Protevangelium of James 19

1And behold a woman coming down from the hillcountry, and she said to me: Man, whither goest thou? And I said: I seek a midwife of the Hebrews. And she answered and said unto me: Art thou of Israel? And I said unto her: Yea. And she said: And who is she that bringeth forth in the cave? And I said: She that is betrothed unto me. And she said to me: Is she not thy wife? And I said to her: It is Mary that was nurtured up in the temple of the Lord: and I received her to wife by lot: and she is not my wife, but she hath conception by the Holy Ghost. And the midwife said unto him: Is this the truth? And Joseph said unto her: Come hither and see. And the midwife went with him.

Καὶ ἰδοὺ γυνὴ καταβαίνουσα ἀπὸ τῆς ὀρεινῆς, καὶ εἶπέν μοι· ἄνθρωπε, ποῦ πορεύῃ; καὶ εἶπον· μαῖαν ζητῶ Ἑβραίαν. καὶ ἀποκριθεῖσα εἶπέν μοι· ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ εἶ; καὶ εἶπον αὐτῇ· ναί. ἡ δὲ εἶπεν· καὶ τίς ἐστιν ἡ γεννῶσα ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ; καὶ εἶπον ἐγώ· ἡ μεμνηστευμένη μοι. καὶ εἶπέ μοι· οὐκ ἔστιν σου γυνή; καὶ εἶπον αὐτῇ· Μαριάμ ἐστιν ἡ ἀνατραφεῖσα ἐν τῷ ναῷ κυρίου, καὶ ἐκληρωσάμην αὐτὴν γυναῖκα· καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν μου γυνή, ἀλλὰ σύλληψιν ἔχει ἐκ πνεύματος ἁγίου. καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ἡ μαῖα· τοῦτο ἀληθές; καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ Ἰωσήφ· δεῦρο καὶ ἴδε. καὶ ἀπῄει ἡ μαῖα μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ. (41158)

2And they stood in the place of the cave: and behold a bright cloud overshadowing the cave. And the midwife said: My soul is magnified this day, because mine eyes have seen marvellous things: for salvation is born unto Israel. And immediately the cloud withdrew itself out of the cave, and a great light appeared in the cave so that our eyes could not endure it. And by little and little that light withdrew itself until the young child appeared: and it went and took the breast of its mother Mary. And the midwife cried aloud and said: Great unto me to-day is this day, in that I have seen this new sight.

Καὶ ἔστησαν ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τοῦ σπηλαίου, καὶ ἰδοὺ νεφέλη φωτεινὴ ἐπισκιάζουσα τὸ σπήλαιον. καὶ εἶπεν ἡ μαῖα· ἐμεγαλύνθη ἡ ψυχή μου σήμερον, ὅτι εἶδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου παράδοξα, ὅτι σωτηρία τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ἐγεννήθη. καὶ παραχρῆμα ἡ νεφέλη ὑπεστέλλετο ἐκ τοῦ σπηλαίου, καὶ ἐφάνη φῶς μέγα ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ, ὥστε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἡμῶν μὴ φέρειν. καὶ πρὸς ὀλίγον τὸ φῶς ἐκεῖνο ὑπεστέλλετο, ἕως οὗ ἐφάνη τὸ βρέφος καὶ ἦλθε καὶ ἔλαβε μασθὸν ἐκ τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ Μαρίας. καὶ ἀνεβόησεν ἡ μαῖα καὶ εἶπεν· μεγάλη μοι σήμερον ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη, ὅτι εἶδον τὸ καινὸν θέαμα τοῦτο. (47893)

3And the midwife went forth of the cave and Salome met her. And she said to her: Salome, Salome, a new sight have I to tell thee. A virgin hath brought forth, which her nature alloweth not. And Salome said: As the Lord my God liveth, if I make not trial and prove her nature I will not believe that a virgin hath brought forth.

Καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἡ μαῖα ἐκ τοῦ σπηλαίου, καὶ ὑπήντησεν αὐτῇ Σαλώμη. καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ· Σαλώμη Σαλώμη, καινόν σοι θέαμα ἔχω διηγήσασθαι· παρθένος ἐγέννησεν ὃ οὐ χωρεῖ ἡ φύσις αὐτῆς. καὶ εἶπεν Σαλώμη· ζῇ κύριος ὁ θεός μου, ἐὰν μὴ βαλῶ τὸν δάκτυλόν μου καὶ ἐρευνήσω τὴν φύσιν αὐτῆς, οὐ μὴ πιστεύσω ὅτι παρθένος ἐγέννησεν. (28880)