Thread by @catholicpat

The Bible says nothing about the Virgin Mary's childhood

But an ancient text reveals what might have happened

It’s called the “Protoevangelium of James”

Here’s what it says — and what it proves about Mary (thread) 🧵

The Protoevangelium of James was written around 150 A.D.

It’s not in the Bible, but it was popular among early Christians.

It focuses entirely on Mary: her birth, her childhood, and how she came to be the Mother of God.

It claims to be written by the apostle James — but it probably wasn’t.

It was written a few decades after the Assumption, likely by someone close to her

But it gained popularity among Christians for good reason.

“But Patrick, it’s not in the Bible!”

So what?

We use extra-biblical sources to confirm historical details about Jesus. Why not Mary?

Okay: so what does it actually say?

The story starts with Mary’s parents, Joachim and Anne.

They’re old, childless, and deeply faithful

St. Joachim prays for a child and miraculously, they conceive the Virgin Mary

When Mary turns three, they bring her to live in the Temple.

She stays there until she’s about twelve and is consecrated a temple virgin

To protect her purity, the priests decide to entrust her to a widower, so they hold a contest.

They gather seven widowers to throw down their staffs.

A dove bursts out of Joseph’s staff and lands on his head.

So, Mary is entrusted to Him but still maintains her vow of virginity.

When Gabriel appears to Mary, she is weaving a curtain for the Temple.

Fitting, because she is going to “knit” the body of Jesus (the new Temple) in her womb.

When Mary is found with child, the priests do the “Ordeal of Bitter Waters” (Numbers 5:11-31) to prove she is not lying

When the time comes to give birth to Christ, Joseph finds a midwife.

There is a sudden burst of light and a baby appears in Mary’s arms.

The midwife doubts the virginity of Mary and goes to test it but her hand is withered as punishment.

Her hand is healed by Christ.

The book ends with the adoration of the Magi, the flight into Egypt, and the martyrdom of Zechariah.

It fills in details not present in the gospels of Luke or Matthew

So…what are Christians supposed to do with this book?

The Protoevangelium of James is not scripture or history

But Christians can use it to understand what the early church believed about Mary

For example:

If Mary had other children they would still be alive and known to the early Christians

So, a book claiming her perpetual virginity in such a forceful way would be rejected.

The Protoevangelium is a worthwhile read

Not only because of the fantastic stories

But also to understand the Marian heritage of our Christian faith.

Want to defend the faith but don’t know how to do it?

That’s why I made the Battle Plan

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