Surah 3:44 and The Protoevangelium of James
Mary's Childhood, the Casting of Lots, and the Transmission of Sacred Tradition
Introduction
Surah 3:44 of the Qur'an and The Protoevangelium of James, an early Christian apocryphal writing, contain a remarkable parallel concerning the circumstances surrounding Mary's upbringing and the selection of someone to take responsibility for her. Both texts refer to a process involving the casting of lots and a dispute concerning who would be entrusted with Mary's care.
The Quran presents the episode as part of a revelation to Muhammad about events from the unseen past. It emphasises that Muhammad was not present when those responsible for Mary's care cast lots or disputed the matter. In The Protoevangelium of James, the narrative provides a detailed account of the events, describing the priests' deliberations, the use of rods, Joseph's selection, and Mary's subsequent life.
These similarities raise important questions about the relationship between the Qur'an and earlier Jewish and Christian traditions. They also illustrate how religious texts preserve and reinterpret narratives about important figures, particularly Mary, the mother of Jesus.
A comparison of these passages reveals shared narrative elements, differences in the details, and distinct theological purposes. While the parallels are significant, they must be examined carefully: the existence of a shared story does not, by itself, establish precisely how the tradition reached the author or community responsible for each text.
1. Surah 3:42–44: The Election and Purification of Mary
The Qur'anic passage begins by describing Mary's special status and devotion to Allah.
Surah 3:42–44 states:
42. Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! Allah hath chosen thee and purified thee—chosen thee above the women of all nations.
43. "O Mary! worship Thy Lord devoutly: Prostrate thyself, and bow down (in prayer) with those who bow down."
44. This is part of the tidings of the things unseen, which We reveal unto thee (O Messenger.) by inspiration: Thou wast not with them when they cast lots with arrows, as to which of them should be charged with the care of Mary: Nor wast thou with them when they disputed (the point).
These verses establish the religious significance of Mary's selection and devotion before introducing the account of the dispute concerning her guardianship.
In verse 42, Mary is described as chosen and purified. Her election distinguishes her from other women and establishes her exceptional position in the Qur'anic narrative. Verse 43 instructs her to worship Allah and participate in devotion alongside those who bow in prayer.
Verse 44 then turns to the events surrounding her care. The verse states that Muhammad was not present when the people involved cast lots or disputed who should take responsibility for Mary.
The expression "the tidings of the things unseen" is especially important. The narrative is presented as knowledge revealed by Allah rather than information obtained through Muhammad's personal participation in the original events.
The verse therefore performs two functions. It refers to a particular episode concerning Mary's guardianship, and it establishes the divine origin of the knowledge being communicated to Muhammad.
The casting of lots is not merely an incidental detail. It is the central action connecting the Qur'anic account with the narrative preserved in The Protoevangelium of James.
2. The Protoevangelium of James: Mary's Life in the Temple
The Protoevangelium of James is an early Christian text traditionally dated to the second century CE. Although it was not included in the New Testament canon, it became influential in later Christian traditions concerning Mary's childhood, her parents, and her relationship with Joseph.
The text expands upon the biblical accounts by describing Mary's early life and presenting her as a child specially dedicated to God.
The following passage describes Mary's life in the temple and the circumstances that led the priests to seek a guardian for her.
Chapter 8: Mary in the Temple
8. And her parents went down marvelling, and praising the Lord God, because the child had not turned back. And Mary was in the temple of the Lord as if she were a dove that dwelt there, and she received food from the hand of an angel. And when she was twelve years old there was held a council of the priests, saying: Behold, Mary has reached the age of twelve years in the temple of the Lord. What then shall we do with her, test perchance she defile the sanctuary of the Lord? And they said to the high priest: Thou standest by the altar of the Lord; go in, and pray concerning her; and whatever the Lord shall manifest unto thee, that also will we do. And the high priest went in, taking the robe with the twelve bells into the holy of holies; and he prayed concerning her. And behold an angel of the Lord stood by him, saying unto him: Zacharias, Zacharias, go out and assemble the widowers of the people, and let them bring each his rod; and to whomsoever the Lord shall show a sign, his wife shall she be. And the heralds went out through all the circuit of Judaea, and the trumpet of the Lord sounded, and all ran.
This passage provides the background to the selection process mentioned in Surah 3:44.
Mary is portrayed as having lived in the temple from childhood. The description of her being like a dove and receiving food from an angel emphasises her extraordinary religious status.
When Mary reaches twelve years of age, the priests become concerned about her continued residence in the sanctuary. Their deliberations lead them to seek divine guidance about her future.
The angel instructs the high priest Zacharias to assemble the widowers and have each bring a rod. The person indicated by a divine sign will be selected to take responsibility for Mary.
The story establishes several elements that will become important in the following chapter:
A gathering of religious authorities.
A dispute or deliberation concerning Mary's future.
A procedure involving lots or rods.
A request for divine guidance.
The selection of a guardian through a sign.
These details establish the narrative context for the casting of lots mentioned in the Qur'an.
However, an important distinction must be recognised. In The Protoevangelium of James, the assembled men are described as widowers, and the selection concerns who will take Mary into his keeping. The story does not simply reproduce the wording of the Qur'an; it supplies its own narrative framework.
3. Chapter 9: Joseph Is Selected by the Rod
The next chapter describes the gathering and the procedure through which Joseph is selected.
9. And Joseph, throwing away his axe, went out to meet them; and when they had assembled, they went away to the high priest, taking with them their rods. And he, taking the rods of all of them, entered into the temple, and prayed; and having ended his prayer, he took the rods and came out, and gave them to them: but there was no sign in them, and Joseph took his rod last; and, behold, a dove came out of the rod, and flew upon Joseph's head. And the priest said to Joseph, Thou hast been chosen by lot to take into thy keeping the virgin of the Lord. But Joseph refused, saying: I have children, and I am an old man, and she is a young girl. I am afraid lest I become a laughing-stock to the sons of Israel. And the priest said to Joseph: Fear the Lord thy God, and remember what the Lord did to Dathan, and Abiram, and Korah; how the earth opened, and they were swallowed up on account of their contradiction. And now fear, O Joseph, lest the same things happen in thy house. And Joseph was afraid, and took her into his keeping. And Joseph said to Mary: Behold, I have received thee from the temple of the Lord; and now I leave thee in my house, and go away to build my buildings, and I shall come to thee. The Lord will protect thee.
This passage contains the most direct narrative parallel with Surah 3:44.
Joseph and the other men bring their rods to the high priest. The rods are presented before God, and a sign identifies the person chosen to take Mary into his keeping.
In the narrative, the sign is a dove emerging from Joseph's rod and flying onto his head. The priest then announces that Joseph has been chosen.
Joseph initially resists the decision. He explains that he is an old man with children and expresses concern about taking responsibility for a young girl. The priest insists that he must accept the outcome, invoking the fate of Dathan, Abiram, and Korah as a warning against resisting divine authority.
Joseph consequently accepts Mary into his keeping.
The passage explains the circumstances behind the selection of Mary's guardian in considerable detail. It also connects the choice with divine providence: the outcome is not presented as an ordinary human decision but as the result of a sign attributed to God.
The Significance of the Rods
The rods serve as instruments through which the selection is revealed.
The men do not determine the outcome by personal preference or political influence. Instead, the high priest performs the procedure after praying, and a supernatural sign identifies Joseph.
This is significant when comparing the account with Surah 3:44, because both narratives connect Mary's guardianship with a process involving the casting of lots.
Nevertheless, the details are not identical. The Protoevangelium describes rods and a dove as the decisive sign. The Qur'anic verse, in the supplied translation, refers to casting lots with arrows.
The central similarity is the use of a divinely directed selection procedure to settle a dispute about responsibility for Mary.
4. Chapter 10: Mary and the Temple Veil
After Joseph has been selected, the narrative returns to Mary's activities and her continued connection with the temple.
10. And there was a council of the priests, saying: Let us make a veil for the temple of the Lord. And the priest said: Call to me the undefiled virgins of the family of David. And the officers went away, and sought, and found seven virgins. And the priest remembered the child Mary, that she was of the family of David, and undefiled before God. And the officers went away and brought her. And they brought them into the temple of the Lord. And the priest said: Choose for me by lot who shall spin the gold, and the white, and the fine linen, and the silk, and the blue, and the scarlet, and the true purple. And the true purple and the scarlet fell to the lot of Mary, and she took them, and went away to her house. And at that time Zacharias was dumb, and Samuel was in his place until the time that Zacharias spake. And Mary took the scarlet, and span it.
This chapter introduces another selection by lot, although its purpose differs from the earlier selection of Mary's guardian.
The priests decide to make a veil for the temple and gather seven virgins from the family of David. Mary is included because of her Davidic ancestry and purity.
The materials required for the veil are distributed by lot. Mary receives the scarlet and the true purple.
This episode is important because it demonstrates that the casting of lots is not an isolated event in the narrative. The procedure also determines Mary's assigned work in the production of the temple veil.
The two episodes should nevertheless be distinguished. In chapter 9, the selection determines who will take Mary into his keeping. In chapter 10, the lots determine which materials Mary will spin.
The recurrence of the procedure reinforces the text's portrayal of events being directed through divine providence.
It also provides additional context for the religious significance attributed to Mary in the narrative. Her upbringing, ancestry, purity, and work are all connected with the temple and its sacred functions.
5. The Qur'an and the Apocryphal Narrative: A Direct Comparison
The principal parallel between Surah 3:44 and The Protoevangelium of James concerns the dispute over Mary's guardianship and the use of a selection procedure.
The Qur'an states:
This is part of the tidings of the things unseen, which We reveal unto thee (O Messenger.) by inspiration: Thou wast not with them when they cast lots with arrows, as to which of them should be charged with the care of Mary: Nor wast thou with them when they disputed (the point).
The Protoevangelium provides the corresponding narrative:
And Joseph, throwing away his axe, went out to meet them; and when they had assembled, they went away to the high priest, taking with them their rods. And he, taking the rods of all of them, entered into the temple, and prayed; and having ended his prayer, he took the rods and came out, and gave them to them: but there was no sign in them, and Joseph took his rod last; and, behold, a dove came out of the rod, and flew upon Joseph's head. And the priest said to Joseph, Thou hast been chosen by lot to take into thy keeping the virgin of the Lord.
Both passages contain three principal elements.
First, a dispute concerning Mary's care. The Qur'an refers to a disagreement over who should be responsible for her. The Protoevangelium describes the priests' deliberations and the gathering of men to determine who will take her into his keeping.
Second, a procedure involving lots or rods. The Qur'an mentions casting lots with arrows in the supplied translation. The Protoevangelium describes men bringing rods, with the outcome revealed through a supernatural sign.
Third, the determination of Mary's guardian. The Qur'an refers to the question of who would be charged with Mary's care. The Protoevangelium identifies Joseph as the person chosen.
These shared elements make the comparison historically and textually significant.
However, the differences are equally important. The Qur'anic passage does not name Joseph in verse 44, describe a dove emerging from a rod, or reproduce the extended account of the priests' deliberations. Those details belong to the Protoevangelium.
The texts therefore preserve a closely related narrative tradition while presenting it in different forms.
6. The Meaning of Casting Lots
Casting lots was a method used in various ancient societies to make selections or resolve disputed questions. In religious contexts, the procedure could be understood as a way of leaving the outcome to divine direction rather than relying exclusively on human judgement.
The biblical tradition provides examples of lots being used to allocate responsibilities or make decisions. In Proverbs 16:33, for example, the casting of lots is associated with divine determination of the outcome.
The practice should not be confused with a claim that every procedure involving lots had precisely the same religious meaning. Its significance depended on the context in which it was used.
In The Protoevangelium of James, the rods are presented before the high priest, who prays and distributes them. Joseph's selection is then confirmed by the appearance of the dove.
In Surah 3:44, the casting of lots is recalled as part of the earlier dispute concerning Mary's guardianship.
The shared narrative element is therefore not simply that people drew lots. It is that the procedure resolved a dispute concerning a person who held a special place in sacred history.
Mary's selection is presented as part of a larger account of divine providence.
7. The Unseen and the Question of Revelation
One of the most important differences between the two texts concerns the way they present knowledge of the event.
The Protoevangelium of James tells the story through a narrative about Mary's childhood. It describes the priests, the rods, Joseph's reluctance, and the outcome of the selection.
The Qur'an, by contrast, explicitly comments on the source of its account.
Surah 3:44 declares:
This is part of the tidings of the things unseen, which We reveal unto thee (O Messenger.) by inspiration: Thou wast not with them when they cast lots with arrows, as to which of them should be charged with the care of Mary: Nor wast thou with them when they disputed (the point).
The emphasis is on revelation of events that Muhammad did not personally witness.
The verse does not merely narrate an incident. It explains the incident's place within the Qur'an's understanding of divine communication.
This distinction matters when examining the relationship between the Qur'an and earlier religious literature.
The existence of similar narratives allows scholars to investigate the circulation of traditions about Mary in late antiquity. However, similarity alone does not establish whether a particular account was transmitted through a written text, oral storytelling, communal religious teaching, or another route.
Nor does the parallel, by itself, settle theological questions concerning the source of the Qur'an. Those questions depend on wider religious and historical arguments.
A careful comparison can establish the shared narrative features without claiming more than the evidence supports.
8. The Historical Relationship Between the Texts
The Protoevangelium of James is generally dated to the second century CE, several centuries before the emergence of Islam in the seventh century.
Its account of Mary's childhood contributed to traditions that developed around her upbringing and her relationship with Joseph. Such traditions were part of the broader religious environment in which stories about biblical figures circulated.
The Qur'an also contains narratives concerning Mary, but it presents them within its own theological framework.
Surah 3:44 emphasises revelation, while the Protoevangelium concentrates on narrating the circumstances surrounding the selection.
The texts should therefore be compared as distinct works that share related narrative material.
The most defensible conclusion is that the Qur'an and the Protoevangelium preserve a notable parallel concerning Mary's guardianship. Determining the precise historical relationship between their versions requires additional evidence beyond the wording of these passages alone.
It is also important not to assume that the Qur'an reproduces every detail of the Protoevangelium. The Qur'anic account is much shorter and leaves many aspects of the story unstated.
The comparison is strongest when it focuses on the features actually shared: the dispute, the casting of lots, and the question of who would take responsibility for Mary.
Conclusion: A Shared Tradition About Mary's Guardianship
Surah 3:44 and The Protoevangelium of James provide two distinct presentations of a narrative concerning Mary's care.
The Protoevangelium supplies an extended account. Mary lives in the temple until she reaches twelve years of age, after which the priests seek a guardian for her. Joseph is selected through a procedure involving rods, and a dove appears as the sign confirming the choice. The narrative subsequently describes Mary's participation in the production of the temple veil.
The Qur'an presents the episode more briefly. Surah 3:44 recalls the dispute over Mary's guardianship and the casting of lots, emphasising that Muhammad was not present when these events occurred. The verse identifies the account as knowledge of the unseen revealed by Allah.
The shared narrative elements are clear: religious authorities dispute Mary's care, a selection procedure is used, and the outcome is associated with divine direction.
The differences are also significant. The Protoevangelium describes rods and a dove, whereas the Qur'an refers to casting lots with arrows in the supplied translation. The longer Christian narrative names Joseph and explains the circumstances of his selection, while Surah 3:44 does not provide those details.
Together, the passages demonstrate how a narrative about Mary circulated in different religious settings and was incorporated into distinct theological presentations.
The Protoevangelium of James tells the story of Mary's guardianship and her sacred upbringing. The Qur'an recalls the dispute as an example of events beyond Muhammad's direct experience and presents its knowledge as revelation.
The central connection between the texts is the account of a divinely directed selection concerning Mary's guardian. Their comparison illuminates the history of religious traditions about Mary while preserving the distinction between the Christian apocryphal narrative and the Qur'anic understanding of revelation.
8. And her parents went down marvelling, and praising the Lord God, because the child had not turned back. And Mary was in the temple of the Lord as if she were a dove that dwelt there, and she received food from the hand of an angel. And when she was twelve years old there was held a council of the priests, saying: Behold, Mary has reached the age of twelve years in the temple of the Lord. What then shall we do with her, test perchance she defile the sanctuary of the Lord? And they said to the high priest: Thou standest by the altar of the Lord; go in, and pray concerning her; and whatever the Lord shall manifest unto thee, that also will we do. And the high priest went in, taking the robe with the twelve bells into the holy of holies; and he prayed concerning her. And behold an angel of the Lord stood by him, saying unto him: Zacharias, Zacharias, go out and assemble the widowers of the people, and let them bring each his rod; and to whomsoever the Lord shall show a sign, his wife shall she be. And the heralds went out through all the circuit of Judaea, and the trumpet of the Lord sounded, and all ran.
9. And Joseph, throwing away his axe, went out to meet them; and when they had assembled, they went away to the high priest, taking with them their rods. And he, taking the rods of all of them, entered into the temple, and prayed; and having ended his prayer, he took the rods and came out, and gave them to them: but there was no sign in them, and Joseph took his rod last; and, behold, a dove came out of the rod, and flew upon Joseph's head. And the priest said to Joseph, Thou hast been chosen by lot to take into thy keeping the virgin of the Lord. But Joseph refused, saying: I have children, and I am an old man, and she is a young girl. I am afraid lest I become a laughing-stock to the sons of Israel. And the priest said to Joseph: Fear the Lord thy God, and remember what the Lord did to Dathan, and Abiram, and Korah; how the earth opened, and they were swallowed up on account of their contradiction. And now fear, O Joseph, lest the same things happen in thy house. And Joseph was afraid, and took her into his keeping. And Joseph said to Mary: Behold, I have received thee from the temple of the Lord; and now I leave thee in my house, and go away to build my buildings, and I shall come to thee. The Lord will protect thee.
10. And there was a council of the priests, saying: Let us make a veil for the temple of the Lord. And the priest said: Call to me the undefiled virgins of the family of David. And the officers went away, and sought, and found seven virgins. And the priest remembered the child Mary, that she was of the family of David, and undefiled before God. And the officers went away and brought her. And they brought them into the temple of the Lord. And the priest said: Choose for me by lot who shall spin the gold, and the white, and the fine linen, and the silk, and the blue, and the scarlet, and the true purple. And the true purple and the scarlet fell to the lot of Mary, and she took them, and went away to her house. And at that time Zacharias was dumb, and Samuel was in his place until the time that Zacharias spake. And Mary took the scarlet, and span it.
42. Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! Allah hath chosen thee and purified thee- chosen thee above the women of all nations.
43. "O Mary! worship Thy Lord devoutly: Prostrate thyself, and bow down (in prayer) with those who bow down."
44. This is part of the tidings of the things unseen, which We reveal unto thee (O Messenger.) by inspiration: Thou wast not with them when they cast lots with arrows, as to which of them should be charged with the care of Mary: Nor wast thou with them when they disputed (the point).
384 Literally, reeds: aqlam.. For the Arab custom of casting lots with arrows, see 2:219, n. 241.
385 Christian apocryphal writings mention the contention between the priests as to the honour of taking charge of Mary, and how it was decided by means of rods and reeds in favour of Zakariya.
No comments:
Post a Comment