LUX VERITAS

Library of Sacred Texts

Apocrypha · Chapter 4 of 24

Protevangelium of James 4

Infancy of Mary

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And, behold, an angel of the Lord stood by, saying: Anna, Anna, the Lord hath heard thy prayer, and thou shalt conceive, and shall bring forth; and thy seed shall be spoken of in all the world.

2And Anna said: As the Lord my God liveth, if I beget either male or female, I will bring it as a gift to the Lord my God; and it shall minister to Him in holy things all the days of its life.

3And, behold, two angels came, saying to her: Behold, Joachim thy husband is coming with his flocks.

4For an angel of the Lord went down to him, saying: Joachim, Joachim, the Lord God hath heard thy prayer.

5Go down hence; for, behold, thy wife Anna shall conceive.

6And Joachim went down and called his shepherds, saying: Bring me hither ten she-lambs without spot or blemish, and they shall be for the Lord my God; and bring me twelve tender calves, and they shall be for the priests and the elders; and a hundred goats for all the people.

7And, behold, Joachim came with his flocks; and Anna stood by the gate, and saw Joachim coming, and she ran and hung upon his neck, saying: Now I know that the Lord God hath blessed me exceedingly; for, behold the widow no longer a widow, and I the childless shall conceive.

8And Joachim rested the first day in his house.

Words in this chapter

What these words meant in the original — and where else they appear.

About Protevangelium of James

The childhood of Mary, the choosing of Joseph and the birth in a cave. It is the source of nearly all later Marian devotion — including the names Anne and Joachim. English text: Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 8, The Protevangelium of James (Buffalo: Christian Literature Publishing Co.), Alexander Walker, 1886 (public domain). Portuguese and Spanish: Lux Veritas translations from this edition.

Source: Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 8, The Protevangelium of James (Buffalo: Christian Literature Publishing Co.), Alexander Walker (1886) · public domain