The Apostolic Age · c. 150
The Protevangelium of James
Anonymous
What it is
The story of Mary before the gospels begin: her miraculous birth to Joachim and Anna, her upbringing in the temple, her betrothal to an older widower, and a defence of her virginity after Jesus's birth.
Why it lasted
The source of almost everything Christian art and devotion assume about Mary's parents, childhood, and perpetual virginity, none of which is in the New Testament.
Scripture it works from
Where to read it
This work is in the public domain and can be read in full, free, at the archives below. The Library catalogues it; it does not host the text.
These open a search on each archive rather than a direct link, which is the honest way to point at an edition nobody here has checked line by line.
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