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The History of Joseph the Carpenter

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Section 17

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Author: Unknown

17. These are the words spoken by Joseph, that

‹ Section 16 Section 18 ›

righteous

old

man

.

And

I

,

going

in

beside

him

,

found

his

soul

exceedingly

troubled

,

for

he

was

placed

in

great

perplexity

.

And

I

said

to

him

:

Hail

!

my

father

Joseph

,

thou

righteous

man

;

how

is

it

with

thee

?

And

he

answered

me

:

All

hail

!

my

well

-

beloved

son

.

Indeed

,

the

agony

and

fear

of

death

have

already

environed

me

;

but

as

soon

as

I

heard

Thy

voice

,

my

soul

was

at

rest

.

O

Jesus

of

Nazareth

!

Jesus

,

my

Saviour

!

Jesus

,

the

deliverer

of

my

soul

!

Jesus

,

my

protector

!

Jesus

!

O

sweetest

name

in

my

mouth

,

and

in

the

mouth

of

all

those

that

love

it

!

O

eye

which

seest

,

and

ear

which

hearest

,

hear

me

!

I

am

Thy

servant

;

this

day

I

most

humbly

reverence

Thee

,

and

before

Thy

face

I

pour

out

my

tears

.

Thou

art

altogether

my

God

;

Thou

art

my

Lord

,

as

the

angel

has

told

me

times

without

number

,

and

especially

on

that

day

when

my

soul

was

driven

about

with

perverse

thoughts

about

the

pure

and

blessed

Mary

,

who

was

carrying

Thee

in

her

womb

,

and

whom

I

was

thinking

of

secretly

sending

away

.

And

while

I

was

thus

meditating

,

behold

,

there

appeared

to

me

in

my

rest

angels

of

the

Lord

,

saying

to

me

in

a

wonderful

mystery

:

O

Joseph

,

thou

son

of

David

,

fear

not

to

take

Mary

as

thy

wife

;

and

do

not

grieve

thy

soul

,

nor

speak

unbecoming

words

of

her

conception

,

because

she

is

with

child

of

the

Holy

Spirit

,

and

shall

bring

forth

a

son

,

whose

name

shall

be

called

Jesus

,

for

He

shall

save

His

people

from

their

sins

.

Do

not

for

this

cause

wish

me

evil

,

O

Lord

!

for

I

was

ignorant

of

the

mystery

of

Thy

birth

.

I

call

to

mind

also

,

my

Lord

,

that

day

when

the

boy

died

of

the

bite

of

the

serpent

.

And

his

relations

wished

to

deliver

Thee

to

Herod

,

saying

that

Thou

hadst

killed

him

;

but

Thou

didst

raise

him

from

the

dead

,

and

restore

him

to

them

.

Then

I

went

up

to

Thee

,

and

took

hold

of

Thy

hand

,

saying

:

My

son

,

take

care

of

thyself

.

But

Thou

didst

say

to

me

in

reply

:

Art

thou

not

my

father

after

the

flesh

?

I

shall

teach

thee

who

I

am

.

Now

therefore

,

O

Lord

and

my

God

,

do

not

be

angry

with

me

,

or

condemn

me

on

account

of

that

hour

.

I

am

Thy

servant

,

and

the

son

of

Thine

handmaiden

;

but

Thou

art

my

Lord

,

my

God

and

Saviour

,

most

surely

the

Son

of

God

.

Notes

24
The Sahidic has: Joseph entreats Jesus to pardon him likewise, because when, once upon a time, He had recalled to life a boy bitten by a cerastes, he (Joseph) had pulled His right ear, advising Him to refrain from works that brought hatred upon Him. See Second Gospel of Thomas, chap. 5.
25
Ps. cxvi. 16.