INFANCY GOSPEL OF JAMES CHAPTER 20 - 25

JAMES 20

1 And the midwife went in and said
To Mary, “Clean yourself and bed,
For there’s not small contention spread
About you.” And Salome made
A trial and cried out on parade,
Saying “Woe to my sin and doubt,
Because I’ve tempted the God stout,
And my hand falls into the fire.”
And she prostrated in desire
To YHWH and said “O Ælohim,
God of my ancestors I deem,
Remember that I am the seed
Of Abraham, Isaac, indeed
Of Jacob: so make not of me
A public example’s degree
To Israel’s folk, but restore me
To the poor, for You know, YHWH that
In Your name I performed the vat
Of my cures and received my pay
From You. 3 Now see, an angel’s ray
Appeared from YHWH to her to say,
“Salome, Salome, the Lord
Has heard you, bring your hand unscored
Near to the young child and take him
And there shall be to you from him
Salvation and joy. 4 Salome
Came near and took him up to say
“I will give reverence to him,
For a great king is born and grim
To Israel.” And see, right then
Salome was healed once again,
And she went out of the cave when
She was justified in the den.
And see, a voice was heard to say
“Salome, Salome, relay
None of the marvels you have seen
Till the child enters on the green
Within Jerusalem one day.”

The miracle of Moses when the hand
Was turned to blanching leprosy could stand
One more appearing to the midwife’s luck.
A miracle makes her then bow and tuck.
But see, Beloved, no stopping of my cue,
No hampering of my hand is in view,
Nor yet do I hear voices from the sky
Revealing what I doubt because I’m shy.
If Salome finds her salvation bought
When she takes up the baby from the pot,
What of myself, Beloved, one never taught?
I touch the joy of every baby born
And find enough salvation that is worn
In daily miracles, so I have sworn.

JAMES 21

1 See Joseph got ready to go
Into Judaea. And a show
Appeared in Bethlehem and in
Judaea with a sound of din.
For there came Magi in to say
“Where is the king born on this day
To the Jews? We have seen his star
In the east and have come from far
To give him reverence at the bar.”
2 When Herod heard the matter he
Was troubled and sent men to see
The wise men. And he sent out for
The high priests and asked them the score,
And said “How goes the writ before
The Christ, where is he born, what’s more?”
They said to him, “In Bethlehem
Of Judaea: for so’s the gem
Of writing.” And he let them go.
And he examined all the show
Of the wise men, saying to them,
“What sign did you see as a gem
About the king that’s born below?”
And the wise men said on the go,
“We saw a very great star shine
Among those stars to dim them fine
So they could not be seen at all.
By that we knew a king in stall
Was born to Israel, and we
Came to pay reverence to his fee.”
And Herod said “Go look for him,
And if you find him safe and trim,
Come tell me, so I may also
Come and pay reverence and not slow.”
3 And the wise men went out. And lo,
The star they had seen in the east
Proceeded before them at least
Until they came into the cave;
And it stood above the cave’s wave.
The Magi saw the young child there
With Mary his mother and fair,
And they brought out of their pack-ware
Gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
4 An angel warned them not to go
Back by Judaea in a row,
So they went back to their country
Along another road’s decree.

The fact is they were right who came to say
That the king of the final, righteous day
Should come from Bethlehem, and should arise
From David’s house twice blessed beneath the skies.
But that promise of Micah came to sway
For end of time, not for another prize.
It was honest mistake to think if he
Was really the one promised faithfully,
He ought to bring a consummation down
Upon the earth, at least Bethlehem’s town.
Instead he turns to legend and the years
Turn into two millennia of fears.
Is this the way You answer prophecy?
You’re too caught up in Your eternity.

JAMES 22

1 But when Herod perceived that he
Had been deceived by Magis’ spree,
He became extremely angry
And sent out murderers in fee,
And told them, “Kill every baby
From two years old and under that,
Take both the skinny and the fat.”
2 When Mary heard children were killed,
She was afraid, and took with gild
The young child and wrapped up with care
In swaddling clothes and laid him there
In an ox-manger in the air.
3 But Elizabeth when she heard
They sought John, took him out and stirred
Up to the hill-country to look
Around her for a safer nook
To hide him, but she found no place
To hide from every danger’s trace.
Elizabeth groaned and aloud
Said “O great mountain, don’t be proud
To hide a mother and her child.”
Elizabeth was in the wild,
Not able to go up. Straightway
The mountain split and took her in.
And there was light, a shining ray
Always before them to show gin,
Because an angel of the Lord
Guided and kept them and restored.

How many times, Beloved, have You come down
To split the river, sea, or angry town?
The moon was split according to renown
Of some Islamic tale. The mountain where
I learned to walk and keep my humble share
Has been split by the mining company.
The Appalachian Plan comes in for free.
Beloved, in every place where rulers rule
And buyers come to market like a fool,
There are good reasons for the folk to flee.
So split another mountain or a sea.
And when You do, see how many with child
Run out to refuge in the sane and wild
Away from harvest of the ones beguiled.

JAMES 23

I And Herod went looking for John,
And sent officers out as pawn
To Zacharias, saying “Where
Have you hidden your son, now where?”
And he answered and said to them,
“I’m a servant of God and gem
Always in YHWH’s temple to serve;
I don’t know where my son may curve.”
2 The officers went on their way
And told Herod all these things’ lay.
And Herod was angry and said
“His son is to be Israel’s king.”
And he sent back to him, saying
“Tell the truth, where is your son now?
For you know your life’s anyhow
In my power.” And the officers
Went out and told him all these spurs.
3 And Zacharias said “I am
A witness of God if you slam
Me; for my spirit YHWH will take,
If you shed innocent blood’s wake
In outer court of temple’s stake.”
About the dawning of the day
Zacharias was killed as prey.
And Israel’s folk did not know that
He had been killed upon his mat.

It’s not just infants that the presidents
Are out to kill, but grown men with good sense.
That does not make the thing better or worse,
But only shows the nature of the curse.
It’s not just infants Herod held in fear,
But wise men and the prophecies to steer
The hopes and hearts of ordinary folk
To You, Beloved, and out of kingly yoke.
Beloved, slay me upon the marbled floor
Of temple, at the temenos or door,
But let my life pour out before Your throne
In witness that You are one God alone.
And I shall breathe today and with my breath
Proclaim that You are God and beyond death.

JAMES 24

1 But the priests came in at the time
Of the greeting and as in mime
Zacharias’ blessing did not
Meet them in the manner once taught.
The priests waited for Zacharias,
To greet him after the prayer pious,
And glorify Most High for aught.
2 But since he did not appear when
They had expected him again,
They were all scared, till one of them
Took courage and went in the hem,
And he saw by the altar place
Blood there congealed as though in trace,
And heard a voice that said at last:
“Zacharias is killed and passed,
And his blood shall not be wiped out
Until his avenger come stout.”
When he heard that message he feared
And went out and told what appeared.
3 And they took courage and went in
And saw what had been done therein:
The wall plates of the temple wailed,
And they tore their clothing unveiled
From the top to the bottom railed.
They found no body there in place
But his blood turned to stone in trace.
And they were so afraid they went
And told all the people present
That Zacharias was unbent.
And all the tribes of the folk heard,
And mourned for him and they were stirred
For three days, while the priests concurred
For who should be set in his place.
The lot fell on Simeon’s face.
Now he was the one who was warned
That he should not die unadorned
With the sight of the Christ child come
In very flesh and sound of drum.

When Your beloved was stricken from the stake
And torn down from between the sky and rake,
The temple curtains ripped from top to toe.
When Zacharias came to meet death row
The very panels of the temple shrieked
To see the blood upon the holy leaked.
The holy house is filled with ghosts it seems
Beyond the brass and marble of its gleams.
Beloved, Your holy house upon the skies
Is filled with anguish at the way the ties
Of men are broken now at violence.
The death of Zacharias but prevents
The flood of many deaths in precedents
After the king Herod come in disguise.

JAMES 25

1 Now I, James, who wrote this tale down,
It was in Jerusalem’s town,
When there broke out a restless time
When Herod died in all his crime,
I made retreat to desert places
Until the riots ended traces
In Jerusalem. So I gave
Glory to YHWH Ælohim grave,
Who gave me the gift and the way
To write in wisdom this tale’s sway.
2 And grace shall be with those that fear
Our Lord Jesus Christ without tear:
To whom be glory now again
For ever and ever. Amen.

The sweet James does not enter in the fit
Of what Jesus did or did not to sit
In temple or in garden and with wit
Teach all the crowds who came to see him lit.
The sweet James only tells of how his birth
Affected those around him in the worth,
And how with joy and fear the folk of earth
Divided at his call and light and mirth.
Beloved, I too see how the world divides
On right and wrong, and every man takes sides.
Each blames the other, but few stop to see
The right is what You say, no mystery,
On Sinai, and the wrong’s what You declare
In Decalogue to say what is not fair.

AUTHOR: THOMAS G. MCELWAIN

Copyright © 2007 Adams & McElwain Publishers and Thomas McElwain First Published in two volumes, The Beloved and I 2005, and Led of the Beloved, 2006. Second Edition, 2010 Third and revised edition, 2012 All rights reserved. No part of this verse commentary on the sacred Scriptures may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from publisher.

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