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The Gospel of the Nativity of Mary

Unknown

Chapter 3

About this work

Author: Unknown

Now, when he had been there for some time, on

‹ Chapter 2 Chapter 4 ›

a

certain

day

when

he

was

alone

,

an

angel

of

the

Lord

stood

by

him

in

a

great

light

.

And

when

he

was

disturbed

at

his

appearance

,

the

angel

who

had

appeared

to

him

restrained

his

fear

,

saying

:

Fear

not

,

Joachim

,

nor

be

disturbed

by

my

appearance

;

for

I

am

the

angel

of

the

Lord

,

sent

by

Him

to

thee

to

tell

thee

that

thy

prayers

have

been

heard

,

and

that

thy

charitable

deeds

have

gone

up

into

His

presence

.

For

He

hath

seen

thy

shame

,

and

hath

heard

the

reproach

of

unfruitfulness

which

has

been

unjustly

brought

against

thee

.

For

God

is

the

avenger

of

sin

,

not

of

nature

:

and

,

therefore

,

when

He

shuts

up

the

womb

of

any

one

,

He

does

so

that

He

may

miraculously

open

it

again

;

so

that

that

which

is

born

may

be

acknowledged

to

be

not

of

lust

,

but

of

the

gift

of

God

.

For

was

it

not

the

case

that

the

first

mother

of

your

nation

—

Sarah

—

was

barren

up

to

her

eightieth

year

?

And

,

nevertheless

,

in

extreme

old

age

she

brought

forth

Isaac

,

to

whom

the

promise

was

renewed

of

the

blessing

of

all

nations

.

Rachel

also

,

so

favoured

of

the

Lord

,

and

so

beloved

by

holy

Jacob

,

was

long

barren

;

and

yet

she

brought

forth

Joseph

,

who

was

not

only

the

lord

of

Egypt

,

but

the

deliverer

of

many

nations

who

were

ready

to

perish

of

hunger

.

Who

among

the

judges

was

either

stronger

than

Samson

,

or

more

holy

than

Samuel

?

And

yet

the

mothers

of

both

were

barren

.

If

,

therefore

,

the

reasonableness

of

my

words

does

not

persuade

thee

,

believe

in

fact

that

conceptions

very

late

in

life

,

and

births

in

the

case

of

women

that

have

been

barren

,

are

usually

attended

with

something

wonderful

.

Accordingly

thy

wife

Anna

will

bring

forth

a

daughter

to

thee

,

and

thou

shalt

call

her

name

Mary

:

she

shall

be

,

as

you

have

vowed

,

consecrated

to

the

Lord

from

her

infancy

,

and

she

shall

be

filled

with

the

Holy

Spirit

,

even

from

her

mother’s

womb

.

She

shall

neither

eat

nor

drink

any

unclean

thing

,

nor

shall

she

spend

her

life

among

the

crowds

of

the

people

without

,

but

in

the

temple

of

the

Lord

,

that

it

may

not

be

possible

either

to

say

,

or

so

much

as

to

suspect

,

any

evil

concerning

her

.

Therefore

,

when

she

has

grown

up

,

just

as

she

herself

shall

be

miraculously

born

of

a

barren

woman

,

so

in

an

incomparable

manner

she

,

a

virgin

,

shall

bring

forth

the

Son

of

the

Most

High

,

who

shall

be

called

Jesus

,

and

who

,

according

to

the

etymology

of

His

name

,

shall

be

the

Saviour

of

all

nations

.

And

this

shall

be

the

sign

to

thee

of

those

things

which

I

announce

:

When

thou

shalt

come

to

the

Golden

gate

in

Jerusalem

,

thou

shalt

there

meet

Anna

thy

wife

,

who

,

lately

anxious

from

the

delay

of

thy

return

,

will

then

rejoice

at

the

sight

of

thee

.

Having

thus

spoken

,

the

angel

departed

from

him

.

Notes

1
Comp. Acts x. 4.
2
Gen. xvii. 17. Sarah was ninety years old.