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The Gospel of the Birth of Mary
CHAPTER III
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.
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