Feast of the Annunciation of
Our Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today’s readings mark the Feast of the Annunciation,
when the angel Gabriel came to Mary and told her she would bear Israel’s
Messiah and the Saviour of the world.
If we want information about these events beyond
what the gospels teach, then we must turn to the Infancy Gospel of James. This
remarkable text claims to be written by James the brother of the Lord, who was
present at the birth of Jesus. It is accepted as scripture by the Orthodox
churches. However, in the west, Pope Gelasius dismissed it as not a genuine
apostolic text. But James’s Infancy Gospel is not at all to be compared with
other infancy gospels, like the Gospel of Thomas or Peter. The latter bear all
the marks of being Gnostic pseudepigraphical works. But the Infancy Gospel of
James looks to me, from internal evidence, to be the work of a kohen (temple
priest) from the mid-first century. Therefore it could indeed be by James, who
was a kohen.
Its story runs a little as follows: Mary, the
daughter of Joachim and Anna, was given to the temple as a consecrated virgin
from the age of three. A team of these young girls lived in the temple
buildings to sew and repair the vestments and other fabrics in the holy house.
Before she reached puberty, she was given into the care of Joseph, a distant
relative, who already had sons of his own. She was to live with him, still a
consecrated virgin, fulfilling the duties of a wife, and running his household.
She was also to spin yarn for a new curtain for the temple. Joseph, being no
longer young, demurred, fearing ridicule. But he was told he must take her into
his care or suffer divine displeasure. She duly moved into his house and
cheerfully performed her duties. One day, when she was drawing water at the
well, she heard a voice call her name. Seeing no one, she was afraid and ran
back home. But when she arrived home the angel Gabriel appeared to her and told
her she would bear the Saviour. She was sixteen at the time.
At this point, Matthew and Luke fill in the most
important parts of the story. But the Infancy Gospel still has some fascinating
details which go beyond the space available to me here. You can find it here:
It will take you about 15 minutes to read. I warmly
recommend it.
David Mitchell
Annunciation, Greco, 1541-1614, Galleria estense di Modena, Modena, Italy.
From Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=48060 [retrieved March 14, 2020]. Original source: http://www.yorckproject.de.
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