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The Protoevangelium of James retells Luke’s annunciation using nearly identical wording, but places Mary spinning scarlet thread for the temple veil when the angel arrives. It merges Luke’s and Matthew’s separate announcements into one scene.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Luke 1:28
New Testament
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled by his words and began to wonder about the meaning of this greeting. 30 So the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God!
Protoevangelium of James 11
Gospel of James
Pseudepigrapha
10 The priests gathered and said, “Let’s make a new veil for the temple of the Lord.” The priest instructed, “Bring me the pure, undefiled virgins from the family of David.” The officers went out, found seven virgins, and the priest remembered the child Mary, knowing she was from the family of David and pure before God. The officers went and brought her too. They all entered the temple of the Lord. The priest said, “Let’s draw lots to decide who will spin the gold, the white, the fine linen, the silk, the blue, the scarlet, and the true purple”. The lot for the true purple and scarlet fell to Mary, and she took them and returned to her house. At that time, Zacharias was mute, and Samuel was filling in for him until Zacharias could speak again. Mary took the scarlet and began spinning it. 11 And she took the pitcher and went out to fill it with water. Suddenly, a voice said: “Greetings, you who have received grace; the Lord is with you, and you are blessed among women!” She looked around, right and left, to see where the voice came from. Shaken, she went back to her house, put down the pitcher, and sat down with her work. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to her, saying: “Don’t be afraid, Mary, you’ve found favor with God, and you will conceive, just as He said.” Mary thought, “Will I really conceive by the Lord, the living God? Will I give birth like any other woman?” The angel replied: “Not in the usual way, Mary. God’s power will overshadow you, and that’s why the child born to you will be called the Son of the Most High. You will name Him Jesus, and He will save His people from their sins.” Mary said: “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it happen just as you’ve said.”
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Notes and References
“... The Redactor accomplished his purpose by further modifying the GenMar Annunciation story, which was now embedded in the Composer-enhanced Veil Council in Protoevangelium of James 11, by his interpolation of canonical materials taken from Luke 1:26-45 into Protoevangelium of James 11:06-12 and 12:03-11. These materials consist of two successive angelic appearances to Mary and the visit of Mary to Elizabeth. Once these Lukan interpolations are excised from the Annunciation story, one is left with the coherent narrative of the original GenMar story following Protoevangelium of James 10:09, where Mary is spinning the red thread in the temple, and concluding in Protoevangelium of James 12:01-02 with Mary returning her completed work of spun threads to the priest and receiving his blessing ...”
Zervos, George
The Protevangelium of James: Greek Text and English Translation with a Critical Introduction (Volume 1)
(pp. 44-48) T&T Clark, 2019
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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