Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: 12 Days of Christmas Day 3 a.
[00:00:04] Speaker B: Different account of Joseph and Mary written by Bart Ehrman read by Ken Teutsch Here now is the third of my 12 favorite Christmas posts of years gone.
[00:00:16] Speaker A: By in our celebration of the 12 days of Christmas.
As we move to the Christmas season.
[00:00:23] Speaker B: I thought it would be interesting to.
[00:00:25] Speaker A: Post some extracts on one of the.
[00:00:26] Speaker B: Most popular gospels in the Middle Ages.
[00:00:29] Speaker A: An account of Jesus birth and before that his mother Mary's birth and what happened in the aftermath. It is called the Gospel of Pseudo.
[00:00:38] Speaker B: Matthew because modern scholars once thought that it had claimed to be written by.
[00:00:42] Speaker A: Matthew, the author of the first canonical Gospel. But in fact, as you will see.
[00:00:48] Speaker B: It claims to be written by Jesus brother James.
[00:00:52] Speaker A: The Gospel comes to us in Latin.
[00:00:54] Speaker B: And was probably produced in the early 7th century century. Some of you may know from the blog or elsewhere a Greek gospel of this description from the second century, the Proto Gospel of James. This later Gospel of Pseudo Matthew is kind of a reworking and expansion of.
[00:01:10] Speaker A: The Proto Gospel with some parts removed, lots more added, and others simply altered. It may be that its unknown author.
[00:01:18] Speaker B: Wanted to propagate the stories of the.
[00:01:21] Speaker A: Proto Gospel in the Western part of Christianity, where Latin was the main language. The Proto Gospel itself had been condemned as heretical by Jerome and so after the early 5th century it was not read much. The later Gospel of Pseudo Matthew was read a lot.
[00:01:38] Speaker B: Many of its stories come to be.
[00:01:40] Speaker A: Featured in medieval art. I won't be giving the whole gospel here, just some of the interesting bits connected with the Christmas story.
[00:01:47] Speaker B: The first seven chapters deal with the.
[00:01:50] Speaker A: Miraculous birth of Mary. In them we learn that her mother.
[00:01:53] Speaker B: Anna was not a virgin, but God.
[00:01:55] Speaker A: Miraculously allowed her to become pregnant. Side note, in Catholic doctrine, the miracle.
[00:02:01] Speaker B: Allowed Mary to be born without a.
[00:02:03] Speaker A: Sin nature, so that when she bore Jesus later in life he would not inherit one. It is the birth of Mary, not Jesus, that is called the Immaculate Conception.
[00:02:14] Speaker B: Her mother Anna conceived a child without.
[00:02:17] Speaker A: A sin nature, hence it was an immaculate conception.
These opening chapters are terrifically interesting, but.
[00:02:24] Speaker B: I'm going to skip over them to get to the part that has similarities with the stories of Matthew and Luke, which of course the author knew very well.
[00:02:32] Speaker A: His work answers a lot of questions such as how did Joseph and Mary meet, how did Mary become pregnant, what did Joseph make of that, etc. Now here you will find some stories.
[00:02:44] Speaker B: That you haven't heard before.
[00:02:46] Speaker A: Here I give the opening verse of the book to show how it starts, then skip to chapter eight. This is the translation you will find.
[00:02:54] Speaker B: In the Book I co produced with.
[00:02:56] Speaker A: My colleague Zlatkoplesche the Other Gospels Prologue.
[00:03:02] Speaker B: I, James, son of Joseph the carpenter, who have lived in the fear of God, have carefully recorded everything I have seen with my own eyes that occurred at the time of the birth of.
[00:03:12] Speaker A: The Holy Mary and of the Savior.
[00:03:15] Speaker B: And I give thanks to God, who has given me wisdom to tell the accounts of his advent and who has shown the fullness of time to the.
[00:03:22] Speaker A: Twelve tribes of Israel.
Joseph is chosen as Mary's guardian. 8:1 Then Mary reached the age of fourteen. On this occasion the Pharisees said, now.
[00:03:37] Speaker B: That the way of women has come upon her, she can no longer stay in the temple.
[00:03:41] Speaker A: They came up with a plan to.
[00:03:43] Speaker B: Send a herald to all the tribes.
[00:03:44] Speaker A: Of Israel so that everyone should convene.
[00:03:47] Speaker B: At the temple of the Lord.
[00:03:48] Speaker A: On the third day, when all the people had convened, Issachar, the high priest.
[00:03:53] Speaker B: Rose up and climbed to the highest.
[00:03:55] Speaker A: Step so that he could be heard.
[00:03:57] Speaker B: And seen by all the people. When there was a great silence, he.
[00:04:01] Speaker A: Spoke, hear me, children of Israel, and.
[00:04:04] Speaker B: Give ear to my words. Since the day this temple was constructed by Solomon, there have lived in it daughters of kings, of prophets, of chief priests, and of high priests, women known to be both great and admirable. Nonetheless, when they reached the legal age, they have taken men in marriage, followed.
[00:04:23] Speaker A: The custom of their predecessors, and so pleased the Lord.
[00:04:27] Speaker B: But Mary alone has a new arrangement appeared, since she has vowed to God to remain a virgin.
[00:04:33] Speaker A: For this reason, it seems to me.
[00:04:35] Speaker B: That we should seek to learn whom she should be given as her guardian by asking God and awaiting his answer.
[00:04:41] Speaker A: Answer 2 this word pleased the entire.
[00:04:45] Speaker B: Assembly, and a lot was cast by.
[00:04:48] Speaker A: The priests over the 12 tribes, and the lot fell on the tribe of Judah.
[00:04:52] Speaker B: They all then admonished the tribe of Judah, telling them that everyone who did not have a wife was to come on the following day and bring a branch in his hand.
[00:05:02] Speaker A: This is how it came about that Joseph, even though he was an old man among youngsters, brought a branch.
[00:05:07] Speaker B: When they handed their branches over to.
[00:05:09] Speaker A: The high priest, he made a sacrifice.
[00:05:11] Speaker B: To God and inquired of the Lord.
[00:05:14] Speaker A: And the Lord said to him, bring.
[00:05:16] Speaker B: Everyone'S branches into the holy of holies.
[00:05:18] Speaker A: And let everyone's branches remain there and.
[00:05:21] Speaker B: Instruct them to come to you in.
[00:05:22] Speaker A: The morning in order to receive their branches. From the tip of one of the.
[00:05:27] Speaker B: Branches a dove will emerge and fly up to heaven. Whoever is holding the branch that has produced this sign should be given to.
[00:05:34] Speaker A: Mary as her guardian.
[00:05:36] Speaker B: It happened that very early on the.
[00:05:38] Speaker A: Next day everyone came together, and after.
[00:05:41] Speaker B: Making an offering of incense, the high priest entered the holy of holies and.
[00:05:45] Speaker A: Brought out the branches. When he distributed them to each one.
[00:05:49] Speaker B: No dove emerged from any of the branches.
[00:05:52] Speaker A: Then Abiathar, the high priest, put on.
[00:05:55] Speaker B: His priestly robe with 12 bells, entered.
[00:05:57] Speaker A: The holy of holies, burned a sacrifice.
[00:06:00] Speaker B: And poured forth a prayer.
[00:06:01] Speaker A: An angel appeared and said to him, here is a very short branch which.
[00:06:06] Speaker B: You counted as nothing and did not bring out with the others. When you bring it out and give it away, it will reveal the sign.
[00:06:12] Speaker A: That I told you. This was the branch that Joseph had.
[00:06:15] Speaker B: Held which had been considered worthless since.
[00:06:18] Speaker A: He was an old man and was not able to take Mary, nor did he want to ask for his branch.
[00:06:23] Speaker B: And since he stood the very back.
[00:06:25] Speaker A: Of the crowd humbly, the high priest.
[00:06:27] Speaker B: Abiatar called out with a great voice and said, come and take your branch.
[00:06:31] Speaker A: For we are waiting for you. Joseph went up full of fear, since.
[00:06:35] Speaker B: The high priest called him with a very loud voice, and just as he reached out his hand and took the.
[00:06:40] Speaker A: Branch, immediately from the tip of the.
[00:06:43] Speaker B: Branch, a dove emerged, brighter than snow, very beautiful, and after flying a long time around the top of the temple.
[00:06:50] Speaker A: It went up to the heavens. 4 Then all the people congratulated the.
[00:06:55] Speaker B: Old man, saying, you have been blessed in your old age, for God has shown you worthy to receive Mary.
[00:07:01] Speaker A: But when the priests said to him, receive her because from all your tribe.
[00:07:05] Speaker B: You alone have been chosen by God. Joseph began to entreat and ask them.
[00:07:10] Speaker A: Speaking out of shame, I am an.
[00:07:12] Speaker B: Old man and I have sons. Why are you handing this little girl over to me?
[00:07:16] Speaker A: She is my granddaughter's age and is.
[00:07:17] Speaker B: Younger than my grandsons.
[00:07:19] Speaker A: Then Abiathar, the high priest, said, remember Joseph, how Dathan Kor and Abiran perished.
[00:07:26] Speaker B: When they despised the will of the Lord.
[00:07:28] Speaker A: So also it will happen to you.
[00:07:30] Speaker B: If you insist on despising what God has commanded you.
[00:07:33] Speaker A: Joseph said to him, indeed, I do not despise the will of God, but.
[00:07:38] Speaker B: I will be her guardian until this too can be learned from the will of God. Which of my sons is able to.
[00:07:44] Speaker A: Have her for a wife?
[00:07:46] Speaker B: Let several virgins from among her companions.
[00:07:48] Speaker A: Be given over for her to spend time with in the meanwhile. Abiathar the high priest, responded, indeed, virgins.
[00:07:55] Speaker B: Will be given to comfort her until the day arrives that has been fixed.
[00:07:58] Speaker A: For you to receive her, for she.
[00:08:00] Speaker B: Cannot be united to another in marriage.
5 Then Joseph received Mary into his house along with the five other virgins.
[00:08:10] Speaker A: Who were to be with her, namely Rebekah, Sephora, Susanna, Abigea, and Zachel. The high priest gave them silk, hyacinth, scarlet, flax, purple, and linen.
[00:08:23] Speaker B: They cast lots among themselves to see.
[00:08:25] Speaker A: What each virgin should do. And this is how it happened that Mary came to receive the purple to weave for the curtain in the temple of the Lord.
[00:08:34] Speaker B: And when she received it, the virgin.
[00:08:35] Speaker A: Said, you are the youngest, and from.
[00:08:37] Speaker B: Humble origins, how have you deserved to get the purple? When they said this, they began to call her in derision, queen of Virgins.
[00:08:46] Speaker A: But while they were acting this way among themselves, an angel appeared in their midst and said to them, this word.
[00:08:53] Speaker B: Will not be spoken in vain, for.
[00:08:54] Speaker A: You have made the truest prophecy.
[00:08:57] Speaker B: Terrified by the appearance of the angel.
[00:08:59] Speaker A: And by his words, they began to ask Mary to forgive them and to pray for them.
In the next post on this I.
[00:09:07] Speaker B: Will continue with the story of the.
[00:09:09] Speaker A: Annunciation, a creative retelling of the story in Luke 1.
