The Orthodox church accepts the validity of the Protoevangelium of James, conception by the righteous foremother of Christ, Anna. Many Fathers quote the Protoevangelium regarding this event; included in this catalogue are St. John of Damascus, St. Germanos, St. Leo the Wise and St. Gregory Palamas, to mention a few.

THE PARENTAGE OF THE VIRGIN MARY

The blessed and ever-glorious Virgin Mary, sprung from the royal stock and family of David. Her father’s name was Joachim, and her mother’s name was Anna. Her father’s family of the tribe of Judah, was from Nazareth of Galilee, but her mother’s family was from Bethlehem of Judea. Her mother Anna was the daughter of Matthan the priest, of the tribe of Levi.
Their lives were plain and righteous before the Lord, and and irreproachable and pious before men. Joachim was the shepherd of own sheep. He feared the Lord in integrity and singleness of heart. Apart from his herds, he had no other occupation. Joachim was an exceedingly rich man and was wont to bring double offerings of what the law required, saying, “The superabundance of my substance shall be for the benefit of all the people, but the offering I make for myself is so that I might find mercy and forgiveness from the Lord for my sins.”
In fact, Joachim supplied the poor and all that feared God with food. His lambs, sheep, and their wool, and whatsoever things he possessed, he would divied into three portions: one he gave to the orphans, widows, strangers and the poor; the sceond temple the tempel and its severants and those that worshiped God; and the third he kept for himselfb and all his house and family. Thus doing, the Lord that there was no man like him among the sons of Israel. He had this custom since he was fifteen years old. Thus Joachim was dear to God and kind to men.
At the age of twenty, he took a wife Anna. They had lived together, some say fifty years, but had neither a son nor a daughter. This fact saddened the righteous ones, because they could not hope that any progeny of theirs would see the Messiah. Nevertheless, they vowed that, should the Lord grant them offspring, they would dedicate it to the service of the Lord. On account of this the pious couple were wont to go up to Jerusalem, to the temple of th Lord, at each of the yearly festivals.
In the East, to be a wife without motherhood was not only regarded as a matter of regard, but also a matter of reproach and humiliation, that could even lead to divorce. If a woman could not have children, it was viewed as a curse from God, for it meant extinction. Society then usually considered the wifeas the problem. It was a constant source of embarrassment to both the wife and her husband, for the welfare of the children is a never-omitted subject of inquiry in all courteous Oriental salutations.
Even those who loved her treated her as an object of pity. Aggravating the family misfortune of barrenness was the loss of hope of mothering the Messiah or, as they belived, having seed that would behold the Messiah. Moreover, to have had children and to have lost them was the strongest possible claim upon receiving sympathy.
Jewish parents believed that a part of them lived on in their children and, therefore, looked upon children as a blessing. It followed that to be without offspring was to exist in name only. Children were also hoped for so as to keep inheritances in the family. If a woman did have children, it greatly increased her prestige in the family. For example, to avoid disgrace, we know that the wives of the patriarchs, Sarah [Gen. 16:2] and Rachel [Gen. 30:], gave their handmaidens to their husbands; other methods were adoption or polygamy. Polygamy first appeared in the reprobate line of Cain, when Lamech took two wives [Gen. 4:19].

THE FEAST OF THE DEDICATION

Now the great day of the Lord was at hand, the Feast of the Dedication (Hanukkah) and the Feast of Lights, commencing on the 25th of Chislev or Kislev (the ninth) month; November-December), which was celebrated for eight days, when the sons of Israel would bring their offerings [1 Macc. 4:52-59; 2 Macc. 10:5]. At this time, Joachim, too, was preparing his gifts for the Lord. When the high priest Reuben beheld Joachim, he despised him and spurned his gifts, saying, “It is not lawful for thee to stand among them that are offering sacrifice to God, because God has not blessed thee, so as to give thee seed in Israel. Cursed is every one who has not begot a male or female in Israel!”

Thus a hymn for this feast says, The holy Joachim and Anna brought their gift to the sanctuary, but it was not received on account of their childlessness.
Reuben then said that Joachim ought to first be freed from this curse by begetting some issue; and then only should he come into the presence of the Lord with his offerings.
A kontakion of St. Romanos the Melodist (AD 490-AD 556) speaks of the holy man’s rejection: He (Joachim) brought gifts to the temple but they were not received; the priests did not wished to accept them, since they were from a childless man who had no seed. And Joachim was scorned by the sons of Israel. But at the proper time, along with Anna, he brought in the Virgin with gifts of Thanksgiving.
Publicly disdained for childlessness, the confounded Joachim, covered with shame from this reproach that was thrown in his teeth, retreated weeping from the Court of Men the the temple of the Lord. Exceedingly grieved, he went away to the registers of the twelve tribes of the people, and said,”I shall see the registers of the twelve tribes of Israel, to see if I alone have not made seed in Israel.” Thus Joachim searched the record only to find that all the righteous had raised up seed in Israel. Saddened by this, he, nevertheless, comforted himself when he called to mind the Patriarch whom God gave a son in his latter days.

JOACHIM RETRIES INTO THE WILDERNESS

At that time, Joachim was not inclined to return home, lest his neighbours and those of his tribe, who were present and heard the rebuke of the high priest, should publicly reproach and brand him in the same manner. Therefore not retuning to his house, Joachim went to his shepherds and flocks, and took them to a far place into the mountains. There he pitched his tent and fasted, saying, “will not go down either for food or drink until the Lord my God shall look upon me; prayer shall be my food and drink.
Again, St. Romanos chants, Joachim on the mountain prayed to receive fruit from the womb of Anna; and the prayer of the holy man was accepted.

ANNA MOURNS

Anna, meanwhile, departed the Court of Women in the temple, and went home weeping bitterly. Indeed, Anna mourned doubly, saying, “I shall bewail my widowhood; I shall bewail my childlessness.”
Now the great day of the Lord was at hand and Anna put off of mourning. At about the ninth hour she went down to the garden to walk.. She saw a laurel tree and sat under it, and prayed to the Lord saying, “O God of our fathers, bless me and hear my prayer, as Thou didst pen the womb of Sarah and gave her a son Isaac” [Gen. 21:2 – 3].

Then gazing towards heaven, she noticed a sparrow’s nest in the laurel, and bemoaned her barrenness within herself, saying, “Alas, who begot me? And what womb did bear me, that I should be thus accursed before the children of Israel, and that they should reproach and and deride me in the temple of my God? Woe is me. to what can I be compared? I am not like the fowls of the heaven, because even the fowls of the heaven are productive before Thee, O Lord. Alas! to what can I be compared? I am not like the beasts of the earth, because even the beasts of the earth are fruitful before Thee, O Lord. Alas! to what can I be likened? I am not like these waters, because even the waters are productive before Thee, O Lord. Woe is me to what can I be compared? I am not comparable to the waves of the sea; for these, whether they are calm, or in motion, with the fishes which are in them, praise Thee, O Lord. Alas! to what can I be likened? I am not like this earth, because even the earth bringeth forth its fruit in season and blesseth Thee, O Lord.

On this occasion St. Romanos chants, The prayer and groaning of Joachim and Anna at their barrenness and childlessness have proved acceptable, and have come unto the ears of the Lord; and they have put forth a fruit that brings life to the world. The one offered his prayer in the mountain, the other bore her reproach in the garden. But with joy the barren woman bears the Theotokos who sustains our life.

In comparing the mother Anna with her future daughter Mary, St. Ephraim the Syrian (c.306-373) chants, The wife (Anna) proved barren, and withheld her fruit; but the bosom of Mary, bodily conceived (the Christ). To wonder at fields, and to admire plants she (Mary) needed not who received and rendered what she borrowed not. Nature confessed its defeat; the womb was aware of it, and restored what nature gave not.