house of David. The abode of the former was Naza- reth, the latter passed her early years at Bethlehem. Tliey lived piously in the sight of God, and faultlessly before man, dividing their substance into three portions, one of which they devoted to the service of the Temple, another to the poor, and the third to their own w-jnts. So twenty years of their live? passed silently away. But at the end of this period Joachim went to Jrrusa- lem with some others of his tribe, to make his usual of- fering at the Feast of the Dedication. It chanced that Issachar was high-priest (Gospel of Birth of Mary) ; that Keuben was high-priest (Protevangelion). The high-priest scorned Joachim, and drove him roughly away, asking how he dared to present himself in com- pany with those who had children, while he had none ; and he refused to accept his offerings until he should have begotten a child, for the Scripture said, " Cursed is every one who does not beget a man-child in Israel." Joachim was ashamed before his friends and neighbors, and lie retired into the wilderness and lixed his tent there, and fasted forty days and forty nights. At the end of this period an angel appeared to him, and told him that his wife should conceive, and should bring forth a daughter, and he should call her name Mary. Anna meantime was much distressed at her husbantl's absence, and being reproached by her maid Judith with her barrenness, she was overcome with grief of spirit. In her sadness she went into her garden to walk, dressed in her wedding-dress. She there sat down under a lau- rel-tree, and looked up and spied among the branches a sparrow's nest, and she bemoaned herself as more miser- able than the very birds, for they were fruitful and she was barren ; and she prayed that she might have a child, even as Sarai was blessed with Isaac. At this moment t\vo angels appeared to her, and promised her that she should have a child who should be spoken of in all the world. Joachim returned joyfully to his home, and -when the time was accomplished Anna brought forth a daughter, and they called her name Mar}\ Now the child Mary increased in strength day by day, and at nine months of age she walked nine steps. When she was three j'ears old her parents brought her to the Temple, to dedicate her to the Lord. There were fifteen stairs up to the Temple, and, while Joseph and Mary were changing their dress, she -walked up them without help ; and the high-priest placed her upon the third step of the altar, and she danced with her feet, and all the house of Israel loved her. Then Mary remained at the Temple until she was twelve (Prot.), fourteen (G. B. M.), years old, ministered to by the angels, and advancing in perfection as in years. At this time the high-priest commanded all the virgins that were in the Temple to return to their homes and to be married. But IMary refused, for she said that she had vowed virginity to the Lord. Thus the high-priest was brought into a perplexit)-, and he had recourse to God to inquire what he should do. Then a voice from the ark answered him (G. B. M.), an angel spake unto him (Prot.) ; and they gathered together all the widow- ers in Israel (Prot.), all the marriageable men of the house, of David (G. B. M.), and desired them to bring each man his rod. Among them came Joseph and brought his rod, but he shunned to present it, because he was an old man and had children. Therefore the other rods were presented and no sign occurred. Then it was found that Joseph had not presented his rod; and behold, as soon as he had presented it, a dove came forth from the rod and fiew upon the head of Joseph (Prot.) ; a dove came from heaven and pitched on the rod ((}. B. M.). So Joseph, in spite of his reluctance, was compelled to betroth himself to Jlary, and he re- turned to Bethlehem to make preparations for his mar- riage (G. B. M.) ; he betook himself to his occupation of building houses (Prot.) ; while Mary went back to her parents' house in Galilee. Then it chanced that the priests needed a new veil for the Temple, and seven virgins cast lots to make different parts of it ; and the
lot to spin the true purple fell to Mary. As she went out with a pitcher to draw water, she heard a voice say- ing to her, "Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women '." and she looked round with trembling to see whence the voice came ; and she laid down the pitcher and went into the house, and to«k the purple and sat down to work at it. But behold the angel Gabriel stood by her and filled the chamber with prodigious light, and said, " Fear not," etc. When Mary had finished the purple, she took it to the high-priest ; and, having received his blessing, went to visit her cousin Elisabeth, and returned back again. Then Joseph returned to his home from building houses (Prot.) ; came into Galilee, to marry the Virgm to whom he was betrotlied (G. B. M.), and find- ing her with child, he resolved to put her away private- ly ; but bemg warned in a dream, he relinquished his purpose and took her to his house. Then came Annas the scribe to visit Joseph, and he went back and told the priest that Joseph had committed a great crime, ibr be had privately married the Virgin whom he had re- ceived out of the Temple, and had not made it known to the children of Israel. So the priest sent his ser- vants, and they found that she was with child ; and he called them to him, and Joseph denied that the child was his, and the priest made Joseph drink the bitter water of trial (Numb, v, 18), and sent him to a moun- tainous place to see what would follow. But Joseph returned in perfect health, so the priest sent them away to their home. Then after three months Joseph put Mary on an ass to go to Bethlehem to be taxed ; and as they were going, INIary besought him to take her down, and Joseph took her down and carried her into a cave, and, leaving her there with his sons, he went to seek a midwife. As he went he looked up, and he saw the clouds astonished and all creatures amazed. The fowls stopped in their flight ; the working people sat at their food, but did not eat ; the sheep stood still ; the shep- herds' lifted hands became fixed ; the kids were touch- ing the water with their mouths, but did not drink. A midwife came down from the mountains, and Joseph took her with him to the cave, and a bright cloud over- shadowed the cave, and the cloud became a great light, and when the bright light faded there appeared an in- fant at the breast of INIary. Then the midwife went out and told Salome that a Virgin had brought forth, and Salome would not believe; and they came back again into the cave, and Salome received satisfaction, but her hand withered away, nor was it restored until, by the command of an angel, she touched the child, whereupon she was straightway cured. See Giles, Co- dex Apocryphus Novi Testamenti, p. o3-A.7 and 66-81 (Lond. 1862); Jones, On the New Testament, vol. ii, ch. xiii and xv (Oxf. 1827) ; Thilo, Codex Apociyjykus ; also Vitce </lo7-ississim(e Matris Anna pei- F. Petriim Dorian- do, appended to Ludolph of Saxony's Vita Christi (Ly- ons, 1642) ; and a most audacious Historia Christi, writ- ten in Persian by the Jesuit P. Jerome Xavier, and ex- posed by Louis de Dieu (Lugd. Bat. 1639).