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The Gospel of the Nativity of Mary

Unknown

Chapter 6

About this work

Author: Unknown

And when the circle of three years had rolled round,

‹ Chapter 5 Chapter 7 ›

and

the

time

of

her

weaning

was

fulfilled

,

they

brought

the

virgin

to

the

temple

of

the

Lord

with

offerings

.

Now

there

were

round

the

temple

,

according

to

the

fifteen

Psalms

of

Degrees

,

fifteen

steps

going

up

;

for

,

on

account

of

the

temple

having

been

built

on

a

mountain

,

the

altar

of

burnt

-

offering

,

which

stood

outside

,

could

not

be

reached

except

by

steps

.

On

one

of

these

,

then

,

her

parents

placed

the

little

girl

,

the

blessed

virgin

Mary

.

And

when

they

were

putting

off

the

clothes

which

they

had

worn

on

the

journey

,

and

were

putting

on

,

as

was

usual

,

others

that

were

neater

and

cleaner

,

the

virgin

of

the

Lord

went

up

all

the

steps

,

one

after

the

other

,

without

the

help

of

any

one

leading

her

or

lifting

her

,

in

such

a

manner

that

,

in

this

respect

at

least

,

you

would

think

that

she

had

already

attained

full

age

.

For

already

the

Lord

in

the

infancy

of

His

virgin

wrought

a

great

thing

,

and

by

the

indication

of

this

miracle

foreshowed

how

great

she

was

to

be

.

Therefore

,

a

sacrifice

having

been

offered

according

to

the

custom

of

the

law

,

and

their

vow

being

perfected

,

they

left

the

virgin

within

the

enclosures

of

the

temple

,

there

to

be

educated

with

the

other

virgins

,

and

themselves

returned

home

.

Notes

1
Ps. cxx.–cxxxiv. The fifteen steps led from the court of the women to that of the men.