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The Protevangelium of James

Anonymous

Section 9

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.

9. And Joseph, throwing away his axe

‹ Section 8 Section 10 ›

,

went

out

to

meet

them

;

and

when

they

had

assembled

,

they

went

away

to

the

high

priest

,

taking

with

them

their

rods

.

And

he

,

taking

the

rods

of

all

of

them

,

entered

into

the

temple

,

and

prayed

;

and

having

ended

his

prayer

,

he

took

the

rods

and

came

out

,

and

gave

them

to

them

:

but

there

was

no

sign

in

them

,

and

Joseph

took

his

rod

last

;

and

,

behold

,

a

dove

came

out

of

the

rod

,

and

flew

upon

Joseph’s

head

.

And

the

priest

said

to

Joseph

,

Thou

hast

been

chosen

by

lot

to

take

into

thy

keeping

the

virgin

of

the

Lord

.

But

Joseph

refused

,

saying

:

I

have

children

,

and

I

am

an

old

man

,

and

she

is

a

young

girl

.

I

am

afraid

lest

I

become

a

laughing

-

stock

to

the

sons

of

Israel

.

And

the

priest

said

to

Joseph

:

Fear

the

Lord

thy

God

,

and

remember

what

the

Lord

did

to

Dathan

,

and

Abiram

,

and

Korah

;

how

the

earth

opened

,

and

they

were

swallowed

up

on

account

of

their

contradiction

.

And

now

fear

,

O

Joseph

,

lest

the

same

things

happen

in

thy

house

.

And

Joseph

was

afraid

,

and

took

her

into

his

keeping

.

And

Joseph

said

to

Mary

:

Behold

,

I

have

received

thee

from

the

temple

of

the

Lord

;

and

now

I

leave

thee

in

my

house

,

and

go

away

to

build

my

buildings

,

and

I

shall

come

to

thee

.

The

Lord

will

protect

thee

.

Notes

27
Num. xvi. 31–33.