not eat. And those that were rising did not carry it up. And those that were conveying anything to their mouths did not convey it. But the faces of all were looking upwards. And I saw the sheep walking and the sheep stood still. And the shepherd raised his hand to strike them and his hand remained up. And I looked upon the current of the river and I saw the mouths of the kids resting on the water and not drinking. And all things in a moment were driven from their course. And I saw a woman coming down from the hill country. She said to me, oh man wither art thou going? And I said, I am seeking an Hebrew midwife. And she answered and said unto me, art thou of Israel? And I said to her, yes. And she said, and who is it that is bringing forth in the cave? And I said, a woman betrothed to me. And she said, is she not thy wife? And I said to her, it is Mary that was reared in the temple of the Lord. And I obtained her by lot as my wife. And yet she is not my wife but has conceived of the Holy Spirit. And the midwife said to him, is this true? And Joseph said to her, come and see. And the midwife went away with him and they stood in the place of the cave and behold, a luminous cloud overshadowed the cave. And the midwife said, my soul has been magnified this day because mine eyes have seen strange things because salvation has been brought forth to Israel. And immediately the cloud disappeared out of the cave and a great light shone in the cave so that the eyes could not bear it. And in a little that light gradually decreased until the infant appeared and went and took the breast from his mother Mary. And the midwife cried out and said, this is a great day to me because I've seen this strange sight and the midwife went forth out of the cave and Salome met her. And she said to her, Salome, Salome, I've had a strange sight to relate to thee. A virgin has brought forth a thing which her nature admits not of. Then said Salome, as the Lord my God live it unless I thrust in my finger and searched the parts I will not believe that a virgin has brought forth. And the midwife went in and said to Mary, show thyself for no small controversy has arisen about thee. And Salome put in her finger and cried out and said, what was me for mine iniquity and mine unbelief because I have tempted the living God. And behold, my hand is dropping off as if burning with fire. She bent her knees before the Lord saying, oh God of my fathers, remember that I am the seed of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. Do not make a show of me to the sons of Israel but restore me to the poor. For thou knowest, O Lord, that in thy name I have performed my services and that I have received my reward at thy hand. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by her saying to her, Salome, Salome, the Lord hath heard thee. Put thy hand to the infant and carry it and thou wilt have safety and joy. And Salome went and carried it saying, I will worship him because a great king has been born in Israel. And behold, Salome was immediately cured and she went forth out of the cave justified. And behold, a voice sang, Salome, Salome, tell not the strange things thou hast seen until the child has come into Jerusalem. And behold, Joseph was ready to go into Judea and there was a great commotion in Bethlehem of Judea for Magi came saying, where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen the star in the east and have come to worship him. And when Herod heard he was much disturbed and sent officers to the Magi and he sent for the priests and examine them saying, how is it written about the Christ? Where is he to be born? And they said in Bethlehem of Judea for so it is written. And he sent them away. And he examined the Magi saying to them, what sign have you seen in reference to the king that has been born? And the Magi said, we have seen a star of great size shining above these stars and obscuring their light so that the stars did not appear. And we thus knew that a king has been born to Israel and we have come to worship him. And Herod said, go and seek him and if you find him, let me know in order that I also may go and worship him. And the Magi went out and behold the star which they had seen in the east went before them until they came to the cave and it stood over the top of the cave. And the Magi saw the infant with his mother Mary and they brought forth from their bag gold and frankincense and myrrh. After having been warned by the angel not to go into Judea they went into their own country by another road. And when Herod knew that he had been mocked by the Magi in a rage he sent murderers saying to them, slay the children from two years old and under. And Mary having heard that the children were being killed was afraid and took the infant and swaddled him and put him into an ox stall. And Elizabeth having heard that they were searching for John took him and went up into the hill country and kept looking for where to conceal him. And there was no place of concealment. In Elizabeth groaning with a loud voice says, oh mountain of God, receive mother and child. And immediately the mountain was cleft and received her. And the light shone about them for an angel of the Lord was with them watching over them. And Herod searched for John and sent officers to Zachariah saying, where hast thou hid thy son? And he answering said to them, I'm the servant of God and holy things. And I sit constantly in the temple of the Lord. I do not know where my son is. And the officers went away and reported all these things to Herod. And Herod was enraged and said, his son is destined to be king over Israel. And he sent to him again saying, tell the truth, where is thy son? For thou knowest that thy life is in my hand. And Zachariah said, I am God's martyr if thou shettest my blood. For the Lord will receive my spirit because thou shettest innocent blood at the vestibule of the temple of the Lord. And Zachariah was murdered about daybreak. And the sons of Israel did not know that he had been murdered. But at the hour of the salutation, the priests went away. And Zachariah did not come forth to meet them with a blessing, reporting to his custom. And the priests stood waiting for Zachariah to salute him at the prayer and to glorify the Most High. And he's still delaying, they were all afraid. But one of them ventured to go in and he saw a clotted blood beside the altar. And he heard a voice saying, Zachariah has been murdered and his blood shall not be wiped up until his avenger come. And hearing this saying he was afraid and went out and told it to the priests. And they ventured in and saw what had happened. And the fret work of the temple made a wailing noise and they rent their clothes from the top even to the bottom. And they found not his body but they found his blood turned into stone. And they were afraid and went out and reported to the people that Zachariah had been murdered. And all the tribes of the people heard and mourned and lamented for him three days and three nights. And after the three days the priests consulted as to whom they should put in his place and the lot fell upon Simeon. For it was he who had been worn by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death until he should see the Christ in the flesh. And I James that wrote this history in Jerusalem a commotion having arisen when Herod died withdrew myself to the wilderness until the commotion in Jerusalem ceased glorifying the Lord God who had given me the gift and the wisdom to write this history. In grace shall be with them that fear our Lord Jesus Christ to whom be gloried ages of ages. Amen. End of section one.