These are all forms of
Christian Apocrypha
Revelation of Paul -
Revelation of John the Theologian -
Gospel of Marcion -
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew - part 1 -
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew - part 2 -
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew - part 3 -
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew - part 4 -
Gospel of Peter -
Gospel of the Nativity of Mary -
Gospel of Mary of Magdalene -
Gospel of James -
Gospel of Bartholomew -
Gospel of Nicodemus -
Consummation of Thomas the Apostle -
Compilation of Thomas - part 1 -
Compilation of Thomas - part 2 -
Apocalypse of the Virgin -
Apocalypse of Peter -
Apocalypse of Thomas -
Acts of Thomas -
Acts of Phillip -
Acts of Peter -
Acts of Peter and Paul -
Acts of Peter and Andrew -
Acts of Paul -
Acts of John -
Acts of John the Theologian -
Acts of Barnabus -
Acts of Andrew and Matthew -
Acts and Martyrdom of Matthew -
Acts and Martyrdom of Andrew
THE GOSPEL OF PSEUDO-MATTHEW
HERE beginneth the book of the Birth of the Blessed Mary
and the Infancy of the Saviour. Written in Hebrew by the
Blessed Evangelist Matthew, and translated into Latin by the
Blessed Presbyter Jerome.
To their well-beloved brother Jerome the Presbyter,
Bishops Cromatius and Heliodorus in the Lord, greeting.
The birth of the Virgin Mary, and the nativity and
infancy of our Lord Jesus Christ, we find in apocryphal
books. But considering that in them many things contrary to
our faith are written, we have believed that they ought all
to be rejected, lest perchance we should transfer the joy of
Christ to Antichrist. (1) While, therefore, we were
considering these things, there came holy men, Parmenius and
Varinus, who said that your Holiness had found a Hebrew
volume, written by the hand of the most blessed Evangelist
Matthew, in which also the birth of the virgin mother
herself, and the infancy of our Saviour, were written. And
accordingly we entreat your affection by our Lord Jesus
Christ Himself, to render it from the Hebrew into Latin, (2)
not so much for the attainment of those things which are the
insignia of Christ, as for the exclusion of the craft of
heretics, who, in order to teach bad doctrine, have mingled
their own lies with the excellent nativity of Christ, that by
the sweetness of life they might hide the bitterness of
death. It will therefore become your purest piety, either to
listen to us as your brethren entreating, or to let us have
as bishops exacting, the debt of affection which you may deem
due.
REPLY TO THEIR LETTER BY JEROME.
To my lords the holy and most blessed Bishops Cromatius
and Heliodorus, Jerome, a humble servant of Christ, in the
Lord greeting.
He who digs in ground where he knows that there is gold,
(3) does not instantly snatch at whatever the uptorn trench
may pour forth; but, before the stroke of the quivering spade
raises aloft the glittering mass, he meanwhile lingers over
the sods to turn them over and lift them up, and especially
he who has not added to his gains. An arduous task is
enjoined upon me, since what your Blessedness has commanded
me, the holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew himself did not
write for the purpose of publishing. For if he had not done
it somewhat secretly, he would have added it also to his
Gospel which he published. But he composed this book in
Hebrew; and so little did he publish it, that at this day the
book written in Hebrew by his own hand is in the possession
of very religious men, to whom in successive periods of time
it has been handed down by those that were before them. And
this book they never at any time gave to any one to
translate. And so it came to pass, that when it was published
by a disciple of Manichaeus named Leucius, who also wrote the
falsely styled Acts of the Apostles, this book afforded
matter, not of edification, but of perdition; and the opinion
of the Synod in regard to it was according to its deserts,
that the ears of the Church should not be open to it. Let the
snapping of those that bark against us now cease; for we do
not add this little book to the canonical writings, but we
translate what was written by an Apostle and Evangelist, that
we may disclose the falsehood of heresy. In this work, then,
we obey the commands of pious bishops as well as oppose
impious heretics. It is the love of Christ, therefore, which
we fulfil, believing that they will assist us by their
prayers, who through our obedience attain to a knowledge of
the holy infancy of our Saviour.
There is extant another letter to the same bishops,
attributed to Jerome: --
You ask me to let you know what I think of a book held by
some to be about the nativity of St. Mary. And so I wish you
to know that there is much in it that is false. For one
Seleucus, who wrote the Sufferings of the Apostles, composed
this book. But, just as he wrote what was true about their
powers, and the miracles they worked, but said a great deal
that was false about their doctrine; so here too he has
invented many untruths out of his own head. I shall take care
to render it word for word, exactly as it is in the Hebrew,
since it is asserted that it was composed by the holy
Evangelist Matthew, and written in Hebrew, and set at the
head of his Gospel. Whether this be true or not, I leave to
the author of the preface and the trustworthiness of the
writer: as for myself, I pronounce them doubtful; I do not
affirm that they are clearly false. But this I say freely--
and I think none of the faithful will deny it -- that,
whether these stories be true or inventions, the sacred
nativity of St. Mary was preceded by great miracles, and
succeeded by the greatest; and so by those who believe that
God can do these things, they can be believed and read
without damaging their faith or imperilling their souls. In
short, so far as I can, following the sense rather than the
words of the writer, and sometimes walking in the same path,
though not in the same footsteps, sometimes digressing a
little, but still keeping the same road, I shall in this way
keep by the style of the narrative, and shall say nothing
that is not either written there, or might, following the
same train of thought, have been written.
CHAP. 1. (1) -- In those days there was a man in
Jerusalem, Joachim by name, of the tribe of Judah. He was the
shepherd of his own sheep, fearing the Lord in integrity and
singleness of heart. He had no other care than that of his
herds, from the produce of which he supplied with food all
that feared God, offering double gifts in the fear of God to
all who laboured in doctrine, and who ministered unto Him.
Therefore his lambs, and his sheep, and his wool, and all
things whatsoever he possessed, he used to divide into three
portions: one he gave to the orphans, the widows, the
strangers, and the poor; the second to those that worshipped
God; and the third he kept for himself and all his house. (2)
And as he did so, the Lord multiplied to him his herds, so
that there was no man like him in the people of Israel. This
now he began to do when he was fifteen years old. And at the
age of twenty he took to wife Anna, the daughter of Achar, of
his own tribe, that is, of the tribe of Judah, of the family
of David. And though they had lived together for twenty
years, he had by her neither sons nor daughters. (3)
CHAP. 2. -- And it happened that, in the time of the
feast, among those who were offering incense to the Lord,
Joachim stood getting ready his gifts in the sight of the
Lord. And the priest, Ruben by name, coming to him, said: It
is not lawful for thee to stand among those who are doing
sacrifice to God, because God has not blessed thee so as to
give thee seed in lsrael. Being therefore put to shame in the
sight of the people, he retired from the temple of the Lord
weeping, and did not return to his house, but went to his
flocks, taking with him his shepherds into the mountains to a
far country, so that for five months his wife Anna could hear
no tidings of him. And she prayed with tears, saying: O Lord,
most mighty God of Israel, why hast Thou, seeing that already
Thou hast not given me children, taken from me my husband
also? Behold, now five months that I have not seen my
husband; and I know not where he is tarrying; (4) nor, if I
knew him to be dead, could I bury him. And while she wept
excessively, she entered into the court of His house; and she
fell on her face in prayer, and poured out her supplications
before the Lord. After this, rising from her prayer, and
lifting her eyes to God, she saw a sparrow's nest in a laurel
tree, (5) and uttered her voice to the Lord with groaning,
and said: Lord God Almighty, who hast given offspring to
every creature, to beasts wild and tame, to serpents, and
birds, and fishes, and they all rejoice over their young
ones, Thou hast shut out me alone from the gift of Thy
benignity. For Thou, O God, knowest my heart, that from the
beginning of my married life I have vowed that, if Thou, O
God, shouldst give me son or daughter, I would offer them to
Thee in Thy holy temple. And while she was thus speaking,
suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared before her, saying: Be
not afraid, Anna, for there is seed for thee in the decree of
God; and all generations even to the end shall wonder at that
which shall be born of thee. And when he had thus spoken, he
vanished out of her sight. But she, in fear and dread because
she had seen such a sight, and heard such words, at length
went into her bed-chamber, and threw herself on the bed as if
dead. And for a whole day and night she remained in great
trembling and in prayer. And after these things she called to
her her servant, and said to her: Dost thou see me deceived
in my widowhood and in great perplexity, and hast thou been
unwilling to come in to me? Then she, with a slight murmur,
thus answered and said: If God hath shut up thy womb, and
hath taken away thy husband from thee, what can I do for
thee? And when Anna heard this, she lifted up her voice, and
wept aloud.
CHAP. 3. -- At the same time there appeared a young man
on the mountains to Joachim while he was feeding his flocks,
and said to him: Why dost thou not return to thy wife? And
Joachim said: I have had her for twenty years, and it has not
been the will of God to give me children by her. I have been
driven with shame and reproach from the temple of the Lord:
why should I go back to her, when I have been once cast off
and utterly despised? Here then will I remain with my sheep;
and so long as in this life God is willing to grant me light,
I shall willingly, by the hands of my servants, bestow their
portions upon the poor, and the orphans, and those that fear
God. And when he had thus spoken, the young man said to him:
I am an angel of the Lord, and I have to-day appeared to thy
wife when she was weeping and praying, and have consoled her;
and know that she has conceived a daughter from thy seed, and
thou in thy ignorance of this hast left her. She will be in
the temple of God, and the Holy Spirit shall abide in her;
and her blessedness shall be greater than that of all the
holy women, so that no one can say that any before her has
been like her, or that any after her in this world will be
so. Therefore go down from the mountains, and return to thy
wife, whom thou wilt find with child. For God hath raised up
seed in her, and for this thou wilt give God thanks; and her
seed shall be blessed, and she herself shall be blessed, and
shall be made the mother of eternal blessing. Then Joachim
adored the angel, and said to him: If I have found favour in
thy sight, sit for a little in my tent, and bless thy
servant. (1) And the angel said to him: Do not say servant,
but fellow-servant; for we are the servants of one Master.
(2) But my food is invisible, and my drink cannot be seen by
a mortal. Therefore thou oughtest not to ask me to enter thy
tent; but if thou wast about to give me anything, (3) offer
it as a burnt-offering to the Lord. Then Joachim took a lamb
without spot, and said to the angel: I should not have dared
to offer a burnt-offering to the Lord, unless thy command had
given me the priest's right of offering. (4) And the angel
said to him: I should not have invited thee to offer unless I
had known the will of the Lord. And when Joachim was offering
the sacrifice to God, the angel and the odour of the
sacrifice went together straight up to heaven with the smoke.
(5)
Then Joachim, throwing himself on his face, lay in prayer
from the sixth hour of the day even until evening. And his
lads and hired servants who were with him saw him, and not
knowing why he was lying down, thought that he was dead; and
they came to him, and with difficulty raised him from the
ground. And when he recounted to them the vision of the
angel, they were struck with great fear and wonder, and
advised him to accomplish the vision of the angel without
delay, and to go back with all haste to his wife. And when
Joachim was turning over in his mind whether he should go
back or not, it happened that he was overpowered by a deep
sleep; and, behold, the angel who had already appeared to him
when awake, appeared to him in his sleep, saying: I am the
angel appointed by God as thy guardian: go down with
confidence, and return to Anna, because the deeds of mercy
which thou and thy wife Anna have done have been told in the
presence of the Most High; and to you will God give such
fruit as no prophet or saint has ever had from the beginning,
or ever will have. And when Joachim awoke out of his sleep,
he called all his herdsmen to him, and told them his dream.
And they worshipped the Lord, and said to him: See that thou
no further despise the words of the angel. But rise and let
us go hence, and return at a quiet pace, feeding our flocks.
And when, after thirty days occupied in going back, they
were now near at hand, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared
to Anna, who was standing and praying, and said: (6) Go to
the gate which is called Golden, (7) and meet thy husband in
the way, for to-day he will come to thee. She therefore went
towards him in haste With her maidens, and, praying to the
Lord, she stood a long time in the gate waiting for him. And
when she was wearied with long waiting, she lifted up her
eyes and saw Joachim afar off coming with his flocks; and she
ran to him and hung on his neck, giving thanks to God, and
saying: I was a widow, and behold now I am not so: I was
barren, and behold I have now conceived. And so they
worshipped the Lord, and went into their own house. And when
this was heard of, there was great joy among all their
neighbours and acquaintances, so that the whole land of
lsrael congratulated them.
CHAP. 4. --After these things, her nine months being
fulfilled, Anna brought forth a daughter, and called her
Mary. And having weaned her in her third year, Joachim, and
Anna his wife, went together to the temple of the Lord to
offer sacrifices to God, and placed the infant, Mary by name,
in the community of virgins, in which the virgins remained
day and night praising God. And when she was put down before
the doors of the temple, she went up the fifteen steps (1) so
swiftly, that she did not look back at all; nor did she, as
children are wont to do, seek for her parents. Whereupon her
parents, each of them anxiously seeking for the child, were
both alike astonished, until they found her in the temple,
and the priests of the temple themselves wondered.
CHAP. 5. -- Then Anna, filled with the Holy Spirit, said
before them all: The Lord Almighty, the God of Hosts, being
mindful of His word, hath visited His people with a good and
holy visitation, to bring down the hearts of the Gentiles who
were rising against us, and turn them to Himself. He hath
opened His ears to our prayers: He hath kept away from us the
exulting of all our enemies. The barren hath become a mother,
and hath brought forth exultation and gladness to lsrael.
Behold the gifts which I have brought to offer to my Lord,
and mine enemies have not been able to hinder me. For God
hath turned their hearts to me, and Himself hath given me
everlasting joy.
CHAP. 6. -- And Mary was held in admiration by all the
people of Israel; and when she was three years old, she
walked with a step so mature, she spoke so perfectly, and
spent her time so assiduously in the praises of God, that all
were astonished at her, and wondered; and she was not
reckoned a young infant, but as it were a grown-up person of
thirty years old. She was so constant in prayer, and her
appearance was so beautiful and glorious, that scarcely any
one could look into her face. And she occupied herself
constantly with her wool-work, so that she in her tender
years could do all that old women were not able to do. And
this was the order that she had set for herself: (2) From
the morning to the third hour she remained in prayer; from
the third to the ninth she was occupied with her weaving; and
from the ninth she again applied herself to prayer. She did
not retire from praying until there appeared to her the
angel of the Lord, from whose hand she used to receive food;
and thus she became more and more perfect in the work of God.
Then, when the older virgins rested from the praises of God,
she did not rest at all; so that in the praises and vigils of
God none were found before her, no one more learned in the
wisdom of the law of God, more lowly in humility, more
elegant in singing, more perfect in all virtue. She was
indeed stedfast, immoveable, unchangeable, and daily
advancing to perfection. No one saw her angry, nor heard her
speaking evil. All her speech was so full of grace, that her
God was acknowledged to be in her tongue. She was always
engaged in prayer and in searching the law, and she was
anxious lest by any word of hers she should sin with regard
to her companions. Then she was afraid lest in her laughter,
or the sound of her beautiful voice, she should commit any
fault, or lest, being elated, she should display any wrong-
doing or haughtiness to one of her equals. (3) She blessed
God without intermission; and lest perchance, even in her
salutation, she might cease from praising God; if any one
saluted her, she used to answer by way of salutation: Thanks
be to God. And from her the custom first began of men saying,
Thanks be to God, when they saluted each other. She refreshed
herself only with the food which she daily received from the
hand of the angel; but the food which she obtained from the
priests she divided among the poor. The angels of God were
often seen speaking with her, and they most diligently obeyed
her. If any one who was unwell touched her, the same hour he
went home cured.
CHAP. 7. -- Then Abiathar the priest offered gifts without
end to the high priests, in order that he might obtain her as
wife to his son. But Mary forbade them, saying: It cannot be
that I should know a man, or that a man should know me. For
all the priests and all her relations kept saying to her:
God is worshipped in children and adored in posterity, as has
always happened among the sons of Israel. But Mary answered
and said unto them: God is worshipped in chastity, as is
proved first of all. (4) For before Abel there was none
righteous among men, and he by his offerings pleased God, and
was without mercy slain by him who displeased Him. Two
crowns, therefore, he received -- of oblation and of
virginity, because in his flesh there was no pollution. Elias
also, when he was in the flesh, was taken up in the flesh,
because he kept his flesh unspotted. Now I, from my infancy
in the temple of God, have learned that virginity can be
sufficiently dear to God. And so, because I can offer what is
dear to God, I have resolved in my heart that I should not
know a man at all.
CHAP. 8. -- Now it came to pass, when she was fourteen s
years old, and on this account there was occasion for the
Pharisees' saying that it was now a custom that no woman of
that age should abide in the temple of God, they fell upon
the plan of sending a herald through all the tribes of
lsrael, that on the third day all should come together into
the temple of the Lord. And when all the people had come
together, Abiathar the high priest rose, and mounted on a
higher step, that he might be seen and heard by all the
people; and when great silence had been obtained, he said:
Hear me, O sons of Israel, and receive my words into your
ears. Ever since this temple was built by Solomon, there have
been in it virgins, the daughters of kings and the daughters
of prophets, and of high priests and priests; and they were
great, and worthy of admiration. But when they came to the
proper age they were given in marriage, and followed the
course of their mothers before them, and were pleasing to
God. But a new order of life has been found out by Mary
alone, who promises that she will remain a virgin to God.
Wherefore it seems to me, that through our inquiry and the
answer of God we should try to ascertain to whose keeping she
ought to be entrusted. Then these words found favour with all
the synagogue. And the lot was east by the priests upon the
twelve tribes, and the lot fell upon the tribe of Judah. And
the priest said: To-morrow let every one who has no wife
come, and bring his rod in his hand. Whence it happened that
Joseph (1) brought his rod along with the young men. And the
rods having been handed over to the high priest, he offered a
sacrifice to the Lord God, and inquired of the Lord. And the
Lord said to him: Put all their rods into the holy of holies
of God, and let them remain there, and order them to come to
thee on the morrow to get back their rods; and the man from
the point of whose rod a dove shall come forth, and fly
towards heaven, and in whose hand the rod, when given back,
shall exhibit this sign, to him let Mary be delivered to be
kept.
On the following day, then, all having assembled early,
and an incense-offering having been made, the high priest
went into the holy of ho-lies, and brought forth the rods.
And when he had distributed the rods, (2) and the dove came
forth out of none of them, the high priest put on the twelve
bells (3) and the sacerdotal robe; and entering into the holy
of holies, he there made a burnt-offering, and poured forth a
prayer. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him, saying:
There is here the shortest rod, of which thou hast made no
account: thou didst bring it in with the rest, but didst not
take it out with them. When thou hast taken it out, and hast
given it him whose it is, in it will appear the sign of which
I spoke to thee. Now that was Joseph's rod; and because he
was an old man, he had been cast off, as it were, that he
might not receive her, but neither did he himself wish to ask
back his rod. (4) And when he was humbly standing last of
all, the high priest cried out to him with a loud voice,
saying: Come, Joseph, and receive thy rod; for we are waiting
for thee. And Joseph came up trembling, because the high
priest had called him with a very loud voice. But as soon as
he stretched forth his hand, and laid hold of his rod,
immediately from the top of it came forth a dove whiter than
snow, beautiful exceedingly, which, after long flying about
the roofs of the temple, at length flew towards the heavens.
Then all the people congratulated the old man, saying: Thou
hast been made blessed in thine old age, O father Joseph,
seeing that God hath shown thee to be fit to receive Mary.
And the priests having said to him, Take her, because of all
the tribe of Judah thou alone hast been chosen by God; Joseph
began bashfully to address them, saying: I am an old man, and
have children; why do you hand over to me this infant, who is
younger than my grandsons? Then Abiathar the high priest said
to him: Remember, Joseph, how Dathan and Abiron and Core
perished, because they despised the will of God. So will it
happen to thee, if thou despise this which is commanded thee
by God. Joseph answered him: I indeed do not despise the will
of God; but I shall be her guardian until I can ascertain
concerning the will of God, as to which of my sons can have
her as his wife. Let some virgins of her companions, with
whom she may meanwhile spend her time, be given for a
consolation to her. Abiathar the high priest answered and
said: Five virgins indeed shall be given her for consolation,
until the appointed day come in which thou mayst receive her;
for to no other can she be joined in marriage.
Then Joseph received Mary, with the other five virgins
who were to be with her in Joseph's house. These virgins were
Rebecca, Sephora, Susanna, Abigea, and Cael; to whom the high
priest gave the silk, and the blue, (5) and the fine linen,
and the scarlet, and the purple, and the fine flax. For they
cast lots among themselves what each virgin should do, and
the purple for the veil of the temple of the Lord fell to the
lot of Mary. And when she had got it, those virgins said to
her: Since thou art the last, and humble, and younger than
all, thou hast deserved to receive and obtain the purple. And
thus saying, as it were in words of annoyance, they began to
call her queen of virgins. While, however, they were so
doing, the angel of the Lord appeared in the midst of them,
saying: These words shall not have been uttered by way of
annoyance, but prophesied as a prophecy most true. They
trembled, therefore, at the sight of the angel, and at his
words, and asked her to pardon them, and pray for them.
CHAP. 9.--And on the second day, while Mary was at the
fountain to fill her pitcher, the angel of the Lord appeared
to her, saying: Blessed art thou, Mary; for in thy womb thou
hast prepared an habitation for the Lord. For, lo, the light
from heaven shall come and dwell in thee, and by means of
thee will shine over the whole world.
Again, on the third day, while she was working at the
purple with her fingers, there entered a young man of
ineffable beauty. And when Mary saw him, she exceedingly
feared and trembled. And he said to her: Hail, Mary, full of
grace; the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 1 And when she heard
these words, she trembled, and was exceedingly afraid. Then
the angel of the Lord added: Fear not, Mary; for thou hast
found favour with God: Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy
womb, and shalt bring forth a King, who fills not only the
earth, but the heaven, and who reigns from generation to
generation.
CHAP. 10.--While these things were doing, Joseph was
occupied with his work, house-building, in the districts by
the sea-shore; for he was a carpenter. And after nine months
he came back to his house, and found Mary pregnant.
Wherefore, being in the utmost distress, he trembled and
cried out, saying: O Lord God, receive my spirit; for it is
better for me to die than to live any longer. And the virgins
who were with Mary said to him: Joseph, what art thou saying?
We know that no man has touched her; we can testify that she
is still a virgin, and untouched. We have watched over her;
always has she continued with us in prayer; daily do the
angels of God speak with her; daily does she receive food
from the hand of the Lord. We know not how it is possible
that there can be any sin in her. But if thou wishest us to
tell thee what we suspect, nobody but the angel of the Lord
2 has made her pregnant. Then said Joseph: Why do you
mislead me, to believe that an angel of the Lord has made her
pregnant? But it is possible that some one has pretended to
be an angel of the Lord, and has beguiled her. And thus
speaking, he wept, and said:
With what face shall I look at the temple of the Lord, or
with what face shall I see the priests of God? What am I to
do? And thus saying, he thought that he would flee, and send
her away.
Part 2