THE HISTORY OF THE VIRGIN MARY AS

TOLD BY HER TO THEOPHILUS, PATRIARCH

OF ALEXANDRIA

[A.Fol. 90a, I ; Brit. Mus. Oriental No. 604, Fol. 5a

and No. 605, Fol. 162a.]

HERE beginneth the story of how our Lady Mary

appeared unto the Archbishop Theophilus, and

how she spake with him and strengthened him after the

weariness of the way. He said :

O my fathers and brethren, hearken ye unto what I

shall say unto you with fear, and with true faith, how

our holy Lady, the twofold Virgin, Mary, the God bearer,

appeared unto me. On the Sunday which hath

just passed by we had brought to an end our prayers for

the night, and the fathers who were bishops had departed

to sleep by themselves. And I went up on the

raised platform whereon abideth our holy Lady, the

twofold Virgin, Mary, the God-bearer, and I stood up

and stretched out myhands, and I made supplication

unto God, saying, " Hearken Thou unto me, O my

Lordand Saviour Jesus Christ, Who didst hearken unto

those who were gathered together at Nicaea until at

length they established the Law (i.e. Creed) of God.

Hearken unto me, O Thou Who didst hearken unto

Abba Athanasius the Apostle, and Who didst help him

out of his tribulation. I am prepared to do service for

Thee, and I know that Thou wilt hearken unto me

always, and that Thou art for ever nigh unto those

who love Thy Name, O my Lord and God. Have compassion

upon me and turn Thou me not backwards, for

I have yoked myself unto Thee from my youth up, even

unto this hour. I beseech Thee to show me how Thou

The History of the Virgin Mary related

didst come into this world, and how Thou didst take up

Thine abode in this house in the wilderness. And help

Thou me to build this house in such wise that it may

become a great church wherein men shall exalt and

glorify Thy holy Name. Unto Thee belong power and

forgiveness, and Thou art the Good One, together with

Thy Father and the Holy Spirit, now, henceforth, and

for ever and ever." Amen.

And it came to pass that when I had prayed in this

wise a mighty light appeared unto me, and I thought

that the sun had risen ; and I saw a marvellously great

light whereon sat the Queen of women, our holy Lady,

the twofold Virgin, Mary, the God-bearer. Her face

shone like the sun by reason of the light that was upon

her, and she was arrayed in such a brilliant light that

at length I said, " There is none in this world who can

bear to look upon such glory " ; and Michael, and

Gabriel, and thousands of angels were going round

about her. And it came to pass that when I saw them

I fell upon the ground, and I became like a dead man,

but Michael raised meup, and removed fear and dread

from me. Then our holy Lady herself spake unto me,

saying, I am the holy Lady, the twofold Virgin, Mary,

the God-bearer : arise, be not afraid. Salutation unto

thee, O thou horseman and warrior who doest battle

for the Faith. Salutation to thee, O thou strong

cornerstone in the Church of God. Rise up, be strong,

and know that I am the Mother of the King of the

heavens and the earth. He Whom the heavens and the

earth cannot contain did I bear in my womb for nine

months, and by His Will I suckled with the milk of my

breasts Him that giveth food unto all flesh. I am Mary,

the daughter of Joachim and Hanna, of the tribe of

Judah and of the seed of David, and I have appeared

Unto thee by the desire of my beloved Son. And I will

shew thee that which thou hast asked and sought from

me concerning this house, and concerning my coming

صورة وغلاف ورقة الصورة فارغ

hy Theophilus^ Patriarch of Alexandria

into the country of Egypt from Jerusalem. Now as

concerning this house He desireth to leave it in this

state, so that it may be a testimony unto all the generations

that shall come into the world concerning the

lowly estate which came upon us ; for my blessed Son

did not desire to be exalted upon the earth. He rode

upon the clouds, and not upon horses whereon men

ride, which is a sign of the earth ; but He was carried

in myarms from Jerusalem unto this house. And we

dwelt in humble state in those days, but I remembered

the word of Elisabeth, who said, "

Who am I that the

mother of myLordJesus Christ should come unto me?

(Luke i,

43). Thou hast honoured me more than my

station [meriteth]."

And our holy Lady answered and said unto me,

Theophilus, uncover the ear of thine heart, and

understand what I shall say unto thee in this hour ; and

write it down upon paper, and cause it to come into all

cities and regions for the commemoration of me until

the end of the world. Now as concerning the manner

in which I brought forth Jesus Christ. Astar from out

of the East appeared [unto me], and in its great light

was hidden the light of [all the other] stars. Now I

was abiding in my house, and I was afraid of everything,

and there was none to minister unto me. I was a vir-

gin, and I knew nothing whatsoever, and was the firstborn

of my mother. I had never at any time dwelt

with women who had given birth to children except

Elisabeth, the barren woman, who when she was nigh

to bring forth had everything that was necessary made

ready for her by her neighbours. As for me, I had no

clothing, and I sought therefore, but found nothing except

swa things of sackcloth, and in these swa things I

wrapped His holy Body. Nigh at hand was a stable

wherein they fed the oxen, and therein was my bed,

and I laid the Child to sleep upon it. Andthere were

there an ass and an ox which bowed down in homage

The History ofthe Virgin Mary related

to Him, and they kept Him warm with their breath ;

now at that season of the year the days were cold, for

it was the 29th day of the month Takhshash (Dec. 25).

And straightway I looked, and behold, the Angels, and

the Archangels, and the Seraphim, and the Cherubim

came in their companies, and they bowed down in

adoration before Him, and they ascribed praise unto

Him, each according to his tongue, and said,

This is

the day that God hath made and blessed.' Then they

came unto me and they paid honour unto me, for

honour had been given unto me by the Father. And

they said,

Blessed art thou above women, and blessed

is the fruit of thy womb, which hath come forth to

benefit its nation which sin hath destroyed. Thou art

the spotless Bride, and in thee there is no guile. Thou

art the blessed Dove, the Mother of God, the Queen,

the Mother of the Living King, Who hath appeared

from thee, and Who shall become the life of the world.

Blessed, moreover, are we, for we have seen our Lord

born in the flesh.'

Then Saint Gabriel drew nigh unto me with his

shining and joyful countenance, and he bowed down

before me, and said unto me, " This is He of Whom^ I

told thee, and concerning Whom I brought thee glad

tidings in the times that are past, saying that He would

appear through thee, and that He would give mercy

and strength unto all the peoples who shall believe in

His Name, and render service unto His glory." Then

came Joseph, and with him were Salome and the midwife,

and when they had seen what had happened they

rejoiced with a great joy. And when the midwife saw

the Child in the stable she bowed down unto Him, and

she lifted Him up in her arms, and said, " Blessed am I

whose eyes have seen Thy joy this day, O Thou Who

hast come into the world to forgive the sins of sinners,

of whom am L" And she turned towards me and said

unto me, " Blessed art thou, O Mother of God, con-

by Theophiliis^ Patriarch ofAlexandria

cerning whom the Prophets have cried, saying :

Our

God shall appear from a virgin. As for me, I am thine

handmaiden. And I will never separate myself from

thee, and I will minister unto thee until I die."

Then came the shepherds unto whom He had appeared

in the light, and they bowed down in adoration

before Him in the stable, and they cried out, and said,

" Thou art the Saviour of the world, even as they have

told us, and Thou art indeed the Son of God. Blessed

are we who have seen the glory of Thy Godhead, because

we were swift to come as soon as we heard [of

Thee]." And they drew nigh unto me, and they bowed

low before me, and they said unto me, " Blessed art

thou above all the women that are upon the earth.

And blessed is thy womb which bare Him, and blessed

are thy breasts which suckled Him, for thou hast given

birth for our sakes to Him that is the Life of the

World." And all the companies of the angels that were

there declared what they had seen and heard, saying,

" Glory to God in the heavens. Let there be peace on

the earth unto the children of men with whom He is

pleased " ; and every one who heard marvelled, and I

said, " What shall I become ?

And after these things, on the eighth day. He came

that they might circumcise Him according to the Law

of the Jews ; and they called His Name Jesus, according

to what the Angel had said unto me before I had

conceived Him. And in those days there came certain

men who were Magians from the country of the East,

and they were making enquiries in the cities and dis-

tricts round about, saying, " Where is Christ born ?

For we have seen His star in the East, and we have

come to worship Him." When Herod heard this he

was greatly moved, together with [the people] of all the

borders of Jerusalem. Then Herod gathered together

all the nobles, and the priests, and the scribes, and the

elders of the people, and he asked them, saying, "Where

F 65

The History of the Virgin Mary related

is Christ born ?

And when was His appointed time ?

And they said unto him, " He hath been born in these

[last] days, in Bethlehem of Judea, even as the prophet

Micah saith, And thou, Bethlehem of the country of

Ephratah, art not the least of the provinces of Judah,

for from thee shall go forth the King Who shall rule

My people Israel " (Micah v, 2). Then Herod said

unto the Magians, " Go ye and seek out the Child, and

when ye have found Him come and tell me, that I may

worship Him" —not that he wanted to worship Him,

but in order that he might kill Him; for he thought

that the Child was an earthly being, and that His kingdom

was earthly. And when the Magians had heard

those things from the king they went forth to seek for

the Child. Now that star which guided them from

their own country, until it brought them unto the

place where my be loved Son was, left them and was no

more seen. And when they had entered into [the

stable] they saw the Child in my arms, and they worshipped

Him, and with joy and gladness they brought

forth gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh ; and they

cried out, saying, " Blessed be the Great King Who

shall destroy the kingdoms of the earth. And moreover.

Thou shalt descend into the earth, and thou shalt

bind Satan in chains, even according to what we have

found in the Book of the Prophets and wise Fathers."

And that night they slept [there], thinking that on the

Morrow they would go to Herod and tell him that they

had found the Child and His mother. But the Angel

of the Lord appeared and said unto them, " Get ye to

your own country in peace " ; and they went there

according as the Angel of the Lord had said unto them.

Now when forty days were ended we brought Him

up to the Temple that they might do unto Him [according

to] the Law of Moses, and according as they

are wont to do unto the children of Israel. And when

we had brought Him into the house of the Sanctuary

by Theophihis^ Patriarch of Alexandria

[we found] there a priest whose name was Simeon, and

he was waiting to see the Saviour before he died. And

I gave him the Child, and he took Him and carried Him

in his arms, and he blessed Him and bore him round

about in the Temple. Now he was a blind man, and

my beloved Son opened his eyes when He saw him.

And Simeon opened his mouth and said, "

Now

straightway let Thy servant depart in peace, O Lord,

according as Thou hast commanded ; for mine eyes

have seen Thy Salvation which Thou hast prepared before

all Thy people. [To be a light to lighten the Gentiles,

and to be] the glory of Thy people Israel." And

when he had ended these words he gave me the Child,

and we came [back] in peace with joy and gladness; and

the old man Simeon the priest died on that same day.

And Herod waited two years for the Magians to return

unto him, but they came not back, for they had

returned to their native land ; and Herod was greatly

moved, and he and all his servants were afraid. Then

Satan appeared unto him by night in the form of a wise

man, and said unto him, " Wherefore remainest thou

[thus idle] ? For thou and all thy kingdom shall be destroyed."

And Herod answered and said unto him,

" What shall I do ? " Then Satan said unto him, "

the morrow, early in the morning, send thy servants

and command them not to leave [alive] in Bethlehem

any child which is two years old and under, and let

them slay them ; and as the Child [Jesus] shall be found

among those who shall be slain, He shall not grow up

and shall not take thy kingdom." Now on that day the

Angel of God appeared unto Joseph, and said unto him,

" Rise up, and take the Child and His mother, and depart

unto the country of Egypt until I give thee His

word; for Herod seeketh the Child to slay Him." Then

straightway we rose up and departed into the country

of Egypt, and Salome was with us.

And it came to pass that, when the morrow had come,

The History ofthe Virgi?i Mary related

Herod commanded them to slay the children In Bethlehem

and in all the borders thereof and in all the dis-

tricts thereof, in accordance with the information that

he had obtained from the Magians, and according to

the word of Satan, the father of all iniquity. So we

rose up[and went] on our way, and Joseph was in front

of me. And I carried my Child sometimes on my

shoulders, and sometimes on my back, and sometimes

in my arms, and by reason of the length of the way, and

the weariness of the journey, Salome [carried Him] in

turn. Then, sometimes, I set Him down upon the

ground that He might follow me, even as do women

when they teach their children to walk, for I was a delicate

woman, and it had not been my lot to toil hard.

And He would walk along a little way at a time, holding

on to the hem of my skirt, and then, like all children

who cry out to their mothers to carry them. He expected

me to carry Him; and I did so immediately on

my back. Then I would embrace Him and would re-

joice in His walking, and at the same time I cast imprecations

upon Herod, and cursed him and all his

kingdom, because he had treated innocent and sinless

children in such a cruel manner, and had slaint hem, and

had put sorrow into the breasts of their mothers and

fathers. Now when Joseph saw Salome carrying the Child

upon her shoulders he wouldc arr your food for the way.

And it came to pass that, when we arrived in the

country of Egypt, we sat down outside a city, under the

shadow of a tree, so that we might rest from the heat of

the sun, for the season was summer, and the day was

the twenty-seventh of the month Genbot (May 22) ;

now Joseph and Salome slept by reason of the weariness

of the way, but I suckled my Child. Now His apparel

was in colour like wine, being the same as mine own

wherein my father and my mother arrayed me when

they brought me into the house of the Sanctuary, and

since the time when I first put it on I had never taken

صورة وظهر ورقة الصورة فارغ

by Theophilus^ Patriarch ofAlexa7idria

it off, and the sandals that were on the feet of mySon

were like unto gold. And behold, on that road [we

met] two thieves, one of whom belonged to the country

of Egypt, and the other to the country of the Hebrews.

And the Hebrew said unto the Egyptian, " I wish to

Carry off the apparel of this woman and that of her Son,

for it is like unto royal raiment. H we had met them

in the desert I would have taken it, but they are nigh

unto a city." Then the Egyptian said unto his companion,

" Let them alone and let us depart, for I have

not seen such a child as this since I was born." Now

whilst they were talking in this wise I took out my

breast and suckled the Child, for I wished to give Him

milk to drink, and when I looked round about me I

found them not. Then I rose up and took the Child

into the city, and asked the women thereof to give Him

some water to drink ; but there was none who gave me

any, for the people of that city were without mercy.

Now when the thieves saw that I had gone away they

came back and, going into the place where Joseph was

sleeping, they carried off the shoes of my Son. And

when I returned I woke up Joseph and Salome, and I

said unto them, " Rise up, and let us depart from this

city, for the people thereof have no mercy. I sought

for water, but there was none who would give me any.

I have lost nothing except the sandals of my Son which

the thieves have taken." Now as I said these words I

wept, and when my beloved Son saw my weeping He

sought [to stay] my tears with His hand. And He

thrust His fingers down into the ground a little way,

and forthwith beautiful water welled up; and we drank

thereof. Nowthe water was as sweet as honey and as

white as milk. Then He made the sign of the Cross

over the water, and said, " Let this water be unto every

one who wisheth to drink thereof healing and pleasant,

except unto the people of this city ; unto them let it

be as gall in their mouths, and let not any one of them

The History of the Virgin Mary related

have benefit there from." Then when we had eaten a

little food I took my beloved Child upon my back, and

we rose up to depart. And straightway their temples

fell down in the twinkling of an eye, and not one of

them was left [standing], and the idols thereof were

broken and dashed to pieces ; and in like manner the

gods thereof were thrown down, one upon the other,

and were broken.

Now, as we were making our way up into Egypt the

mountains and the wild beasts came and worshipped

my Son, and when we journeyed onwards they also

journeyed with us. Then my Son turned towards them,

and placing His right hand upon the mountain that

was towards the East, and His left hand upon the mountain

that was towards the West, said unto them, "Stand

ye still, and behold, make firm your roots deep in the

rock like things fixed therein " ; and thus do they

appear unto this day. And He said unto them, " Be

ye a sign unto those who shall not believe in Me and

unto those who shall deny Mycoming, and unto the

sinful Jews, and unto Herod the accursed and his kingdom,

and unto all those who shall not believe in My

holy Name." And He said unto these mountains, " Ye

have recognized Me, and ye have believed on Me, O

things that have neither soul nor body, but the kings

whom I have created in Mine own form and likeness

believe not in Me, and they will not render homage

unto My glory. Those for whose sake I have come into

the world will neither payhomage unto Me nor receive

Me; nay, they seek to slay Me, and I have been [constrained

to] come and stay in this country. But My

Name and that of My pure mother shall be magnified

and glorified from generation unto generation."

And next we arrived in the city of Ashmunen,where

The capital of the 15th nome of Upper Egypt, which lay on the

west bank of the Nile about 182 miles south of Memphis. The town

was the centre of the cult of the old Egyptian god Thoth, the scribe

by Theophilus^ Patriarch of Alexandria

in the forepart of the gate was a huge building which,

with its four towers/ reared itself above the city, and

it, too, fell down and was broken, because they worshipped idols

therein. Then our Lord Jesus said," Thou

shalt be the sign (or, memorial) of this city and of the

people thereof for ever " ; and this took place even as

He said, for the fortress became a ruin, [and it remaineth

so] unto this day. And there was a tree^ in that

place, and it bowed down at the feet of my Son and

said unto Him, " Prosperous be Thy coming, O Jesus,

Thou Son of God ! " And the Lord answered and said

Unto it, " No worm shall ever enter into thee, and thou

shalt keep in memory My coming into this city to-day."

Andall the people, from the greatest to the least, marvelled

at the glory that was on my Son, and said, "

have never at any time seen a Child like unto this."

Now as we were passing on through one of the market

places of the city, behold, five camels crowded us on the

road, and when my Son saw them He said unto them,

" Stand still " ; and they became stones even unto this

day. 3 And there was a certain man whose name was

of the gods ;

the Greeks identified this god with Hermes and called

his city Hermopolis Magna. The Coptic name of the town, "Shmoun,"

represents the old Egyptian " Khemen," or " Khemenu," whence also

comes the Arabic name Ashmun.

These towers were probably the pylons of the temple of Thoth,

the ruins of which were to be seen at Ashmunen until the early Middle

Ages.

2 According to Abu Salih (ed. Evetts, p. 222) there was outside the

church a Syrian tree bearing the fruit called " sebestan," which is of

a red colour. The tree stood near the ancient temple. Thegovernor

of the town wished to cut it down ; but the patriarch Agatho was

standing under the tree, and when the woodmanstruck it with his axe,

the axe flew back into his face and wounded him grievously.

Abu Salih (pp. 220, 221) says :

It is said that there was on the

highest point of the town a cock, and beneath it a row of dromedaries.

Whena stranger approached the town the cock crowed, and the dromedaries

came out to destroy that stranger. But when our Lord Christ,

to Whom be glory !

cameto this town, the cock crowedand the dromedaries

went out, according to their custom. And when they saw the

The History ofthe Virgm Mary related

Teflem, upon whom was the mercy of God, and he received

us and made us to abide in his house ; and all the

idols [therein] fell down and were broken to pieces.

Then all the ministrants of the gods were afraid, and

they hid themselves in their houses. Now when the

morning had come all the people gathered themselves

together to the place wherein we were, and [among

them] were many who were dumb, and deaf, and sick

of every kind of disease. And my Son laid His hand

upon them and healed them of all their sicknesses, and

Hewrought in that city many miracles, the which if I

were to describe them to thee, no paper would be suffi-

cient to contain them. Then multitudes of people

came to us and pressed upon us, by reason of the

miracles which He wrought that day.

And we departed from that place and came unto a

city the name of which is Pantos (Funkus ?), and the

inhabitants thereof were humane and we abode there :

and my Son wrought innumerable miracles therein.

And He said, "

My Name, and the name of My mother

Mary, shall be in this city even to the most remote

days." And they brought those who were suffering

from sickness and diseases unto Him, and in His abundant

mercy He healed them. And a certain man who

was a blacksmith heard [of these things], and he came

unto us—now he belonged to [one of] thegreatest fami-

lies in

Jerusalem—andhe made the old manJoseph and

us also to take up our abode in his house ; and he had

a son who was possessed of a mighty devil. And it came

to pass that his devil returned unto him on that day,

and as soon as he saw the Child, he cried out to Him,

and said, " What have I to do with Thee, OJesus, the

Nazarene ? Hast Thou come unto us to condemn us ?

Lord Christ and the Lady, and Joseph the carpenter, they worshipped

them ; and on the spot they were changed into stone ; and their number

was five. On this island there are 300 villages. Our Lord entered

by the eastern gate. Here the dromedaries worshipped Him.

by Theophiliis^ Patriarch of Alexandria

Weleft Jerusalem through Thee and fled to this city,

andThouhast followed after us to judge us, for indeed

Thou art the Son of God." Then Jesus said unto him,

Make an end [of thy words] and go forth out of

him " ; and straightway the young man recovered from

his sickness. And he and his father and mother rose up

and worshipped, saying, " Blessed are we, in that we

have been considered worthy of this act of grace above

all [other] folk, for although we are sinners Thouhast

come into our house

—now when we came in the

blessing of God came unto them. And very many

people in that place believed when they saw the

miracle that the Lord Jesus had wrought.

Then the nobles of the city enquired of the priests

of the gods, and said unto them, "Wherefore doye hide

yourselves and forsake your gods ? "

And the priests

said, " From the moment when this woman and her

Child came [here], the idols have been broken in pieces,

andthe temples of the godshave fallen down; although

we keep watch over them during the night yet in the

morning they are broken in pieces." Then the nobles

of the city sent for us to betaken to them, but we withdrew into

the chambers in the upper part of the house.

Then the priests seized the master of the house, and

took him before the nobles of the city, who said unto

him, " Where are the people who were living in thy

house ? "

And he said unto them, " It is three days

this day since they departed from my house, and I know

not where they are " ; and, although they scourged

him, he said nothing whatsoever except, " I know not

where they are." And when he came forth from the

elders of the city he told me what had taken place before

them.

Andin the morning we departed from them and we

arrived at a city the name of which was Kuesya,^ and

Probably Munyatu bu Kais, the Mone of the Copts and the Men-t

of the ancient Egyptians, i.e. the metropolis of the l6th nome of

The History of the Virgin Mary related

therein was a temple whereon stood a statue with seven

steps ; and those who ministered unto the statue

allowed none except a noble of the city to enter into

the temple. Now the statue was wont to step forward

and to bow to those who made offerings [in the temple].

And it came to pass that when we had arrived at the

gates of the city the pedestal with seven steps and the

statue that was on them were overturned, and the

statue fell to the ground and was broken in pieces.

Then the devil that was in the statue cried out and said

unto the priests,

If ye do not go to this woman and

her Son, and the old man who travelleth with her, and

the woman [Salome], and drive them away when soever

they would enter into this city, your occupation will be

destroyed, and in three days' time they will make you

to go forth [from your temple]. And I warn you that

they will come into your country, for they seek [to invade]

all the provinces of Egypt, and when they have

once entered into this city, the temple of the gods shall

be overthrown, and the work of our city shall be destroyed,

and our enemies shall rise up against us and

make an end of our city, and our glory shall be cast to

the ground." Then when the priests of the gods had

heard these things they appointed one hundred men to

come against us with sticks and staves, and they cursed

and reviled us exceedingly, and said, " What want ye

here with us ?

Get ye gone, lest our soldiers come and

slay you, for our gods have told us that our city shall

be destroyed through you " ; and their women and

children came forth and reviled and cursed us. Then I

took my Son in my arms and departed, being sorrowful,

and I wept, and my heart was sad because the people

would neither receive us nor let us dwell [in their city].

Upper Egypt, the modern Minyah, which lies on the west bank of the

Nile, and is about 157 miles south of Memphis (or, Cairo.) In Coptic

times the town contained several churches, two dedicated to the Virgin,

one to St. George, and one to St. Michael.

by Theophilus^ Patriarch of Alexandria

And it came to pass that when we had departed from

the city, the name of which was " Kuesya," my Son

turned and cursed it and said unto the inhabitants

thereof, "

Ye shall be the fewest in number, and the

feeblest, and the most despised of all the peoples of

Egypt. Nothing shall increase in your land except toil

and the workings of the sorcerer, and your country

shall not be fertile, and your priests shall not increase

in numbers, but shall follow each other only one by

one. And the blessing of My Mother shall not be

upon you ; and according to that which hath gone

forth from My mouth even so shall your land be."

And having said these words He went on His way.

And we travelled onwards and sat down to rest ourselves

a little. Now there was a staff of olive wood in

the hand of Joseph, and Jesus took it in His holy hand,

and planted it in the ground in that place, and said,

" It shall be a blessing unto the people of this place for

ever, and a memorial of My journeying along this road."

Then straightway the twigs on the stick budded and

became green, and it bore fruit even as it had done

upon the tree in times past. And we wished to go forward

on our way. Now there were very many fields

round about the place where we were, and Joseph,

pointing with his finger, said, " Unto which village

shall we go ? For the day hath waned into evening,

and the night hath come." And I said unto him, " Let

us not journey on through the fields, but let us go out

into the desert."

And as we were going along by the side of a mountain

at the time of sunset, behold, the two thieves,

whom we had met before outside the city, and who

had followed us from thence to this place, as soon as

they saw us rushed upon us with their swords, which

were drawn, in their hands. And they said, " For many

days ye have given us great trouble, for we have followed

you, and we could not find where ye had gone

The History of the Virgin Mary related

until this day ; behold, ye have now fallen into our

hands." And thus saying they snatched my beloved

Son from out of my arms, and they stripped off His

raiment and mine also, and they carried off my head cloth,

and then they turned towards Joseph, who was

like a simple sheep, and snatched away his apparel also.

And when Salome saw all these things happening she

stripped off her apparel and cast it away. Then having

carried off our apparel the two thieves stood a little distance

away, and held converse, the one with the other ;

and when I saw them plotting together I was afraid

with a great fear, and I said in my heart, " They will

come to me next and will kill my Son." And I lifted

Him up in my arms, and weeping I laid my face upon

His, and said, "

Woe is me, O my beloved Son !

Whither shall I escape from this hour ? Whither shall

I run ? I fled with Thee from Jerusalem through fear

of the enemy Herod, lest they should kill Thee, O my

beloved Son. O my Son, beloved One of my soul, it is

better for me to go down into mine own country and

to die than to see all [this] suffering. And behold, I am

afraid lest those who are more wicked than Herod lay

hands upon Thee. It is better for me to be in Bethlehem

with those who know Joseph than to be making

supplication unto them (i.e. the thieves) on Thy behalf,

that they slay Thee not. O my beloved Son, it is

a calamity unto me that I am a virgin and of no account,

and that I know nothing of all these things. O

Light of mine eyes, whom do I know in this country ?

And behold, I am in the wilderness, and I know neither

place nor city whither I can go. Where are all those

who know me ? All the women who have borne children

would weep with me if they saw this day the

sorrow and the tribulation which have come upon me,

and the fear which hath entered into my heart and

mind this day. O my beloved Son, did not I endure

hardship with Thee when I was fleeing lest evil should

by Theophilus^ Patriarch of Alexandria

befall Thee, O Thou Light of mine eyes, and when

they drove me from one place unto another and cast

me forth from the city and the fields [about it] ?

O my Son, what shall I do if I see them kill Thee in this

place ? Great would be the grief that I should feel

should I see it ; and if they slay Thee here I shall kill

myself with mine own hand. And what should I do

without the sweet and gracious words that Thou dost

speak unto us each day ?

What shall I do, O Thou

Light of mine eyes, Thou Life of my soul and body ?

When I see the women who are suckling their children

at their breasts, I wish that the women, whose children

Herod slaughtered at their very breasts, could weep for

them this day with me. It would be better for me to

be in Jerusalem or in Bethlehem, but then I should not

find many to lament their children with me. Where

are my holy fathers and the prophets, that they may

weep with me this day ? I would that the Angel who

announced to me concerning Thy birth could see my

lamentation, and that Elisabeth, who belonged to my

family, and her son John could be with me and see the

sorrow of my heart. O Lord, have mercy upon me in

the matter of my death, and be not silent concerning

my sorrow."

Now whilst I was pouring out lamentation in this

wise, and was weeping, and my tears were streaming

down my cheeks, and those of my Son, one of the

thieves saw our weeping, and his bowels were moved,

and he spake unto the Jew, and said unto him, " I beseech

thee, O my brother and friend, not to carry off

the apparel of these wayfarers, for I see on their faces a

light which is brighter than that which is on the faces

of all other people ; and as for this Child, He is like

unto the son of a king, and I have never seen any other

child who is like unto Him." And the Jew said, " I

will not hearken unto thee this day ; nay, I will take

their apparel, for it is the raiment of kings, and [the

The History of the Virgin Mary related

merchants] will give me much money for it." And

when the Jew refused him [his request], and his companion

[the Egyptian] was unable to turn him, the

Egyptian said unto the Jew, " From the time when we

were in Bethlehem until this day we have robbed together.

Last night we obtained much booty, and the

portion that is

my share shall be thine, only let me keep

the apparel of these wayfarers as my own possession, so

that I may give it back to them ; for it is hard for me

[to see] this Child standing more naked than any other

child of man." And when he had spoken in this wise

the Jew said,

" Take the apparel " ; and he took it from

him and gave it unto us, and I dressed my Son therein

joyfully. Now when my beloved Son saw him do this

He made the sign of the Cross over him with His

fingers, and the two thieves departed together. Then

Jesus said unto me, " Seest thou these two thieves ?

They shall be crucified with Me, one on My right hand

and one on My left, in Jerusalem by the Jews. And

the thief on whom it hath been in My heart [to shew]

the mercy of My Good Father shall believe on Me on

the wood of the Cross, and he shall enter into the

Garden (i.e. Paradise) at the head of Adam and his

seed. And as for this place where they stripped Me

naked, and where thou hast wept over Me with the

sweet tears of thine eyes, it shall be a healing of every

person who is sick and ill and who was heth therein, and

I will give them life because of the green grass and

herbs that are therein. And thy tears, which have

fallen upon My body and dropped upon the ground,

shall give them life, and they shall arrive in their own

countries with joy and gladness."

And when He had said these words the night fell, and

Joseph chided me, and said unto me,

I wanted to go

on into the village, but thou wouldst not hearken unto

me, and therefore wehave come into this desert place,

and darkness hath fallen upon us, and we know not

صورة وغلاف ورقة الصورة فارغ

by Theophilus^ Patriarch of Alexandria

whither we are going. But God hath delivered His

people, for if He had not done so the thieves would

have killed us." And at that moment MySon looked

into Joseph's face, and said unto him, " Speak not, O

My father, to My Mother in this wise. It was the wish

of the Good God that I should become man; it is

not for you to give Me commands, for it is I Who give

commandments to the whole world, but I will go

whithersoever thou wishest." And having said these

words we went up into a mountain, and we came into

this house, and I stood up therein, and I put my Son

down upon the ground from my bosom. And when

He stood up on His holy feet upon the ground He

lifted up His hands, and at that moment the house

shone with light as though the sun had risen therein ;

and I gave thanks unto God Who had delivered us and

brought us to this place and had saved us from the

doers of iniquity and violence. And we took up our

abode therein joyfully, and we blessed God the whole

night long.

And in the morning we found a cistern of water, and

We rejoiced because we could drink and could wash the

Child, and I took Him to the cistern, and He stretched

out His fingers and blessed it, and it became full of

water. And straightway He opened His mouth and

blessed it, and said, " Be thou sweet in the mouth of

everyone, and be thou like unto the stream of the river

of the land of Egypt (i.e. the Nile). And it shall heal

everyone who shall be a believer in the true Faith and

in it of his sickness or disease when they assemble in

[this] house."

And we dwelt [there] with the Child and Joseph, and

Salome went round about the house and found a

pitcher and a bucket which they had prepared for us ;

and she washed the Child continually, and I suckled

Him at my breasts. And they brought me my food

from God, and I saw the angels and the hosts of heaven

The History of the Virgin Mary

worshipping at the feet of my beloved Soncontinually,

whilst my nipple was in His mouth. And they said in

their own language, " Blessed be Thou, O God, Who

hast come in this lowly state to give life unto Adam and

unto his seed, because they are the work of Thy hand,

and Thou hast fashioned therein Thine own image and

likeness. And blessed be He Who hath the pre-eminence,

the Word Who hath proceeded from the mouth

the Father, the Upholder of the Universe. And

honour be unto the Holy Virgin who was in labour with

Thee in giving Thee birth." So we tarried there, and

we rested from the toil which had come upon us. And

the angels came and ministered unto us and made

supplication unto us.