The Infancy Gospel of James
The Infancy Gospel of James is very unique in the sense that it has a distinct focus on the life of Mary, especially in the beginning of the gospel. A differing opinion that this gospel has is the relationship between Mary and Joseph. Mary was loved by all of Israel, it was said that she danced on the steps of the temple with the spirit of the Lord, and she remained in the temple where she received food from "the hand of an angel." Where this gospel gets especially different is in chapter eight. Mary turns twelve and the council of priests gather to decide what to do with her, "...so that she does not defile the sanctuary of the Lord our God" (8. 4). After the priests had prayed to the Lord, they decided to gather all of the male widowers and choose one for Mary. Joseph was one of the widowers who was gathered; "Finally, Joseph took his rod. Suddenly a dove came out of the rod and stood on Joseph's head" (9. 5-6). After Mary and Joseph had their visions of their son to-be, they had to go to Bethlehem for the census that was also talked about in The Gospel of Luke. Instead of a manger at an inn, this gospel tells the story that due to lack of resources, Jesus was birthed in a cave. The gospel strays in chapter 18 to an unusual occurrence that does not happen in any other gospel. While Joseph was out searching for a midwife to see Mary, it appears that everything freezes in the middle of performing an action...besides Joseph. "With utter astonishment I saw it, even the birds of the sky were not moving"(18.4). "And I saw sheep being driven, but the sheep were still standing still. And the shepherd lifted up his hand to strike them, but his hand remained above them" (18. 8-9).
The Infancy Gospel of James differs from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas in the way that a lot of the Infancy Gospel of James is taken from Luke and other gospels so therefore much of it is believed to be true. However, there are a few main contradictions that could have lead to the Infancy Gospel of James not being accepted into the canon. The main discrepancy in this gospel is the fact that Joseph was a widower with a child already. Joseph was obligated to be with Mary in this gospel since his rod was the one with the dove. He is described as Mary's guardian instead of her husband at first. This would also mean that Jesus had an unknown step-brother that was not mentioned anywhere else in the New Testament.
Also, another contradiction is that no where is it recorded that Zechariah, who is the father of John the Baptist, is martyred. The suspicious death of an important character in the bible may lead to some speculation. |