Lost scriptures: books that did not make it into the New Testament (16 page)

I ask you brother, take him home.”

“First I will teach him to read Greek, and

4
When the child heard these things, he

then Hebrew.” For the teacher knew of

immediately laughed at him and said,

the child’s learning and was afraid of

“Since you have rightly spoken and

him. Nonetheless, he wrote out the alrightly borne witness, for your sake that phabet and practiced it for him for a long

other one who was struck down will be

time; but the child gave him no response.

healed.” And right away the other in

2
Then Jesus said to him, “If you are

structor was healed. Joseph took the child

really a teacher and know the letters well,

and returned home.

tell me the power of the Alpha, and I will

tell you the power of the Beta.” The

Now Joseph sent his son James

16

teacher was aggravated and struck him

to bundle some wood and bring

on the head. The child was hurt and

it to the house. The child Jesus also folcursed him; and immediately he fainted lowed him. While James was gathering

and fell to the ground on his face.
3
The

the firewood, a snake bit his hand.

child returned to Joseph’s house. Joseph

2
When he was stretched out on the

was smitten with grief and ordered his

ground dying, Jesus came up to him and

mother, “Do not let him out the door; for

breathed on the bite. The pain immedithose who anger him die.”

ately stopped, the animal burst, and

straight away James was returned to

Some time later there was an15

health.

other instructor, a close friend

of Joseph, who said to him, “Bring the

After these things, an infant in

17

child to me at the school. Maybe I can

Joseph’s neighborhood became

use flattery to teach him to read.” Joseph

sick and died; and his mother was weepsaid to him, “If you’re that courageous, ing loudly. When Jesus heard the outburst

brother, take him along with you.” He

of sorrow and the disturbance, he ran up

took him with great fear and much anxquickly and found the child dead. He iety, but the child went along gladly.
2
He

touched its breast, saying “I say to you,

entered the school with confidence and

young child, do not die but live, and be

found a book lying on the reading desk.

with your mother.” Immediately the child

He picked it up, but instead of reading

opened its eyes and laughed. Jesus said

the words in it, he opened his mouth and

to the woman, “Take him, give him milk,

began to speak in the Holy Spirit, teachand remember me.”
2
When the crowd ing the Law to those who were standing

standing there saw what had happened, it

there. A great crowd gathered, standing

was amazed. The people said, “Truly this

there to hear him; and they were amazed

child is either God or an angel of God,

62

NON-CANONICAL GOSPELS

for his every word is an accomplished

midst of the teachers, both listening and

deed.” Jesus then left from there to play

asking them questions. Everyone was atwith the other children.

tending closely, amazed that though a

child, he questioned the elders and teach18 Some time later a house was ers of the people sharply, explaining the being built and there was a

chief points of the Law and the parables

great disturbance. Jesus got up and went

of the prophets.
3
When his mother Mary

out to the place. He saw a man lying

came up to him she said, “Why have you

down, dead; taking his hand he said, “I

done this to us, child? See, we have been

say to you, O man, rise up and do your

distressed, looking for you.” Jesus replied

work.” Immediately he rose up and worto them, “Why are you looking for me?

shiped him.
2
When the crowd saw, it

Don’t you know that I must be with those

was amazed and said, “This child comes

who are my Father’s?”b
4
The scribes

from heaven. For he has saved many

and Pharisees said, “Are you the mother

souls from death—his entire life he is

of this child?” She replied, “I am.” They

able to save them.”

said to her, “You are most fortunate

among women, because God has blessed

When he was twelve years old

19

the fruit of your womb. For we have

his parents made their customnever seen or heard of such glory, such ary trip to Jerusalem, in a caravan, for

virtue and wisdom.
5
Jesus got up from

the Passover feast. After the Passover

there and followed his mother, and he

they returned home. While they were rewas obedient to his parents. But his turning, the child Jesus went back up to

mother kept to herself all these things

Jerusalem. But his parents thought he was

that had happened. And Jesus grew in

in the caravan.
2
After their first day of

wisdom and stature and grace. To him be

travel, they began looking for him among

the glory forever and ever. Amen.

their relatives and were upset not to find

him. They returned again to the city to

look for him. And after the third day they

bOr:
be
doing
my
Fathers’
business;
or:
be
in
my
Fa-

found him sitting in the Temple in the

ther’s
house

The Proto-Gospel of James

This book is sometimes called a “Proto-Gospel” because it narrates events that took place prior to Jesus’ birth (although it includes an account of the birth as well).1 The ancient manuscripts that preserve the book have different titles, including “The Birth of Mary,” “The Story of the Birth of Saint Mary, Mother of God,” and “The Birth of Mary; The Revelation of James.” Its author claims to be James, usually understood to be Jesus’ (half-) brother known from the New Testament (e.g., Mark 6; Galatians 1). Here he is assumed to be Joseph’s son by a previous marriage.

Focusing its attention on Jesus’ mother, Mary, the book provides legendary accounts of (a) her miraculous birth to the wealthy Jew, Joachim, and his wife, Anna; (b) her sanctified upbringing in the Jerusalem Temple; (c) her marriage as a twelve-year old to Joseph, an old widower miraculously chosen to be her husband; (d) her supernatural conception of Jesus through the Spirit; and (e) the birth of Jesus in a cave outside of Bethlehem. Parts of the book rely heavily on the infancy narratives of Matthew and Luke, but with numerous intriguing expansions, including legendary reports of Joseph’s previous marriage and grown sons, Mary’s work as a seamstress for the curtain in the temple, and the supernatural events that transpired at the birth of Jesus, including a first-hand narrative told by Joseph of how time stood still when the Son of God appeared in the world (chap. 18). In one of the most striking of its narratives we are told that an originally unbelieving midwife performed a postpartum inspection of Mary to be assured of her virginity (chap. 20).

Since the book was already known to the church father Origen in the early third century, and probably to Clement of Alexandria at the end of the second, it must have been in circulation soon after 150 ce. The book was enormously popular in later centuries, and played a significant role in pictorial art of the Middle Ages.2

1For a fuller discussion, see Ehrman,
Lost
Christianities
, 207–10. 2See David R. Cartlidge and J.

Keith Elliott,
Art
and
the
Christian
Apocrypha
(London and New York: Routledge, 2001), chap. 2.

´

Translation by Bart D. Ehrman, based principally on the text of Emile de Strycker,
La
Forme
la
plus
ancienne
du
Prote´vangelium
de
Jacques
(Brussels: Socie´te´ des Bollandistes, 1961), with textual modifications made by the translator based on the manuscript evidence.

63

64

NON-CANONICAL GOSPELS

The
Birth
of
Mary,
the

take this headband that my supervisor

Revelation
of
James

gave me; I am not allowed to wear it,

since I am your servant and it is of royal

quality.”
3
Anna replied, “Go away from

In the “Histories of the Twelve

1

me. I did none of these things and yet the

Tribes of Israel” there was a very

Lord my God has severely humbled me.

wealthy man Joachim, who used to offer

For all I know, some scoundrel has given

a double portion of his gifts to the Lord,

this to you, and you have come to defile

saying to himself, “The portion that is a

me with your sin.” Judith said, “Why

surplus will be for all the people, and the

would I curse you, just because you have

portion that is for my forgiveness will be

not listened to me? The Lord has closed

for the Lord my God as my atonement.”

your womb to keep you from bearing

2
The great day of the Lord drew near,

fruit in Israel.”

and the sons of Israel were offering their

4
Anna was very upset, and she

gifts. And Reuben stood before him and

wrapped herself up in her clothes of

said, “You are not allowed to offer your

mourning; she then washed her face and

gifts first, since you have produced no

put on her bridal clothes, and in mid-

offspring in Israel.”

afternoon went down to walk in her gar

3
Joachim was very upset and went

den. She saw a laurel tree and sat beneath

away to consult the book of the twelve

it, and after resting a bit she prayed to

tribes of the people, saying to himself, “I

the Master, saying, “O God of my fathers,

will examine the Book of the Twelve

bless me and hear my prayer, just as you

Tribes of Israel to see if I am the only

blessed the womb of Sarah and gave her

one not to produce offspring in Israel.”

a son, Isaac.”

And he searched and found that everyone

who was righteous had raised up off

While she was gazing at the sky

3

spring in Israel. He remembered the pashe saw a nest of sparrows in the triarch Abraham, that at the end of his

laurel tree, and she mourned to herself,

life God had given him a son, Isaac.

“Woe is me. Who gave me birth? And

4
Joachim was very upset and did not

what kind of womb bore me? I have been

return home to his wife, but went out to

born as a curse before the sons of Israel

the wilderness and pitched his tent there.

and am despised; they have mocked me

He fasted for forty days and nights, sayand banished me from the temple of the ing to himself, “I will not come down for

Lord my God.
2
Woe is me. What am I

either food or drink until the Lord my

like? I am not like the birds of the sky,

God visits me. My prayer will be my

for even the birds of the sky are producfood and drink.”

tive before you, O Lord. Woe is me. What

am I like? I am not like the senseless

Now his wife Anna wailed and

living creatures, for even the senseless

2 mourned twice over, saying “I living creatures are productive before mourn for being a widow, I mourn for

you, O Lord. Woe is me, what am I like?

being childless.”

I am not like the wild beasts of the earth,

2
The great day of the Lord drew near,

for even the wild beasts of the earth are

and her servant Judith said to her, “How

productive before you, O Lord.
3
Woe is

long will you humble your soul? See, the

me, what am I like? I am not like these

great day of the Lord is drawing near,

waters, for even these waters are tranquil

and you are not allowed to lament. But

yet prance about, and their fish bless you,

THE PROTO-GOSPEL OF JAMES

65

O Lord. Woe is me. What am I like? I

leafed mitre as he went up to the altar of

am not like this soil, for even this soil

the Lord; and he saw no sin in himself.

produces its fruit every season and

Joachim then said, “Now I know that the

blesses you, O Lord.”

Lord has been gracious to me and forgiven all my sins.” He went down from 4 Then, behold, an angel of the Lord the temple of the Lord justified and came appeared and said to her, “Anna,