ORDER OF ALL THE BOOKS OF THE APOCRYFHAL NEW TESTAMENT.

Page.

17

Laodiceans

22

1

24

38

Authorities. See also the authorities more at

large in the Notices before each Book.

In the works of St. Jerome, a Father of the Church, who died A.D. 420.

Postellus brought the MS. from the Levant, translated it into Latin, and caused it to be printed at Zurich, in 1552.

Received by the Gnostics, a set of Christians in the second Century, and translated into English by Mr. Henry Sike, Oriental Professor at Cambridge, in 1697. 60 Printed by Professor Cotelerius,in a note to his works of the Apostolic Fathers, from a MS. in the King of France's Library, No. 2279, and Bishop of Cæsarea, A.D. 815. Preserved by Eusebius, one of the Council of Nice in his Ecclesiastical History, Book I. chap. 13.

62

63

91

Published by Professor Grynæus, in the Orthodoxographia, 1555, tom. ii. p. 643.

Without the articles of Christ's Descent into Hell and the Communion of Saints. See it thus handed down in Mr. Justice Bailey's Edition of the Book of Common Prayer, 8vo, 1813, p. 9, note. Also in Bingham's Antiquities of the Christian Church, folio, 1726, B. 10. c. 4. s. 12.

93 In the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England.

1

1

94

Paul and Seneca

14

From Ancient MS8. in the Sorbonne and the Library of Joannes a Viridario at Padua. See also Poole's Annotations on Col. iv. 16. and Harl. MSS. Cod. 1212. 95 Jerome ranks Seneca on account of these Epistles among the holy writers of the Church. They are preserved by Sixtus Senensis, in his Bibliothèque, p. 89, 90. 99 From the Greek MS. in the Bodleian Library, copied by Dr. Mills, and transmitted to Dr. Grabe, who edited and printed it in his Specilegium.

24 111 These are "The GENUINE EPISTLES of 138 the Apostolic Fathers: being, together with

5

15 143 the Holy Scriptures of the NEW TESTAMENT,

4

163 a complete collection of the most primitive An

4

169 tiquity for about a hundred and fifty years

Trallians

3

172 after CHRIST. Translated and published with

Romans.

3

Philadelphians

Smyrnæans

3

175 a large preliminary discourse relating to the 179 several Treatises by the most Reverend 182 Father in God, William (WAKE) Lord,

3 186 Bishop of Lincoln," afterwards Lord Arch189 bishop of Canterbury. The authorities and 294 proofs adduced by this erudite and honest 209 prelate will be found in great number in the introduction and discourses to the 225 Edition of the Archbishop's Translation of these Epistles, published in 1817, by Mr. BAGSTER, Paternoster Row.

12

· Simili.

10

NOTE.-Column 1 contains the proper names of the Books; col. 2 the No. of chapters in each; col. 3 the page whereon each Book commences; col. 4. the authorities for each briefly stated.

THE

Apocryphal New Testament.

The GOSPEL of the BIRTH OF MARY.

[In the primitive ages there was a Gospel extant bearing this name, attributed to St. Matthew, and received as genuine and authentic by several of the ancient Christian sects. It is to be found in the works of Jerome, a Father of the Church, who flourished in the fourth century, from whence the present translation is made. His contemporaries, Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis, and Austin, also mention Gospel under this title. The ancient copies different from Jerome's, for from one of them the learned Faustus, a native of Britain, who became Bishop of Riez, in Provence, endeavoured to prove that Christ was not the Son of God till after his baptism; and that he was not of the house of David and tribe of Judah, because, according to the Gospel he cited, the Virgin herself was not of this tribe, but of the tribe of Levi; her father being a priest of the name of Joachim. It was likewise from this Gospel that the sect of the Collyridians established the worship and offering of manchet bread and cracknels, or fine wafers, as sacrifices to Mary, whom they imagined to have been born of a Virgin, as Christ is related in the Canonical Gospel to have been born of her. Epiphanius likewise cites

passage concerning the death of Zacharias, which is not in Jerome's copy, viz. "That it was the occasion of the death of Zacharias in the temple, that when he had seen a vision, he, through surprise, was willing to disclose it, and his mouth was stopped. That which he saw was at the time of his offering incense, and it was a man standing in the form of an ass. When he was gone out, and had a mind to speak thus to the people, Woe unto you, whom do ye worship? he who had appeared to him in the temple took away the use of his speech. Afterwards when he recovered it, and was able to speak, he declared this to the Jews, and they slew him. They add (viz. the Gnostics in this book), that on this very account the high-priest was appointed by their lawgiver (by God to Moses) to carry little bells, that whensoever he went into the temple to sacrifice, he, whom they worshipped, hearing the noise of the bells, might have time enough to hide himself, and not be caught in that ugly shape and figure."-The principal part of this Gospel is contained in the Protevangelion of James, which follows next in order.]

СПАР. І.

The parentage of Mary. 7 Joachim her father, and Anna her mother, go to Jerusalem to the feast of the dedication. 9 Issachar the high priest reproaches Joachim for being childless. THE blessed and ever glorious Virgin Mary, sprung from

TH

the royal race and family of David, was born in the city of Nazareth, and educated at Jerusalem, in the temple of the Lord.

2 Her father's name was Joachim, and her mother's Anna. The family of her father was of Galilee and the city of Nazareth

Mary's parents barren.

Bethlehem.

The family of her mother was of | 11 But Joachim being much confounded with the shame of such reproach, retired to the shepherds who were with the cattle in their pastures ;

3 Their lives were plain and right in the sight of the Lord, pious and faultless before men. For they divided all their substance into three parts:

4 One of which they devoted to the temple and officers of the temple; another they distributed among strangers, and persons in poor circumstances; and the third they reserved for themselves and the uses of their own family.

5 In this manner they lived for about twenty years chastely, in the favour of God, and the esteem of men, without any children.

12 For he was not inclined to return home, lest his neighbours, who were present and heard all this from the high-priest, should publicly reproach him in the same manner.

1

CHAP. II.

An angel appears to Joachim. 9 and informs him that Anna shall conceive and bring forth a daughter, who shall be called Mary, 11 be brought up in the temple, 12 and while yet a virgin, in a way unparalleled, bring forth the Son of God: 13 gives him a sign, 14 and departs.

6 But they vowed, if God should favour them with any issue, they B

would devote it to the service of the Lord; on which account they went at every feast in the year to the temple of the Lord.'

7 ¶And it came to pass, that when the feast of the dedication drew near, Joachim, with some others of his tribe, went up to Jerusalem, and at that time, Issachar was high-priest;

8 Who, when he saw Joachim along with the rest of his neighbours, bringing his offering, despised both him and his offerings, and asked him,

9 Why he, who had no children, would presume to appear among those who had? Adding, that his offerings could never be acceptable to God, who was judged by him unworthy to have children; the Scripture having said, Cursed is every one who shall not beget a male in Israel.

10 He further said, that he ought first to be free from that rurse by begetting some issue, and then come with his offerings into the presence of God.

UT when he had been there

for some time, on a certain day when he was alone, the angel of the Lord stood by him with a prodigious light.

2 To whom, being troubled at the appearance, the angel who had appeared to him, endeavouring to compose him said:

3 Be not afraid, Joachim, nor troubled at the sight of me, for I am an angel of the Lord sent by him to you, that I might inform you, that your prayers are heard, and your alms ascended in the sight of God.'

4 For he hath surely seen your shame, and heard you unjustly reproached for not having children: for God is the avenger of sin, and not of nature;

5 And so when he shuts the womb of any person, he does it for this reason, that he may in a more wonderful manner again open it, and that which is born appear to be not the product of lust, but the gift of God.

6 For the first mother of your nation Sarah, was she not barre

'Acts, x. 4.

even till her eightieth year: And yet even in the end of her old age brought forth Isaac, in whom the promise was made of a blessing to all nations.1

7 Rachel also, so much in favour with God, and beloved so much by holy Jacob, continued barren for a long time, yet afterwards was the mother of Joseph, who was not only governor of Egypt, but delivered many nations from perishing with hunger.'

8 Who among the judges was more valiant than Samson, or more holy than Samuel? And yet both their mothers were barren."

9 But if reason will not convince you of the truth of my words, that there are frequent conceptions in advanced years,

and that those who were barren

have brought forth to their great surprise; therefore Anna your wife shall bring you a daughter, and you shall call her name Mary; 10 She shall, according to your vow, be devoted to the Lord from her infancy, and be filled with the Holy Ghost from her mother's womb;'

11 She shall neither eat nor drink anything which is unclean, nor shall her conversation be without among the common people, but in the temple of the Lord; that so she may not fall under any slander or suspicion of what is bad.

12 So in the process of her years, as she shall be in a miraculous manner born of one that was barren, so she shall, while yet virgin, in a way unparalleled, bring forth the Son of the most High God, who shall, be called Jesus, and, according to the signification of his name, be the Saviour of all nations."

1 Gen. xvi. 2, &c. and xviii. 10, &c.

Anna conceives.

13 And this shall be a sign to you of the things which I declare, namely, when you come to the golden gate of Jerusalem, you shall there meet your wife Anna, who being very much troubled that you returned no sooner, shall then rejoice to see you.

14 When the angel had said this he departed from him.

CHAP. III.

1 The angel appears to Anna; 2 tells her a daughter shall be born unto her, 3 devoted to the service of the Lord in the temple, 5, who, being a virgin and not knowing man, shall bring forth the Lord, and gives her a sign therefore. 8 Joachim and Anna meet and rejoice, 10 and praise the Lord. 11 Anna conceives, and brings forth a daughter called Mary.

Apeared to Anna his wife

FTERWARDS the angel ap

saying; Fear not, neither think that which you see is a spirit :"

2 For I am that angel who hath offered up your prayers and alms before God, and am now sent to you, that I may inform you, that a daughter will be born unto you, who shall be called Mary, and shall be blessed above all women.'

3 She shall be, immediately upon her birth, full of the grace of the Lord, and shall continue during the three years of her weaning in her father's house, and afterwards, being devoted to the service of the Lord, shall not depart from the temple, till she arrive to years of discretion.

8

4 In a word, she shall there serve the Lord night and day in fasting and prayer, shall abstain from every unclean thing, and never know any man ;

5 But, being an unparalleled instance without any pollution or

2 Gen. xxx. 1-22. and xli. 1, &c.

Judg. xiii. 2. and 1. Sam. 6, &c. * Luke i. 15. Matth. i. 21. Matth.

xiv. 26 7 Luke i. 28. Luke ii. 37.

1 Mary brought to the temple at three 2 Mary ministered unto by angels.

The high-priest orders all virgins of fourteen years old to quit the temple and endeavour to be married. 5 Mary refuses, 6 haring vowed her virginity to the Lord. 7 The highpriest commands a meeting of the chief persons of Jerusalem, 11 who seek the Lord for counsel in the matter. 13 A voice from the mercy

Those Psalms are from the 120th to the 134th, including both.