4. Because many of its relations were credited by the ancient catholic Christians in different countries. 5. Because it contains the same things as the Prot-evangelion of St. James; concerning the publication of which, and the truth of these facts here alleged, see below, Chap. XV. XVI. &c. The only place of the ancient writings, in which it is extant, is among Jerome's works; Epist. ad Chromatium et Heliodorum. The occasion of its being found there was the desire of Chromatius and Heliodorus, two bishops, to Jerome, that he would translate it out of Hebrew, and give them his judgment upon it. Their letter to him, with his answer to them, and another letter of his concerning this Gospel, I have published after this Gospel in the next Chapter. N. V. Evangelium de Nativitate Mariæ. 1. BEATA et gloriosa semper Virgo Maria, de stirpe regia, et familia David oriunda, in civitate Nazareth nata, Hierosolymis in templo Domini nutrita fuit. Pater ejus Joachim, mater vero Anna dicebatur. Domus paterna ex Galilæa et civitate Nazareth. Maternum autem genus ex Bethlehem erat. Vita eorum simplex et recta apud Dominum, apud homines irreprehensibilis erat et pia. Nam omnem substantiam suam trifariam diviserunt, unam partem templo et templi servitoribus impendebant: aliam peregrinis et pauperibus erogabant : tertiam suæ familiæ usibus et sibi reservabant. Ita isti Deo chari, hominibus pii, per annos circiter viginti, castum domi conjugium The Gospel of the Birth of Mary. J. THE blessed and ever glorious Virgin Mary, sprung from the royal race and family of David, was born in the city of Nazareth, and educated at Jerusalem in the temple of the Lord.. Her father's name was Joachim, and her mother's Anna. The family of her father was of Galilee and the city of Nazareth. The family of her mother was of Bethlehem. Their lives were plain and right in the sight of the Lord, pious and faultless before men. For they divided all their substance into three parts: one of which they devoted to the temple and officers of the temple; another they distributed among strangers, and persons in poor circumstances; and the third they reserved for themselves, and the uses of their own family. In this manner they lived for about twenty years chastely, in the favour of God, and the esteem of men, sine liberorum procreatione exercebant. Voverunt tamen, si forte Deus daret eis sobolem, eam se Domini servitio mancipaturos, cujus rei gratia et templum Domini singulis per annum festis frequentare solebant. II. Factum est autem, ut Encæniorum festivitas appropinquaret; unde cum nonnullis contribulibus suis Hierosolymam et Joachim ascendit. Ea vero tempestate Isachar ibi pontifex erat: cumque inter cæteros concives suos etiam Joachim cum oblatione sua videret, despexit eum et munera ejus sprevit, interrogans, Cur inter foecundos infoecundus ipse stare præsumeret? dicens, Munera nequaquam Deo digna posse videri, quem ipse prole indignum judicasset; scriptura dicente, Maledictum omnem esse qui non genuisset masculum in Israele. Dicebat ergo prius eum ab hac maledictione sobolis generatione solvendum, et sic demum in conspectu Domini cum oblationibus esse venturum. Cujus opprobrii objectu, pudore magno suffusus Joachim, ad pastores, qui cum pecudibus erant in pascuis suis, secessit. Neque enim domum repetere voluit, ne forte a contribulibus suis, qui simul aderant, et hoc a sacerdote audierant, eodem opprobrii elogio notaretur. without any children. But they vowed, if God should favour them with any issue, they would devote it to the service of the Lord; on which account they went at every feast in the year to the temple of the Lord b. II. And it came to pass, that when the feast of the Dedication drew near, Joachim, with some others of his tribe, went up to Jerusalem, and at that time Isachar was high priest; who, when he saw Joachim along with the rest of his neighbours [bringing] his offering, despised both him and his offerings, and asked him, Why he, who had no children, would presume to appear among those who had? adding, That his offerings could never be acceptable to God, who was judged by him unworthy to have children; the scripture having said, Cursed is every one who shall not beget a male in Israel. He further said, that he ought first to be free from that curse by begetting some issue, and then come with his offerings into the presence of God. But Joachim being much confounded with the shame of such reproach, retired to the shepherds who were with the cattle in their pastures; for he was not inclined to return home, lest his neighbours, who were present and heard all this from the high priest, should publicly reproach him in the same manner. b 1 Sam. i. 6, 7. &c. III. Verum cum ibi aliquandiu esset, quadam die cum esset solus, angelus Domini ei cum immenso lumine astitit; qui cum ad ejus visionem turbaretur, angelus, qui ei apparuerat, timorem ejus compescuit, dicens; Noli timere, Joachim, neque in visione mea turberis; ego enim sum angelus Domini, missus ab ipso ad te, ut annunciem tibi preces tuas esse exauditas, et eleemosynas tuas ascendisse in conspectum ejus. Videns quippe vidit pudorem tuum, et audivit sterilitatis opprobrium nec recte tibi objectum. Peccati namque, non naturæ, ultor est Deus, et ideo cum alicujus uterum claudit, ad hoc facit, ut mirabilius denuo aperiat, et non libidinis esse quod nascitur, sed divini muneris cognoscatur. Prima enim gentis vestræ Sara mater, nonne usque ad octogesimum annum infœcunda fuit? et tamen in ultima senectutis ætate genuit Isaac, cui repromissa erat benedictio omnium gentium. Rachel quoque tantum Domino grata, tantumque a sancto Jacob adamata, diu sterilis fuit; et tamen Joseph genuit, non solum dominum Ægypti, sed plurimarum gentium fame periturarum liberatorem. Quis in ducibus vel fortior Sampsone, vel sanctior Samuele? Et tamen hi ambo steriles matres habuere. Si ergo ratio verbis meis tibi non c Acts x. 4. d Gen. xvi. 2. &c. and xviii. 10. &c. III. But when he had been there for some time, on a certain day when he was alone, the angel of the Lord stood by him with a prodigious light, to whom being troubled at the appearance, the angel who had appeared to him, endeavouring to compose him, said; Be not afraid, Joachim, nor troubled at the sight of me, for I am an angel of the Lord sent by him to you, that I might inform you, that your prayers are heard, and your alms ascended in the sight of God c. For he hath surely seen your shame, and heard you unjustly reproached for not having children; for God is the avenger of sin, and not of nature; and so when he shuts the womb of any person, he does it for this reason, that he may in a more wonderful manner again open it, and that which is born appear to be not the product of lust, but the gift of God. For the first mother of your nation, Sarah, was she not barren even till her eightieth year ? And yet even in the end of her old age brought forth Isaac, in whom the promise was made of a blessing to all nations d. Rachel also, so much in favour with God, and beloved so much by holy Jacob, continued barren for a long time, yet afterwards was the mother of Joseph, who was not only governor of Egypt, but delivered many nations from perishing with hunger e. e Gen. xxx. 1-22. and xli. 1. &c. persuadet credere, dilatos diu conceptus et steriles partus mirabiliores esse solere; proinde Anna uxor tua pariet tibi filiam, et vocabis nomen ejus Mariam : hæc erit, ut vovistis, ab infantia sua Domino consecrata, et Spiritu Sancto replebitur adhuc ex utero matris. Omne immundum neque manducabit neque bibet, neque inter populares forinsecus turbas, sed in templo Domini conversatio ejus erit; ne quid de ea sinistrum vel suspicari saltem possit, vel dici. Itaque ætate procedente, sicut ipsa mirabiliter ex sterili nascetur, ita incomparabiliter virgo generabit Altissimi Filium, qui Jesus vocabitur; secundum nominis etymologiam, Salvator omnium gentium erit. Et hoc tibi eorum quæ annuncio signum erit; cum perveneris ad auream in Hierosolymis portam, habebis ibi obviam Annam uxorem tuam, quæ de tuæ regressionis tardatione modo solicita, tunc in aspectu tuo gaudebit. His dictis angelus discessit ab eo. Who among the judges was more valiant than Sampson, or more holy than Samuel? And yet both their mothers were barren f. But if reason will not convince you of the truth of my words, that there are frequent conceptions in advanced years, and that those who were barren have brought forth to their great surprise; therefore Anna your wife shall bring you a daughter, and you shall call her name Mary; she shall, according to your vow, be devoted to the Lord from her infancy, and be. filled with the Holy Ghost from her mother's womb; she shall neither eat nor drink any thing which is unclean, nor shall her conversation be without among the common people, but in the temple of the Lord; that so she may not fall under any slander or suspicion of what is bad. So in the process of her years, as she shall be in a miraculous manner born of one that was barren, so she shall, while yet a virgin, in a way unparalleled, bring forth the Son of the most high God, who shall be called Jesus, and, according to the signification of his name, be the Saviour of all nations h. And this shall be a sign to you of the things which I declare, viz. when you come to the golden gate of Jerusalem, you shall there meet your wife Anna, who being very much troubled that you returned no sooner, shall then rejoice to see you. When the angel had said this, he departed from him. IV. Deinde apparuit Annæ uxori ejus, dicens: Ne timeas, Anna, neque phantasma esse putes f Judg.xiii. 2. and r Sam. i. 6. &c. 8 Luke i. 15. IV. Afterwards the angel appeared to Anna his wife, saying; Fear not, neither think that h Matth. i. 21. quod vides. Ego enim sum angelus ille, qui preces et eleemosynas vestras obtuli in conspectu Dei, et nunc missus sum ad vos, ut annunciem vobis nascituram filiam, quæ Maria vocata, super omnes mulieres erit benedicta. Hæc a nativitate sua statim Domini gratia plena, tribus ablactationis suæ annis in domo paterna permanebit; postea servitio Domini mancipata a templo usque ad intelligibiles annos discedet; ibi denique jejuniis et orationibus nocte ac die Deo serviens ab omni immundo se abstinebit; virum nunquam cognoscet, sed sola sine exemplo, sine macula, sine corruptione, sine virili commixtione, virgo Filium, ancilla Dominum; et gratia et nomine et opere Salvatorem mundi generabit. Itaque surge, ascende Hierusalem, et cum perveneris ad portam, quæ aurea, pro eo quod deaurata est, vocatur, ibi pro signo virum tuum, pro cujus incolumitatis statu solicita es, obvium habebis. Cum hæc igitur ita evenerint, scito quod quæ annuncio sine dubio complenda erunt. which you see is a spirit; for I am that angel who have offered up your prayers and alms before God, and am now sent to you, that I may inform you, that a daughter will be born unto you, who shall be called Mary, and shall be blessed above all women k. She shall be immediately upon her birth full of the grace of the Lord, and shall continue during the three years of her weaning in her father's house, afterwards being devoted to the service of the Lord, shall not depart from the temple, till she arrives to years of discretion. In a word, she shall there serve the Lord night and day in fastings and prayers', shall abstain from every unclean thing, and neverknow any man; but being an unparalleled instance without any pollution or defilement, and a virgin not knowing any man, shall bring forth a son, and a maid shall bring forth the Lord, who, both by his grace and name and works, shall be the Saviour of the world. Arise therefore, and go up to Jerusalem, and when you shall come to that which is called the golden gate (because it is gilt with gold), as a sign [of what I have told you,] you shall meet your husband, for whose safety you have been so much concerned. When therefore you find these things thus accomplished, believe that all the rest which I have told you shall also undoubtedly be accomplished. V. Igitur juxta angeli præceptum, uterque de loco in quo erant promoventes, ascenderunt Hierusalem; et cum ad locum perve i Matth. xiv. 26. V. According therefore to the command of the angel, both of them left the places where they were, and when they came to the k Luke i. 28. 1 Luke ii. 37. |