The Forbidden Gospels and Epistles, Complete

1 The Parentage of Mary.

7 Joachim her father, and Anna her mother,

go to Jerusalem to the feast of the dedication.

9 Issachar, the high priest, reproaches Joachim

for being childless.

THE blessed and ever glorious

Virgin Mary, sprung from

the royal race and family of David,

was born in the city of Nazareth,

and educated at Jerusalem, in the

temple of the Lord.

2 Her father's name was Joachim,

and her mother's Anna.

The family of her father was of

Galilee and the city of Nazareth.

The family of her mother was of

Bethlehem.

3 Their lives were plain and

right in the sight of the Lord,

pious and faultless before men;

for they divided all their substance

into three parts;

4 One of which they devoted to

the temple and officers of the

temple; another they distributed

among strangers, and persons in

poor circumstances; and the third

they reserved for themselves and

the uses of their own family.

5 In this manner they lived for

about twenty years chastely, in the

favour of God, and the esteem of

men, without any children.

6 But they vowed, if God should

favour them with any issue, they

would devote it to the service of

the Lord; on which account they

went at every feast in the year to

the temple of the Lord.

7 And it came to pass, that

when the feast of the dedication

drew near, Joachim, with some

others of his tribe, went up to

Jerusalem, and at that time,

Isachar was high-priest;

8 Who, when he saw Joachim

along with the rest of his

neighbours, bringing his offerings,

despised both him and his offerings,

and asked him,

9 Why he, who had no children,

would presume to appear among

those who had? Adding, that his

offerings could never be acceptable

to God, who was judged by him

unworthy to have children; the

Scripture having said, Cursed is

every one who shall not beget a

male in Israel.

10 He further said, that he ought

first to be free from that curse by

begetting some issue, and then

come with his offerings into the

presence of God.

11 But Joachim being much

confounded with the shame of such

reproach, retired to the shepherds

who were with the cattle in their

pastures;

12 For he was not inclined to

return home, lest his neighbours,

who were present and heard all

this from the high-priest, should

publicly reproach him in the same

manner.

1 An angel appears to Joachim,

9 and informs him that Anna shall conceive and

bring forth a daughter, who shall be called Mary,

11 be brought up in the temple,

12 and while yet a virgin, in a way unparalleled,

bring forth the Son of God:

13 Gives him a sign,

14 and departs.

BUT when he had been there for

some time, on a certain day

when he was alone, the angel

of the Lord stood by him with

a prodigious light.

2 To whom, being troubled at

the appearance, the angel who had

appeared to him, endeavouring to

compose him, said:

3 Be not afraid, Joachim, nor

troubled at the sight of me, for

I am an angel of the Lord sent by

him to you, that I might inform

you that your prayers are heard,

and your alms ascended in the

sight of God.

4 For he hath surely seen your

shame, and heard you unjustly

reproached for not having children:

for God is the avenger of sin,

and not of nature;

5 And so when he shuts the

womb of any person, he does it for

this reason, that he may in a more

wonderful manner again open it,

and that which is born appear to

be not the product of lust, but the

gift of God.

6 For the first mother of your

nation, Sarah, was she not barren

even till her eightieth year: and

yet even in the end of her old age

brought forth Isaac, in whom the

promise was made of a blessing to

all nations.

7 Rachel, also, so much in

favour with God, and beloved so

much by holy Jacob, continued

barren for a long time, yet

afterwards was the mother of Joseph,

who was not only governor of

Egypt, but delivered many nations

from perishing with hunger.

8 Who among the judges was

more valiant than Sampson, or more

holy than Samuel? And yet both

their mothers were barren.

9 But if reason will not convince

you of the truth of my words, that

there are frequent conceptions in

advanced years, and that those

who were barren have brought forth

to their great surprise; therefore

Anna your wife shall bring you a

daughter, and you shall call her

name Mary;

10 She shall, according to your

vow, be devoted to the Lord from

her infancy, and be filled with the

Holy Ghost from her mother's

womb;

11 She shall neither eat nor

drink any thing which is unclean,

nor shall her conversation be

without among the common people,

but in the temple of the Lord;

that so she may not fall under any

slander or suspicion of what is bad.

12 So in the process of her

years, as she shall be in a

miraculous manner born of one that

was barren, so she shall, while yet

a virgin, in a way unparalleled,

bring forth the Son of the most

High God, who shall, be called

Jesus, and, according to the

signification of his name, be the

Saviour of all nations.

13 And this shall be a sign to

you of the things which I declare,

namely, when you come to the

golden gate of Jerusalem, you

shall there meet your wife Anna,

who being very much troubled

that you returned no sooner, shall

then rejoice to see you.

14 When the angel had said this,

he departed from him.

1 The angel appears to Anna;

2 tells her a daughter shall be born unto her,

3 devoted to the service of the Lord in the temple,

5, who, being a virgin, and not knowing man,

shall bring forth the Lord,

6 and gives her a sign therefore.

8 Joachim and Anna meet, and rejoice,

10 and praise the Lord.

11 Anna conceives, and brings forth a daughter called Mary.

AFTERWARDS the angel appeared

to Anna his wife, saying;

Fear not, neither think that

which you see is a spirit;

2 For I am that angel who hath

offered up your prayers and alms

before God, and am now sent to

you, that I may inform you, that

a daughter will be born unto you,

who shall be called Mary, and

shall be blessed above all women.

3 She shall be, immediately

upon her birth, full of the grace of

the Lord, and shall continue during

the three years of her weaning

in her father's house, and afterwards,

being devoted to the service of the Lord,

shall not depart from the temple,

till she arrive to years of discretion.

4 In a word, she shall there

serve the Lord night and day in

fasting and prayer, shall abstain

from every unclean thing, and

never know any man;

5 But, being an unparalleled instance

without any pollution or defilement,

and a virgin not knowing any man,

shall ring forth a son, and a maid

shall bring forth the Lord, who

both by his grace and name and works,

shall be the Saviour of the world.

6 Arise therefore, and go up to

Jerusalem, and when you shall

come to that which is called the

golden gate (because it is gilt with

gold), as a sign of what I have told

you, you shall meet your husband,

for whose safety you have been so

much concerned.

7 When therefore you find these

things thus accomplished, believe

that all the rest which I have told

you, shall also undoubtedly be

accomplished.

8 According therefore to the

command of the angel, both of

them left the places where they

were, and when they came to the

place specified in the angels

prediction, they met each other.

9 Then, rejoicing at each other's

vision, and being fully satisfied in

the promise of a child, they gave

due thanks to the Lord, who exalts

the humble.

10 After having praised the

Lord, they returned home, and

lived in a cheerful and assured

expectation of the promise of God.

11 So Anna conceived, and

brought forth a daughter, and,

according to the angel's command,

the parents did call her name Mary.