The Protevangelium Jacobi. An Apocryphal Gospel?
(2013) The Apocryphal Gospels — accepted/in-press
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- Abstract
- Many stories about Jesus’ parents (Joseph and Mary) and grand-parents (Joachim and Anna) are not found in the Bible but in the Protevangelium Jacobi (PJ), one of the oldest apocryphal gospels. In this article some main items of this ‘infancy gospel’ are presented and discussed. An exposition of the contents of the gospel is followed by a general introduction about the author, date and place of origin. Then comes a longer reflection on the theology and the role of God in the story. It is argued that the function of God is quite similar to God’s role in the Biblical texts. The debate on the socio-religious context of PJ is strongly influenced by the general idea one has of the text: is it meant to praise Mary’s purity or is it an apology against the attacks by Jews and/or non-Jews? Because of the many open questions a nuanced position should be preferred: PJ is a Christian text from a mixed milieu that is in a constant dialogue with the Jewish tradition and the non-Jewish context. Finally some examples of the effect of PJ on theology, liturgy, art and popular belief during the centuries are given. They make clear that, although the Protevangelium Jacobi was listed among the so-called “apocryphal” texts, it never was a hidden writing.
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Van Oyen, G. (2013). The Protevangelium Jacobi. An Apocryphal Gospel? In J. Schröter (ed.), The Apocryphal Gospels. Peeters. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/23782