The protoevangelium of James and the legends that go back to it reflect the changes that took place in the beliefs of Christians during the first centuries of the existence of their teaching. These changes were based both on the influence of ancient pagan cults, many elements of which were absorbed by Christianity, and on the peculiarities of the social psychology of Christians themselves. These features are even more pronounced in the apocrypha about the childhood of Jesus, the analysis of which will be presented in the next chapter.

James' Story of the Birth of Mary[161]

I. In the twelve tribes of Israel there was a certain Jehoiakim, a very rich man, who offered double gifts to God, saying, Let it be of my riches to all the people, and to me as a remission to propitiate the Lord. The great day of the Lord came,162 when the children of Israel brought their gifts. And Reuben came out against him (Jehoiakim), saying, "You must not bring gifts to the first, for you have not made offspring for Israel." And Jehoiakim was very grieved, and began to look at the genealogy of the twelve tribes of the people, saying, "I will seek among the twelve tribes of Israel, whether I am not the only one who has not given offspring to Israel." And when he had investigated, he found out that all the righteous had left offspring to Israel. He also remembered Abraham, how in his last days God had given him a son, Isaac. And Joachim was so bitter, and he did not go to his wife, but went into the wilderness, pitched his tent there, and fasted forty days and forty nights, saying, "I will not come in to eat or drink, until the Lord comes down to me, and prayer will be my food and drink."

And his wife Anna wept and wept and wept, saying, "I will pay my widowhood, I will pay my childlessness." But when the great day of the Lord came, Judith her maidservant said to her, "How long wilt thou torment thy soul? For the great day of the Lord has come, and you must not weep. Take the headband that my lady gave me for my work: it is not fitting for me to wear it, for I am a servant, and the headband bears the sign of royalty,163 Anna answered: depart from me, I will not do this: the Lord has humiliated me. Did not the seducer inspire you to come, so that I also would commit a sin with you? And Judith answered: Why will I persuade you? The Lord has closed your womb so that you will not have offspring in Israel. And Hannah was very grieved, but she took off her garments, adorned her head, put on her wedding garments, and went into the garden, walking about the ninth hour, and saw the laurel, and sat down under it, and began to pray to the Lord, saying, "God of my fathers, bless me, and hearken unto my prayer, as thou didst bless Sarah, and gave her a son, Isaac."

III. And lifting up her eyes to heaven, she saw a sparrow's nest in a tree, and began to weep, saying, "Woe is me, who begat me? What womb brought me into the world? For I have become a curse to the children of Israel, and with mockery they have torn me away from the temple. Woe is me, whom am I like? I am not like the birds of the air, for even the birds of the air have offspring with you, O Lord. Nor am I like dumb creatures, for even dumb creatures have offspring with you, O Lord. Nor am I like these waters, for even the waters bear fruit with you, O Lord. Woe is me, to whom am I like? Nor am I like the earth, for the earth bears fruit according to the season, and blesses thee, O Lord.

IV. And then an angel of the Lord stood before her, and said, "Hannah, Anna, the Lord has hearkened to thy prayer, that thou shalt conceive and bear child, and thy offspring shall be spoken of in all the world." And Anna said, "As the Lord my God lives! If I give birth to a child male or female, I will give it as a gift to my Lord, and it will serve Him all its life. And two messengers came and said to her,

Your husband Jehoiakim is coming with his flocks: for an angel has appeared to him and announced: Joachim, Jehoiakim, God has hearkened to your prayer. Get out of here, for your wife Anna will conceive in her womb. And Joachim went and commanded his shepherds, saying, Bring ten lambs that are clean without spots, and they will be for the Lord my God, and bring me twelve young calves, and they will be for the priests and the elders, and a hundred goats for all the people. And so Joachim came with his flocks, and Anna, who was standing at the gate, saw Joachim coming, and running up, embraced him, and said: I know now that the Lord has blessed me: being a widow, I am no longer a widow, being barren, I will now conceive! And Joachim found peace in his house that day.

V. In the morning he bore his gifts, saying: "If the Lord has had mercy on me, the golden plate of the priest will show me." And Joachim brought his gifts, and gazed intently at the plate, approaching the altar of the Lord, and saw no sin in himself. And Joachim said, "Now I know that the Lord had mercy on me and forgave me all my sins, and went out of the temple, justified, and went to his house." In the meantime, the months allotted to her had passed, and in the ninth month Anna gave birth, and asked the midwife, "Whom have I begotten?" She answered: a daughter. And Hannah said, My soul was lifted up this day, and laid down her daughter. As the days passed, Anna recovered, and gave the breast to the child, and named her Maria.

VI. The child grew stronger day by day, and when she was six months old, her mother set her on the ground to see if she could stand, and she walked seven paces back to her mother. The mother took her in her arms and said, "As the Lord my God lives, you will not walk on this earth until I bring you into the temple of the Lord." And they made a special place in the daughter's bedchamber, and it was forbidden to bring in any unclean thing, and she called (Hannah) the blameless daughters of Judah to take care of her. When the girl was one year old, Jehoiakim made a great feast and called together the priests, scribes and elders, and all the people of Israel. And he brought his daughter to the priests, and they blessed her, saying, "God of our fathers, bless this child, and give a glorious name in all generations." And the people said, "So be it! And then he brought her before the chief priests, 6 and they blessed her, saying, "Most High God, condescend to this child and give a supreme and everlasting blessing."

And her mother took her to a clean (holy) place in the bedroom and gave her breasts. And Anna sang a song to the Lord, saying, "I will sing a song to the Lord,166 for he has come down to me, and has delivered me from the reproach of my enemies, and has given me the fruit of his justice, the only one that has so much before his eyes."167 Who will tell the sons of Reuben that Hannah is breastfeeding? Listen, listen, twelve tribes of Israel, Hannah is breastfeeding! When the feast was over, the guests departed, rejoicing and praising the God of Israel.

VII. Months after months passed, and the child was two years old. And Joachim said: Let us take her to the temple of the Lord, in order to fulfill the promised dinner, so that the Lord will not suddenly reject us and our gift will not become displeasing to Him. And Anna said, "Let us wait until her third year, so that the child will not look for a father or mother." And Joachim said: Let us wait. And when the child was three years old, Jehoiakim said, "Call the blameless daughters of Judah, and let them take lamps and stand with lighted lamps, so that the child may not turn back, and that she may love the temple of the Lord in her heart." And they did so on the way to the temple of the Lord. And the priest received it, and kissed it, and gave it a blessing, saying, The Lord will magnify thy name in all generations, for through thee the Lord shall make redemption to the children of Israel in the last days. And he seated her on the third step by the altar, and the grace of the Lord came upon her, and she jumped for joy, and all the people of Israel loved her.

VIII. And her parents went away, wondering, and praising the Lord that their daughter had not turned back. And Mary was in the temple of the Lord like a dove, and received food from the hand of an angel. When she was twelve years old, the priests began to consult, saying: "Behold, Mary is twelve years old in the temple of God, what shall we do with her, so that she does not in any way defile the holy things?" And they said to the high priest, "You are standing at the altar of the Lord, come in and pray for her, and whatever the Lord declares to you, that we will do." And the high priest, putting on the dodecacodon,[168] entered into the Holy of Holies, and prayed for her, and behold, an angel of the Lord appeared and said, "Zechariah, Zechariah, go and call together the widowers of the people, and let them bring staves, and to whomsoever the Lord shall show a sign, to him shall she become a wife." And messengers went through the round country of Judah, and the trumpet of the Lord sounded, and they all came together.

IX. Joseph, having left the axe, also came to the place where they were assembled. And having gathered themselves, they went to the high priest, carrying staffs. And he, having gathered up his staffs, entered the sanctuary and began to pray. After praying, he took his staffs, went out, and gave each of them his staff, but there was no sign on them. Joseph was the last to take the staff, and then the dove flew out of the staff and flew up to Joseph's glory. And the priest said to Joseph, Thou hast been chosen to receive unto thee, and to keep the virgin of the Lord. But Joseph objected, saying, "I already have sons, and I am old, and she is young, I do not want to be a laughing stock among the children of Israel." And the priest said to Joseph, "Fear God, remember how God punished Datan, Abyron, and Korah,[169] how the earth opened up and they were swallowed up for their disobedience. And Joseph was afraid, and took Mary to keep her. And Joseph said to Mary, "I have taken you out of the temple of the Lord, and now you remain in my house, while I go away to do carpentry, and then I will return to you (when the Lord wills): God preserve you!