Editing Gospel of James (section)

==Influence==

===Christianity===
The Gospel of James was a widely influential source for [[Mariology|Christian doctrine regarding Mary]].{{sfn|Hunter|1993|p=63}} According to Bernhard Lohse, it is the earliest assertion of her [[perpetual virginity of Mary|perpetual virginity]], meaning her virginity not just prior to the birth of Jesus, but during the birth and afterwards.{{sfn|Lohse|1966|p=200}} Its explanation of the gospels' "brothers of Jesus" (the ''[[adelphoi]]'') as the offspring of Joseph by an earlier marriage remains the position of the Eastern church,{{sfn|Lohse|1966|p=200}}{{sfn|Vuong|2013|p=12}} but in the West,  influential theologian [[Jerome]] asserted that Joseph himself had been a perpetual virgin, and that the'' adelphoi ''were cousins of the Lord.{{sfn|Lohse|1966|p=200}} Jerome's opposition to the Protevangelium led to a diminished influence and circulation in the western, Latin church. It was condemned by [[Pope Innocent I]] in 405 and rejected by the [[Gelasian Decree]] around 500.{{sfn|Betsworth|2015|p=169}} It was completely unknown in the West, and it was taken over by the widely read [[Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew]], which popularized most of its stories.{{sfn|Ehrman|Pleše|2011|p=31}}

The Gospel of James was the first to give the name [[Saint Anne|Anne]] to the mother of Mary, taking it probably from [[Hannah (biblical figure)|Hannah]], the mother of the prophet [[Samuel]], and Mary, like Samuel, is taken to spend her childhood in the temple.{{sfn|Nixon|2004|p=11-12}} Some manuscripts say of Anne's pregnancy that it was the result of normal intercourse with her husband, but current scholars prefer the oldest texts, which say that Mary was conceived in Joachim's absence through divine intervention; nevertheless, the Gospel of James does not advance the idea of Mary's [[Immaculate Conception]].{{sfn|Shoemaker|2016|p=56-57}}

Various manuscripts place the birth of Mary in the sixth, seventh, eighth, or ninth month, with the oldest having the seventh; this was in keeping with both the Judaism of the period, which had similar seventh-month births for significant individuals such as [[Samuel]], [[Isaac]], and [[Moses]], as the sign of a miraculous or divine conception.{{sfn|Shoemaker|2016|p=unpaginated}} Further signs of Mary's supremely holy nature follow, including Anne's vow that the infant would never walk on the earth (her bedroom is made a "sanctuary" where she is attended by "undefiled daughters of the Hebrews"), her blessing "with the ultimate blessing" by the priests on her first birthday with the declaration that because of her God will bring redemption to Israel, and the angels who bring her food in the Temple, where she is attended by the priests and engages herself in weaving the temple curtain.{{sfn|Shoemaker|2016|p=unpaginated}}

The [[ordeal of the bitter water]] serves to defend Jesus against accusation of illegitimacy levied in the second century by pagan and Jewish opponents of Christianity.{{sfn|Burkett|2019|p=242}}{{sfn|Siker|2015|p=80}} Christian sensitivity to these charges made them eager to defend both the virgin birth of Jesus and the immaculate conception of Mary (i.e., her freedom from sin at the moment of her conception).{{sfn|Siker|2015|p=81}}

The Gospel of James influenced art for centuries being the source for various depictions of figures and scenes mentioned in the text.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vanden Eykel |first=Eric M. |date=2016-07-05 |title=Protevangelium of James |url=https://www.nasscal.com/e-clavis-christian-apocrypha/protevangelium-of-james/ |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=NASSCAL |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Islam===
The [[Quran]]ic stories of the Virgin Mary and the birth of Jesus are similar to those of the Protoevangelium, which was widely known in the Near East.{{sfn|Bell|2012|p=110}} These include its mention of Mary fed by angels, the choice of her guardian (Joseph) through the casting of lots, and her occupation making a curtain for the Temple immediately before the Annunciation.{{sfn|Robinson|1991|p=19}} Nevertheless, while the Quran holds Mary in high esteem and modern Muslims agree with Christians that she was a virgin when she conceived Jesus, they would see the idea of her perpetual virginity (which is the central idea of James) as contrary to the Islamic ideal of women as wives and mothers.{{sfn|George-Tvrtkovic|2018|p=unpaginated}}