. Mary's beauty and chastity and wisdom and devoutness described at length. She is fed daily by angels. 7. Abiathar the priest offers many gifts that Mary may marry his son. She refuses, saying that she has vowed perpetual virginity.

26. When Jesus was in Galilee at the beginning of his fourth year he was playing by the Jordan, and made seven pools. A boy spoilt them, and was struck dead. The parents complained. Joseph asked Mary to admonish Jesus. She begged him not to do such things, and he, not willing to grieve her, ‘smote the back side of the dead boy with his foot and bade him rise: which he did, and Jesus went on with his pools’. 27. He took clay from the pools and made twelve sparrows, on the sabbath. A Jew saw it and spoke to Joseph, who spoke to Jesus. Jesus clapped his hands and bade the sparrows fly away. All marvelled, and some went and told the chief priests and Pharisees. 28. The son of Annas the priest broke up the pools with a stick, and Jesus with a word withered him up. 29. Joseph was afraid and took Jesus home. On the way a boy ran against Jesus and got on his shoulder, meaning to hurt him. Jesus said, ‘May you not return whole from the way you go.’ He fell dead. Complaints of the parents, as in Thomas. Joseph to Jesus: ‘Why do you do such things? Many are now complaining against you and hate us on your account, and we suffer injuries through you.’ Jesus: ‘No son is wise whom his father has not taught according to the knowledge of this age, and the curse of his father hurts no man except those who do ill.’ All reviled Jesus to Joseph and he was afraid. ‘Then Jesus took the dead boy by the ear and held him up by it in the sight of all, and they saw Jesus speaking to him as a father to his son. And his spirit returned unto him and he lived again, and all marvelled.’ 30. Master Zacchaeus spoke reproachfully to Joseph; ‘You and Mary think more of your son than of the traditions of the elders.’ Joseph: ‘But who can teach him? if you can do so, we are very willing.’ Jesus overhearing said, ‘What you say is well for ordinary people: I have no earthly father. When I am lifted up from the earth I will make all mention of your descent to cease. I know when you were born and how long you have to live.’ All cried out in wonder, ‘We have never heard the like.’ Jesus: ‘Does this surprise you? I will tell you more. I have seen Abraham and spoken with him, and he has seen me.’ None could answer. Jesus: ‘I have been among you with the children, and you have not known me. I have spoken with you as with the wise and you have not understood my voice, for you are less than me, and of little faith.’ 31. Zacchaeus said, ‘Give him to me and I will take him to Levi who shall teach him letters.’ Levi bade him answer to Aleph: he was silent. Levi smote him with a rod of storax on the head. Jesus: ‘Why do you hit me? Know of a truth that he who is smitten teaches the smiter more than he is taught of him. For I can teach you the things that you yourself say. But all these who speak and hear are blind like sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal wherein is no perception of those things that are signified by their sound.’ Further he said to Zacchaeus, ‘Every letter from Aleph to Thau is discerned by the arrangement of it. First say what Thau is, and I will tell you what Aleph is.’ And again he said, ‘They who do not know Aleph, how can they tell Thau, hypocrites that they are? Say what Aleph is first and then will I believe you when you say Beth. He said to the master, ‘Let the master of the law say what the first letter is, or why it has many triangles [eight adjectives follow].’ Levi was stupefied and then began to lament, ‘Ought he to live on the earth? Nay, rather is he worthy to be hung on a great cross. He can put out fire and escape all torments by guile. I think he was born before the flood, before the deluge. What womb bare him? What mother gave him birth? What breasts suckled him? I fly before him’, etc., etc. Jesus smiled and said with command to all the children of Israel that stood and heard him, ‘Let the unfruitful bear fruit, and the blind see, and the lame walk straight, and the poor enjoy good things, and the dead revive, and every one return into a restored state, and abide in him who is the root of life and of everlasting sweetness.’ All were healed who had fallen into evil infirmities. No one thereafter dared to say aught to him or hear aught of him. 32. At Nazareth the boy Zeno fell from the upper storey and was raised. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus went thence to Jericho. 33. Jesus' pitcher was broken by a child, and he brought water in his cloak. 34. He took a little corn out of his mother's barn and sowed it. When reaped it made three measures, which he gave away. 35–6. [Translated below.] 37. A bed of six cubits was ordered of Joseph, and he told his lad to cut a beam of the right length, but he made it too short. Joseph was troubled. Jesus pulled it out to the right length. 38. He went to school the second time. ‘Say Alpha.’ Jesus: ‘Tell me first what Beta is, and I will tell you what Alpha is.’ The master smote him and died.

When she was fourteen, a council was held and Israel was summoned to the temple on the third day. The high priest addressed them and said that since Solomon's time there had always been noble virgins brought up in the temple and married when they were of age. But Mary had vowed virginity and it must be ascertained who should take charge of her. Those who had no wives were to bring rods. There was no sign, so Abiathar went in and prayed, and an angel pointed out that one very small rod had not been returned to its owner. This was Joseph's. The dove appeared. Joseph resisted, but was overcome: he stipulated that some virgins should accompany Mary. Rebecca, Sephora, Susanna, Abigea, and Zahel were chosen. They cast lots for the colours of the veil. Mary had the purple: the others were jealous and called her in sport ‘Regina virginum’. An angel rebuked them and said it was a true prophecy. They were abashed and asked Mary to pray for them. 9. Mary at the fountain addressed by an angel. On the next day as she wove he appeared again and completed the Annunciation. 10. Joseph returned from Capernaum and found Mary great with child. His lament. The virgins defended Mary, but Joseph lamented still. 11. The angel reassured him, and he asked pardon of Mary. 12. Rumour went forth, and Joseph and Mary were summoned by the priests. The water of jealousy administered by Abiathar. Joseph and Mary each went about the altar seven times and no sign appeared. All asked her pardon and took her home in triumph.

4. Mary is born. At three years old she is taken to the temple and walks up fifteen steps.

Summary

By way of introducing the book under good auspices the compiler has provided it with credentials in the form of pretended letters: (a) from two bishops, Cromatius and Heliodorus, to Jerome; (b) from Jerome to Cromatius and Heliodorus. I

Pseudo‐Matthew 1–17 is based on PJ, and 26–34, 37–9, and 41 on Infancy Thomas.2 For this reason, only extracts are translated here, namely the fictitious letters, 13–14, and the unique material (18–25, 35–6, 40, 42), preceded by a summary of the whole. One of the reasons for the absence of extant manuscripts in Latin of the Protevangelium of James may be that the contents of PJ in Latin are to be found in Pseudo‐Matthew, and in the Gospel of the Birth of Mary. The latter is derived from Pseudo‐Matthew: the interrelationship of the two has been investigated by Amann (below, under ‘Modern Translations, French’). (The citation of the contents of PJ as known to the Latin Fathers through the secondary works is set out by him too.) Conversely Pseudo‐Matthew as such seems not to have been known in the East, or in the Eastern versions. As far as detailed differences between Pseudo‐Matthew and PJ are concerned, one may note the following: Anna's father, Achar, is mentioned only in Pseudo‐Matthew; in Pseudo‐Matthew Abiathar is high‐priest when Mary is espoused to Joseph, in PJ it is Zacharias; Pseudo‐Matthew embellishes PJ by including the circumcision and purification. Pseudo‐Matthew does not include the catalepsy of nature, or John the Baptist, or Zacharias, absences which are possibly relevant in discussing the original form of PJ. Links between the Gospel of the Birth of Mary and Pseudo‐Matthew are strong.

This work used to be known as the Liber de Infantia (sc. of both Mary and Jesus), or the Historia de Nativitate Mariae et de Infantia Salvatoris. It was very influential in the Middle Ages and was the main vehicle for popularizing the Protevangelium Jacobi (= PJ) and the Infancy Gospel of Thomas. Much medieval art is indecipherable without reference to books such as Pseudo‐Matthew.