What Scripture says
The Gospels say little about Mary’s background. Luke presents her as a young woman in Nazareth, engaged to Joseph, when the angel Gabriel appears (Luke 1:26–38, ESV). Matthew tells the story from Joseph’s point of view (Matthew 1:18–25). The Gospels mention Jesus’ “brothers” and “sisters” (Mark 6:3; see 6.9).
What the evidence says
History
What it tells
The Protoevangelium (“first gospel”) of James was written around AD 150. It tells:
- Mary’s birth. A wealthy, childless couple, Joachim and Anna, pray for a child. An angel announces Anna will conceive, and Mary is born.
- Mary in the temple. At three, Mary is taken to live in the temple, where she is fed by an angel.
- Her betrothal. At twelve, the priests seek a guardian for her. A dove flies from the staff of Joseph, an elderly widower with sons, marking him as the chosen one. He reluctantly takes her.
- Jesus’ birth. On the way to Bethlehem, Mary gives birth in a cave. A midwife testifies that Mary remains a virgin after the birth, and another woman, Salome, who doubts it, is punished and then healed.
- Herod’s massacre, and the murder of Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father.
It claims to be written by James, Jesus’ brother.
Its influence
The book was enormously influential:
- The names Joachim and Anna, Mary’s parents, come from it.
- The idea that Jesus’ brothers were Joseph’s sons from an earlier marriage comes from it (the Orthodox view; see 6.9).
- It shaped belief in Mary’s perpetual virginity.
- Feasts in Orthodox and Catholic calendars, such as Mary’s Nativity and her Presentation in the Temple, draw on its stories, as does much religious art.
Why it was never Scripture
- Late: about 150 years after Jesus’ birth.
- Pseudonymous: scholars don’t accept that James wrote it.
- Unfamiliar with Jewish customs: a girl living in the Jerusalem temple would have been unthinkable, and the author seems to misunderstand Jewish geography and practice.
- Condemned in the West: the Gelasian Decree (6th century) listed it among books not to be received.
| Detail | Source |
|---|---|
| Mary’s parents Joachim and Anna | Protoevangelium only |
| Joseph as an elderly widower | Protoevangelium only |
| Birth in a cave | Protoevangelium (and Justin Martyr); the Gospels mention a manger |
| Virgin conception | Matthew and Luke |
Where they meet
The Protoevangelium is a pious expansion that answers questions the Gospels leave open. It is useful for understanding later Christian devotion to Mary, not as a source for history.
What’s still open
How much it reflects older traditions about Jesus’ family. Richard Bauckham argues some family traditions in early sources may be old.
Bottom line
The Protoevangelium of James is a story of Mary’s birth and childhood (c. AD 150). It shaped later tradition but was never read as Scripture, so leaving it out is rated Settled.