Protoevangelium of James
- Date of account
- Usually dated to the 2nd century CE; exact date disputed
- Location
- Greek-speaking Christian world; early transmission in Byzantine manuscripts
- Source
- model_recalled_reference
- Record updated
- 2026-10-10
Record summary
The Protoevangelium of James expands the birth and childhood narratives of Mary and Jesus, including the selection of Joseph, Mary’s temple upbringing, and the circumstances surrounding Jesus’s birth. It became highly influential in Byzantine and later European Christian traditions, despite not entering the New Testament canon. The text is useful for comparison because later liturgy, iconography, and feast traditions draw on details absent from canonical gospels. Its author, date, provenance, and relationship to earlier traditions remain uncertain, and surviving manuscripts reflect substantial transmission history.
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