Forbidden Gospels and Epistles, Complete

CHAPTER VII.

3 Mary be­ing three years old, Joachim caus­es cer­tain vir­gins to light each a lamp, and goes with her to the tem­ple. 5 The high-​priest places her on the third step of the al­tar, and sits dances with her feet.

BUT the girl grew, and when she was two years old, Joachim said to An­na, Let us lead her to the tem­ple of the Lord, that we may per­form our vow, which we have vowed un­to the Lord God, lest he should be an­gry with us, and our of­fer­ing be un­ac­cept­able.

2 But An­na said, Let us wait the third year, lest she should be at a loss to know her fa­ther. And Joachim said, Let us then wait.

3 And when the child was three years old, Joachim said, Let us in­vite the daugh­ters of the He­brews, who are un­de­filed, and let them take each a lamp, and let them be light­ed, that the child may not turn back again, and her mind be set against the tem­ple of the Lord,

4 And they did thus till they as­cend­ed in­to the tem­ple of the Lord. And the high-​priest re­ceived her, and blessed her, and said, Mary, the Lord God hath mag­ni­fied thy name to all gen­er­ations, and to the very end of time by thee will the Lord shew his re­demp­tion to the chil­dren of Is­rael.

5 And he placed her up­on the third step of the al­tar, and the Lord gave un­to her grace, and she dance with her feet, and all the house of Is­rael loved her.