Page:The Apocryphal New Testament (1924).djvu/118
VIII. Joseph's rod. He takes her home with seven other virgins.
IX. The Annunciation: mostly from the Gospels.
X. Joseph's perplexity: the angel reassures him: Christ is born.
THE ARABIC GOSPEL OF THE INFANCY
Our present text of this book depends in the main upon a single Arabic manuscript, now lost, which was used by Sike, the first editor, in 1697. There are now known to be other manuscripts at Rome and Florence, but they have not been fully collated. The greater part of the book, however, is also embodied in a Syriac History of the Virgin which was edited and translated by Sir E. A. Wallis Budge in 1899.
The Arabic Gospel is a late compilation, as has been shown most clearly by Father P. Peeters in his recent French edition (1914, Evangiles apocryphes, ii).
The book falls into several divisions:
I is a late note prefixed.
II-IX. The Nativity to the Flight into Egypt. The Protevangelium is the ultimate source of some parts of this.
X-XXV. Miracles in Egypt, some of which show influence of late local traditions.
XXVI-XXXV. Return to Nazareth. Miracles done there, which do not occur in other texts.
XXXVI-LIW. Further miracles, mostly derived from Thomas: ending with Jesus in the Temple.
LIV. Baptism of Jesus.
LV. Doxology.
A briefer analysis of this book will suffice than in the case of Pseudo-Matthew.
I. States that it is found in the book of Joseph the high-priest in the time of Christ, who some say is Caiaphas, that Jesus in the cradle proclaimed his Godhead.
Il. The decree of Augustus in the year 300 (or 304) of the era of Alexander. The Birth in a cave. An old Hebrew woman comes as midwife. IIT. Her hands are withered (?) because of her unbelief, and she is healed. (There is a gap in the text.) IV. The Shepherds. The midwife praises God. V. The Circumcision. V, VI. The Presentation.
VII. The Magi. VIII. They bring back one of Jesus' swaddling cloths which is proof against fire, and is preserved with veneration. IX. The Flight.
X, XI. Arrival in Egypt. An idol announces the presence of a God, and falls. The demoniac son of a priest is healed. XII. Alarm of Joseph and Mary.
XIII. Robbers hear a noise of an approaching host and flee, leaving their captives. Joseph and Mary arrive, and the captives ask who is the king who is coming. Answer: 'He is coming on after us.'