The Protevangelium of James

Abstract

The Protevangelium of James is a text that narrates events prior to and immediately following the birth of Jesus. Unlike the four canonical gospels the central character of this narrative is not Jesus, but his mother Mary. She is portrayed as a paradigm of purity. From the time she turns three until she reaches twelve she lives in the Temple and her role is patterned on that of the young Samuel serving in the Temple at Shiloh. The text strongly advocates the perpetual virginity of Mary and thus allows for some of the origins of this theological position to be identified. The text has little or no historical value in terms of the actual events it reports, but it does provide a fascinating window into the piety of late second-century or early third-century Christianity.