by Nick Gier, Professor Emeritus, University of Idaho
The Infancy Gospel of James, though not part of the canonical Bible, was popular among Christians for centuries. The book tells the story of Mary from her miraculous conception to the birth of Jesus. Interestingly enough, some details differ from the accounts in Luke and Matthew.
Mary’s mother, Anne, is barren, so her father, Joachim, spends 40 days in the wilderness praying for a child. During that time Anne finds herself, just as an angel promised, pregnant with Mary.
At the age of 3, Mary is sent to the temple where she is given the job of weaving a temple curtain. One day she “dances with her feet and the house of Israel loves her.” From the ninth to the 16th centuries, dance was part of Christian worship, but thereafter it was banned as erotic and undignified.
At the age of 12, the priests warn Joachim and Anne that once Mary starts to menstruate, she will pollute the Temple. She is taken away and prepared for marriage. The temple priests arrange a drawing of lots among the widowers of Israel. Joseph is the reluctant winner, and he protests saying: “I have two sons, and I am an old man, and I will become a laughingstock to the children of Israel.”
Joseph has no desire to have sexual relations with Mary, and he takes off on a long business trip. Inexplicitly, he does not return for six months. When he arrives home, he finds Mary pregnant, and he rebukes himself for not keeping her safe.
Joseph cries out: “Who hath done this evil in mine house and hath defiled the virgin”? In the gospel of Matthew, we read that Joseph was ready to divorce Mary because of this embarrassing state of affairs.
Joseph then turns against Mary: “Why hast thou done this?” Mary “weeps bitterly, and says: ‘I am pure, and I know not a man.’ ” Joseph “was sore afraid and ceased from speaking unto her, and pondered what he should do with her.”
As in the Gospel of Matthew, an angel appears to Joseph assuring him that the Holy Spirit has caused her to conceive and that her son, Jesus, “shall save his people from their sins.” The temple priests do not believe Joseph. They put both him and Mary to the test of “bitter waters” and “no sin appears in them.”
This scriptural attestation, however, did not stop medieval Christians from spreading stories about whether Joseph was really the father and whether Mary was actually a virgin. This is the subject of the popular “cherry tree” Christmas carol, which is set on the way to Bethlehem. Mary asks Joseph to pick her some fruit from a cherry tree, and he replies spitefully: “Let him pluck thee a cherry that brought thee with child.”
The most graphic expression of this question is found in traveling plays in 16th century East Anglia. One of them, playfully of course, puts Mary and Joseph on trial. Joseph is mocked unmercifully but Mary, after passing a medical examination, is exonerated and praised as the queen of Heaven.
Returning to the Infancy Gospel of James, Joseph and Mary continue to Bethlehem. Halfway there, Mary goes into labor and they quickly find a cave for shelter. Joseph finds a midwife named Salome and, before she arrives, Jesus has already appeared in a heavenly light and not from Mary’s womb.
Salome doubts a virgin birth, and she checks to see if Mary is still intact. She is indeed, and as punishment for her unbelief, Salome’s hand becomes withered. She is stricken with grief and she begs for forgiveness. An angel tells her to hold her injured hand near the baby Jesus. It was restored, and this was Jesus’ first miracle.
A popular souvenir among medieval pilgrims was a small statue of a pregnant Mary, which when opened revealed the Holy Trinity in her womb. The early church rightly called her the Mother of God (theotokos).
Thus, Mary in this tradition was indeed a goddess, just as Aditi was the mother of all the Hindu gods. They many times formed trinities, and one of her sons was Shiva, a great dancer. Read “Trinities Everywhere” at bit.ly/3VQeEMX.
Gier holds a doctorate in philosophical theology, and he was coordinator of religious studies at the University of Idaho from 1980 to 2003. Email him at niger006∂gmail.com.