Protovangelium of James

PROTOEVANGELIUM OF JAMES - PAGE 5 OF 5

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The Nativity of Christ
Greek text is mainly based on Papyrus Bodmer 5 (but note that there are significant omissions in this manuscript).

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23. Ὁ δὲ Ἡρώδης ἐζήτει τὸν Ἰωάννην, καὶ ἀπέστειλεν ὑπηρέτας πρὸς Ζαχαρίαν λέγων αὐτῷ· «Ποῦ ἀπέκρυψας τὸν υἱόν σου;» Ὁ δὲ ἀπεκρίνατο λέγων αὐτοῖς· «Ἐγὼ λειτουργὸς ὑπάρχω Θεοῦ καὶ προσεδρεύω τῷ ναῷ αὐτοῦ. Τί γινώσκω ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου;» Καὶ ἀπήλθωσαν οἱ ὑπηρέται αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνήγγειλαν αὐτῷ πάντα ταῦτα. Καὶ ὀργισθεὶς⌉ ὁ Ἡρώδης εἶπεν· «Ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ μέλλει βασιλεύειν τοῦ Ἰσραήλ;» Καὶ ἔπεμψεν πάλιν τοὺς ὑπηρέτας λέγων αὐτῷ· «Εἶπόν μοι τὰ ἀληθῆ· ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ υἱός σου; Οἶδας ὅτι τὸ αἷμά σου ὑπὸ τὴν χεῖράν μού ἐστιν;» Καὶ ἀπήλθοσαν οἱ ὑπηρέται καὶ ἀνήγγειλαν αὐτῷ ταῦτα. Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· « Μάρτυς εἰμὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἔχε μου τὸ αἷμα. Τὸ δὲ πνεῦμά μου ὁ Δεσπότης μου δέξεται, ὅτι ἀθῷον αἷμα ἐκχύνεις εἰς τὰ πρόθυρα τοῦ ναοῦ Κυρίου.» Καὶ περὶ τὸ διάφαυμα ἐφονεύθη Ζαχχαρίας, καὶ οὐκ ᾔδεισαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ πῶς ἐφονεύθη.
24. Ἀλλὰ τὴν ὥραν τοῦ ἀσπασμοῦ ἀπήλθασιν οἱ ἱερεῖς, καὶ οὐκ ἠπήντησεν αὐτοῖς κατὰ τὸ ἔθος τἡ εὐλογία τοῦ Ζαχαρίου. Καὶ ἔστησαν οἱ ἱερεῖς προσδοκῶντες τὸν Ζαχαρίαν τοῦ ἀσπάσασθαι αὐτὸν ἐν εὐχῇ καὶ δοξάσαι τὸν Ὕψιστον Θεόν. Χρονίσαντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐφοβήθησαν πάντες. Τολμήσας δέ τις ἐξ αὐτῶν εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸ ἁγίασμα καὶ εἶδεν παρὰ τὸ θυσιαστήριον Κυρίου αἷμα πεπηγὸς καὶ φωνὴν λέγουσαν· «Ζαχχαρίας ἐφόνευται, καὶ οὐκ ἐξαλειφθήσεται τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἕως ἔλθῃ ὁ ἔκδικος.» Καὶ ἀκούσας τῶν λόγων τούτων ἐφοβήθη καὶ ἐξῆλθεν καὶ ἀνήγγειλεν τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἃ εἶδεν καὶ ἤκουσεν. Καὶ τολμήσαντες εἰσῆλθαν καὶ εἶδαν τὸ γεγονός. Καὶ τὰ παθνώματα τοῦ ναοῦ ὠλόλυξαν, καὶ αὐτοὶ περιεσχίσαντο ἐπάνωθεν ἕως κάτω. Καὶ τὸ πτωμα αὐτοῦ οὐχ εὕρωσαν, ἀλλ' εὗρον τὸ ⌈αἷμα αὐτοῦ λίθον γεγενημένον. Καὶ φοβηθέντες ἐξῆλθαν καὶ ἀνήγγειλαν ὅτι Ζαχαρίας πεφόνευται. Καὶ ἤκουσαν πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ ἐπένθησαν καὶ ἐκόψαντο αὐτὸν τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας. Μετὰ δὲ τὰς τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἐβουλεύσαντο οἱ ἱερεῖς τίνα ἀναστήσουσιν εἰς τὸν τόπον τοῦ Ζαχαρίου. Καὶ ἀνέβη ὁ κλῆρος ἐπὶ Συμεών· οὗτος γὰρ ἦν ὁ χρηματισθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος μὴ ἰδεῖν θάνατον ἕως ἂν τὸν Χριστὸν ἐν σαρκὶ ἴδῃ.
25. Ἐγὼ δὲ Ἰάκωβος ὁ γράψας τὴν ἱστορίαν ταύτην ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις, θορύβου γεναμένου ὅτε ἐτελεύτησεν Ἡρώδης, συνέστελλον ἑαυτὸν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἕως παύσηται ὁ θόρυβος Ἰερουσαλήμ. Δοξάζω δὲ τὸν Δεσπότην τὸν δόντα μοι τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ γράψαι τὴν ἱστορίαν ταύτην. Καὶ ἔσται ἡ χάρις μετὰ πάντων τῶν φοβουμένων τὸν Κύριον. Ἀμήν.
Γένεσις Μαρίας, Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰακώβ. Εἰρήνη τῷ γράψαντι καὶ τῷ ἀναγινώσκοντι.

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