(1) 18And the midwife went out of the cave and met Salome and said to her, “Salome, Salome, I have a wondrous sight to tell you about a virgin has given birth, something that is contrary to physical nature.” (Lily C. Vyong, The Protoevangelium of James [Early Christian Apocrypha 7; Eugene, Oreg.: Cascade Books, 2019], 99)
contrary to her physical nature: while the questioning of a virgin giving birth may first involve questioning whether her condition has been altered during conception, the focus on the birth itself poses the question of whether Mary was able to vaginally deliver an infant without any damage to her physical condition. In other words, virginal status can be altered not only by the intrusion that results from conception, but also by the intrusion caused by childbirth; the intrusion, whether it is going in or out, is equally damaging. Contrary to other births, Mary seems to show no signs of pain or blood. her physical nature: η φυσις αυτης Some manuscripts have η φυσις ανθρωπινη (“human physical nature). (Ibid., 99 n. C)
