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

ing, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? Being directed to Bethlehem by the Sanhedrim, they found the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream, that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. Matt. ii. 1, 12.*

The Apocryphal Gospel of St. James recites, that Elizabeth hearing that her son John was sought for, ascended the mountains and looked round to find where she might conceal him, but there was no place of concealment; and Elizabeth lamented with a loud voice, saying, O God of the mountain, receive the mother and the son. Yet Elizabeth could not ascend. And suddenly the mountain divided and received them; light also shone upon them; and the angel of the Lord was with them, keeping them. Herod then enquired for John, and sent servants to

The adoration of the Magi is here placed a year later than is customary. The feast of the Epiphany has been celebrated in the Catholic Church on the 6th of January, since the Pontificate of Julius the first, between the years 335 and 352, and that day has been adopted by the Protestant Churches. This, however, allows only twelve days for the Magi's journey to Jerusalem-their enquiries for the place of the Messiah's nativity, and the visit to Bethlehem; and places their adoration nearly a month earlier than the presentation in the temple; but it appears from Matt. ii. 13, 14, that an angel appeared to Joseph, instructing him to flee into Egypt directly after their departure. Nor can it be supposed that Herod would allow Jesus to escape from Jerusalem had his mother presented him in the temple after the arrival of the Magi, when he was so anxious to destroy a supposed formidable rival; and that presentation was made so singularly public, by Simeon and Anna's thanksgivings. Luke ii. 22, 38. Neither would he have waited nearly two years for the Magi's return, as is implied in his slaying all the children in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the Wise Men, if we suppose that they arrived at Bethlehem a few days after the nativity. In addition to this, a chronicle, ascribed to Hippolytus of Thebes, states, that the advent of the Magi was in the second year after the incarnation of Christ.-Hippolyti Opera curante Fabricios Appendix, p. 46.

Zacharias, his father, who was serving at the altar, saying, Where hast thou concealed thy son? And he answered, saying, I am a priest, ministering to God and in the temple of the Lord, how then should I know where my son is? Then the servants returned, and reported this to Herod, and he was angry, and said, His son will be governor in Israel. Again he sent to Zacharias, saying, Tell us truly, where is thy son? for know that thy blood is in my hand. And the servants went and declared this to Zacharias, who said, God is witness, that if my blood is shed he will receive my spirit, because innocent blood is shed. Zacharias was killed in the temple of God, in the vestibule of the altar, near the partition; but the children of Israel did not know when he was killed.

The sacred historians relate no actions or occurrences of the Redeemer's youth until he was twelve years old, when he tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it; and after three days they found him in the temple sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions: and all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and Luke ii. 41, 52.

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It is also expressly asserted by St. John ii. 11, That the conversion of water into wine was the beginning of the Saviour's miracles. Yet the gospel of the infancy of Jesus* recites many transactions and miracles of his youth.

* Evangelium Infantiæ, published in Arabic and Latin by Henry Sike, in 1697, 8vo. Sike's Latin translation was re-printed in Fabricio's Codex Apocryphus Novi Testamenti. This work is generally attributed to St. Thomas; but is supposed to have been written by a disciple of Manicheus. Sike supposes the Arabic version to have been made from the Greek or Syriac. There are other works relating to the Infancy of Jesus in different European and Asiatic Libraries, ascribed to SS. Matthew and Peter, but probably written by the Gnostics or Manicheans. Simon says, It is easy to perceive they are fables made at pleasure; but that the histories of the Infancy of Jesus Christ are very ancient, and the greater part of them probably came from the Gnostics. The Fathers, principally the Greek, who

This spurious Gospel states, that the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, take the child and his mother, and go into Egypt at the cockcrowing; and he arose and departed.

And while they were thinking in themselves what their future journey would be, the morning arrived, and the girth of the saddle broke by the fatigue of the journey. They now approached a large city, (Alexandria) in which was an idol, (Serapis) to which the other Egyptian 'idols and gods offered gifts and vows. And priests went unto this idol to minister to it, who, as often as Satan spoke through this idol, reported it to the inhabitants of Egypt and its borders. And one of these priests had a son three years old, who was possessed by a powerful and multitudinous devil, who spoke and revealed many things. And when the demons seized him he rent his clothes, and run about naked, and cast stones at men. Now the caravansera of this city was in the vicinity of this idol. And when Joseph and Holy Mary entered it and took up their lodging in the caravansera, the citizens were much dismayed; and all the princes and priests of the idols assembled before that idol, (Serapis) enquiring, What is this consternation and dismay that invades our territories? The idol replied to them, The unknown God is come, who verily is God, and no other besides him is worthy of divine worship, because he verily is the Son of God; the kingdom trembles at his fame, and is greatly moved and disturbed by his coming; and we greatly fear because of the magnitude of his empire. In the same hour this idol, besides others fell down, and all the inhabitants of Egypt assembled at its destruction.

read their books written in their own language, have inserted extracts from them in their works. Histoire critique des principaux commentateurs du Nouveau Testament. p. 194.