Apocrypha · Chapter 4 of 4
Birth of the Virgin
Heralds went out throughout all Judea and all the widowers came.
2The lot fell upon the old man Joseph, a righteous man and carpenter.
3Joseph took Mary to his house, where she found the little orphan James.
4Mary showered him with affection. For this reason they called her Mary, mother of James.
5Joseph left to practice his trade as a carpenter.
6Mary lived in his house until the happy time of the Annunciation arrived.
7And thus the Lord's promise concerning the Virgin Mary was fulfilled.
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What these words meant in the original — and where else they appear.
About Nativity of Mary
An apocryphal or pseudepigraphal text — outside the canon of the Western churches, yet widely circulated among ancient Jews and Christians. Published here from a public-domain translation, edited for continuous reading.