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8. And their kings and chief
men came together to them, asking what they had seen or done, how they had
gone and come back, what they had brought with them. And they showed them
that swathing-cloth which the Lady Mary had given them. Wherefore they
celebrated a feast, and, according to their custom, lighted a fire and
worshipped it, and threw that swathing-cloth into it; and the fire laid
hold of it, and enveloped it. And when the fire had gone out, they took
out the swathing-cloth exactly as it had been before, just as if the fire
had not touched it. Wherefore they began to kiss it, and to put it on
their heads and their eyes, saying: This verily is the truth without
doubt. Assuredly it is a great thing that the fire was not able to burn or
destroy it. Then they took it, and with the greatest honour laid it up
among their treasures. 9. And when Herod saw that the
magi had left him, and not come back to him, he summoned the priests and
the wise men, and said to them: Show me where Christ is to be born. And
when they answered, In Bethlehem of Judaea, he began to think of putting
the Lord Jesus Christ to death. Then appeared an angel of the Lord to
Joseph in his sleep, and said: Rise, take the boy and His mother, and go
away into Egypt. He rose, therefore, towards cockcrow, and set out. 10. While he is reflecting how
be is to set about his journey, morning came upon him after he had gone a
very little way. And now he was approaching a great city, in which there
was an idol, to which the other idols and gods of the Egyptians offered
gifts and vows. And there stood before this idol a priest ministering to
him, who, as often as Satan spoke from that idol, reported it to the
inhabitants of Egypt and its territories. This priest had a son, three
years old, beset by several demons; and he made many speeches and
utterances; and when the demons seized him, he tore his clothes, and
remained naked, and threw stones at the people. And there was a hospital
in that city dedicated to that idol. And when Joseph and the Lady Mary had
come to the city, and had turned aside into that hospital, the citizens
were very much afraid; and all the chief men and the priests of the idols
came together to that idol, and said to it: What agitation and commotion
is this that has arisen in our land? The idol answered them: A God has
come here in secret, who is God indeed; nor is any god besides Him worthy
of divine worship, because He is truly the Son of God. And when this land
became aware of His presence, it trembled at His arrival, and was moved
and shaken; and we are exceedingly afraid from the greatness of His power.
And in the same hour that idol fell down, and at its fall all, inhabitants
of Egypt and others, ran together. 11. And the son of the priest,
his usual disease having come upon him, entered the hospital, and there
came upon Joseph and the Lady Mary, from whom all others had fled. The
Lady Mary had washed the cloths of the Lord Christ, and had spread them
over some wood. That demoniac boy, therefore, came and took one of the
cloths, and put it on his head. Then the demons, fleeing in the shape of
ravens and serpents, began to go forth out of his mouth. The boy, being
immediately healed at the command of the Lord Christ, began to praise God,
and then to give thanks to the Lord who had healed him. And when his
father saw him restored to health, My son, said he, what has happened to
thee? and by what means hast thou been healed? The son answered: When the
demons had thrown me on the ground, I went into the hospital, and there I
found an august woman with a boy, whose newly-washed cloths she had thrown
upon some wood: one of these I took up and put upon my head, and the
demons left me and fled. At this the father rejoiced greatly, and said: My
son, it is possible that this boy is the Son of the living God who created
the heavens and the earth: for when he came over to us, the idol was
broken, and all the gods fell, and perished by the power of his
magnificence. 12. Here was fulfilled the prophecy which says, Out of Egypt have I called my son. Joseph indeed, and Mary, when they heard that that idol had fallen down and perished, trembled, and were afraid. Then they said: When we were in the land of Israel, Herod thought to put Jesus to death, and on that account slew all the children of Bethlehem and its confines; and there is no doubt that the Egyptians, as soon as they have heard that this idol has been broken, will burn us with fire. 13. Going out thence, they came
to a place where there were robbers who had plundered several men of their
baggage and clothes, and had bound them. Then the robbers heard a great
noise, like the noise of a magnificent king going out of his city with his
army, and his chariots and his drums; and at this the robbers were
terrified, and left all their plunder. And their captives rose up, loosed
each other’s bonds, recovered their baggage, and went away. And when
they saw Joseph and Mary coming up to the place, they said to them: Where
is that king, at the hearing of the magnificent sound of whose approach
the robbers have left us, so that we have escaped safe? Joseph answered
them: He will come behind us. 14. Thereafter they came into
another city, where there was a demoniac woman whom Satan, accursed and
rebellious, had beset, when on one occasion she had gone out by night for
water. She could neither bear clothes, nor live in a house; and as often
as they tied her up with chains and thongs, she broke them, and fled naked
into waste places; and, standing in cross-roads and cemeteries, she kept
throwing stones at people, and brought very heavy calamities upon her
friends. And when the Lady Mary saw her, she pitied her; and upon this
Satan immediately left her, and fled away in the form of a young man,
saying: Woe to me from thee, Mary, and from thy son. So that woman was
cured of her torment, and being restored to her senses, she blushed on
account of her nakedness; and shunning the sight of men, went home to her
friends. And after she put on her clothes, she gave an account of the
matter to her father and her friends; and as they were the chief men of
the city, they received the Lady Mary and Joseph with the greatest honour
and hospitality. 15. On the day after, being
supplied by them with provision for their journey, they went away, and on
the evening of that day arrived at another town, in which they were
celebrating a marriage; but, by the arts of accursed Satan and the work of
enchanters, the bride had become dumb, and could not speak a word. And
after the Lady Mary entered the town, carrying her son the Lord Christ,
that dumb bride saw her, and stretched out her hands towards the Lord
Christ, and drew Him to her, and took Him into her arms, and held Him
close and kissed Him, and leaned over Him, moving His body back and
forwards. Immediately the knot of her tongue was loosened, and her ears
were opened; and she gave thanks and praise to God, because He had
restored her to health. And that night the inhabitants of that town
exulted with joy, and thought that God and His angels had come down to
them. 16. There they remained three
days, being held in great honour, and living splendidly. Thereafter, being
supplied by them with provision for their journey, they went away and came
to another city, in which, because it was very populous, they thought of
passing the night. And there was in that city an excellent woman: and
once, when she had gone to the river to bathe, lo, accursed Satan, in the
form of a serpent, had leapt upon her, and twisted himself round her
belly; and as often as night came on, he tyrannically tormented her. This
woman, seeing the mistress the Lady Mary, and the child, the Lord Christ,
in her bosom, was struck with a longing for Him, and said to the mistress
the Lady Mary: O mistress, give me this child, that I may carry him, and
kiss him. She therefore gave Him to the woman; and when He was brought to
her, Satan let her go, and fled and left her, nor did the woman ever see
him after that day. Wherefore all who were present praised God Most High,
and that woman bestowed on them liberal gifts 17. On the day after, the same
woman took scented water to wash the Lord Jesus; and after she had washed
Him, she took the water with which she had done it, and poured part of it
upon a girl who was living there, whose body was white with leprosy, and
washed her with it. And as soon as this was done, the girl was cleansed
from her leprosy. And the towns- people said: There is no doubt that
Joseph and Mary and that boy are gods, not men. And when they were getting
ready to go away from them, the girl who had laboured under the leprosy
came up to them, and asked them to let her go with them. 18. When they had given her
permission, she went with them. And afterwards they came to a city, in
which was the castle of a most illustrious prince, who kept a house for
the entertainment of strangers. They turned into this place; and the girl
went away to the prince’s wife; and she found her weeping and sorrowful,
and she asked why she was weeping. Do not be surprised, said she, at my
tears; for I am overwhelmed by a great affliction, which as yet I have not
endured to tell to any one. Perhaps, said the girl, if you reveal it and
disclose it to me, I may have a remedy for it. Hide this secret, then,
replied the princess, and tell it to no one. I was married to this prince,
who is a king and ruler over many cities, and I lived long with him, but
by me he had no son. And when at length I produced him a son, he was
leprous; and as soon as he saw him, he turned away with loathing, and said
to me: Either kill him, or give him to the nurse to be brought up in some
place from which we shall never hear of him more. After this I can have
nothing to do with thee, and I will never see thee more. On this account I
know not what to do, and I am overwhelmed with grief. Alas! my son. Alas!
my husband. Did I not say so? said the girl. I have found a cure for thy
disease, and I shall tell it thee. For I too was a leper; but I was
cleansed by God, who is Jesus, the son of the Lady Mary. And the woman
asking her where this God was whom she had spoken of, Here, with thee,
said the girl; He is living in the same house. But how is this possible?
said she. Where is he? There, said the girl, are Joseph and Mary; and the
child who is with them is called Jesus; and He it is who cured me of my
disease and my torment. But by what means, said she, wast thou cured of
thy leprosy? Wilt thou not tell me that? Why not? said the girl. I got
from His mother the water in which He had been washed, and poured it over
myself; and so I was cleansed from my leprosy. Then the princess rose up,
and invited them to avail themselves of her hospitality. And she prepared
a splendid banquet for Joseph in a great assembly of the men of the place.
And on the following day she took scented water with which to wash the
Lord Jesus, and thereafter poured the same water over her son, whom she
had taken with her; and immediately her son was cleansed from his leprosy.
Therefore, singing thanks and praises to God, she said: Blessed is the
mother who bore thee, O Jesus; dost thou so cleanse those who share the
same nature with thee with the water in which thy body has been washed?
Besides, she bestowed great gifts upon the mistress the Lady Mary, and
sent her away with great honour. 19. Coming thereafter to
another city, they wished to spend the night in it. They turned aside,
therefore, to the house of a man newly married, but who, under the
influence of witchcraft, was not able to enjoy his wife; and when they had
spent that night with him, his bond was loosed. And at daybreak, when they
were girding themselves for their journey, the bridegroom would not let
them go, and prepared for them a great banquet. 20. They set out, therefore, on
the following day; and as they came near another city, they saw three
women weeping as they came out of a cemetery. And when the Lady Mary
beheld them, she said to the girl who accompanied her: Ask them what is
the matter with them, or what calamity has befallen them. And to the
girl’s questions they made no reply, but asked in their turn: Whence are
you, and whither are you going? for the day is already past, and night is
coming on apace. We are travellers, said the girl, and are seeking a house
of entertainment in which we may pass the night. They said: Go with us,
and spend the night with us. They followed them, therefore, and were
brought into a new house with splendid decorations and furniture. Now it
was winter; and the girl, going into the chamber of these women, found
them again weeping and lamenting. There stood beside them a mule, covered
with housings of cloth of gold, and sesame was put before him; and the
women were kissing him, and giving him food. And the gift said: What is
all the ado, my ladies, about this mule? They answered her with tears, and
said: This mule, which thou seest, was our brother, born of the same
mother with ourselves. And when our father died, and left us great wealth,
and this only brother, we did our best to get him married, and were
preparing his nuptials for him, after the manner of men. But some women,
moved by mutual jealousy, bewitched him unknown to us; and one night, a
little before daybreak, when the door of our house was shut, we saw that
this our brother had been turned into a mule, as thou now beholdest him.
And we are sorrowful, as thou seest, having no father to comfort us: there
is no wise man, or magician, or enchanter in the world that we have
omitted to send for; but nothing has done us any good. And as often as our
hearts are overwhelmed with grief, we rise and go away with our mother
here, and weep at our father’s grave, and come back again. 21. And when the girl heard
these things, Be of good courage, said she, and weep not: for the cure of
your calamity is near; yea, it is beside you, and in the middle of your
own house. For I also was a leper; but when I saw that woman, and along
with her that young child, whose name is Jesus, I sprinkled my body with
the water with which His mother had washed Him, and I was cured. And I
know that He can cure your affliction also. But rise, go to Mary my
mistress; bring her into your house, and tell her your secret; and entreat
and supplicate her to have pity upon yon. After the woman had heard the
girl’s words, they went in haste to the Lady Mary, and brought her into
their chamber, and sat down before her weeping, and saying: O our
mistress, Lady Mary, have pity on thy hand-maidens; for no one older than
ourselves, and no head of the family, is left- -neither father nor
brother–to live with us; but this mule which thou seest was our brother,
and women have made him such as thou seest by witchcraft. We beseech thee,
therefore, to have pity upon us. Then, grieving at their lot, the Lady
Mary took up the Lord Jesus, and put Him on the mule’s back; and she
wept as well as the women, and said to Jesus Christ: Alas! my son, heal
this mule by Thy mighty power, and make him a man endowed with reason as
he was before. And when these words were uttered by the Lady Mary, his
form was changed, and the mule became a young man, free from every defect.
Then he and his mother and his sisters adored the Lady Mary, and lifted
the boy above their heads, and began to kiss Him, saying: Blessed is she
that bore Thee, O Jesus, O Saviour of the world; blessed are the eyes
which enjoy the felicity of seeing Thee. 22. Moreover, both the sisters
said to their mother: Our brother indeed, by the aid of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and by the salutary intervention of this girl, who pointed out to
us Mary and her son, has been raised to human form. Now, indeed, since our
brother is unmarried, it would do very well for us to give him as his wife
this girl, their servant. And having asked the Lady Mary, and obtained her
consent, they made a splendid wedding for the girl; and their sorrow being
changed into joy, and the beating of their breasts into dancing, they
began to be glad, to rejoice, to exult, and sing–adorned, on account of
their great joy, in most splendid and gorgeous attire. Then they began to
recite songs and praises, and to say: O Jesus, son of David, who turnest
sorrow into gladness, and lamentations into joy! And Joseph and Mary
remained there ten clays. Thereafter they set out, treated with great
honours by these people, who bade them farewell, and from bidding them
farewell returned weeping, especially the girl. 23. And turning away from this
place, they came to a desert; and hearing that it was infested by robbers,
Joseph and the Lady Mary resolved to cross this region by night. But as
they go along, behold, they see two robbers lying in the way, and along
with them a great number of robbers, who were their associates, sleeping.
Now those two robbers, into whose hands they had fallen, were Titus and
Dumachus. Titus therefore said to Dumachus: I beseech thee to let these
persons go freely, and so that our comrades may not see them. And as
Dumachus refused, Titus said to him again: Take to thyself forty drachmas
from me, and hold this as a pledge. At the same time he held out to him
the belt which he had about his waist, to keep him from opening his mouth
or speaking. And the Lady Mary, seeing that the robber had done them a
kindness, said to him: The Lord God will sustain thee by His right hand,
and will grant thee remission of thy sins. And the Lord Jesus answered,
and said to His mother: Thirty years hence, O my mother, the Jews will
crucify me at Jerusalem, and these two robbers will be raised upon the
cross along with me, Titus on my right hand and Dumachus on my left; and
after that day Titus shall go before me into Paradise. And she said: God
keep this from thee, my son. And they went thence towards a city of idols,
which, as they came near it, was changed into sand-hills. 24. Hence they turned aside to
that sycamore which is now called Matarea, and the Lord Jesus brought
forth in Matarea a fountain in which the Lady Mary washed His shirt. And
from the sweat of the Lord Jesus which she sprinkled there, balsam was
produced in that region. 25. Thence they came down to
Memphis, and saw Pharaoh, and remained three years in Egypt; and the Lord
Jesus did in Egypt very many miracles which are recorded neither in the
Gospel of the Infancy nor in the perfect Gospel. 26. And at the end of the three
years He came back out of Egypt, and returned. And when they had arrived
at Judaea, Joseph was afraid to enter it; but hearing that Herod was dead,
and that Archelaus his son had succeeded him, he was afraid indeed, but he
went into Judaea. And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said: O
Joseph, go into the city of Nazareth, and there abide. Wonderful indeed,
that the Lord of the world should be thus borne and carried about through
the world! |