and they shall be for the priests and elders; and bring me one hundred goats, and these one hundred goats shall be for all the people. And, behold, Joachim arrived with his flocks and his shepherds, and Anne stood in the gate, and saw Joachim coming with his flocks and his shepherds, and she ran and fell on his neck, saying, Now I know that the Lord God will bless me abundantly— Behold, I who was a widow am a widow no more; and who was barren shall have a child. And Anne had a daughter, and called her name Mary.. And when she had completed her first year, Joachim made a great feast, and invited the chief priests, and scribes, and all the senate, and all the people of Israel, and he presented his gift to the chief priests, who blessed her, saying, May the God of our fathers bless this damsel, and let her name be celebrated in all generations; and all the people said, May it be so. Amen. Amen. And he presented her to the priests, and they blessed her, saying, May the Most High God regard this damsel, and bless her with an unintermitted blessing. And her mother took her and suckled her. And Anne made this song to the Lord God, saying, I will sing praises to the Lord my God, because he has visited me, and taken away from me the reproach of my enemies; and the Lord God has given me the multiplied fruits of his mercy in his presence. Let it, therefore, be announced to Reuben's son, that Anne gives suck. Hear, hear, O twelve tribes of Israel, Anne gives suck. And she laid her down in the place where she had made her sanctuary, and went out and waited on the guests. And when the feast was ended, they departed rejoicing and glorifying the God of Israel. When Mary was three years old, she was presented to the high priest, and brought up in the temple like a dove, and received food from the hands of Angels. Now, when Mary had been twelve years in the temple of the Lord,

a council of the priests was held, saying, Behold Mary has been twelve years in the temple of the Lord, what shall we do with her, lest, peradventure, she defile the sanctuary of the Lord our God? Then the priests said to Zachariah the high priest, Do thou stand at the altar of the Lord and pray for her; and whatever God manifests as his will, that will we do: And the high priest took the ephod, and entered into the holiest of holies, and prayed for her; and behold the Angel of the Lord descended to him, saying, Zachariah, Zachariah, go out and convoke the widowers of the people, and give each of them a rod, and she shall be the wife for preservation of him, to whom God displays a sign. And criers went out into all the regions of Judea, and sounded the trumpet of the Lord, and all ran to it. Joseph also threw down his axe, and went out to meet them; and the assembly went to the high priest to receive their rods: he also entered the temple to receive a rod from him, and prayed; and when he had finished his prayer, he received a rod and went out. Then each man returned his rod, but no sign appeared. At last Joseph took his rod, and behold a dove came out of the rod, and flew to Joseph's head. Then the high priest said to Joseph, Thou art elected by the divine lot to receive the virgin of the Lord into thy protection. And Joseph opposed it, saying, I have children*, and am an old man, while

*Joseph's Children have excited much controversy among Theologians. Fabricius cites from Epiphanius Hæres, LI. 10. that he was a widower, and had six children by his first wife. Hippolytus of Thebes, and other writers, mention his having four sons and two daughters; who were James, Simon, Jude, and Joses; and Esther and Thamar, who by transposition was called Martha.-His wife's name was Escha, or Salome, daughter of Anchiah, the brother of Zachariah, John the Baptist's father. The fragment of Sophronius, published by Lambecius, Bibl. Vindob. p. 54, adds a third daughter-the mother of Salome, who was married to Zebedee, the father of James and the Evangelist John. Codex Apoc. Novi Testam. Tom, 1, p. 31, 32. Gerson makes Anne the mother of three Maries by Joa

The

she is quite a maiden, and, therefore, fear making myself a laughing-stock to the children of Israel. high priest then said to Joseph, Fear the Lord thy God, and remember what. God did to Dathan, Abiram, and Korah-how the earth opened and devoured them for their opposition to his will. Fear God, therefore, Joseph, lest this happen to thy house. And Joseph was alarmed, and accepted her, and said to her, Mary, behold I receive thee from the temple of the Lord, and leave thee in thy house, and go to exercise my calling, and return to thee; and the Lord preserve thee at all times.*

The spurious gospel then relates the annunciation of the birth of Jesus in nearly the same language as the Evangelist.

chim, Cleophas and Salome, marries them to Joseph, Alpheus, and Zebedee, and mentions Jesus as the son of Joseph's wife; James, Joseph, Simon, and Jude, as the children of Alpheus, and James and John as Zebedee's sons. This genealogy agrees with a MS. account in the British Museum, except making Joseph Barsabas the son of Cleophas, while that refers him to Zebedee. Gersoni Sermone de nativitate gloriosæ Virginis Mariæ. Opera pars tertia 131, Paris, 1616.-Geneal. Christi, King's Library, 1 B. x. Anroux published a tract against the repeated marriages of SS. Anne and Joseph, entitled Sacree apologie pour le bien heureuse St. Anne, et le bien heureuse St. Joseph, mere et espoux de la sainte vierge contre les trigamie et bigamie qui leurs sont imposees. Paris, 1662, 12mo. The Lives of the Saints compiled by the Bollandists in fifty folio volumes, contain a dissertation, impugning Anne's third marriage, and relations of many miracles, said to have been performed by their relics and through their intercession Acta Sanctorum Vita Annæ, Mensis Julius, Tom. 6. Vita Josephi. Mensis Martis, Tom. 3.

* Louis de Dieu's Latin translation of Xavier's Persian History of Christ, describes Mary's person in these terms. "Mary was of a moderate height, and rather florid complexion. Her eyes were large, verging towards blue-her hair auburn-her hands and fingers long and beautiful-her figure symmetrical in every part-her language was peculiarly pleasing-her aspect modest and benign-her clothing poor but neat. So much glory and majesty appeared in her person, that when the wicked viewed her awful countenance, they reflected, and withdrew, and were made different persons.-All loved, and praised, and thought much of her, for the excellence and sweetness of her manner, and her humility. Lastly, her conversation in public and private was such, as for goodness, and dignity, became the Messiah's mother."

In the year of the world 3998, before the birth of Christ two years-before the common era six-the angel Gabriel was sent to Zachariah to predict the birth of John, the precursor of Jesus. Luke i. 5, 25.

Year of the world 3999, before Christ one-before the common era five. Gabriel is sent to Mary the espoused wife of Joseph, in Nazareth of Galilee, to announce that she would be blessed among women, by giving birth to Jesus the promised Messiah. Luke i. 26, 38.

Soon after the angelical salutation, Mary visited her maternal cousin Elizabeth-resided with her about three months; and returned home a short time previously to John the Baptist's birth.* Luke i. 39, 80.

On Mary's return to Nazareth, Joseph suspecting her of incontinency, intended privately divorcing her, but is prevented by an angel revealing the divine conception of Jesus. Matt. i. 18, 25.

The emperor Augustus having ordered the enrollment of every person in his own city, Joseph and Mary went up to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, and his birth announced by an angel to shepherds keeping watch over their flock by night. Luke ii. 1, 20.

The gospel attributed to St. James notices some accompaniments to the nativity not mentioned by St. Luke.

And Joseph entering a cave, left Mary and his children in the cave while he went to seek an Hebrew midwife in the regions of Bethlehem; I, said Joseph, walking about, looked up to heaven and saw the air troubled, and the birds of heaven stopping in the midst of their

* The visitation of Elizabeth by the Virgin Mary is placed on the 2nd of July in both the Protestant and Catholic calendars:-This is evidently erroneous, as the annunciation is celebrated on the 25th of March; and Saint Luke relates, chap. i. 39, &c. That Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda, and entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elizabeth; and John's birth is commemorated on the 24th of June.

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course; and looking on the earth I saw a dish with food, and recumbent labourers, whose hands were in the dish; but the eaters did not eat, and those who raised their hands to their heads took nothing; and those who brought them to their mouths carried nothing; but all their faces were intently directed upward: and behold the sheep were dispersed and did not proceed, but stood still; and when the shepherd raised his hand to strike them with his rod his hand remained directed upward. Looking at the torrents of the river I saw the mouths of goats hanging over the water, but they could not drink; for all were immediately impelled from their course. And I saw a woman descending from the mountains, who said to me, O man, where goest thou? I replied, To seek an Hebrew midwife in Israel. She then said, Where is the woman that requires my aid? I replied, In a cave, and she is betrothed to me. She said, Is she not thy wife? And Joseph said, She is not my wife, but is Mary, who was brought up in the holy of holies in the temple of the Lord-was given to me by lot, and has conceived by the Holy Spirit. The midwife said, Is this true? And I replied, Come and see. The midwife then went with me; and when we arrived opposite the cave, behold a bright cloud enveloped it. And the midwife said, My soul is magnified this day, because my eyes see wonders, and the Saviour of Israel is born. Suddenly a great light from the cloud was in the cave, such as their eyes could not bear, which gradually diminished until the infant was visible and received suck from his mother Mary; and the midwife exclaimed, and said, This is a great day to me, because I have seen this great spectacle.

Year of the world 4001-of Christ two-before the 'common era three. About a year after the birth of

Jesus, Wise Men came from the East to Jerusalem, say