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The Protevangelium of James

Anonymous

Section 15

About this work

An influential infancy narrative attributed pseudonymously to James, telling of Mary’s birth and upbringing, her guardianship by Joseph, Jesus’s birth, and events surrounding Herod’s violence.

Author: Anonymous
Traditional attribution: James, brother of the Lord
Date: Mid-to-late 2nd century
Origin: Eastern Mediterranean (uncertain)
Genre: Infancy Gospel

The author is not James; date and provenance are approximate, and the textual tradition contains significant variation.

15. And Annas the scribe came to him

‹ Section 14 Section 16 ›

,

and

said

:

Why

hast

thou

not

appeared

in

our

assembly

?

And

Joseph

said

to

him

:

Because

I

was

weary

from

my

journey

,

and

rested

the

first

day

.

And

he

turned

,

and

saw

that

Mary

was

with

child

.

And

he

ran

away

to

the

priest

,

and

said

to

him

:

Joseph

,

whom

thou

didst

vouch

for

,

has

committed

a

grievous

crime

.

And

the

priest

said

:

How

so

?

And

he

said

:

He

has

defiled

the

virgin

whom

he

received

out

of

the

temple

of

the

Lord

,

and

has

married

her

by

stealth

,

and

has

not

revealed

it

to

the

sons

of

Israel

.

And

the

priest

answering

,

said

:

Has

Joseph

done

this

?

Then

said

Annas

the

scribe

:

Send

officers

,

and

thou

wilt

find

the

virgin

with

child

.

And

the

officers

went

away

,

and

found

it

as

he

had

said

;

and

they

brought

her

along

with

Joseph

to

the

tribunal

.

And

the

priest

said

:

Mary

,

why

hast

thou

done

this

?

and

why

hast

thou

brought

thy

soul

low

,

and

forgotten

the

Lord

thy

God

?

Thou

that

wast

reared

in

the

holy

of

holies

,

and

that

didst

receive

food

from

the

hand

of

an

angel

,

and

didst

hear

the

hymns

,

and

didst

dance

before

Him

,

why

hast

thou

done

this

?

And

she

wept

bitterly

,

saying

:

As

the

Lord

my

God

liveth

,

I

am

pure

before

Him

,

and

know

not

a

man

.

And

the

priest

said

to

Joseph

:

Why

hast

thou

done

this

?

And

Joseph

said

:

As

the

Lord

liveth

,

I

am

pure

concerning

her

.

Then

said

the

priest

:

Bear

not

false

witness

,

but

speak

the

truth

.

Thou

hast

married

her

by

stealth

,

and

hast

not

revealed

it

to

the

sons

of

Israel

,

and

hast

not

bowed

thy

head

under

the

strong

hand

,

that

thy

seed

might

be

blessed

.

And

Joseph

was

silent

.

Notes

44
Three mss. have high priest.