Page:Apocryphal Gospels and Other Documents Relating to the History of Christ.djvu/53

Rh followed the death of Herod, and consequently about the date of the return of Jesus from Egypt, — a circumstance which is not recorded in the book. All this is fraudulent; the book was in no case written before the second century; and in its actual form it belongs to a later century.

The author made use of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, of certain portions of the Old Testament, both Canonical and Apocryphal, and of popular traditions, as well Jewish as Christian. This is probably the oldest existing writing which professes to give the names of the parents of the mother of Jesus. Elsewhere, I cannot find them until Epiphanius, who died in 403. The names and story of Joachim and Anna must not be regarded as an original creation, but rather as a remodelling of pre-existing materials. The character of Joachim is a combination of Elkanah, the father of Samuel (1 Sam. i.), with Joachim, the husband of Susanna (Apocryphal Daniel xiii.), and Manoah, the father of Samson (Judg. xiii.). Similarly, Anna is made up of Hannah the mother of Samuel, Susanna, and the wife of Manoah; possibly also the Anna of Luke (ii. 36-38) has not been overlooked. The angelic visions, promises, etc., made to Joachim and Anna,