The Apocryphal New Testament (1924)/Infancy Gospels/The History of Joseph the Carpenter
HISTORY OF JOSEPH THE CARPENTER, OR DEATH OF JOSEPH
This is an Egyptian book, not earlier than the fourth century in date, and very probably later: it exists in fragments in Sahidic, complete in Bohairic (the dialects of Upper and Lower Egypt respectively), and complete also in Arabic. A Latin version made in the fourteenth century from the Arabic exists, but has not been printed.
The object of the book is the glorification of St. Joseph and his feast-day: his cult, so popular in the West, was long confined to Egypt. The interest of it lies in a few reminiscences of earlier books, and in the picturesque and highly Egyptian descriptions of death. The lamentations of Joseph and his prayers find many parallels in the literature of Christian Egypt, and especially in the Coptic accounts of the death of the Virgin.
The order of the book is as follows (I use Forbes Robinson's and Peeters's versions):
Proem: 'This is the going forth from the body of our father Joseph the carpenter, the father of Christ according to flesh, whose life was 111 years.' It was told by Christ to the apostles on Mount Olivet, was written down by them, and laid up in the library at Jerusalem. The day of the death was the 26th of the month Epep.
I. Christ on Mount Olivet addresses the apostles: on the certainty of death and the justice of God, &c.
Il. Joseph was of Bethlehem: he was a carpenter, and married and had four sons, Judas, Josetos (Arab. Justus), James, Simon, and two daughters, Lysia (Arab. Asia) and Lydia. His wife died, leaving James still young.
Ill. Mary was being brought up in the Temple till she was twelve years old. The priests decided to give her to a husband.
IV. The lot fell on Joseph. Mary brought up James and was called Mary of James. Two years passed.
V. 'I came and dwelt in her.' Joseph’s perplexity. VI. Reassured by Gabriel.
VII. Decree of Caesar. The Birth 'by the tomb of Rachel'.
VIII. Herod sought to slay me. The Flight: Salome was with us. A year in Egypt.
IX. Return to Nazareth. Joseph worked at his trade.
X. His health and strength were unimpaired: he lived to be 111.
XI. Josetos and Symeon married. Joseph dwelt with James. I was subject to Mary and to him.
XII. Joseph's death drew nigh. He went to the temple and prayed at the altar.
XIII. His prayer to be saved from the terrors after death, 'the river of fire wherein all souls are purified before they see the glory of God'.
XIV. He returned to Nazareth and fell ill. The dates of his life: he was 40 when he married, and was married forty-nine years: a year alone after his wife’s death. Two years with Mary before the Nativity.
XV. His strength gave way and he was troubled and uttered a lamentation (XVI) over all the parts of his body, for their several transgressions.
XVII. I went to him. His greeting and address: he told of his doubt about Mary, and of another incident (a fusion of two stories in Thomas). The Sahidic tells it thus: I remember also the day that the horned serpent bit the lad on his foot and he died. His relations were gathered unto thee, wishing to take thee and deliver thee to Herod the lawless. And I found thee (Boh. Thy mercy found him), and thy godhead laid hold of him and he lived; and when thou didst raise him up to his parents there was great joy to them. But I requested thee, O my beloved son, saying: Be quiet in all things: and I took hold of thy right ear and pulled it. Thou didst answer, saying unto me: Unless thou wert my father according to the flesh, surely I would have warned thee because thou didst pull my right ear. (The Bohairic has slight variants, and the Arabic softens the incident by saying, 'I took hold of thy hand'.)
XVIII. I wept. My mother asked if Joseph must die, and I told her that it must be so.
XIX. I sat at his head, Mary at his feet. I felt his heart and found that the soul was in his throat.
XX. Mary felt his feet and legs and found them cold as ice. The brethren and sisters were summoned. Lysia the eldest daughter ('who is the seller of purple', Sahidic: cf. Acts xvi. 14) lamented: so did all.
XXI. I looked at the south of the door and saw Death, and Amente following with their satellites 'decani' armed with fire. Joseph saw them and feared. I rebuked them and they fled. Death hid himself behind the door. I prayed.
XXII. Prayer for protection for the soul of Joseph 'until it cross the seven aeons of darkness'. 'Let the river of fire be as water and the sea of demons cease vexing.' Address to the apostles on the terrors of death.
XXIII. When I had said Amen, my mother answering me in the language of the inhabitants of the heavens, Michael, Gabriel, and the choir of the angels came. Numbness and panting seized on Joseph. Death seeing me dared not enter. I arose and went outside and bade him go in and do his appointed work, but deal gently. Then Abbaton went in and took the soul, at sunrise on 26th Epep. Michael and Gabriel put the soul into a precious silken napkin and the angels took it away, singing. (The passage about Death (Abbaton) is only in Sahidic: the Bohairic shortens the section.)
XXIV. I sat down by the body and closed the eyes and mouth; and comforted Mary and the rest.
XXV. The people of Nazareth came and mourned till the ninth hour. Then I put all forth, anointed and washed the body. 'I prayed to my Father with heavenly prayers which I wrote with my own fingers on the tables of heaven before I took flesh in the holy Virgin Mary.' Angels came and shrouded the body.
XXVI. I blessed it from all corruption; pronounced blessings on all who celebrate his memory by good deeds or write the story of his death.
XXVII. The chief men of the place came to prepare the body, and found it already shrouded. The burial. I wept.
XXVIII. The lament of Jesus.
XXIX. The body was laid in the tomb beside Jacob his father.
XXX. We the apostles rejoiced to hear all this. We asked why Joseph should not have been exempted from death like Enoch and Elias.
XXXII. Jesus speaks of the inevitableness of death, and tells how Enoch and Elias still have to die, and are in trouble until their death is over. Antichrist will shed the blood of two men (Arab. four) like a cup of water, because of the reproaches they will heap upon him.
XXXII. We asked: Who are the two whom he will slay? Answer: Enoch and Elias. (Arabic has, 'Who are the Four whom he will slay? Answer: Enoch, Elias, Schila, and Tabitha.' Mr. W. E. Crum has shown that for Schila we ought to read Sibylla. This gives two men and two women. Nothing is known of stories in which the Sibyl is killed by Antichrist, but in the Coptic Apocalypse of Elias, Tabitha figures prominently, withstanding Antichrist and being slain by him.)
The book ends with a doxology of the apostles.