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The Gospel of the Nativity of Mary

Unknown

Chapter 7

About this work

Author: Unknown

But the virgin of the Lord advanced in age and in

‹ Chapter 6 Chapter 8 ›

virtues

;

and

though

,

in

the

words

of

the

Psalmist

,

her

father

and

mother

had

forsaken

her

,

the

Lord

took

her

up

.

For

daily

was

she

visited

by

angels

,

daily

did

she

enjoy

a

divine

vision

,

which

preserved

her

from

all

evil

,

and

made

her

to

abound

in

all

good

.

And

so

she

reached

her

fourteenth

year

;

and

not

only

were

the

wicked

unable

to

charge

her

with

anything

worthy

of

reproach

,

but

all

the

good

,

who

knew

her

life

and

conversation

,

judged

her

to

be

worthy

of

admiration

.

Then

the

high

priest

publicly

announced

that

the

virgins

who

were

publicly

settled

in

the

temple

,

and

had

reached

this

time

of

life

,

should

return

home

and

get

married

,

according

to

the

custom

of

the

nation

and

the

ripeness

of

their

years

.

The

others

readily

obeyed

this

command

;

but

Mary

alone

,

the

virgin

of

the

Lord

,

answered

that

she

could

not

do

this

,

saying

both

that

her

parents

had

devoted

her

to

the

service

of

the

Lord

,

and

that

,

moreover

,

she

herself

had

made

to

the

Lord

a

vow

of

virginity

,

which

she

would

never

violate

by

any

intercourse

with

man

.

And

the

high

priest

,

being

placed

in

great

perplexity

of

mind

,

seeing

that

neither

did

he

think

that

the

vow

should

be

broken

contrary

to

the

Scripture

,

which

says

,

Vow

and

pay

,

nor

did

he

dare

to

introduce

a

custom

unknown

to

the

nation

,

gave

order

that

at

the

festival

,

which

was

at

hand

,

all

the

chief

persons

from

Jerusalem

and

the

neighbourhood

should

be

present

,

in

order

that

from

their

advice

he

might

know

what

was

to

be

done

in

so

doubtful

a

case

.

And

when

this

took

place

,

they

resolved

unanimously

that

the

Lord

should

be

consulted

upon

this

matter

.

And

when

they

all

bowed

themselves

in

prayer

,

the

high

priest

went

to

consult

God

in

the

usual

way

.

Nor

had

they

long

to

wait

:

in

the

hearing

of

all

a

voice

issued

from

the

oracle

and

from

the

mercy

-

seat

,

that

,

according

to

the

prophecy

of

Isaiah

,

a

man

should

be

sought

out

to

whom

the

virgin

ought

to

be

entrusted

and

espoused

.

For

it

is

clear

that

Isaiah

says

:

A

rod

shall

come

forth

from

the

root

of

Jesse

,

and

a

flower

shall

ascend

from

his

root

;

and

the

Spirit

of

the

Lord

shall

rest

upon

him

,

the

spirit

of

wisdom

and

understanding

,

the

spirit

of

counsel

and

strength

,

the

spirit

of

wisdom

and

piety

;

and

he

shall

be

filled

with

the

spirit

of

the

fear

of

the

Lord

.

According

to

this

prophecy

,

therefore

,

he

predicted

that

all

of

the

house

and

family

of

David

that

were

unmarried

and

fit

for

marriage

should

bring

there

rods

to

the

altar

;

and

that

he

whose

rod

after

it

was

brought

should

produce

a

flower

,

and

upon

the

end

of

whose

rod

the

Spirit

of

the

Lord

should

settle

in

the

form

of

a

dove

,

was

the

man

to

whom

the

virgin

ought

to

be

entrusted

and

espoused

.

Notes

1
Ps. xxvii. 10.
2
Ps. lxxvi. 11.
3
Isa. xi. 1, 2.