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The Gospel Called the Protevangelion
Chapter XVI
1 Herod enraged, orders the infants in Bethlehem to be slain.
2 Mary puts her infant in an ox-manger.
3 Elizabeth flees with her son John to the mountains.
6 A mountain miraculously divides and receives them.
9 Herod incensed at the escape of John, causes Zacharias
to be murdered at the altar.
23 The roofs of the temple rent, the body miraculously
conveyed, and the blood petrified.
25 Israel mourns for him.
27 Simeon chosen his successor by lot.
THEN Herod perceiving that
he was mocked by the wise
men, and being very angry,
commanded certain men to go and
to kill all the children that were
in Bethlehem, from two years old
and under.
2 But Mary hearing that the
children were to be killed, being
under much fear, took the child,
and wrapped him up in swaddling
clothes, and laid him in an
ox-manger, because there was no
room for them in the inn.
3 Elizabeth also, hearing that
her son John was about to be
searched for, took him and went
up unto the mountains, and looked
around for a place to hide him;
4 And there was no secret place
to be found.
5 Then she groaned within herself,
and said, O mountain of the Lord,
receive the mother with the child.
6 For Elizabeth could not climb up,
7 And instantly the mountain
was divided and received them.
8 And there appeared to them
an angel of the Lord to preserve
them.
9 But Herod made search after
John, and sent servants to Zacharias,
when he was (ministering) at the altar,
and said unto him, Where hast thou hid
thy son?
10 He replied, to them, I am a
minister of God, and a servant at
the altar: how should I know
where my son is?
11 So the servants went back,
and told Herod the whole; at
which he was incensed, and said,
Is not this son of his like to be
king of Israel?
12 He sent therefore again his
servants to Zacharias, saying, Tell
us the truth, where is thy son, for
you know that your life is in my
hand.
13 So the servants went and told
him all this:
14 But Zacharias replied to
them, I am a martyr for God, and
if ye shed my blood, the Lord will
receive my soul.
15 Besides know that ye shed
innocent blood.
16 However Zacharias was murdered
in the entrance of the temple
said altar, and about the partition;
17 But the children of Israel
knew not when he want killed.
18 Then at the hour of salutation
the priests went into the temple
but Zacharias did not according
to custom, meet them and bless them.
19 Yet they still continued
waiting for him to salute them;
20 And when they found he did
not in a long time come, one of
them ventured into the holy place
where the altar was, and he saw
blood lying upon the ground
congealed:
21 When, behold, a voice from
heaven said, Zacharias is murdered,
and his blood shall not be
wiped away, until the revenger
of his blood come.
22 But when he heard this, he
was afraid; and went forth and told
the priests what he had seen and
heard; and they all went in, and
saw the fact.
23 Then the roofs of the temple
howled, and were rent from the
top to the bottom:
24 And they could not find the
body, but only blood made hard
like stone.
25 And they went away, and
told the people, that Zacharias
was murdered, and all the tribes
of Israel heard thereof, and mourned
for him, and lamented three days:
26 Then the priests took
council together concerning
a person to succeed him.
27 And Simeon and the other
priests cast lots, and the lot fell
upon Simeon.
28 For he had been assured by
the Holy Spirit, that he should not
die, till he had seen Christ come in
the flesh.
(I James wrote this History in Jerusalem: and when the disturbance
was I retired into a desert place, until the death of Herod, and the
disturbances ceased at Jerusalem. That which remains is, that I
glorify God that he hath given me such wisdom to write unto you who
are spiritual, and who love God: to whom (be ascribed) glory and
dominion for ever and ever. Amen.)
THE PROTEVANGELION.
Note on the death of Zacharias in Chap. 16.
There is a story both in the Jerusalem and Babylonish Talmud very similar
to this. It is cited by Dr. Lightfoot, Talmud, Hierosol, in Taanith, fol.
69; and Talmud. Babyl. in Sanhedr., fol. 96. "O Rabbi Jochanan said,
Eighty thousand priests were slain for the blood of Zacharias. Rabbi
Judas asked Rabbi Achan, Where did they kill Zacharias? Was it in the
woman's court, or in the court of Israel? He answered, Neither in the
court of Israel, nor in the court of women, but in the court of the
priests; and they did not treat his blood in the same manner as they were
wont to treat the blood of a ram or young goat. For of these it is
written, He shall pour out his blood, and cover it with dust. But it is
written here, The blood is in the midst of her: she set it upon the top
of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground. (Ezek. xxiv. 7.) But why
was this? That it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance: I have
set his blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered.
They committed seven evils that day: they murdered a priest, a prophet,
and a king; they shed the blood of the innocent; they polluted the court:
that day was the Sabbath: and the day of expiation. When therefore
Nebuzaradan came there (viz. to Jerusalem,) he saw his blood bubbling,
and said to them, What meaneth this? They answered, It is the blood of
calves, lambs, and rams, which we have offered upon the altar. He
commanded then, that they should bring calves, and lambs, and rams, and
said I will try whether this be their blood: accordingly they brought
and slew them, but the blood of Zacharias still bubbled, but the blood of
these did not bubble. Then he said, Declare to me the truth of this
matter, or else I will comb your flesh with iron combs. Then said they to
him, He was a priest, prophet, and judge, who prophesied to Israel all
these calamities which we have suffered from you; but we arose against
him, and slew him. Then, said he, I will appease him; then he took the
rabbis and slew them upon his (viz. Zacharias's) blood, and he was not
yet appeased. Next he took the young boys from the schools, and slew them
upon his blood; and yet it bubbled. Then he brought the young priests and
slew them in the same place, and yet it still bubbled. So he slew at
length ninety-four thousand persons upon his blood, and it did not as yet
cease bubbling; then he drew near to it, and said, O Zacharias,
Zacharias, thou halt occasioned the death of the chief of thy
countrymen, shall I slay them all? then the blood ceased, and did bubble
no more."
REFERENCES TO THE PROTEVANGELION.
[This Gospel is ascribed to James. The allusions to it in the ancient
Fathers are frequent, and their expressions indicate that it had
obtained a very general credit in the Christian world. The controversies
founded upon it chiefly relate to the age of Joseph at the birth of
Christ, and to his being a widower with children, before his marriage
with the Virgin. It seems material to remark, that the legends of the
latter ages affirm the virginity of Joseph, notwithstanding Epiphanius,
Hilary, Chrysostom, Cyril, Euthymius, Thephylaet, Occumenius, and indeed
all the Latin Fathers till Ambrose, and the Greek Fathers afterwards,
maintain the opinions of Joseph's age and family, founded upon their
belief in the authenticity of this book. It is supposed to have been
originally composed in Hebrew. Postellus brought the MS. of this Gospel
from the Levant, translated it into Latin, and sent it to Oporimus,
a printer at Basil, where Bibliander, a Protestant Divine, and the
Professor of Divinity at Zurich, caused it to be printed in 1552.
Postellus asserts that it was publicly read as canonical in the eastern
churches they making no doubt that James was the author, of it. It is,
nevertheless considered apocryphal by some of the most learned divines in
the Protestant and Catholic churches.]
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