Th

Perotevan
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Jacques
GOSPELS OF THE NATIVITY AND OF CHILDHOOD

Introduction

The name 'Protoevangelium' was given in the 16thecentury by the French humanist
who published it in the West, because the text relates events that happened earlier
to the accounts of the canonical gospels. The oldest known manuscript (Papyrus
Bodmer 5) bears the title: Nativity of Mary, Revelation of James.

The book is said to be written by the apostle James the Less, brother of Jesus according to
the Gospel, half-brother according to this text. It is very old (mid-second century)
and is freely inspired by the canonical tales of childhood.

The work owes nothing to the Judeo-Christians, as evidenced by its ignorance.

Jewish customs. Probably the author was of pagan origin, descended from
from Egypt or from Asia Minor. He wrote his text for apologetic purposes,
to address, with the Greeks and the Jews, the delicate question of incarnation
of Jesus.

Or, there is no incarnation without the absolute purity of Mary, not only a virgin.
before, during, and after, but maintained from its conception in a kind of
of an angelic state, where men and angels lend their support.

Writing has experienced great fortune through the centuries: it has inspired others
books of the same genre, the most well-known of which is the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew
(6th century), which emphasizes miracles. It is the origin of several festivals.
liturgical, celebration of Anne and Joachim, Conception and Nativity of Mary,
Presentation of the Virgin. Christian art has drawn heavily from it. But above all
this celebration of purity has nurtured subsequent developments of the
Mariology.

1-5 History of Marie's parents until her birth.

6-9 Childhood of Mary, at her home, then in the Temple.

10-16 Conception of Jesus and difficulties of Joseph.

17-21 Birth of Jesus, episode of Salome.

22-25 Pursuit of Herod and assassination of Zacharias.

1
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 NavytioM
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ReveaolitnoJfames
I.1. The stories of the twelve tribes tell that a very wealthy man, Joachim,
brought a double offering to the Lord, saying: "The supplement will be for
the whole people and the part that I must for the forgiveness of my sins will go to
Lord, so that He may be favorable to me.

I.2. The great day of the Lord is coming1, and the children of Israel brought their
present. However, Ruben stands before him and says: "You do not have the right to
deposit your first offerings, since you have not had any descendants in
Israel.

I.3. Joachim was deeply saddened, and he went to consult the records of the twelve.
tribes of the people, saying: 'I will see in their archives if I am the only one
to have not been born in Israel!" He searched, and discovered that all the righteous
had evoked a posterity in Israel. And he remembered the patriarch Abraham;
In his old age, the Lord God had given him a son, Isaac.

I.4. Then, overwhelmed with sadness, Joachim did not reappear before his wife, and he
went into the desert; he pitched his tent there and, forty days and forty
he fasted at night2, saying to himself: "I will not go down to eat or drink, before the
Lord my God has visited me. Prayer will be my food and my drink.

II.1. And his wife Anne had two reasons to lament and to beat herself
breast. "I have to cry, she said, over my widowhood and my sterility!"

II. 2. Come the great day of the Lord. Judith, his servant, said to him: 'Until when
Will you despair? Today is the great day of the Lord. You do not have the
right to give in to lamentations. So take this headband that was given to me by the
mistress of the workshop. I cannot adorn myself with it, for I am only a servant, and
he wears a royal insignia.

II.3. She said to him: "Get back, you! I will do nothing, for the Lord has overwhelmed me"
of humiliations. And perhaps this gift comes to you from a thief and you are looking to
make me an accomplice to your fault.

And Judith the servant said: "What evil should I wish you still, to remain
sourde to my voice? The Lord God has closed your womb and does not give you any
fruit in Israel!

II.4. So Anne, despite her despair, took off her mourning clothes, washed her hair and
she puts on her wedding dress. And around the ninth hour3, she went down to
walking in her garden. She saw a laurel and sat in its shade. After a
in a moment of rest, she invoked the Master: "God of my fathers," she said,

1
Imprecise formula that betrays the author's ignorance.
2
Customary duration of fasting, cf. Matthew 4:2.
3
Three o'clock in the afternoon.

3
bless me, grant my prayer, as you blessed Sarah, our mother, and gave her
gave his son Isaac.

III.1. Looking up at the sky, she spotted a nest of songbirds in the laurel.
Immediately she began to moan: "Alas, she said, who gave me birth and from whom
Am I out? I was born, cursed before the children of Israel. They took me...
insulted, mocked, and chased out of the temple of the Lord my God.

III.2. To whom do I compare my fate? Not even to the birds of the sky, for the
birds of the sky are fruitful before your face, Lord. Alas, to whom shall I compare
my fate? Not even to stupid animals, for stupid animals are themselves
also fruitful before you, Lord. Alas, what does my fate compare to? No longer
to the wild beasts of the earth, for the wild beasts of the earth are
fertile before your face, Lord.

III.3. To what does my fate compare? Not to these waters either, for these waters are
sometimes calm, sometimes leaping, and their fish bless you, Lord.
So, to whom does my fate compare? Not even to this earth, for the earth produces
the fruits in their season and give you glory, Lord.

IV.1. And behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, saying: "Anne, Anne, the Lord
God has heard your prayer. You will conceive, you will give birth, and people will speak of your
posterity in the whole earth.

Anne replied: "As true as the Lord God lives, I will give my
child, boy or girl, to the Lord my God and he will serve Him all the days of his
life.

IV.2. And behold, two messengers arrived, who said to him: "Joachim, your husband,
arrives with his flocks. An angel of the Lord descended beside him,
saying: "Joachim, Joachim, the Lord God has heard your prayer. Come down from here."
Here is that Anne, your wife, is expecting.4in his last breast.

IV.3. As soon as Joachim came down, he summoned his shepherds, saying to them:
Bring me here ten lambs without blemish or defect. These ten lambs will be
for the Lord God. Bring me also twelve tender calves and the
twelve calves will be for the priests and the Council of Elders. Also a hundred
goats, and the hundred goats will be for all the people.

IV.4. Joachim arrives with his flocks. Anne was waiting for him at the gates of the
city5As soon as she saw him appear with his animals, she ran towards him, her
suspended it around his neck and exclaimed: "Now I know that the Lord God has me
filled with blessings! Here: the widow is no longer a widow and the barren has
designed6And Joachim, on that first day, stayed home to rest.

V.1. The next day, he brought his offerings: "If the Lord God has been to me
favorable, he thought, the priest's golden blade will reveal it to me7He presented his

4
Or: "will conceive," the manuscripts hesitate. The past renders Mary's conception miraculous as
that of Jesus, since it was carried out in the absence of Joachim.
5
She met him, specifies the gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, at the 'Golden Gate': medieval art will take its share
beautiful in this scene.
6
Same remark as in note 4.
7
This golden blade was affixed to the high priest's tiara. It symbolized the glory of God, of which it bore
the engraved name, and only the pure saw its gleam.

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offerings, and scrutinized the priest's tiara when he ascended to the altar of
Lord; and he knew that there was no fault in him.

Now, he said, I know that the Lord God has granted me grace and has forgiven me
all my sins." And he went down from the temple of the Lord, justified, and went home.
at his place.

V.2. About six months passed; in the seventh, Anne gave birth. 'What have I put
in the world?" she asked the midwife. And she answered: "A
girl." And Anne said: "My soul has been exalted this day!" And she lay down.
the child.

When the days were accomplished, Anne purified herself and breastfed the child.8and
he called her by the name of Marie.

Day by day, the child grew stronger. When she was six months old, her mother...
with the ground, to see if it stood up. However, the child took seven steps, then came back.
to snuggle up to her mother. She picked her up, saying: "As surely as the lives of the
Lord my God, you will not walk on this earth that I have not led you to.
in the temple of the Lord." And she prepared a sanctuary in her room and she
never let her daughter touch anything profane or impure. And she invited the
Hebrew girls, who were without blemish, and they entertained her.

VI.2. When the child was one year old, Joachim gave a great feast to which he invited the
high priests, the priests, the scribes, the Elders, and all the people of Israel. He
they presented the child to the priests who blessed her: 'God of our fathers,' they said,
bless this child, and give her an illustrious name forever, in all the
generations." And all the people cried out: "So be it! Amen!" And they it
they presented to the high priests, and they blessed her, saying: "God of
heights, lower your gaze upon this little girl and bless her with a blessing
supreme, who surpasses all blessings.

VI.3. And his mother took him into the sanctuary of her room and she gave him the
to be.

Hannah raised a song to the Lord God: "I will sing a sacred canticle to the
Lord my God, because he visited me and took away the shame of my
enemies. And the Lord my God has given me a fruit of His justice, unique and
considerable in front of his face. Who will announce to the sons of Reuben that Anne gives
the breast? Listen, listen, O twelve tribes of Israel: Hannah gives the breast!

And she placed the child back in the sanctuary of her room, went out and served her
hosts.

When the banquet was over, they descended joyfully and they glorified God.
from Israel.

VII.1. The months passed: the child turned two years old. Joachim said:
Let's take her to the temple of the Lord, to fulfill the promise we
have done. Otherwise, the Master would be angry with us and would reject our
offering." But Anne replied: "Let us wait for his third year, for fear
"that she does not call for her father or her mother." Joachim nodded: "Let's wait."
8
Anne only nurses her child once she has completed her time of impurity.

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VII.2. The child was three years old. Joachim said: 'Let us call the Hebrew girls,
those who are spotless. Let each take a torch and hold it
lit up: thus, Marie will not turn back and her heart will not be held captive
out of the temple of the Lord." The order was followed, and they went up to the temple.
of the Lord. And the priest welcomed the child and having kissed her, he blessed her and
He said: "The Lord God has exalted your name among all generations. In you,
In the last days, the Lord will show redemption to the sons of Israel.

VII.3. And he made her sit on the third step of the altar. And the Lord God
spread its grace upon her. And her feet began to dance and all the
the house of Israel loved it.

VIII.1. His parents descended, amazed, praising and glorifying God

sovereign who had not looked down on them. And Mary remained in the temple of
Lord, like a dove9and she received her food from the hand of a
angel.

VIII. 2. When she was twelve years old, the priests consulted and said: "Here is
that Marie is twelve years old, in the temple of the Lord. What will we do with her,
to prevent her from defiling the sanctuary of the Lord our God?

And they said to the high priest: 'You who keep the altar of the Lord, enter and pray'
About this child. What the Lord tells you, we will do.

VIII. 3. And the priest put on the garment with the twelve bells.10entered the Holy
of the Saints and began to pray. And behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, saying:
Zacharie, Zacharie, go out and summon the widows of the people. Let them bring
each with a baguette. And he to whom the Lord will show a sign will do so.
woman.

Heralds spread throughout the land of Judea and the trumpet of

Lord resounded, and here they all came running.

IX.1. Joseph had his hatchet and he too went to join the group. They
came together with their wands at the priest's. The priest took these
breads, entered the temple and prayed. His prayer completed, he resumed the
baguettes, went out and returned them. None bore a sign. Now Joseph received
the last one. And behold, a dove flew from its wand and came to
stick on his head.

Then the priest said: "Joseph, Joseph, he said, you are the chosen one: it is you who will take in
keep the virgin of the Lord.

IX.2. But Joseph protests: "I have sons, I am an old man and she is a
every young girl. Will I not become the laughingstock of the sons of Israel?

Joseph, the priest replied, fear the Lord your God, and remember the fate
that God reserved for Dathan, Abiram, and Korah. The earth opened up and the
swallowed them all at once, because they had resisted him. And now, Joseph,
"I fear similar plagues upon your house!"

9
Symbol of purity.
10
For this ceremonial robe, see Exodus 28, 17-21 and 33-35.

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IX. 3. Very moved, Joseph took the young girl under his protection and said to her: "Mary,
The temple of the Lord has entrusted you to me. Now I leave you in my house.
For I am going to build my buildings. I will return to you. The Lord
it will keep you.

X.1. However, the priests had gathered and decided to have a

veil for the temple of the Lord.

And the high priest said: "Call me the young girls of the tribe of David"11, who
are spotless." His servants left, searched, and found seven.
But the priest remembered that young Mary was of the tribe of David and that she
was without blemish before God. And the servants went and brought him.

X. 2. And they brought these young girls into the temple of the Lord. And the priest
They say: 'Draw lots to see which will spin the gold, the asbestos, the linen, the silk, the blue,
the scarlet and the true purple.

The true purple and the scarlet were given to Mary. She took them and went home.
she. It was at that moment that Zacharie became mute and that Samuel the
replaced until he had regained his speech.

And Marie grabbed the scarlet and began to spin.

XI.1. She took her jug and went out to draw water. Then a voice echoed:
Rejoice, full of grace. The Lord is with you. You are blessed among
women.

Marie looked to the right and to the left: where was this voice coming from?
fear, she went home, put down her jug, took up the purple again, sat down on her
chair and resumed spinning.

XI.2. And behold, an angel standing before her said: "Do not be afraid, Mary, you
You have found grace before the Master of all things. You will conceive from his Word.

These words threw Mary into disarray. "Will I conceive, from the Lord,
she said, of the living God, shall I give birth like any woman?

XI.3. And behold, the angel, still before her, answered her: "No, Mary. For the
the power of God will take you under His shadow. Also the holy child who will be born
he will be called the Son of the Most High. You will give him the name Jesus, for he
saves his people from their sins." And Mary then said: "Here I am before him.
servant! Let it be to me according to your word.

XII.1. And she resumed her work of purple and scarlet and then brought it to the priest.

And when the priest received her, he blessed her and said: "Mary, the Lord God has exalted
your name and you will be blessed among all the generations of the earth.

XII.2. Full of joy, Mary went to her relative Elizabeth and knocked on the
door. Upon hearing it, Elisabeth turned scarlet, ran to the door, opened it, and the
Blessed in these terms: "How is it that the mother of my Lord comes
to me? For you see, the child shuddered and blessed you.
11
Another blunder: there is no tribe of David.

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But Marie had forgotten the mysteries that the angel Gabriel had spoken of.12She raised the
eyes to the sky and said: "Who am I, that all the women of the earth would me
proclaim blessed?

XII.3. And she stayed three months with Elisabeth. And day by day her breast
was rounding off. Worried, she returned to her house and hid from the wires.
from Israel. She was sixteen when these mysteries were fulfilled.13.

XIII.1. His sixth month came, and behold, Joseph returned from the workshops; he entered
in the house and realized that she was pregnant. And he struck his face and
he fell to the ground on his bag and cried bitterly, saying: 'What face shall I raise'
before the Lord God? What prayer shall I address to Him? I received her a virgin from
temple of the Lord and I did not keep it. Who betrayed me? Who committed this
Crime under my roof? Who robbed me of the virgin and defiled her? The story of Adam
Does she repeat it about me? For while Adam was making his prayer of praise,
the serpent approached and surprised Eve alone; he seduced her and defiled her. The same
disgrace strikes me.

XIII.2. And Joseph raised himself from his sack and called Mary: "You the favored one of God,
What have you done there? Have you forgotten the Lord your God? Why have you...
dishonored, you who were raised in the Holy of Holies and have received nourishment
by the hand of an angel?

XIII.3. And she wept bitterly, saying: "I am pure and I do not know
man." And Joseph said to her, "Where does the fruit of your womb come from?" And she
He answered: 'As surely as the Lord my God lives, I do not know where he comes from.'

XIV.1. And Joseph, filled with fear, stood silent, and he wondered what he should do.
make of her. "If I keep the secret of her fault, he said to himself, I will be going against the
law of the Lord. But if I report it to the children of Israel, and her child comes
of an angel, which I fear greatly, so I subject a blood to the death penalty
innocent. What will I do with her? I will repudiate her in secret.

The night surprised him in these reflections.

XIV.2. And behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying: "Do not
Don't worry about this child. What is in her comes from the Holy Spirit.
She will bear you a son whom you will name Jesus. For he will save his...
people of its sins.

Joseph awoke and glorified the God of Israel who had given him his grace. And he
Look at the young girl.

XV.1. And the scribe Anne came to see him and said: "Joseph, why have you not...
came to our meeting? -My trip had tired me, he replied, and I spent the
"first day to rest." But Anne turned around and saw Marie pregnant.

XV.2. And he ran to the priest and said to him: "Well, this Joseph of whom
"You have taken responsibility, committed a heinous fault. -What then?" asked the
high priest. The other replied: "He has dishonored the young girl that the temple of
The Lord had entrusted her to him and he married her secretly, without informing the sons.

12
In contradiction with Saint Luke, for whom Mary keeps all things carefully in her heart.
13
New distraction from the author. Not four years have passed since the release of the Temple, see p. 74.

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from Israel!" And the high priest said to him: "Did Joseph do this?" And the other
replied: "Send your people and you will see that the young girl is pregnant."
the servants left and found her in the state he had described. They brought her back.
at the temple and she appeared in court.

The high priest said to her: "Mary, what have you done there? Why have you lost
your honor? Have you forgotten the Lord your God, you who were raised in the Holy
of the Saints and who received food from the hand of angels? You who heard their
hymns and dances before them? What have you done there?

And she wept bitterly and said, "As surely as the Lord God lives, I am
pure before his face and knows no man.

XV.4. And the high priest said: "And you, Joseph, what have you done?" And Joseph
he replied: "As true as the Lord lives and as His Christ lives and the witness
I am pure with respect to her in my truth." The high priest insisted.

Do not bear false witness! Tell the truth! You married her in
hiding place, you said nothing to the sons of Israel and you did not bow your head under the
powerful hand that would have blessed your descendants!" And Joseph remained silent.

XVI.1. The high priest replied: 'Return to us the young girl that you had received from'
temple of the Lord." Joseph burst into tears. The high priest added: "I
you will make him drink the water of the ritual test14and your fault will be revealed to you
eyes.

XVI.2. The high priest took some water, made Joseph drink it, and then sent him to the
desert15, But this one returned unscathed. And he also made the young girl drink and sent her away.
in the desert. And she came down unscathed. And all the people were astonished that their
the fault would not have been manifested.

XVI.3. Then the high priest said: "Since the Lord God has not revealed any
"Sin in you, I do not condemn you either." And he let them go.
And Joseph took Mary and returned home, happy and praising the God of Israel.

XVII.1. A decree from King Augustus appeared inviting all the inhabitants of
Bethlehem in Judea, to be registered.

And Joseph said: 'I will go register my sons. But what to do with this child?'
How to account for it? Like my wife? I cannot decently. Like
My daughter? But the children of Israel know that I do not have a daughter. So what about this day then,
The Lord decides at His discretion.

XVII.2. And he saddled his donkey and placed her on it. His son was leading the reins and Samuel
followed. And they were beginning the third thousand when Joseph turned around and saw her
Fort Rembrunie. 'The child she carries, he thought, must be making her suffer.' He
turned around once more and saw that she was laughing. He said to her: "Marie, what is wrong with you? I
"I see joy and sorrow on your face in turn." And she said to him: "Joseph, two
peoples are before my eyes16. One cries and beats his chest, the other
dance and party.

14
The ordeal that the woman suspected of adultery had to undergo, cf. Numbers 5:11-31.
15
Let the author suppose to begin at the gates of Jerusalem.
16
They are the unbelievers and the believers.

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XVII. 3. They were halfway17, when Marie said to him: "Joseph, help me to
dismount from the donkey. The child within me urges and is about to be born." He had her put
steps and said to him: "Where to take you? Where to shelter your modesty? The place is at
discovered.

XVIII.1. But he found a cave there.18led her there and entrusted her to the care of her
son. Then he went to look for a Jewish midwife in the land of Bethlehem. [He
He found one coming down from the mountain and brought her.19.]

But I20Joseph, I was walking and not walking. And I

I raised my eyes to the vault of the sky and saw it motionless, and I looked up.
and I saw him frozen in astonishment. And the birds were halted in mid-flight.

And I lowered my eyes to the ground and I saw a bowl and workers lying down.
for the meal, and their hands remained in the bowl. And those who
they chewed they did not chew and those who took food did not
were not taking it and those who brought it to their mouth did not bring it there. All
the faces and all the eyes were raised towards the heights.

XVIII. 3. And I saw sheep being driven, but the sheep did not move forward.
but. And the shepherd raised his hand to hit them, and his hand remained in the air. And I
I turned my gaze to the river's current and saw kids that
they were touching the water with their snout but were not drinking it. Suddenly life resumed
his course.

XIX.1. And I saw a woman who was coming down from the mountain and she called out to me:
"Hey, man, where are you going?" I replied: "I’m going to look for a midwife."
Jewish. - Are you from Israel? she asked me again. - Yes, I said to her. She continued:
And who is giving birth in the cave?

And Joseph said to the midwife: 'This is Mary, my fiancée; but she has conceived
of the Holy Spirit, after having been raised in the temple of the Lord.

And I said to her: "She's my fiancée. - So she's not your wife?"

Does she ask? And I say to her: "It is Marie, the one who was raised in the
temple of the Lord. I have been chosen to marry her, but she is not my
woman, and she conceived of the Holy Spirit." And the midwife said: "Is it the
truth?" Joseph replied, "Come and see." And she went with him.

XIX.2. and they stopped at the place of the cave. A dark cloud enveloped
this one. And the midwife said: "My soul has been exalted today because my
eyes have witnessed wonders: salvation is born for Israel.' Immediately the
the cloud withdrew from the cave and a great light shone inside, which
our eyes could not bear. And little by little this light softened to
let a little child appear. And he came to take the breast of Mary his mother. And
the midwife exclaimed: "How great this day is for me! I have seen with my own eyes
an unheard-of thing.

17
Fantastical geography. It should be noted that the author, who makes no reference to Nazareth, assumes
Why are Joseph and Mary going to be registered in Bethlehem?
18
First reference to the cave, with that of Justin, Dialogues, 78.
19
The passages in brackets reproduce the variants of the Bodmer papyrus, which differ in some
episodes of all the other manuscripts.
20
20. Here is an appetizer, influenced by Eastern tales.

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XIX.3. And the midwife coming out of the cave met Salome and said to her:
Salome, Salome, I have an astonishing news to tell you: a virgin has
born, against the law of nature." And Salome replied: "As surely as the lives of the
Lord my God, if I do not put my finger and if I do not examine his body, I do not
I will never believe that the virgin gave birth.

And she approached, and arranged it, and Salome examined its nature. And she exclaimed
that she had tempted the living God: 'And behold, I am losing my hand, burned by a '
fire. » And she prayed to the Lord and the midwife was healed at that moment.

And an angel of the Lord stood before Salome, saying: 'Your prayer has been
fulfilled before the Lord God. Come closer and touch the little child, and
For you too he will be salvation." Salome obeyed and was healed as she had
I adored, and she left the cave. And behold, an angel of the Lord made a sound.
voice.

XX.1. And the midwife entered and said: 'Mary, prepare yourself for this is not a
"A little debate arises about you." At these words, Marie prepared herself. And Salomé
with her finger in her nature and letting out a cry, she said: "Woe to my"
impiety and my unbelief! she said, I have tested the living God! And here is that
My hand comes undone, under the action of a fire.

XX.2. And Salome knelt before the Master, saying: 'God of my fathers,
remember that I am from the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Do not
do not expose me to the contempt of the children of Israel, but return me to the poor. For you
Say, O Master, that in your name I tended to them, receiving my reward from you alone.

XX.3. And behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, who said to her: "Salome, Salome, the
Master of all things has heard your prayer. Extend your hand over the little child,
Take it. It will be your salvation and your joy.

XX.4. And Salome, all moved, approached the child, took him in her arms,
saying: "I will adore him. He was born a king in Israel and it is him." Immediately Salome was
healed, and she walked out of the cave, justified. And behold, a voice spoke: "Salome,
Salomé, do not reveal the wonders that you have contemplated, before the child
he entered Jerusalem21. »

XXI.1. As Joseph was preparing to leave for Judea22a lively agitation

burst in Bethlehem of Judea. The wise men arrived, saying: 'Where is the king of
Jews? We have seen his star in the East, and we have come to worship him.

This new alarmed Herod, who sent servants, summoned them and they
they informed him about the star. And behold, they saw stars in the East and they
guided them until their arrival in the cave and the star stopped above the
child's head23.]
21
Undoubtedly for the presentation at the temple.
22
The author has no idea of the location of Bethlehem, Jerusalem, or Judea. Some do.
concluded, aided by other clues, that the author was an Egyptian who had probably not traveled. Cf. The
the oldest form of the protovangelium of James, by E. De Strycker, Bollandist Society, Brussels
1961.
23
Incoherent review. How are the magi both in front of Herod and on their way to the cave?
Why this reference to several stars and to one only? Cf. E. De Strycker, op. cit.
The Pseudo-Matthew adds: On the third day after the birth of the Lord, Mary left the cave,
he entered a stable and laid the child in the manger, and the ox and the donkey adored him. Then it was fulfilled
the word of the prophet Isaiah: "The ox knows its master, and the donkey its master's crib." These

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XXI.2. This news alarmed Herod, who sent servants to the
He also summoned the high priests and questioned them in the praetorium:
"What is written about the Christ?" he asked. "Where is he to be born?" They answered:
"In Bethlehem in Judea. Thus it is written." And he sent them away.

Then he questioned the magi, saying to them: 'What sign have you seen concerning the
newborn roi?

And the magi replied: "We have seen a giant star, among the others"
constellations, so dazzling that it eclipsed them all. Thus we have
understood that a king was born in Israel and we have come to worship him.

Herod said to them, 'Go and search for him, and if you find him, bring him to me.'
to know so that I too may go worship it.

XXI.3. The magi departed. And behold, the star they had seen in the East
led until they arrived at the cave, and above their heads
the child, he stopped24.

When they saw him there, with his mother Mary, the Magi brought out gifts.
of their bags, gold, incense, and myrrh.

XXI.4. But as the angel had warned them not to return through Judea, they
returned home by another path.

XXII.1. Then Herod, seeing that he had been tricked by the Magi, became angry.
and sent killers with the mission to cause the death of all children up to the age
of two years.

XXII.2. When Mary learned of this massacre, seized with terror, she took the child,
he wrapped it and hid it in a livestock feeder.

XXII.3. Élisabeth, who had learned that they were looking for Jean, took him away and won the
mountain, and she looked around to see where to hide it but she did not see
point of hiding. So she began to moan, saying: ‘Mountain of God,
welcomes a mother and her child!" For fear prevented her from going up.
Immediately the mountain split and received her in its embrace, all while letting light filter through.
a clarity for her. For an angel of the Lord was with them and he was protecting them.

XXIII.1. But Herod was still looking for John, and he sent servants to
the altar, near Zechariah, to ask him: 'Where have you hidden your son?' He
He replied: "I am the servant of God and I remain attached to His temple."
Do I know where my son is?

XXIII.2. The servants returned and reported to Herod what he had said. He,
furious, he exclaimed: "Is his son going to reign over Israel?" And he sent away his
servants to question him again: 'Tell me the truth. Where is your son? Do you know
that my hand has the power to shed your blood?" The servants left and
they transmitted the message.

animals had the child among them and adored him continuously. Then the word of the prophet was fulfilled.
Habakkuk: "You will make yourself known between two animals."
24
Star also mentioned by Ignatius of Antioch (Letter to the Ephesians 19, 1-2) and the Pseudo-Matthew.

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But Zachariah answered him: "I am the martyr"25of God. Dispose of
my blood; but my spirit, the Master will receive it, because it is a blood
innocent, just at the entrance of the temple you are about to spill.

And at dawn, Zachariah was assassinated, and the sons of Israel knew nothing of this.
murder.

XXIV.1. At the hour of the greeting, the priests left, and Zacharias did not come,
as usual, in front of them, pronouncing the blessings. The
priests stopped and awaited Zacharias to greet him with prayers and
glorify the Most High God.

XXIV.2. However, his delay plunged them all into anguish. One of them...
took courage and entered the sanctuary; near the altar of the Lord, he noticed
frozen blood. And a voice resounded: "Zachariah has been murdered. His blood does not
will not fade away before the avenger comes26. "These words filled him"
of horror. He went out and announced to the priests what he had seen and heard.

XXIV.3. Resolutely, they entered and witnessed the drama. And the paneling of the
the temple groaned and they tore their clothes from top to bottom. They
had not found his corpse, but they had seen his petrified blood. They
They emerged frightened and announced that Zacharie had been murdered.

At this news, all the tribes of the people mourned and led the
mourning three days and three nights.

XXIV.4. And after three days, the priests deliberated to see who
would succeed Zacharias. The lot fell on Simeon. It was he who the
Saint-Esprit had warned that he would not see death before having contemplated the
Christ in the flesh.

XXV.1. And I, Jacques, who wrote this story in Jerusalem, resolved, when
the troubles that broke out at the death of Herod, to withdraw to the desert, until
that peace has returned to Jerusalem. And I will glorify the Master who gave me
the wisdom of writing this story.

XXV.2. Grace will be with all those who fear the Lord.

Amen.

Nativity of Mary.

Revelation of James.

Peace to the one who wrote and to the one who reads!

25
The Greek word martus has both the meaning of martyr and witness.
26
Probable allusion to Emperor Titus who destroyed the Temple in 70.

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