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Posted February 23, 2010
Book: The Infancy Gospels of Jesus: Apocryphal Tales from the Childhoods of Mary and Jesus Translations and Annotation by Stevan Davies Skylight Paths, Woodstock, Vermont. 2009. Pp. 141 An Excerpt from the Jacket:
This fascinating and accessible exploration of formative influential narratives takes you deep into the early Christian religious thinking that provides the basis for Mary’s biography, ideas about her purity, as well as the prayers, feasts, and iconic representations that celebrate her life. These extraordinary folk-tales also provide some shocking imagery of the young Jesus, the incarnation of God — equally human and divine — as he learns to control his supernatural powers and apply them for good. An Excerpt from the Book: Mary’s Parents: Saint Joachim and Saint Anne As tales were told, sometimes there characters came to life in Christian tradition. Mary’s parents are never mentioned in the Bible, however, through the influence of the Gospel of James, where Mary’s parents are given names Joachim and Anne, these two legendary persons came to be honored in both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. In Hebrew the name of Mary’s mother would have been “Hannan,” in Greek it is “Anna,” and in English it is “Anne.” So, in this book, we will use “Anne” for her name. Today, in the Orthodox churches, Joachim and Anne have Sept. 9 as their feast day; in the Roman Catholic churches the date is July 26. Saint Anne is said to be the patroness of women in labor and Saint Joachim is known as the patron of grandparents. Mary’s early life needed to be located somewhere, and so traditions arose placing Mary’s birth and infancy in the capital of Judea, Jerusalem, where Anne and Joachim supposedly made their home. Her girlhood, though, was not spent at home. According to the Gospel of James, she was admitted into the Jerusalem Temple, where she lived, fed by angels of God, until puberty. Today, in the Old City of Jerusalem, if you walk down the Via Dolorosa toward the Lion’s Gate, with the sacred area of the Dome of the Rock on your right and the Muslim residential quarter on your left, you’ll notice a stone doorway with the words “BIRTH PLACE of the VIRGIN MARY” painted above it. God inside and a polite man will escort you down flights of stairs carved in stone and through a series of grottos. He will tell you that this was the ancient home of Saints Joachim and Anne, Mary’s parents. On the rugged stone walls of the grottos you will see icons in the Orthodox Christian style telling the story of Mary’s birth and depicting the day that Mary was delivered to the care of the high priest of the Temple of Jerusalem, which would have been located about a thousand feet to the south of this point. Table of Contents: The Gospel of James Joachim and Anne: the gift of Mary Mary: the story of her birth Mary: Raised in blessing and purity Joseph: Mary’s protector Mary: miraculous conception Joseph and Mary: accused and tested Mary and Joseph: the Christmas story The Magi: in search of a King Herod: the murder of Zechariah The Gospel of the Infancy A cave, not a stable: the Nativity story A sinful Mary and the anointing of Christ Jesus in the temple The Magi and Herod: varying views of Jesus Into Egypt: the Holy Family in flight Exorcising a deaf and dumb demon The bridegroom mule: a brother restored Bandits: in them Jesus sees his destiny Balsams in his path: the Holy Child returns The co-wife’s punishment Satan’s bite: the young Judas Iscariot Divine mischief: the boy Jesus at play The king, Christ and a snake The Infancy Gospel of Thomas The introduction to the Gospel of Thomas Clay sparrows: a dark miracle The vengeful boy: Christ in conflict The young healer explores his powers Divine carpenter: Jesus adjusts his elder’s mistakes The pupil teaches his teacher The miraculous physician In the house of my Father: Jesus in the temple |
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