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Protevangelium of James

Also called Book of James, Birth of Mary

Mary's birth, Temple childhood and the birth of Jesus, in a book whose stories also appear in Catholic and Orthodox traditions.^{11 sources}11 sources1. (tr.)2. (tr.)3. (tr.)4. Eykel 5. (tr.)6. (tr.)7. (tr.)8. (tr.)9. (tr.)10. Holweck 11. America

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At a glance

Written: Latter half of the second century AD (Eric Vanden Eykel).¹²
Author: The narrator calls himself James; Vanden Eykel dates the book to the second century.^{13 12}
Genre: Birth and childhood narrative.^{9 sources}9 sources1. (tr.)2. (tr.)3. (tr.)4. Eykel 5. (tr.)6. (tr.)7. (tr.)8. (tr.)9. (tr.)
Title: Guillaume Postel introduced the name Protevangelium in his 1552 Latin translation.^{14 15}

Summary

Joachim and Anna, Mary's Temple childhood and Jesus' birth in a cave belong to this account of Mary's early life. It tells of Joseph's care for her and of a midwife and Salome witnessing a birth that leaves her a virgin. These stories also appear in Catholic accounts of Mary's Presentation and Nativity feasts. The Orthodox Church in America tells her Temple entry as Holy Tradition.^{15 sources}15 sources1. (tr.)2. (tr.)3. (tr.)4. Eykel 5. (tr.)6. (tr.)16. (tr.)17. (tr.)7. (tr.)8. (tr.)9. (tr.)10. Holweck 18. Holweck 19. America 11. America

Joachim and Anna become parents
Chapters 1–5
Reuben challenges childless Joachim's right to offer his gifts first. Joachim fasts in the wilderness; Anna laments, receives an angel's promise and bears Mary.^{4 sources}4 sources1. (tr.)2. (tr.)3. (tr.)4. Eykel
From the Temple to Joseph's care
Chapters 7–9
Mary enters the Temple at three and receives food from an angel. At twelve she must leave; a sign from Joseph's rod chooses the old man, who already has sons, to take her.^{4 sources}4 sources5. (tr.)6. (tr.)16. (tr.)17. (tr.)
A disputed pregnancy and a cave birth
Chapters 11–20
Gabriel's announcement and Joseph's dream lead into an accusation over Mary's pregnancy. Both survive a water ordeal. At Jesus' birth, Salome's testing hand is burned and then healed when she holds him.^{8 sources}8 sources20. (tr.)21. (tr.)4. Eykel 22. (tr.)23. Numbers 5:27 7. (tr.)8. (tr.)9. (tr.)
Herod's violence reaches John's family
Chapters 21–24
The magi and Herod's massacre enter the narrative. Elizabeth hides the infant John; Herod's officers kill his father Zacharias when he will not reveal where John is.^{6 sources}6 sources20. (tr.)21. (tr.)4. Eykel 24. (tr.)25. (tr.)26. (tr.)

Stories

Mary grows up in the Temple
Protevangelium of James (Book of James) 7:2–8:2
Her parents bring her at three. The child's angelic nourishment precedes the priests' decision that she must leave at twelve.^{5 6}
Salome doubts and is healed
Protevangelium of James (Book of James) 19:3–20:4
Salome insists on testing the midwife's account of Mary's virginity. Her injured hand recovers when she picks up Jesus.^{7 8 9}

Connections to the Bible

Echoes and allusions

1 Samuel 1:20 · Chapters 1–5medium confidence
Academic writer Eric Vanden Eykel reads Mary's birth story as mirroring Samuel's.^{4 sources}4 sources1. (tr.)2. (tr.)3. (tr.)4. Eykel
Numbers 5:11–31 · Protevangelium of James (Book of James) 16:1–2medium confidence
Vanden Eykel compares this ordeal with Numbers' bitter-water test. Here Joseph drinks too; in Numbers only the suspected wife does.^{22 23 4}
Matthew 23:35 · Chapters 22–24medium confidence
The Orthodox Great Horologion identifies the murdered Zacharias with John's father. Matthew names a son of Berechiah; the identification with John's father is a later interpretation, also applied to Luke 11:51.^{6 sources}6 sources29. Matthew 23:35 30. 2 Chronicles 24:20–21 31. Saints)24. (tr.)25. (tr.)26. (tr.)

Retellings

Matthew 1:20–21 · Protevangelium of James (Book of James) 14:2
Chapter 14:2 retells the dream of Joseph from Matthew 1:20–21.^{20 21 4}

Expansions

Luke 1:28 · Protevangelium of James (Book of James) 11:1
Chapter 11:1 includes the greeting of Gabriel from Luke 1:28.^{20 21 4}
Matthew 2:1–16 · Chapters 21–22
Matthew's magi and Herod's massacre are woven into the narrative.^{20 21 4}

Shared figures

Genesis 21:2 · Chapter 2
Anna recalls Sarah while lamenting her own childlessness.^{4 sources}4 sources1. (tr.)2. (tr.)3. (tr.)4. Eykel
Matthew 13:55 · Protevangelium of James (Book of James) 9:2
Origen, an early Greek Christian commentator on this verse, reports the Book of James or Gospel of Peter tradition that Jesus' brothers were Joseph's sons by an earlier wife.^{27 28}

Where each church stands

Protevangelium of James (Book of James) Full table →

Protestant: Not included
Article VI receives the NT books 'as they are commonly received'.
^{32 33}
Catholic: Not included³⁴
Greek Orthodox: Not included
The OSB contents list only the 27 NT books.
Confidence: medium³⁵
Russian (Slavonic) Orthodox: Not included
No Russian NT source was read beyond the azbyka contents, which list the 27 books.
Confidence: medium³⁶
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Not included
Not in either of Cowley's NT lists (27 books, or 35 with the church-order books).
³⁷

Why did the stories endure outside Scripture?

Origen knew a Book of James tradition without calling it Scripture. The Latin Gelasian list later rejected a gospel under James's name, identified with this book by M. R. James. Athanasius's distinction between canonical books, other recommended reading and rejected writings helps explain why a book's influence alone does not establish scriptural authority.^{6 sources}6 sources27. Matthew 13:55 28. Origen 38. 1912)14. James 39. Apocrypha (Catholic Encyclopedia, 1907)40. Payne-Smith) 1892

Why readers kept the stories

Orthodox

The Orthodox Church in America preserves Mary’s Temple entry as Holy Tradition.^{11 41}

Catholic

Frederick Holweck's Catholic Encyclopedia articles connect Mary's Presentation and Nativity feasts with stories in the Gospel of James.^{10 18 19}

Why authority was questioned

Early church: Latin

The Gelasian list condemns a gospel under James's name, though it gives no separate reason for rejecting this title.^{38 14 39}

Early church: Latin

Jerome rejects the earlier-wife explanation of Jesus' brothers and holds that Joseph remained a virgin. This challenges the book's family picture, without naming it for rejection.⁴²

Sources

43 sources from 26 works

M. R. James (tr.), Book of James / Protevangelium (M. R. James, The Apocryphal New Testament, 1924)
- 1
  ProtJas.1.1-ProtJas.1.4 (hosted in our DB as work james-ant)↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f
- 2
  ProtJas.4.1 (hosted in our DB as work james-ant)↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f
- 3
  ProtJas.5.2 (hosted in our DB as work james-ant)↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f
- 5
  ProtJas.7.2 (hosted in our DB as work james-ant)↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
- 6
  ProtJas.8.1-ProtJas.8.2 (hosted in our DB as work james-ant)↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
- 7
  ProtJas.19.3 (hosted in our DB as work james-ant)↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
- 8
  ProtJas.20.1 (hosted in our DB as work james-ant)↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
- 9
  ProtJas.20.4 (hosted in our DB as work james-ant)↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
- 13
  ProtJas.25.1 (hosted in our DB as work james-ant)↩
- 16
  ProtJas.9.1-ProtJas.9.2 (hosted in our DB as work james-ant)↩^a ↩^b
- 17
  ProtJas.17.1 (hosted in our DB as work james-ant)↩^a ↩^b
- 20
  ProtJas.11.1 (hosted in our DB as work james-ant)↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
- 21
  ProtJas.14.2 (hosted in our DB as work james-ant)↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
- 22
  ProtJas.16.1-ProtJas.16.2 (hosted in our DB as work james-ant)↩^a ↩^b
- 24
  ProtJas.22.3 (hosted in our DB as work james-ant)↩^a ↩^b
- 25
  ProtJas.23.1-ProtJas.23.3 (hosted in our DB as work james-ant)↩^a ↩^b
- 26
  ProtJas.24.2 (hosted in our DB as work james-ant)↩^a ↩^b
Eric M. Vanden Eykel, “Protevangelium of James (e-Clavis)”
- 4
  1. Summary↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f ↩^g ↩^h ↩ⁱ ↩^j ↩^k ↩^l
- 15
  3.1.6 Greek, editions↩
10
Frederick Holweck, “Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911)”↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
11
Orthodox Church in America, “The Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple (OCA Lives of the Saints)”↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
12
Eric M. Vanden Eykel, “Protevangelium of James (e-Clavis: Christian Apocrypha, NASSCAL)”, 1. Summary↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
14
M. R. James, The Apocryphal New Testament (Oxford, 1924), Book of James, introduction↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
18
Frederick Holweck, “Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911)”↩^a ↩^b
19
Orthodox Church in America, “The Nativity of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos (OCA Lives of the Saints)”↩^a ↩^b
23
Numbers 5:27↩^a ↩^b
27
Matthew 13:55↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
28
Origen, Commentary on Matthew, Book X (ANF 9, New Advent), X.17↩^a ↩^b
29
Matthew 23:35↩
30
2 Chronicles 24:20–21↩
31
Great Horologion (via tyoos.org Lives of Saints), “September 5: The Holy Prophet Zacharias, Father of the Venerable Forerunner”↩
32
Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (1571), Article VI, as printed in E. J. Bicknell, A Theological Introduction to the Thirty-Nine Articles (1919)↩
33
Westminster Confession of Faith (1646), chapter I.2–3↩
34
Council of Trent, Session IV (8 April 1546), Decree concerning the canonical Scriptures↩
35
The Orthodox Study Bible (Thomas Nelson, 2008), front matter (contents, introduction, canon table)↩
36
Russian Synodal Bible, as published by Azbuka Very (azbyka.ru): contents and chapter notes↩
37
R. W. Cowley, 'The Biblical Canon of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Today', Ostkirchliche Studien 23 (1974) 318–323↩
38
Decretum Gelasianum (tr. Roger Pearse from von Dobschütz 1912), Decretum Gelasianum de libris recipiendis et non recipiendis, V, list of apocryphal books↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
39
“Apocrypha (Catholic Encyclopedia, 1907)”, Condemnation of apocrypha↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
40
Athanasius of Alexandria (tr. R. Payne-Smith), Festal Letter 39 (NPNF2 vol. 4), via New Advent (1892), 39.7↩^a ↩^b
41
Orthodox Church in America, “Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord (OCA Lives of the Saints)”↩^a ↩^b
42
Jerome, Against Helvidius (NPNF2 6, New Advent), ch. 21↩^a ↩^b
43
GotQuestions.org, “What is the perpetual virginity of Mary?”↩

Protevangelium of James

At a glance

Summary

Contents

Joachim and Anna become parents

From the Temple to Joseph's care

A disputed pregnancy and a cave birth

Herod's violence reaches John's family

Stories

Mary grows up in the Temple

Salome doubts and is healed

Connections to the Bible

Echoes and allusions

Retellings

Expansions

Shared figures

Where each church stands

Protevangelium of James (Book of James) Full table →

Why did the stories endure outside Scripture?

Why readers kept the stories

Orthodox

Catholic

Why authority was questioned

Early church: Latin

Early church: Latin

Further reading

Sources

Report a problem

At a glance

Summary

Contents

Joachim and Anna become parents

From the Temple to Joseph's care

A disputed pregnancy and a cave birth

Herod's violence reaches John's family

Stories

Mary grows up in the Temple

Salome doubts and is healed

Connections to the Bible

Echoes and allusions

Retellings

Expansions

Shared figures

Where each church stands

Protevangelium of James (Book of James) Full table →

Why did the stories endure outside Scripture?

Why readers kept the stories

Orthodox

Catholic

Why authority was questioned

Early church: Latin

Early church: Latin

Related books

Further reading

Sources

Report a problem