Infancy Narratives 2/3
3 years ago
As mentioned I am sharing my translations (from Jerome's Vulgate) of the Infancy Narratives -- the Biblical accounts of Jesus' birthday that form the core of the Christian holiday -- split into three journals, one for Matthew, one for Luke, one for John's prologue, all of which throw different lights on the tale.
This one then is for Luke. Luke's account begins with the Annunciation, the message of Gabriel to Mary and Mary acquiescence to the role of mother of the Messiah. It then shows her encounter with Elizabeth. After covering the birth of John the Baptist (here omitted), the Gospel then portrays Jesus' birth in more detail than Matthew. I chose to end with the presentation of Jesus in the Temple.
It is again worth noting that all three accounts include an element of tragedy. In this case, the sorrow lies in the future, as Simeon prophesies the opposition Jesus will face and the agony Mary will feel on His behalf. Christmas is a time of joy and gladness, but sorrow is never far in this life. But that is an intrinsic part of the message -- God's coming in our flesh to draw us to Him offers the promise that all sorrows are comparatively shallow and passing; while the joy is deep-rooted and eternal.
~ Infancy Narrative of Luke's Gospel
The angel Gabriel was sent by God into a city of Galilee, the name of which was Nazareth; to a maiden betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the House of David. And the maiden's name was Mary.
And coming in, the angel said to her: "Hail, O full of grace! The Lord is with thee: blessed art thou amongst women!"
She, upon seeing him, was disturbed by his speech; and she wondered: what manner of greeting was this?
And the angel saith to her: "Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found grace before God. Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son; and thou shalt call His Name 'Jesus.'
"Great shall He be, and He shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the seat of David His father; and He shall reign in the House of Jacob unto eternity; yea, of His Kingdom there shall be no end!"
But Mary said to the angel: "How can this be done? For a man I know not?"
And in response the angel said to her: "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee; and the virtue of the Most High shall overshadow thee! And therefore also the Holy Which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And lo, thy kinswoman Elizabeth hath herself also conceived in her old age; and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren:
"For no word shall be impossible in the presence of God."
Then said Mary: "Lo, I am the slave girl of the Lord: let it be done unto me according to thy word." And the angel departed from her.
Mary, however, rising up in those days, went off with haste into the hill country, unto a city of Judas; and she entered into the house of Zaccharias and greeted Elizabeth.
And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the babe exulted in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled by the Holy Spirit; and she exclaimed with a great voice and said: "Blessed art thou amongst women! and blessed is the fruit of thy womb!
"And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me! For lo, as soon as the voice of thy greeting fell on mine ears, the babe in my womb exulted for gladness! And blessed art thou, who hast believed; for those things that were told thee by the Lord shall be perfected!"
And saith Mary:
"My soul doth magnify the Lord;
Yea, my spirit exulted in God, my Saviour! --
For He respected the humility of His slave girl;
For lo, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed!
For He that is mighty hath done great things to me, and Holy is His Name!
And His mercy is unto generations upon generations for those in awe of Him.
By His Arm He wrought power:
He scattered the proud by the thought of their heart;
He deposed the mighty from their seat, and exalted the humble!
The hungry He sated with good food, and the rich He dismissed empty!
He hath taken up Israel, His boy, remembering His mercy;
As it was spoken to our fathers -- to Abraham and his seed for the ages!"
And Mary remained with her for about three months; and returned to her home.
And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the entire globe should be described. (This description was first made by Cyrinus, governor of Syria.)
And all went to make their declaration, every one unto their own city; and Joseph also, from Galilee, went up from the city of Nazareth unto the city of David in Judaea that is called Bethlehem (for he was of the House and family of David); to make declaration, with the pregnant Mary, his betrothed wife.
And it came to pass while they were there that the days were fulfilled that she should bear; and she brought forth their firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger -- because there was no place for them in the inn.
And there were shepherds in that same region, keeping watch; and keeping the night's vigils over their flock, and lo! An angel of the Lord stood beside them, and the brightness of God shone about them! And they feared with a great awe.
And the angel said to them: "Be not afraid! For lo, I bear to you good tidings of great gladness that shall be for all people! For today is born to you a Saviour, He Who is the Christ, the Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be the sign for you: ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger."
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest! and on earth peace unto humans of good will!"
And it came to pass after the angels departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this word which was delivered; what the Lord wrought and showed to us!"
And they came quickly and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger. And seeing, they understood concerning the message, what had been told them about this boy.
And all who heard also marvelled at those things told to them by the shepherds. And Mary conserved all these words, gathering them up in her heart.
And the shepherds went back, glorifying God and praising Him over all that they had heard and seen, even as it was told to them.
And afterwards, the eighth day being consummated that He should be circumcised, they called His Name 'Jesus;' as it had been declared by the angel before that He had been conceived in the womb.
And after her days of purification were fulfilled according to the Law of Moses, they carried Him unto Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. As it is written in the Law of the Lord, that "every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord." And to offer a victim, according as it is written in the Law of the Lord: a pair of turtledoves or two dove chicks.
And behold, there was a human in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this human was righteous and in awe of God, awaiting the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Spirit was in him. And he had received an answer from the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death until he had first seen the Christ of the Lord.
And in the Spirit he came into the Temple. And when His parents brought in the boy Jesus, to perform the custom of the Law for Him, he also took Him into his arms. And he blessed God and said,
"Now dost Thou dismiss Thy slave in peace, O Lord, according to Thy word.
For mine eyes have seen Thy health,
Which Thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples:
The Light for the revelation of the nations,
And the glory of Thy commonfolk of Israel."
And His father and mother were wondering at those things that were said of Him, and Simeon blessed them. And he said to Mary, His mother:
"Behold, this one is set unto the ruin and the resurrection of many in Israel, and unto a sign which shall be contradicted: And thine own soul a sword shall pierce, that from many hearts thoughts may be revealed."
And there was Anna the Prophetess, daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher; she was well advanced in her days. And she had lived seven years from her maidenhood with her man, and she was a widow for eighty-four years. She departed not from the Temple, serving night and day by fastings and beseechings.
She also at the same hour coming over confessed to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all who awaited the redemption of Jerusalem.
And after they had completed all things according to the Law of the Lord, they returned unto Galilee, to the city of Nazareth. And the boy grew, and waxed strong; in Him was both fullness of wisdom and the grace of God.
(Luke 1:26-56, 2:1-40 AVP)
This one then is for Luke. Luke's account begins with the Annunciation, the message of Gabriel to Mary and Mary acquiescence to the role of mother of the Messiah. It then shows her encounter with Elizabeth. After covering the birth of John the Baptist (here omitted), the Gospel then portrays Jesus' birth in more detail than Matthew. I chose to end with the presentation of Jesus in the Temple.
It is again worth noting that all three accounts include an element of tragedy. In this case, the sorrow lies in the future, as Simeon prophesies the opposition Jesus will face and the agony Mary will feel on His behalf. Christmas is a time of joy and gladness, but sorrow is never far in this life. But that is an intrinsic part of the message -- God's coming in our flesh to draw us to Him offers the promise that all sorrows are comparatively shallow and passing; while the joy is deep-rooted and eternal.
~ Infancy Narrative of Luke's Gospel
The angel Gabriel was sent by God into a city of Galilee, the name of which was Nazareth; to a maiden betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the House of David. And the maiden's name was Mary.
And coming in, the angel said to her: "Hail, O full of grace! The Lord is with thee: blessed art thou amongst women!"
She, upon seeing him, was disturbed by his speech; and she wondered: what manner of greeting was this?
And the angel saith to her: "Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found grace before God. Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son; and thou shalt call His Name 'Jesus.'
"Great shall He be, and He shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the seat of David His father; and He shall reign in the House of Jacob unto eternity; yea, of His Kingdom there shall be no end!"
But Mary said to the angel: "How can this be done? For a man I know not?"
And in response the angel said to her: "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee; and the virtue of the Most High shall overshadow thee! And therefore also the Holy Which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And lo, thy kinswoman Elizabeth hath herself also conceived in her old age; and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren:
"For no word shall be impossible in the presence of God."
Then said Mary: "Lo, I am the slave girl of the Lord: let it be done unto me according to thy word." And the angel departed from her.
Mary, however, rising up in those days, went off with haste into the hill country, unto a city of Judas; and she entered into the house of Zaccharias and greeted Elizabeth.
And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the babe exulted in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled by the Holy Spirit; and she exclaimed with a great voice and said: "Blessed art thou amongst women! and blessed is the fruit of thy womb!
"And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me! For lo, as soon as the voice of thy greeting fell on mine ears, the babe in my womb exulted for gladness! And blessed art thou, who hast believed; for those things that were told thee by the Lord shall be perfected!"
And saith Mary:
"My soul doth magnify the Lord;
Yea, my spirit exulted in God, my Saviour! --
For He respected the humility of His slave girl;
For lo, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed!
For He that is mighty hath done great things to me, and Holy is His Name!
And His mercy is unto generations upon generations for those in awe of Him.
By His Arm He wrought power:
He scattered the proud by the thought of their heart;
He deposed the mighty from their seat, and exalted the humble!
The hungry He sated with good food, and the rich He dismissed empty!
He hath taken up Israel, His boy, remembering His mercy;
As it was spoken to our fathers -- to Abraham and his seed for the ages!"
And Mary remained with her for about three months; and returned to her home.
And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the entire globe should be described. (This description was first made by Cyrinus, governor of Syria.)
And all went to make their declaration, every one unto their own city; and Joseph also, from Galilee, went up from the city of Nazareth unto the city of David in Judaea that is called Bethlehem (for he was of the House and family of David); to make declaration, with the pregnant Mary, his betrothed wife.
And it came to pass while they were there that the days were fulfilled that she should bear; and she brought forth their firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger -- because there was no place for them in the inn.
And there were shepherds in that same region, keeping watch; and keeping the night's vigils over their flock, and lo! An angel of the Lord stood beside them, and the brightness of God shone about them! And they feared with a great awe.
And the angel said to them: "Be not afraid! For lo, I bear to you good tidings of great gladness that shall be for all people! For today is born to you a Saviour, He Who is the Christ, the Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be the sign for you: ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger."
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest! and on earth peace unto humans of good will!"
And it came to pass after the angels departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this word which was delivered; what the Lord wrought and showed to us!"
And they came quickly and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger. And seeing, they understood concerning the message, what had been told them about this boy.
And all who heard also marvelled at those things told to them by the shepherds. And Mary conserved all these words, gathering them up in her heart.
And the shepherds went back, glorifying God and praising Him over all that they had heard and seen, even as it was told to them.
And afterwards, the eighth day being consummated that He should be circumcised, they called His Name 'Jesus;' as it had been declared by the angel before that He had been conceived in the womb.
And after her days of purification were fulfilled according to the Law of Moses, they carried Him unto Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. As it is written in the Law of the Lord, that "every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord." And to offer a victim, according as it is written in the Law of the Lord: a pair of turtledoves or two dove chicks.
And behold, there was a human in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this human was righteous and in awe of God, awaiting the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Spirit was in him. And he had received an answer from the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death until he had first seen the Christ of the Lord.
And in the Spirit he came into the Temple. And when His parents brought in the boy Jesus, to perform the custom of the Law for Him, he also took Him into his arms. And he blessed God and said,
"Now dost Thou dismiss Thy slave in peace, O Lord, according to Thy word.
For mine eyes have seen Thy health,
Which Thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples:
The Light for the revelation of the nations,
And the glory of Thy commonfolk of Israel."
And His father and mother were wondering at those things that were said of Him, and Simeon blessed them. And he said to Mary, His mother:
"Behold, this one is set unto the ruin and the resurrection of many in Israel, and unto a sign which shall be contradicted: And thine own soul a sword shall pierce, that from many hearts thoughts may be revealed."
And there was Anna the Prophetess, daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher; she was well advanced in her days. And she had lived seven years from her maidenhood with her man, and she was a widow for eighty-four years. She departed not from the Temple, serving night and day by fastings and beseechings.
She also at the same hour coming over confessed to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all who awaited the redemption of Jerusalem.
And after they had completed all things according to the Law of the Lord, they returned unto Galilee, to the city of Nazareth. And the boy grew, and waxed strong; in Him was both fullness of wisdom and the grace of God.
(Luke 1:26-56, 2:1-40 AVP)