{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_6510/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_6510","id":"gutenberg_6510","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6510","summary":null,"tags":["Apocryphal books (New Testament)","Category: History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)","Category: History - Religious","Category: Religion/Spirituality"],"text":"This eBook was produced by David Widger <widger@cecomet.net>\nAdditional proofing was done by Curtis A. Weyant\n\n\n\n\n\n\n                                  THE\n                              SUPPRESSED\n                          GOSPELS AND EPISTLES\n                            OF THE ORIGINAL\n                             NEW TESTAMENT\n                                   OF\n                            JESUS THE CHRIST\n\n          AND OTHER PORTIONS OF THE ANCIENT HOLY SCRIPTURES.\n                       NOW EXTANT, ATTRIBUTED TO\n                  HIS APOSTLES, AND THEIR DISCIPLES,\n       AND VENERATED BY THE PRIMITIVE CHRISTIAN CHURCHES DURING\n                       THE FIRST FOUR CENTURIES,\n                 BUT SINCE, AFTER VIOLENT DISPUTATIONS\n                            FORBIDDEN BY THE\n                     BISHOPS OF THE NICENE COUNCIL,\n                IN THE REIGN OF THE EMPEROR CONSTANTINE\n             AND OMITTED FROM THE CATHOLICS AND PROTESTANT\n            EDITIONS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, BY ITS COMPILERS\n\n         TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL TONGUES, WITH HISTORICAL\n                   REFERENCES TO THEIR AUTHENTICITY,\n\n                                  BY\n                            ARCHBISHOP WAKE\n                               AND OTHER\n                            LEARNED DIVINES\n\n\n\n\n\n                        THE GOSPEL OF NICODEMUS,\n              FORMERLY CALLED THE ACTS OF PONTIUS PILATE.\n\n\nThe Gospel of NICODEMUS, the disciple,\nconcerning the Sufferings and Resurrection\nof our Master and Saviour, JESUS CHRIST.\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\n     1 Christ accused to Pilate by the Jews\n     of healing on the Sabbath.\n     9 Summoned before Pilate by a messenger\n     who does him honour.\n     20 Worshipped by the standards bowing down to him.\n\nANNAS and Caiphas, and\nSummas, and Datam, Gamaliel,\nJudas, Levi, Nepthalim, Alexander,\nCyrus, and other Jews, went\nto Pilate about Jesus, accusing\nhim with many bad crimes.\n\n2  And said, We are assured that\nJesus is the son of Joseph, the\ncarpenter, and born of Mary, and\nthat he declares himself the Son of\nGod, and a king; and not only so,\nbut attempts the dissolution of the\nSabbath, and the laws of our\nfathers.\n\n3  Pilate replied, What is it\nwhich he declares? and what is it\nwhich he attempts dissolving?\n\n4  The Jews told him, We have\na law which forbids doing cures\non the Sabbath day; but he cures\nboth the lame and the deaf, those\nafflicted with the palsy, the blind,\nthe lepers, and demoniacs, on that\nday, by wicked methods.\n\n5  Pilate replied, How can he\ndo this by wicked methods? They\nanswered He is a conjurer, and\ncasts out devils by the prince of\nthe devils; and so all things,\nbecome subject to him.\n\n6  Then said Pilate, Casting out\ndevils seems not to be the work of\nan unclean spirit, but to proceed\nfrom the power of God.\n\n7  The Jews replied to Pilate,\nWe entreat your highness to summon\nhim to appear before your tribunal,\nand hear him yourself.\n\n8  Then Pilate called a messenger,\nand said to him, By what means\nwill Christ be brought hither?\n\n9  Then went the messenger\nforth, and knowing Christ,\nworshipped him; and having spread\nthe cloak which he had in his hand\nupon the ground, he said, Lord,\nwalk upon this, and go in, for the\ngovernor calls thee.\n\n10  When the Jews perceived\nwhat the messenger had done,\nthey exclaimed (against him) to\nPilate, and said, Why did you not\ngive him his summons by a beadle,\nand not by a messenger?--For the\nmessenger, when he saw him,\nworshipped him, and spread the\ncloak which he had in his hand\nupon the ground before him, and\nsaid to him, Lord, the governor\ncalls thee.\n\n11  Then Pilate called the\nmessenger, and said, Why hast thou\ndone thus?\n\n12  The messenger replied, When\nthou sentest me from Jerusalem to\nAlexander, I saw Jesus sitting in\na mean figure upon a she-ass, and\nthe children of the Hebrews cried\nout, Hosannah, holding boughs of\ntrees in their hands.\n\n13  Others spread their garments\nin the way, and said, Save us, thou\nwho art in heaven; blessed is he\nwho cometh in the name of the\nLord.\n\n14  Then the Jews cried out,\nagainst the messenger, and said,\nThe children of the Hebrews made\ntheir acclamations in the Hebrew\nlanguage; and how couldst thou,\nwho art a Greek, understand the\nHebrew?\n\n15  The messenger answered\nthem and said, I asked one of the\nJews and said, What is this which\nthe children do cry out in the\nHebrew language?\n\n16  And he explained it to me,\nsaying, they cry out, Hosannah,\nwhich being interpreted, is, O\nLord, save me; or, O Lord, save.\n\n17  Pilate then said to them,\nWhy do you yourselves testify to\nthe words spoken by the children,\nnamely, by your silence?  In what\nhas the messenger done amiss?\nAnd they were silent.\n\n18  Then the governor said unto\nthe messenger, Go forth and\nendeavour by any means to bring\nhim in.\n\n19  But the messenger went forth\nand did as before; and said, Lord\ncome in, for the governor calleth\nthee.\n\n20  And as Jesus was going in\nby the ensigns, who carried the\nstandards, the tops of them bowed\ndown and worshipped Jesus.\n\n21  Whereupon the Jews exclaimed\nmore vehemently against the ensigns.\n\n22  But Pilate said to the Jews,\nI know it is not pleasing to you\nthat the tops of the standards did\nof themselves bow and worship\nJesus; but why do ye exclaim\nagainst the ensigns, as if they had\nbowed and worshipped?\n\n23  They replied to Pilate,\nWe saw the ensigns themselves\nbowing and worshipping Jesus.\n\n24  Then the governor called the\nensigns, and said unto them, Why\ndid you do thus?\n\n25  The ensigns said to Pilate,\nWe are all Pagans and worship\nthe gods in temples; and how\nshould we think anything about\nworshipping him?  We only held\nthe standards in our hands,\nand they bowed themselves and\nworshipped him.\n\n26  Then said Pilate to the rulers\nof the synagogue, Do ye yourselves\nchoose some strong men, and let\nthem hold the standards, and we\nshall see whether they will then\nbend of themselves.\n\n27  So the elders of the Jews\nsought out twelve of the most\nstrong and able old men, and made\nthem hold the standards, and they\nstood in the presence of the governor.\n\n28  Then Pilate said to the\nmessenger, Take Jesus out, and by\nsome means bring him in again.\nAnd Jesus and the messenger went\nout of the hall.\n\n29  And Pilate called the ensigns\nwho before had borne the standards,\nand swore to them, that if they\nhad not borne the standards in\nthat manner when Jesus before\nentered in, he would cut off\ntheir heads.\n\n30  Then the governor commanded\nJesus to come in again.\n\n31  And the messenger did as he\nhad done before, and very much\nentreated Jesus that he would go\nupon his cloak, and walk on it;\nand he did walk upon it, and went\nin.\n\n32  And when Jesus went in,\nthe standards bowed themselves as\nbefore, and worshipped him.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\n     2 Is comppassionated by Pilate's wife,\n     7 charged with being born in fornication.\n     12 Testimony to the betrothing of his parents.\n     15 Hatred of the Jews to him.\n\nNOW when Pilate saw this, he\nwas afraid, and was about to\nrise from his seat.\n\n2  But while he thought to rise,\nhis own wife who stood at a\ndistance, sent to him, saying, Have\nthou nothing to do with that just\nman; for I have suffered much\nconcerning him in a vision this\nnight.\n\n3  When the Jews heard this\nthey said to Pilate, Did we not say\nunto thee, He is a conjuror? Behold,\nhe hath caused thy wife to dream.\n\n4  Pilate then calling Jesus, said,\nthou hast heard what they testify\nagainst thee, and makest no answer?\n\n5  Jesus replied, If they had not\na power of speaking, they could\nnot have spoke; but because every\none has the command of his own\ntongue, to speak both good and\nbad, let him look to it.\n\n6  But the elders of the Jews\nanswered, and said to Jesus, What\nshall we look to?\n\n7  In the first place, we know\nthis concerning thee, that thou\nwast born through fornication;\nsecondly, that upon the account of\nthy birth the infants were slain in\nBethlehem; thirdly, that thy father\nand mother Mary fled into Egypt,\nbecause they could not trust their\nown people.\n\n8  Some of the Jews who stood\nby spake more favourably, We\ncannot say that he was born\nthrough fornication; but we know\nthat his mother Mary was betrothed\nto Joseph, and so he was not born\nthrough fornication.\n\n9  Then said Pilate to the Jews\nwho affirmed him to be born\nthrough fornication, This your\naccount is not true, seeing there was\na betrothment, as they testify who\nare of your own nation.\n\n10  Annas and Caiphas spake to\nPilate, All this multitude of people\nis to be regarded, who cry out,\nthat he was born through fornication,\nand is a conjurer; but they who deny\nhim to be born through fornication,\nare his proselytes and disciples.\n\n11  Pilate answered Annas and\nCaiphas, Who are the proselytes?\nThey answered, They are those\nwho are the children of Pagans,\nand are not become Jews, but\nfollowers of him.\n\n12  Then replied Eleazer, and\nAsterius, and Antonius, and James,\nCaras and Samuel, Isaac and Phinees,\nCrispus and Agrippa, Annas and Judas,\nWe are not proselytes, but children\nof Jews, and speak the truth,\nand were present when Mary was\nbetrothed.\n\n13  Then Pilate addressing\nhimself to the twelve men who\nspake this, said to them, I conjure\nyou by the life of Caesar, that ye\nfaithfully declare whether he was\nborn through fornication, and those\nthings be true which ye have related.\n\n14  They answered Pilate, We\nhave a law whereby we are forbid\nto swear, it being a sin: Let them\nswear by the life of Caesar that it\nis not as we have said, and we will\nbe contented to be put to death.\n\n15  Then said Annas and Caiphas\nto Pilate, Those twelve men will\nnot believe that we know him to be\nbasely born, and to be a conjurer,\nalthough he pretends that he is\nthe Son of God, and a king: which\nwe are so far from believing, that\nwe tremble to hear.\n\n16  Then Pilate commanded\nevery one to go out except the\ntwelve men who said he was not\nborn through fornication, and\nJesus to withdraw to a distance,\nand said to them, Why have the Jews\na mind to kill Jesus?\n\n17  They answered him, They\nare angry because he wrought\ncures on the sabbath day. Pilate\nsaid, Will they kill him for a\ngood work? They say unto him,\nYes, Sir.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\n1 Is exonerated by Pilate.\n11 Disputes with Pilate concerning truth.\n\nTHEN Pilate, filled with anger,\nwent out of the hall, and said\nto the Jews, I call the whole\nworld to witness that I find no\nfault in that man.\n\n2  The Jews replied to Pilate,\nIf he had not been a wicked person,\nwe had not brought him before thee.\n\n3  Pilate said to them, Do ye take\nhim and try him by your law.\n\n4  Then the Jews said, It is not\nlawful for us to put any one to\ndeath.\n\n5  Pilate said to the Jews, The\ncommand, therefore, thou shalt\nnot kill, belongs to you, but\nnot to me.\n\n6  And he went again into the\nhall, and called Jesus by himself,\nand said to him, Art thou the king\nof the Jews?\n\n7  And Jesus answering, said\nto Pilate, Dost thou speak this\nof thyself, or did the Jews tell\nit thee concerning me?\n\n8  Pilate answering, said to\nJesus, Am I a Jew? The whole\nnation and rulers of the Jews have\ndelivered thee up to me. What\nhast thou done?\n\n9  Jesus answering, said, My\nkingdom is not of this world:\nif my kingdom were of this world,\nthen would my servants fight,\nand I should not have been\ndelivered to the Jews: but now\nmy kingdom is not from hence.\n\n10  Pilate said, Art thou a king\nthen? Jesus answered, Thou sayest\nthat I am a king: to this end\nwas I born, and for this end came\nI into the world; and for this\npurpose I came, that I should bear\nwitness to the truth; and every\none who is of the truth, heareth\nmy voice.\n\n11  Pilate saith to him, What is\ntruth?\n\n12  Jesus said, Truth is from\nheaven.\n\n13  Pilate said, Therefore truth\nis not on earth.\n\n14  Jesus saith to Pilate,\nBelieve that truth is on earth\namong those, who when they have\nthe power of judgment, are governed\nby truth, and form right judgment.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\n     1 Pilate finds no fault in Jesus.\n     16 The Jews demand his crucifixion.\n\nTHEN Pilate left Jesus in the hall,\nand went out to the Jews, and said,\nI find not any one fault in Jesus.\n\n2  The Jews say unto him, But\nhe said, I can destroy the temple\nof God, and in three days build it\nup again.\n\n3  Pilate saith to them, What\nsort of temple is that of which he\nspeaketh?\n\n4  The Jews say unto him,\nThat which Solomon was forty-six\nyears in building, he said he\nwould destroy, and in three days\nbuild up.\n\n5  Pilate said to them again, I\nam innocent from the blood of that\nman! do ye look to it.\n\n6  The Jews say to him, His\nblood be upon us and our children.\nThen Pilate calling together the\nelders and scribes, priests and\nLevites, saith to them privately,\nDo not act thus; I have found\nnothing in your charge (against\nhim) concerning his curing sick\npersons, and breaking the sabbath,\nworthy of death.\n\n7  The priests and Levites replied\nto Pilate, By the life of Caesar,\nif any one be a blasphemer, he is\nworthy of death; but this man hath\nblasphemed against the Lord.\n\n8  Then the governor again\ncommanded the Jews to depart out\nof the hall; and calling Jesus,\nsaid to him, What shall I do with\nthee?\n\n9  Jesus answered him, Do according\nas it is written.\n\n10  Pilate said to him, How is it\nwritten?\n\n11  Jesus saith to him, Moses\nand the prophets have prophesied\nconcerning my suffering and\nresurrection.\n\n12  The Jews hearing this, were\nprovoked, and said to Pilate,\nWhy wilt thou any longer hear the\nblasphemy of that man?\n\n13  Pilate saith to them, If these\nwords seem to you blasphemy, do\nye take him, bring him to your\ncourt, and try him according to\nyour law.\n\n14  The Jews reply to Pilate,\nOur law saith, he shall be obliged\nto receive nine and thirty stripes,\nbut if after this manner he shall\nblaspheme against the Lord, he\nshall be stoned.\n\n15  Pilate saith unto them, If\nthat speech of his was blasphemy,\ndo ye try him according to your\nlaw.\n\n16  The Jews say to Pilate, Our\nlaw command us not to put any one\nto death. We desire that he may be\ncrucified, because he deserves the\ndeath of the cross.\n\n17  Pilate saith to them, It is not\nfit he should be crucified: let him\nbe only whipped and sent away.\n\n18  But when the governor looked\nupon the people that were present\nand the Jews, he saw many of the\nJews in tears, and said to the\nchief priests of the Jews, All\nthe people do not desire his death.\n\n19  The elders of the Jews answered\nto Pilate, We and all the people\ncame hither for this very purpose,\nthat he should die.\n\n20  Pilate saith to them, Why should\nhe die?\n\n21  They said to him, Because\nhe declares himself to be the Son\nof God and a King.\n\n\n\nCHAP. V.\n\n     1 Nicodemus speaks in defence of Christ,\n     and relates his miracles.\n     12 Another Jew,\n     26 with Veronica,\n     34 Centurio, and others,\n     testify of other miracles.\n\nBUT Nicodemus, a certain Jew,\nstood before the governor,\nand said, I entreat thee,\nO righteous judge, that thou\nwouldst favour me with the\nliberty of speaking a few words.\n\n2  Pilate said to him, Speak on.\n\n3  Nicodemus said, I spake to\nthe elders of the Jews, and the\nscribes, and priests and Levites,\nand all the multitude of the Jews,\nin their assembly; What is it ye\nwould do with this man?\n\n4  He is a man who hath wrought\nmany useful and glorious miracles,\nsuch as no man on earth ever\nwrought before, nor will ever\nwork.  Let him go, and do him\nno harm; if he cometh from God,\nhis miracles, (his miraculous\ncures) will continue; but if from\nmen, they will come to nought.\n\n5  Thus Moses, when he was\nsent by God into Egypt, wrought\nthe miracles which God commanded\nhim, before Pharaoh king of Egypt;\nand though the magicians of that\ncountry, Jannes and Jambres,\nwrought by their magic the same\nmiracles which Moses did, yet they\ncould not work all which he did;\n\n6  And the miracles which the\nmagicians wrought, were not of\nGod, as ye know, O Scribes and\nPharisees; but they who wrought\nthem perished, and all who\nbelieved them.\n\n7  And now let this man go;\nbecause the very miracles for\nwhich ye accuse him, are from\nGod; and he is not worthy of\ndeath.\n\n8  The Jews then said to Nicodemus,\nArt thou become his disciple,\nand making speeches in his favour?\n\n9  Nicodemus said to them, Is\nthe governor become his disciple\nalso, and does he make speeches\nfor him? Did not Caesar place\nhim in that high post?\n\n10  When the Jews heard this\nthey trembled, and gnashed their\nteeth at Nicodemus, and said to\nhim, Mayest thou receive his\ndoctrine for truth, and have\nthy lot with Christ!\n\n11  Nicodemus replied, Amen;\nI will receive his doctrine, and\nmy lot with him, as ye have said.\n\n12  Then another certain Jew\nrose up, and desired leave of the\ngovernor to hear him a few words.\n\n13  And the governor said,\nSpeak, what thou hast a mind.\n\n14  And he said, I lay for thirty-\neight years by the sheep-pool at\nJerusalem, labouring under a great\ninfirmity, and waiting for a cure\nwhich should be wrought by the\ncoming of an angel, who at a\ncertain time troubled the water: and\nwhosoever first after the troubling\nof the water stepped in, was made\nwhole of whatsoever disease he had.\n\n15  And when Jesus saw me languishing\nthere, he said to me, Wilt thou be\nmade whole? And I answered, Sir,\nI have no man, when the water is\ntroubled, to put me into the pool.\n\n16  And he said unto me, Rise,\ntake up thy bed and walk. And\nI was immediately made whole,\nand took up my bed and walked.\n\n17  The Jews then said to Pilate,\nOur Lord Governor, pray ask\nhim what day it was on which he\nwas cured of his infirmity.\n\n18  The infirm person replied,\nIt was on the sabbath.\n\n19  The Jews said to Pilate, Did\nwe not say that he wrought his\ncures on the sabbath, and cast out\ndevils by the prince of devils?\n\n20  Then another certain Jew\ncame forth, and said, I was blind,\ncould hear sounds, but could not\nsee any one; and as Jesus was\ngoing along, I heard the multitude\npassing by, and I asked what\nwas there?\n\n21  They told me that Jesus was\npassing by: then I cried out,\nsaying, Jesus, Son of David, have\nmercy on me. And he stood still,\nand commanded that I should be\nbrought to him, and said to me,\nWhat wilt thou?\n\n22  I said, Lord, that I may\nreceive my sight.\n\n23  He said to me, Receive thy\nsight: and presently I saw, and\nfollowed him, rejoicing and giving\nthanks,\n\n24  Another Jew also came forth,\nand said, I was a leper, and he\ncured me by his word only, saying,\nI will, be thou clean; and presently\nI was cleansed from my leprosy.\n\n25  And another Jew came\nforth, and said I was crooked,\nand he made me straight by his\nword.\n\n26  And a certain woman\nnamed Veronica, said, I was\nafflicted with an issue of blood\ntwelve years, and I touched the\nhem of his garment, and presently\nthe issue of blood stopped.\n\n27  The Jews then said, We\nhave a law, that a woman shall\nnot be allowed as an evidence.\n\n28  And, after other things,\nanother Jew said, I saw Jesus\ninvited to a wedding with his\ndisciples, and there was a want\nof wine in Cana of Galilee;\n\n29  And when the wine was all\ndrank, he commanded the servants\nthat they should fill six pots which\nwere there with water, and they\nfilled them up to the brim, and he\nblessed them and turned the water\ninto wine, and all the people drank,\nbeing surprised at this miracle,\n\n30 And another Jew stood forth,\nand  said, I saw Jesus teaching\nin the synagogue at Capernaum;\nand there was in the synagogue\na certain man who had a devil;\nand he cried out, saying,\nlet me alone; what have we to\ndo with thee, Jesus of Nazareth?\nArt thou come to destroy us?\nI know that thou art the Holy One\nof God.\n\n31 And Jesus rebuked him, saying,\nHold thy peace, unclean spirit,\nand come out of the man; and\npresently he came out of him, and\ndid not at all hurt him.\n\n32  The following things were\nalso said by a Pharisee: I saw\nthat a great company came to\nJesus from Galilee and Judea, and\nthe sea-cost, and many countries\nabout Jordan; and many infirm\npersons came to him, and he healed\nthem all.\n\n33  And I heard the unclean\nspirits crying out, and saying,\nThou art the Son of God. And\nJesus strictly charged them, that\nthey should not make him known.\n\n34  After this another person,\nwhose name was Centurio, said,\nI saw Jesus in Capernaum, and I\nentreated him, saying, Lord, my\nservant lieth at home sick of the\npalsy.\n\n35  And Jesus said to me, I\nwill come and cure him.\n\n36  But I said, Lord, I am not\nworthy that thou shouldst come\nunder my roof; but only speak\nthe word, and my servant shall be\nhealed.\n\n37  And Jesus said unto me, Go\nthy way; and as thou hast believed\nso be it done unto thee. And my\nservant was healed from that same\nhour.\n\n38  Then a certain nobleman\nsaid, I had a son in Capernaum,\nwho lay at the point of death; and\nwhen I heard that Jesus was come\ninto Galilee, I went and besought\nhim that he would come down to\nmy house, and heal my son, for he\nwas at the point of death.\n\n39  He said to me, Go thy way,\nthy son liveth.\n\n40  And my son was cured from\nthat hour.\n\n41  Besides these, also many\nothers of the Jews, both men and\nWomen, cried out and said, He is\ntruly the Son of God, who cures\nall diseases only by his word, and\nto whom the devils are altogether\nsubject.\n\n42  Some of them farther said,\nThis power can proceed from none\nbut God.\n\n43  Pilate said to the Jews, Why\nare not the devils subject to your\ndoctors?\n\n44  Some of them said, The\npower of subjecting devils cannot\nproceed but from God.\n\n45  But others said to Pilate,\nThat he had raised Lazarus from\nthe dead, after he had been four\ndays in his grave.\n\n46  The governor hearing this,\ntrembling, said to the multitude of\nthe Jews, What will it profit you\nto shed innocent blood?\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\n     1 Pilate dismayed by the turbulence of the Jews,\n     5 who demand Barabbas to be released, and Christ\n     to be crucified.\n     9 Pilate warmly expostulates with them,\n     20 washes his hands of Christ's blood,\n     23 and sentences him to be whipped and crucified.\n\nTHEN Pilate having called\ntogether Nicodemus, and the\nfifteen men who said that Jesus\nwas not born through fornication,\nsaid to them, What shall I do,\nseeing there is like to be a tumult\namong the people.\n\n2  They say unto him, We know\nnot; let them look to it who raise\nthe tumult.\n\n3  Pilate then called the\nmultitude again, and said to them,\nYe know that ye have a custom, that\nI should release to you one prisoner\nat the feast of the passover:\n\n4  I have a noted prisoner, a\nmurderer, who is called Barabbas,\nand Jesus who is called Christ, in\nwhom I find nothing that deserves\ndeath; which of them, therefore,\nhave you a mind that I should\nrelease to you?\n\n5  They all cry out, and say,\nRelease to us Barabbas.\n\n6  Pilate saith to them, What\nthen shall I do with Jesus who is\ncalled Christ?\n\n7  They all answer, Let him be\ncrucified.\n\n8  Again they cry out and say to\nPilate, You are not the friend of\nCaesar, if you release this man;\nfor he hath declared that he is the\nSon of God, and a king.  But are\nyou inclined that he should be\nking, and not Caesar?\n\n9  Then Pilate filled with anger\nsaid to them, Your nation hath\nalways been seditious, and you are\nalways against those who have\nbeen serviceable to you.\n\n10  The Jews replied, Who are those\nwho have been serviceable to us?\n\n11  Pilate answered them, Your\nGod who delivered you from the\nhard bondage of the Egyptians,\nand brought you over the Red Sea\nas though it had been dry land,\nand fed you in the wilderness with\nmanna and the flesh of quails, and\nbrought water out of the rock, and\ngave you a law from heaven.\n\n12  Ye provoked him all ways,\nand desired for yourselves a\nmolten calf, and worshipped it,\nand sacrificed to it, and said,\nThese are thy Gods, O Israel,\nwhich brought thee out of the\nland of Egypt:\n\n13  On account of which your\nGod was inclined to destroy you;\nbut Moses interceded for you, and\nyour God heard him, and forgave\nyour iniquity.\n\n14  Afterwards ye were enraged\nagainst, and would have killed\nyour prophets, Moses and Aaron,\nwhen they fled to the tabernacle,\nand ye were always murmuring\nagainst God and his prophets.\n\n15  And arising from his\njudgment seat, he would have gone\nout; but the Jews all cried out,\nWe acknowledge Caesar to be king,\nand not Jesus;\n\n16  Whereas this person, as\nsoon as he was born, the wise\nmen came and offered gifts unto\nhim; which when Herod heard,\nhe was exceedingly troubled,\nand would have killed him:\n\n17  When his father knew this,\nhe fled with him and his mother\nMary into Egypt. Herod, when\nhe heard he was born, would have\nslain him; and accordingly sent\nand slew all the children which\nwere in Bethlehem, and in all the\ncoasts thereof, from two years old\nand under.\n\n18  When Pilate heard this\naccount, he was afraid; and\ncommanding silence among the\npeople, who made a noise, he said\nto Jesus, Art thou therefore a king?\n\n19  All the Jews replied to\nPilate, he is the very person\nwhom Herod sought to have slain.\n\n20  Then Pilate taking water,\nwashed his hands before the people\nand said, I am innocent of the\nblood of this just person; look ye\nto it.\n\n21  The Jews answered and said,\nHis blood be upon us and our\nchildren.\n\n22  Then Pilate commanded Jesus\nto be brought before him, and\nspake to him in the following\nwords;\n\n23  Thy own nation hath charged\nthee as making thyself a king;\nwherefore I, Pilate, sentence thee\nto be whipped according to the\nlaws of former governors; and\nthat thou be first bound, then\nhanged upon a cross in that place\nwhere thou art now a prisoner;\nand also two criminals with thee,\nwhose names are Dimas and Gestas.\n\n\n\nCHAP. VII.\n\n     1 Manner of Christ's crucifixion\n     with the two thieves.\n\nTHEN Jesus went out of the\nhall, and the two thieves\nwith him.\n\n2  And when they came to the\nplace which is called Golgotha,\nthey stript him of his raiment, and\ngirt him about with a linen cloth,\nand put a crown of thorns upon his\nhead, and put a reed in his hand.\n\n3  And in like manner did they\nto the two thieves who were\ncrucified with him, Dimas on his\nright hand and Gestas on his left.\n\n4  But Jesus said, My Father,\nforgive them, For they know not\nwhat they do.\n\n5  And they divided his garments,\nand upon his vesture they cast lots.\n\n6  The people in the mean time\nstood by, and the chief priests\nand elders of the Jews mocked him,\nsaying, He saved others, let him\nnow save himself if he can; if he\nbe the son of God, let him now\ncome down from the cross.\n\n7  The soldiers also mocked him,\nand taking vinegar and gall, offered\nit to him to drink, and said to him,\nIf thou art king of the Jews,\ndeliver thyself.\n\n8  Then Longinus, a certain soldier,\ntaking a spear,' pierced his side,\nand presently there came forth blood\nand water.\n\n9  And Pilate wrote the title\nupon the cross in Hebrew, Latin,\nand Greek letters, viz., THIS IS\nTHE KING OF THE JEWS.\n\n10  But one of the two thieves\nwho were crucified with Jesus,\nwhose name was Gestas, said to\nJesus, If thou art the Christ,\ndeliver thyself and us.\n\n11 But the thief who was\ncrucified on his right hand,\nwhose name was Dimas, answering,\nrebuked him, and said, Dost not\nthou fear God, who art condemned\nto this punishment? We indeed\nreceive rightly and justly the\ndemerit of our actions; but this\nJesus, what evil hath he done.\n\n12  After this, groaning, he said\nto Jesus, Lord, remember me\nwhen thou comest into thy kingdom.\n\n13  Jesus answering, said to\nhim, Verily I say unto thee, that\nthis day thou shalt be with me in\nParadise.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\n     1 Miraculous appearance at his death.\n     10 The Jews say the eclipse was natural.\n     12 Joseph of Arimathcea embalms Christ's\n     body and buries it.\n\nAND it was about the sixth\nhour, and darkness was upon\nthe face of the whole earth until\nthe ninth hour.\n\n2  And while the sun was eclipsed,\nbehold the veil of the temple was\nrent from the top, to the bottom;\nand the rocks also were rent, and\nthe graves opened, and many\nbodies of saints, which slept,\narose.\n\n3  And about the ninth hour\nJesus cried out with a loud voice,\nEli, Eli, lama sabacthani? which\nbeing interpreted is, My God, My\nGod, why hast thou forsaken me?\n\n4  And after these things, Jesus\nsaid, Father, into thy hands I\ncommend my spirit; and having\nsaid this, he gave up the ghost.\n\n5  But when the centurion saw\nthat Jesus thus crying out gave up\nthe ghost, he glorified God, and\nsaid, Of a truth this was a just\nman.\n\n6  And all the people who stood\nby, were exceedingly troubled at\nthe sight; and reflecting upon\nwhat had passed, smote upon their\nbreasts, and then returned to the\ncity of Jerusalem.\n\n7  The centurion went to the\ngovernor, and related to him all\nthat had passed:\n\n8  And when he had heard all\nthese things, he was exceedingly\nsorrowful;\n\n9  And calling the Jews together,\nsaid to them, Have ye seen the\nmiracle of the sun's eclipse, and\nthe other things which came to\npass, while Jesus was dying?\n\n10  Which when the Jews heard,\nthey answered to the governor,\nThe eclipse of the sun happened\naccording to its usual custom.\n\n11  But all those who were the\nacquaintance of Christ, stood at\na distance, as did the women who\nhad followed Jesus from Galilee,\nobserving all these things.\n\n12  And behold a certain man\nof Arimathaea, named Joseph, who\nwas also a disciple of Jesus, but\nnot openly so, for fear of the Jews,\ncame to the governor, and entreated\nthe governor that he would give him\nleave to take away the body of Jesus\nfrom the cross.\n\n13  And the governor gave him leave.\n\n14  And Nicodemus came, bringing\nwith him a mixture of myrrh and\naloes about a hundred pounds\nweight; and they took down Jesus\nfrom the cross with tears, and\nbound him in linen cloths with\nspices, according to the custom of\nburying among the Jews;\n\n15  And placed him in a new\ntomb, which Joseph had built,\nand caused to be cut out of a rock,\nin which never any man had been\nput; and they rolled a great stone\nto the door of the sepulchre.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\n     1 The Jews angry with Nicodemus:\n     5 and with, Joseph of Arimathaea,\n     7 whom they imprison.\n\nWHEN the unjust Jews heard\nthat Joseph had begged and buried\nthe body of Jesus, they sought\nafter Nicodemus, and those fifteen\nmen who had testified before the\ngovernor, that Jesus was not born\nthrough fornication, and other\ngood persons who had shown any\ngood actions towards him.\n\n2  But when they all concealed\nthemselves through fear of the\nJews, Nicodemus alone showed\nhimself to them, and said, How\ncan such persons as these enter\ninto the synagogue?\n\n3  The Jews answered him, But\nhow durst thou enter into the\nsynagogue, who wast a confederate\nwith Christ? Let thy lot be along\nwith him in the other world.\n\n4  Nicodemus answered, Amen;\nso may it be, that I may have\nmy lot with him in his kingdom.\n\n5  In like manner Joseph, when\nhe came to the Jews, said to them,\nWhy are ye angry with me for\ndesiring the body of Jesus of\nPilate? Behold, I have put him in\nmy tomb, and wrapped him up in\nclean linen, and put a stone at the\ndoor of the sepulchre:\n\n6  I have acted rightly towards\nhim; but ye have acted unjustly\nagainst that just person, in\ncrucifying him, giving him vinegar\nto drink, crowning him with thorns,\ntearing his body with whips, and\npraying down the guilt of his blood\nupon you.\n\n7  The Jews at the hearing of\nthis were disquieted and troubled;\nand they seized Joseph, and\ncommanded him to be put in custody\nbefore the Sabbath, and kept there\ntill the Sabbath was over.\n\n8  And they said to him, Make\nconfession; for at this time it is\nnot lawful to do thee any harm,\ntill the first day of the week come.\nBut we know that thou wilt not be\nthought worthy of a burial; but\nwe will give thy flesh to the birds\nof the air, and the beasts of the\nearth.\n\n9  Joseph answered, That speech\nis like the speech of proud Goliath,\nwho reproached the living God in\nspeaking against David. But ye\nscribes and doctors know that God\nsaith by the prophet, Vengeance is\nmine, and I will repay to you evil\nequal to that which ye have\nthreatened to me.\n\n10  The God whom you have\nhanged upon the cross, is able to\ndeliver me out of your hands. All\nyour wickedness will return upon\nyou.\n\n11  For the governor, when he\nwashed his hands, said, I am clear\nfrom the blood of this just person.\nBut ye answered and cried out,\nHis blood be upon us and our\nchildren. According as ye have\nsaid, may ye perish for ever.\n\n12  The elders of the Jews hearing\nthese words, were exceedingly\nenraged; and seizing Joseph, they\nput him into a chamber where\nthere was no window; they fastened\nthe door, and put a seal upon\nthe lock;\n\n13  And Annas and Caiaphas placed\na guard upon it, and took counsel\nwith the priests and Levites,\nthat they should all meet after\nthe Sabbath, and they contrived\nto what death they should put Joseph.\n\n14  When they had done this, the\nrulers, Annas and Caiaphas,\nordered Joseph to be brought\nforth.\n\n(In this place there is a portion\nof the Gospel lost or omitted.\nwhich cannot be supplied. It\nmay, nevertheless, be surmised\nfrom the occurrence related in\nthe next chapter, that the order\nof Annas and Caiaphas were rendered\nunnecessary by Joseph's miraculous\nescape, and which was announced\nto an assembly of people.)\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\n     1 Joseph's escape.\n     2 The soldiers relate Christ's resurrection.\n     18 Christ is seen preaching in Galilee.\n     21 The Jews repent of their cruelty to him.\n\nWHEN all the assembly heard\nthis (about Joseph's escape),\nthey admired and were astonished,\nbecause they found the same seal\nupon the lock of the chamber, and\ncould not find Joseph.\n\n2 Then Annas and Caiaphas went\nforth, and while they were all\nadmiring at Joseph's being gone,\nbehold one of the soldiers, who\nkept the sepulchre of Jesus, spake\nin the assembly,\n\n3  That while they were guarding\nthe sepulchre of Jesus, there was\nan earthquake; and we saw an angel\nof God roll away the stone of the\nsepulchre and sit upon it;\n\n4  And his countenance was like\nlightning and his garment like\nsnow; and we became through fear\nlike persons dead.\n\n5  And we heard an angel saying\nto the women at the sepulchre of\nJesus, Do not fear; I know that\nyou seek Jesus who was crucified;\nhe is risen as he foretold;\n\n6  Come and see the place where\nhe was laid; and go presently, and\ntell his disciples that he is risen\nfrom the dead; and he will go before\nyou into Galilee; there ye shall\nsee him as he told you.\n\n7  Then the Jews called together\nall the soldiers who kept the sepulchre\nof Jesus, and said to them, Who are\nthose women, to whom the angel spoke?\nWhy did ye not seize them.\n\n8  The soldiers answered and said,\nWe know not who the women were;\nbesides we became as dead persons\nthrough fear, and how could we\nseize those women?\n\n9  The Jews said to them, As the\nLord liveth, we do not believe you;\n\n10  The soldiers answering said to\nthe Jews, when ye saw and heard\nJesus working so many miracles,\nand did not believe him, how should\nye believe us? Ye well said,\nAs the Lord liveth, for the Lord\ntruly does live.\n\n11  We have heard that ye shut\nup Joseph, who buried the body of\nJesus, in a chamber, under a lock\nwhich was sealed; and when ye\nopened it, found him not there.\n\n12  Do ye then produce Joseph\nwhom ye put under guard in the\nchamber, and we will produce\nJesus whom we guarded in the\nsepulchre.\n\n13  The Jews answered and said,\nWe will produce Joseph, do ye\nproduce Jesus. But Joseph is in\nhis own city of Arimathaea.\n\n14  The soldiers replied,\nIf Joseph be in Arimathaea,\nand Jesus in Galilee, we heard\nthe angel inform the women.\n\n15  The Jews hearing this, were\nafraid, and said among themselves,\nIf by any means these things\nshould become public, then\neverybody will believe in Jesus.\n\n16  Then they gathered a large\nsum of money, and gave it to the\nsoldiers, saying, Do ye tell the\npeople that the disciples of Jesus\ncame in the night when ye were\nasleep, and stole away the body of\nJesus; and if Pilate the governor\nshould hear of this, we will satisfy\nhim and secure you.\n\n17  The soldiers accordingly took\nthe money, and said as they were\ninstructed by the Jews; and their\nreport was spread abroad among\nall the people.\n\n18  But a certain priest Phinees,\nAda a schoolmaster, and a Levite,\nnamed Ageus, they three came from\nGalilee to Jerusalem, and told\nthe chief priests and all who\nwere in the synagogues, saying,\n\n19  We have seen Jesus, whom\nye crucified, talking with his\neleven disciples, and sitting in the\nmidst of them in Mount Olivet,\nand saying to them,\n\n20  Go forth into the whole world,\npreach the Gospel to all nations,\nbaptizing them in the name of the\nFather, and the Son, and the Holy\nGhost; and whosoever shall believe\nand be baptized, shall be saved.\n\n21  And when he had said these\nthings to his disciples, we saw him\nascending up to heaven.\n\n22  When the chief priests and\nelders, and Levites heard these\nthings, they said to these three\nmen, Give glory to the God of\nIsrael, and make confession to\nhim, whether those things are true,\nwhich ye say ye have seen and heard.\n\n23  They answering said, As the\nLord of our fathers liveth, the\nGod of Abraham, and the God of\nIsaac, and the God of Jacob,\naccording as we heard Jesus talking\nwith his disciples, and according\nas we saw him ascending up to\nheaven, so we have related the\ntruth to you.\n\n24  And the three men farther\nanswered, and said, adding these\nwords, If we should not own the\nwords which we heard Jesus speak,\nand that we saw him ascending\ninto heaven, we should be guilty\nof sin.\n\n25  Then the chief priests\nimmediately rose up, and holding\nthe book of the law in their hands,\nconjured these men, saying, Ye\nshall no more hereafter declare\nthose things which ye have spoken\nconcerning Jesus.\n\n26  And they gave them a large\nsum of money, and sent other\npersons along with them, who\nshould conduct them to their own\ncountry, that they might not by any\nmeans make any stay at Jerusalem.\n\n27  Then the Jews did assemble\nall together, and having expressed\nthe most lamentable concern said,\nWhat is this extraordinary thing\nwhich is come to pass in Jerusalem?\n\n28  But Annas and Caiaphas comforted\nthem, saying, Why should we believe\nthe soldiers who guarded the sepulchre\nof Jesus, in telling us, that an angel\nrolled away the stone from the door\nof the sepulchre?\n\n29  Perhaps his own disciples told\nthem this, and gave them money\nthat they should say so, and they\nthemselves took away the body of Jesus.\n\n30  Besides, consider this, that\nthere is no credit to be given to\nforeigners, because they also took\na large sum of us, and they have\ndeclared to us according to the\ninstructions which we gave them.\nThey must either be faithful to us\nor to the disciples of Jesus.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\n     1 Nicodemus counsels the Jews.\n     6 Joseph found.\n     11 Invited by the Jews to return.\n     19 Relates the manner of his miraculous escape.\n\nTHEN Nicodemus arose, and\nsaid, Ye say right, O sons of\nIsrael; ye have heard what those\nthree men have sworn by the Law\nof God, who said, We have seen\nJesus speaking with his disciples\nupon mount Olivet, and we saw\nhim ascending up to heaven.\n\n2  And the scripture teacheth\nus that the blessed prophet Elijah\nwas taken up to heaven, and Elisha\nbeing asked by the sons of the\nprophets, Where is our father Elijah?\nHe said to them, that he is taken up\nto heaven.\n\n3  And the sons of the prophets\nsaid to him, Perhaps the spirit\nhath carried him into one of the\nmountains of Israel, there perhaps\nwe shall find him. And they besought\nElisha, and he walked about with\nthem three days, and they could\nnot find him.\n\n4  And now hear me, O sons of\nIsrael, and let us send men into\nthe mountains of Israel, lest\nperhaps the spirit hath carried\naway Jesus, and there perhaps we\nshall find him, and be satisfied.\n\n5  And the counsel of Nicodemus\npleased all the people; and they\nsent forth men who sought for Jesus,\nbut could not find him; and they\nreturning, said, We went all about,\nbut could not find Jesus, but we\nhave found Joseph in his city of\nArimathaea.\n\n6  The rulers hearing this, and\nall the people, were glad, and\npraised the God of Israel, because\nJoseph was found, whom they had\nshut up in a chamber, and could\nnot find.\n\n7  And when they had formed a\nlarge assembly, the chief priests\nsaid, By what means shall we bring\nJoseph to us to speak with him?\n\n8  And taking a piece of paper,\nthey wrote to him, and said, Peace\nbe with thee, and all thy family,\nWe know that we have offended\nagainst God and thee. Be pleased\nto give a visit to us, your fathers,\nfor we were perfectly surprised at\nyour escape from prison.\n\n9  We know that it was malicious\ncounsel which we took against\nthee, and that the Lord took care\nof thee, and the Lord himself\ndelivered thee from our designs.\nPeace be unto thee, Joseph, who\nart honourable among all the\npeople.\n\n10  And they chose seven of\nJoseph's friends, and said to them,\nWhen ye come to Joseph, salute\nhim in peace, and give him this\nletter.\n\n11  Accordingly, when the men\ncame to Joseph, they did salute\nhim in peace, and gave him the\nletter.\n\n12  And when Joseph had read it,\nhe said, Blessed be the Lord God,\nwho didst deliver me from the\nIsraelites, that they could not\nshed my blood. Blessed be God,\nwho hast protected me under thy\nwings.\n\n13  And Joseph kissed them, and\ntook them into his house. And on\nthe morrow, Joseph mounted his\nass, and went along with them to\nJerusalem.\n\n14  And when all the Jews heard\nthese things, they went out to\nmeet him, and cried out, saying,\nPeace attend thy coming hither,\nfather Joseph.\n\n15  To which he answered,\nProsperity from the Lord attend\nall the people.\n\n13  And they all kissed him; and\nNicodemus took him to his house,\nhaving prepared a large\nentertainment.\n\n17  But on the morrow, being\na preparation-day, Annas, and\nCaiaphas, and Nicodemus, said to\nJoseph, Make confession to the\nGod of Israel, and answer to us\nall those questions which we shall\nask thee;\n\n18  For we have been very much\ntroubled, that thou didst bury the\nbody of Jesus; and that when we\nhad locked thee in a chamber, we\ncould not find thee; and we have\nbeen afraid ever since, till this\ntime of thy appearing among us.\nTell us therefore before God, all\nthat came to pass.\n\n19  Then Joseph answering,\nsaid Ye did indeed put me under\nconfinement, on the day of\npreparation, till the morning.\n\n20  But while I was standing at\nprayer in the middle of the night,\nthe house was surrounded with\nfour angels; and I saw Jesus as\nthe brightness of the sun, and fell\ndown upon the earth for fear.\n\n21  But Jesus laying hold on my\nhand, lifted me from the ground,\nand the dew was then sprinkled\nupon me; but he, wiping my face,\nkissed me, and said unto me, Fear\nnot, Joseph; look upon me for\nit is I.\n\n22  Then I looked upon him, and\nsaid, Rabboni Elias! He answered\nme, I am not Elias, but Jesus of\nNazareth, whose body thou didst\nbury.\n\n23  I said to him, show me the\ntomb in which I laid thee.\n\n24  Then Jesus, taking me by the\nhand, led me unto the place where\nI laid him, and showed me the\nlinen clothes, and napkin which I\nput round his head. Then I knew\nthat it was Jesus, and worshipped\nhim, and said; Blessed be he who\ncometh in the name of the Lord.\n\n25  Jesus again taking me by the\nhand, led me to Arimathaea, to my\nown house, and said to me, Peace\nbe to thee; but go not out of thy\nhouse till the fortieth day; but\nI must go to my disciples.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XII.\n\n     1 The Jews astonished and confounded.\n     16 Simeon's two sons, Charinus and Lenthius,\n     rise from the dead at Christ's crucifixion.\n     19 Joseph proposes to get them to relate the\n     mysteries of their resurrection.\n     21 They are sought and found,\n     22 brought to the synagogue,\n     23 privately sworn to secrecy,\n     25 and undertake to write what they had seen.\n\nWHEN the chief priests and\nLevites heard all these\nthings, they were astonished, and\nfell down with their faces on the\nground as dead men, and crying\nout to one another, said, What is\nthis extraordinary sign which is\ncome to pass in Jerusalem? We\nknow the father and mother of\nJesus.\n\n2  And a certain Levite said,\nI know many of his relations,\nreligions persons, who are wont to\noffer sacrifices and burnt-offerings\nto the God of Israel, in the temple,\nwith prayers.\n\n3  And when the high-priest\nSimeon took him up in his arms,\nhe said to him, Lord, now lettest\nthou thy servant depart in peace,\naccording to thy word; for mine\neyes have seen thy salvation,\nwhich then halt prepared before\nthe face of all people; a light to\nenlighten the Gentiles, and the\nglory of thy people Israel.\n\n4  Simeon in like manner blessed\nMary the Mother of Jesus, and\nsaid to her, I declare to thee\nconcerning that child; He is\nappointed for the fall and rising\nagain of many, and for a sign\nwhich shall be spoken against;\n\n5  Yea, a sword shall pierce\nthrough thine own soul also, and\nthe thoughts of many hearts shall\nhe revealed.\n\n6  Then said all the Jews, Let\nus send to those three men, who\nsaid they saw him talking with\nhis disciples in mount Olivet.\n\n7  After this, they asked them\nwhat they had seen; who answered\nwith one accord, In the presence\nof the God of Israel we affirm,\nthat we plainly saw Jesus talking\nwith his disciples in Mount Olivet,\nand ascending up to heaven.\n\n8  Then Annas and Caiaphas took\nthem into separate places, and\nexamined them separately; who\nunanimously confessed the truth,\nand said, they had seen Jesus.\n\n9  Then Annas and Caiaphas said\n\"Our law saith, By the mouth of\ntwo or three witnesses every word\nshall be established.\"\n\n10  But what have we said?\nThe blessed Enoch pleased God,\nand was translated by the word of\nGod; and the burying-place of the\nblessed Moses is known.\n\n11  But Jesus was delivered to\nPilate, whipped, crowned with\nthorns, spit upon, pierced with a\nspear, crucified, died upon the\ncross, and was buried, and his\nbody the honourable Joseph buried\nin a new sepulchre, and he testifies\nthat he saw him alive.\n\n12  And besides, these men have\ndeclared, that they saw him talking\nwith his disciples in Mount Olivet,\nand ascending up to heaven.\n\n13  Then Joseph rising up, said\nto Annas and Caiaphas, Ye may be\njustly under a great surprise,\nthat you have been told, that\nJesus is alive, and gone up to\nheaven.\n\n14  It is indeed a thing really\nsurprising, that he should not\nonly himself arise from the dead,\nbut also raise others from their\ngraves, who have been seen by\nmany in Jerusalem.\n\n15  And now hear me a little\nWe all knew the blessed Simeon,\nthe high-priest, who took Jesus\nwhen an infant into his arms in\nthe temple.\n\n16  This same Simeon had two sons\nof his own, and we were all present\nat their death and funeral.\n\n17  Go therefore and see their\ntombs, for these are open, and\nthey are risen: and behold, they\nare in the city of Arimathaea,\nspending their time together in\noffices of devotion.\n\n18  Some, indeed, have heard\nthe sound of their voices in prayer,\nbut they will not discourse with\nanyone, but they continue as mute\nas dead men.\n\n19  But come, let us go to them,\nand behave ourselves towards them\nwith all due respect and caution.\nAnd if we can bring them to swear,\nperhaps they will tell us some of\nthe mysteries of their resurrection.\n\n20  When the Jews heard this\nthey were exceedingly rejoiced.\n\n21  Then Annas and Caiaphas,\nNicodemus, Joseph, and Gamaliel,\nwent to Arimathaea, but did not\nfind them in their graves; but\nwalking about the city, they found\nthem on their bended knees at\ntheir devotions:\n\n22  Then saluting them with all\nrespect and deference to God, they\nbrought them to the synagogue at\nJerusalem; and having shut the\ngates, they took the book of the\nlaw of the Lord,\n\n23  And putting it in their hands,\nswore them by God Adonai, and\nthe God of Israel, who spake to\nour fathers by the law and the\nprophets, saying, If ye believe\nhim who raised you from the dead,\nto be Jesus, tell us what ye have\nseen, and how ye were raised from\nthe dead.\n\n24 Charinus and Lenthius, the\ntwo sons of Simeon, trembled\nwhen they heard these things, and\nwere disturbed, and groaned; and\nat the same time looking up to\nheaven, they made the sign of the\ncross with their fingers on their\ntongues,\n\n25  And immediately they spake,\nand said, Give each of us some\npaper, and we will write down for\nyou all those things which we have\nseen. And they each sat down\nand wrote, saying:--\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIII.\n\n     1 The narrative of Charinus and Lenthius commences.\n     3 A great light in hell.\n     7 Simeon arrives, and announces the coming of Christ.\n\nO LORD Jesus and Father, who\nart God, also the resurrection\nand life of the dead, give us\nleave to declare thy mysteries,\nwhich we saw after death, belonging\nto thy cross; for we are sworn by\nthy name.\n\n2  For thou hast forbidden thy\nservants to declare the secret\nthings, which were wrought by\nthy divine power in hell.\n\n3  When we were Placed with\nour fathers in the dept of hell,\nin the blackness of darkness,\non a sudden there appeared the\ncolour of the sun like gold,\nand a substantial purple-coloured\nlight enlightening the place.\n\n4  Presently upon this, Adam,\nthe father of all mankind, with\nall the patriarchs and prophets,\nrejoiced and said, That light is the\nauthor of everlasting light, who\nhath promised to translate us to\neverlasting light.\n\n5  Then Isaiah the prophet cried\nout and said, This is the light\nof the Father, and the Son of God,\naccording to my prophecy, when I\nwas alive upon earth.\n\n6  The land of Zabulon, and the\nland of Nephthalim, beyond Jordan,\na people who walked in darkness,\nsaw a great light; and to them\nwho dwelled in the region of the\nshadow of death, light is arisen.\nAnd now he is come, and hath\nenlightened us who sat in death.\n\n7  And while we were all rejoicing\nin the light which shone upon us,\nour father Simeon came among us,\nand congratulating all the company,\nsaid, Glorify the Lord Jesus Christ\nthe Son of God.\n\n8 Whom I took up in my arms when\nan infant in the temple, and\nbeing moved by the Holy Ghost,\nsaid to him, and acknowledged,\nThat now mine eyes have seen thy\nsalvation, which thou hast prepared\nbefore the face of all people; a\nlight to enlighten the Gentiles,\nand the glory of thy people Israel.\n\n9  All the saints who were in\nthe depth of hell, hearing this,\nrejoiced the more.\n\n10  Afterwards there came forth\none like a little hermit, and was\nasked by every one, Who art thou?\n\n11  To which he replied, I am\nthe voice of one crying in the\nwilderness, John the Baptist, and\nthe prophet of the Most High, who\nwent before his coming to prepare\nhis way, to give the knowledge of\nsalvation to his people for the\nforgiveness of sins.\n\n12  And I, John, when I saw\nJesus coming to me, being moved\nby the Holy Ghost, I said, Behold\nthe Lamb of God, behold him who\ntakes away the sins of the world.\n\n13  And I baptized him in the\nriver Jordan, and saw the Holy\nGhost descending upon him in the\nform of a dove, and heard a voice\nfrom heaven saying, This is my\nbeloved Son, in whom I am well\npleased.\n\n14  And now while I was going\nbefore him, I came down hither to\nacquaint you, that the Son of God\nwill next visit us, and, as the\nday-spring from on high, will come to\nus, who are in darkness and the\nshadow of death.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIV.\n\n     1 Adam causes Seth to relate what he heard\n     from Michael the archangel, when he sent him\n     to Paradise to entreat God to anoint his\n     head in his sickness.\n\nBUT when the first man our father\nAdam heard these things, that\nJesus was baptized in Jordan,\nhe called out to his son Seth,\nand said,\n\n2  Declare to your sons, the\npatriarchs and prophets, all those\nthings, which thou didst hear from\nMichael, the archangel, when I\nsent thee to the gates of Paradise,\nto entreat God that he would\nannoint my head when I was sick.\n\n3  Then Seth, coming near to the\npatriarchs and prophets, said, I,\nSeth, when I was praying to God\nat the gates of Paradise, beheld\nthe angel of the Lord, Michael,\nappear unto me, saying, I am sent\nunto thee from the Lord; I am\nappointed to preside over human\nbodies.\n\n4  I tell thee, Seth, do not pray\nto God in tears, and entreat him\nfor the oil of the tree of mercy\nwherewith to anoint thy father\nAdam for his head-ache;\n\n5  Because thou canst not by any\nmeans obtain it till the last day\nand times, namely, till five thousand\nand five hundred years be past.\n\n6  Then will Christ, the most\nmerciful Son of God, come on\nearth to raise again the human\nbody of Adam, and at the same\ntime to raise the bodies of the\ndead, and when he cometh he will\nbe baptized in Jordan;\n\n7  Then with the oil of his\nmercyhe will anoint all those\nwho believe in him; and the oil\nof his mercy will continue to\nfuture generations, for those\nwho shall be born of the water\nand the Holy Ghost unto eternal\nlife.\n\n8  And when at that time the\nmost merciful Son of God, Christ\nJesus, shall come down on earth,\nhe will introduce our father Adam\ninto Paradise, to the tree of mercy.\n\n9 When all the patriarchs and\nprophets heard all these things\nfrom Seth, they rejoiced more.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XV.\n\n     1 Quarrel between Satan and the prince of hell,\n     concerning the expected arrival of Christ in hell.\n\nWHILE all the saints were\nrejoicing, behold Satan, the\nprince and captain of death, said\nto the prince of hell,\n\n2  Prepare to receive Jesus of\nNazareth himself, who boasted\nthat he was the Son of God, and\nyet was a man afraid of death, and\nsaid, My soul is sorrowful even to\ndeath.\n\n3  Besides he did many injuries\nto me and to many others; for\nthose whom I made blind and lame\nand those also whom I tormented\nwith several devils, he cured by\nhis word; yea, and those whom I\nbrought dead to thee, he by force\ntakes away from thee.\n\n4  To this the prince of hell\nreplied to Satan, Who is that so\npowerful prince, and yet a man who\nis afraid of death?\n\n5  For all the potentates of the\nearth are subject to my power,\nwhom thou broughtest to subjection\nby thy power.\n\n6  But if he be so powerful in his\nhuman nature, I affirm to thee for\ntruth, that he is almighty in his\ndivine nature, and no man can\nresist his power:\n\n7  When therefore he said he was\nafraid of death, he designed to\nensnare thee, and unhappy it will be\nto thee for everlasting ages,\n\n8  Then Satan replying, said to\nthe prince of hell, Why didst thou\nexpress a doubt, and wast afraid to\nreceive that Jesus of Nazareth,\nboth thy adversary and mine?\n\n9  As for me, I tempted him and\nstirred up my old people the Jews\nwith zeal and anger against him;\n\n10  I sharpened the spear for his\nsuffering; I mixed the gall and\nvinegar, and commanded that he\nshould drink it; I prepared the\ncross to crucify him, and the nails\nto pierce through his hands and\nfeet; and now his death is near\nat hand, I will bring him hither,\nsubject both to thee and me.\n\n11  Then the prince of hell\nanswering, said, Thou saidst to me\njust now, that he took away the\ndead from me by force.\n\n12  They who have been kept here\ntill they should live again upon\nearth, were taken away hence,\nnot by their own power, but by\nprayers made to God, and their\nalmighty God took them from me.\n\n13  Who then is that Jesus of\nNazareth that by his word hath\ntaken away the dead from me\nwithout prayer to God?\n\n14  Perhaps it is the same who\ntook away from me Lazarus, after\nhe had been four days dead, and\ndid both stink and was rotten, and\nof whom I had possession as a dead\nperson, yet he brought him to life\nagain by his power.\n\n15  Satan answering, replied to\nthe prince of hell, It is the very\nsame person, Jesus of Nazareth.\n\n16  Which when the prince of hell\nheard, he said to him, I adjure\nthee by the powers which belong\nto thee and me, that thou bring\nhim not to me.\n\n17  For when I heard of the power\nof his word, I trembled for fear,\nand all my impious company were\nat the same disturbed;\n\n18  And we were not able to detain\nLazarus, but he gave himself a\nshake, and with all the signs of\nmalice he immediately went away\nfrom us; and the very earth, in\nwhich the dead body of Lazarus\nwas lodged, presently turned him\nout alive.\n\n19  And I know now that he is\nAlmighty God who could perform\nsuch things, who is mighty in his\ndominion, and mighty in his human\nnature, who is the Saviour of\nmankind.\n\n20  Bring not therefore this person\nhither, for he will set at liberty\nall those whom I hold in prison\nunder unbelief, and bound with\nthe fetters of their sins, and will\nconduct them to everlasting life.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVI.\n\n     1 Christ's arrival at hell-gates;\n     the confusion thereupon.\n     19 He descends into hell.\n\nAND while Satan and the Prince\nof hell were discoursing thus\nto each other, on a sudden there\nwas a voice as of thunder, and the\nrushing of winds, saying, Lift up\nyour gates, O ye princes; and be\nye lift up, O everlasting gates,\nand the King of Glory shall come in.\n\n2  When the prince of hell heard\nthis, he said to Satan, Depart from\nme, and begone out of my habitations;\nif thou art a powerful warrior,\nfight with the King of Glory.\nBut what hast thou to do with\nhim?\n\n3  And he cast him forth from his\nhabitations.\n\n4  And the prince said to his\nimpious officers, Shut the brass gates\nof cruelty, and make them fast with\niron bars, and fight courageously,\nlest we be taken captives.\n\n5  But when all the company of\nthe saints heard this they spake\nwith a loud voice of anger to the\nprince of hell,\n\n6  Open thy gates, that the King\nof Glory may come in.\n\n7  And the divine prophet David\ncried out, saying, Did not I, when\non earth, truly prophesy and say,\nO that men would praise the Lord\nfor his goodness, and for his\nwonderful works to the children\nof men!\n\n8  For he hath broken the gates\nof brass, and cut the bars of iron\nin sunder. He hath taken them\nbecause of their iniquity, and\nbecause of their unrighteousness\nthey are afflicted.\n\n9  After this, another prophet,\nnamely, holy Isaiah, spake in like\nmanner to all the saints, Did not\nI rightly prophesy to you when I\nwas alive on earth?\n\n10  The dead men shall live, and\nthey shall rise again who are in\ntheir graves, and they shall rejoice\nwho are in the earth; for the dew\nwhich is from the Lord, shall\nbring deliverance to them.\n\n11  And I said in another place,\nO grave, where is thy victory?\nO death, where is thy sting?\n\n12  When all the saints heard\nthese things spoken by Isaiah,\nthey said to the prince of hell,\nOpen now thy gates, and take\naway thine iron bars; for thou\nwilt now be bound, and have no\npower.\n\n13  Then was there a great voice,\nas of the sound of thunder, saying,\nLift up your gates, O princes; and\nbe ye lifted up, ye gates of hell,\nand the King of Glory will enter\nin.\n\n14  The prince of hell perceiving\nthe same voice repeated, cried out,\nas though he had been ignorant,\nWho is that King of Glory?\n\n15  David replied to the prince\nof hell, and said, I understand the\nwords of that voice, because I\nspake them in his spirit. And now,\nas I have before said, I say unto\nthee, the Lord strong and powerful,\nthe Lord mighty in battle: he is\nthe King of Glory, and he is the\nLord in heaven and in earth.\n\n16  He hath looked down to hear\nthe groans of the prisoners, and to\nset loose those that are appointed\nto death.\n\n17  And now, thou filthy and\nstinking prince of hell, open thy\ngates, that the King of Glory may\nenter in; for he is the Lord of\nheaven and earth.\n\n18  While David was saying this,\nthe mighty Lord appeared in the\nform of a man, and enlightened\nthose places which had ever before\nbeen in darkness.\n\n19  And broke asunder the fetters\nwhich before could not be broken;\nand with his invincible power\nvisited those who sate in the deep\ndarkness by iniquity, and the shadow\nof death by sin.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVII.\n\n     1 Death and the devils in great horror\n     at Christ's coming.\n     13 He tramples on death, seizes the prince\n     of hell, and takes Adam with him to Heaven.\n\nIMPIOUS death and her cruel\nofficers hearing these things,\nwere seized with fear in their\nseveral kingdoms, when they saw\nthe clearness of the light,\n\n2  And Christ himself on a sudden\nappearing in their habitations,\nthey cried out therefore, and said,\nWe are bound by thee; thou seemest\nto intend our confusion before\nthe Lord.\n\n3  Who art thou, who has no signs\nof corruption, but that bright\nappearance which is a full proof of\nthy greatness, of which yet thou\nseemest to take no notice?\n\n4  Who art thou, so powerful,\nand so weak, so great and so little;\nmean, and yet a soldier of the first\nrank, who can command in the form\nof a servant and a common soldier?\n\n5  The king of Glory, dead and\nalive, though once slain upon the\ncross?\n\n6  Who layest dead in the grave,\nand art come down alive to us,\nand in thy death all the creatures\ntrembled, and all the stars were\nmoved; and now hast thy liberty\namong the dead, and givest\ndisturbance to our legions?\n\n7  Who art thou, who dost release\nthe captives that were held\nin chains by original sin, and\nbringest them into their former\nliberty?\n\n8  Who art thou, who dost spread\nso glorious and divine a light over\nthose who were made blind by the\ndarkness of sin?\n\n9  In like manner all the legions\nof devils were seized with the like\nhorror, and with the most submissive\nfear cried out, and said,\n\n10  Whence comes it, O thou\nJesus Christ, that thou art a man\nso powerful and glorious in majesty\nso bright as to have no spot, and\nso pure as to have no crime? For\nthat lower world of earth, which\nwas ever till now subject to us,\nand from whence we received\ntribute, never sent us such a\ndead man before, never sent such\npresents as these to the princes of\nhell.\n\n11  Who therefore art thou, who\nwith such courage enterest among\nour abodes, and art not only not\nafraid to threaten us with the\ngreatest punishments, but also\nendeavourest to rescue all others\nfrom the chains in which we hold\nthem?\n\n12  Perhaps thou art that Jesus,\nof whom Satan just now spoke to\nour prince, that by the death of\nthe cross thou wert about to\nreceive the power of death.\n\n13  Then the King of Glory\ntrampling upon death, seized the\nprince of hell, deprived him of all\nhis power, and took our earthly\nfather Adam with him to his glory.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVIII.\n\n     1 Beelzebub, prince of hell, vehemently upbraids Satan for\n     persecuting Christ and bringing him to hell.\n     14 Christ gives Beelzebub dominion over Satan forever,\n     as a recompence for taking away Adam and his sons.\n\nTHEN the prince of hell took\nSatan, and with great indignation\nsaid to him, O thou prince of\ndestruction, author of Beelzebub's\ndefeat and banishment, the scorn\nof God's angels and loathed by all\nrighteous persons! What inclined\nthee to act thus?\n\n2  Thou wouldst crucify the King\nof Glory, and by his destruction,\nhast made us promises of very\nlarge advantages, but as a fool\nwert ignorant of what thou wast\nabout.\n\n3  For behold now that Jesus of\nNazareth, with the brightness of\nhis glorious divinity, puts to flight\nall the horrid powers of darkness\nand death;\n\n4  He has broke down our prisons\nfrom top to bottom, dismissed\nall the captives, released all\nwho were bound, and all who were\nwont formerly to groan under the\nweight of their torments, have\nnow insulted us, and we are like\nto be defeated by their prayers.\n\n5  Our impious dominions are\nsubdued, and no part of mankind\nis now left in our subjection, but\non the other hand, they all boldly\ndefy us;\n\n6  Though, before, the dead never\ndurst behave themselves insolently\ntowards us, nor being prisoners,\ncould ever on any occasion be\nmerry.\n\n7  O Satan, thou prince of all\nthe wicked, father of the impious\nand abandoned, why wouldest thou\nattempt this exploit, seeing our\nprisoners were hitherto always\nwithout the least hope of\nsalvation and life?\n\n8  But now there is not one of\nthem does ever groan, nor is there\nthe least appearance of a tear in\nany of their faces.\n\n9  O prince Satan, thou great\nkeeper of the infernal regions,\nall thy advantages which thou didst\nacquire by the forbidden tree, and\nthe loss of Paradise, thou hast\nnow lost by the wood of the\ncross;\n\n10  And thy happiness all then\nexpired, when thou didst crucify\nJesus Christ the King of Glory.\n\n11  Thou hast acted against thine\nown interest and mine, as thou\nwilt presently perceive by those\nlarge torments and infinite\npunishments which thou art\nabout to suffer.\n\n12 O Satan, prince of all evil,\nauthor of death, and source of all\npride, thou shouldest first have\ninquired into the evil crimes of\nJesus of Nazareth, and then thou\nwouldest have found that he was\nguilty of no fault worthy of death.\n\n13  Why didst thou venture,\nwithout either reason or justice,\nto crucify him, and hast brought\ndown to our regions a person\ninnocent and righteous, and thereby\nhast lost all the sinners, impious\nand unrighteous persons in the\nwhole world?\n\n14  While the prince of hell was\nthus speaking to Satan, the King\nof Glory said to Beelzebub the\nprince of hell, Satan the prince\nshall he subject to thy dominions\nfor ever, in the room of Adam and\nhis righteous sons, who are mine,\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIX.\n\n     1 Christ takes Adam by the hand,\n     the rest of the saints join hands,\n     and they all ascend with him to Paradise.\n\nTHEN Jesus stretched forth his\nhand, and said, Come to me,\nall ye my saints, who were created\nin my image, who were condemned\nby the tree of the forbidden fruit,\nand by the devil and death;\n\n2  Live now by the wood of my\ncross; the devil, the prince of this\nworld, is overcome, and death is\nconquered,\n\n3  Then presently all the saints\nwere joined together under the\nhand of the most high God; and\nthe Lord Jesus laid hold on Adam's\nhand, and said to him, Peace be\nto thee, and all thy righteous\nposterity, which is mine.\n\n4  Then Adam, casting himself\nat the feet of Jesus, addressed\nhimself to him with tears, in\nhumble language, and a loud voice,\nsaying,\n\n5  \"I will extol thee, O Lord, for\nthou halt lifted me up, and hast\nnot made my foes to rejoice over\nme. O Lord my God, I cried\nunto thee, and thou hast healed\nme.\"\n\n6  \"O Lord thou hast brought up\nmy soul from the grave; thou\nhast kept me alive, that I should\nnot go down to the pit.\"\n\n7  \"Sing unto the Lord, all ye\nsaints of his, and give thanks at\nthe remembrance of his holiness,\nfor his anger endureth but for a\nmoment; in his favour is life.\"\n\n8  In like manner all the saints,\nprostrate at the feet of Jesus,\nsaid with one voice, Thou art come,\nO Redeemer of the world, and hast\nactually accomplished all things,\nwhich thou didst foretell by the\nlaw and thy holy prophets.\n\n9  Thou hast redeemed the living\nby thy cross, and art come down\nto us, that by the death of the\ncross thou mightest deliver us\nfrom hell, and by thy power from\ndeath.\n\n10  O Lord, as thou hast put the\nensigns of thy glory in heaven,\nand hast set up the sign of thy\nredemption, even thy cross on earth;\nso, Lord, set the sign of the victory\nof thy cross in hell, that death\nmay have dominion no longer.\n\n11  Then the Lord stretching\nforth his hand, made the sign of\nthe cross upon Adam, and upon\nall his saints.\n\n12  And taking hold of Adam by\nhis right hand, he ascended from\nhell, and all the saints of God\nfollowed him.\n\n13  Then the royal prophet, David,\nboldly cried, and said, O sing\nunto the Lord a new song, for he\nhath done marvellous things; his\nright hand and his holy arm have\ngotten him the victory.\n\n14  The Lord hath made known\nhis salvation, his righteousness\nhath he openly shewn in the sight\nof the heathen.\n\n15  And the whole multitude of\nsaints answered, saying, This\nhonour have all his saints, Amen,\nPraise ye the Lord.\n\n16  Afterwards, the prophet\nHabbakuk cried out, and said,\nThou wentest forth for the salvation\nof thy people, even for salvation\nwith thine anointed.\n\n17  And all the saints said,\nBlessed is he who cometh in the\nname of the Lord; for the Lord\nhath enlightened us. This is our\nGod for ever and ever; he shall\nreign over us to everlasting ages.\nAmen.\n\n18  In like manner all the prophets\nspake the sacred things of his\npraise, and followed the Lord.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XX.\n\n     1 Christ delivers Adam to Michael the archangel.\n     3 They meet Enoch and Elijah in heaven,\n     5 and also the blessed thief, who relates\n     how he came to Paradise.\n\nTHEN the Lord, holding Adam\nby the hand, delivered him\nto Michael the archangel; and he\nled them into Paradise, filled with\nmercy and glory;\n\n2  And two very ancient men\nmet them, and were asked by the\nsaints, Who are ye, who have not\nyet been with us in hell, and have\nhad your bodies placed in Paradise?\n\n3  One of them answering, said,\nI am Enoch, who was translated\nby the word of God: and this man\nwho is with me, is Elijah the\nTishbite, who was translated in a\nfiery chariot.\n\n4  Here we have hitherto been,\nand have not tasted death, but are\nnow about to return at the coming\nof Antichrist, being armed with\ndivine signs and miracles, to\nengage with him in battle, and to be\nslain by him at Jerusalem, and to\nbe taken up alive again into the\nclouds, after three days and a\nhalf.\n\n5  And while the holy Enoch\nand Elias were relating this,\nbehold there came another man in a\nmiserable figure, carrying the sign\nof the cross upon his shoulders.\n\n6  And when all the saints saw\nhim, they said to him, Who art\nthou? For thy countenance is like\na thief's; and why dost thou carry\na cross upon thy shoulders?\n\n7  To which he answering, said,\nYe say right, for I was a thief,\nwho committed all sorts of wicked.\nness upon earth.\n\n8  And the Jews crucified me\nwith Jesus; and I observed the\nsurprising things which happened\nin the creation at the crucifixion\nof the Lord Jesus.\n\n9  And I believed him to be the\nCreator of all things, and the\nAlmighty King; and I prayed to\nhim, saying, Lord remember me,\nwhen thou comest into thy kingdom.\n\n10  He presently regarded my\nsupplication, and said to me,\nVerily I say unto thee, this day\nthou shalt be with me in Paradise.\n\n11  And he gave me this sign of\nthe cross, saying, Carry this, and\ngo to Paradise; and if the angel\nwho is the guard of Paradise will\nnot admit thee, show him the sign\nof the cross, and say unto him\nJesus Christ who is now crucified,\nhath sent me hither to thee.\n\n12  When I did this and told the\nangel who is the guard of Paradise\nall these things, and he heard\nthem, he presently opened the\ngates, introduced me, and placed\nme on the right hand in Paradise,\n\n13  Saying, Stay here a little\ntime, till Adam, the father of all\nmankind, shall enter in, with all\nhis sons, who are the holy and\nrighteous servants of Jesus Christ,\nwho was crucified.\n\n14  When they heard all this\naccount from the thief, all the\npatriarchs said with one voice,\nBlessed be thou, O Almighty God,\nthe Father of everlasting goodness,\nand the Father of mercies, who hast\nshown such favour to those who were\nsinners against him, and hast\nbrought them to the mercy of\nParadise, and hast placed them\namidst thy large and spiritual\nprovisions, in a spiritual and\nholy life.  Amen.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXI.\n\n     1 Charinus and Lenthius being only allowed\n     three days to remain on earth,\n     7 deliver in their narratives, which miraculously\n     correspond; they vanish,\n     13 and Pilate records these transactions.\n\nTHESE are the divine and\nsacred mysteries which we saw\nand heard. We, Charinus and\nLenthius are not allowed to declare\nthe other mysteries of God, as the\narchangel Michael ordered us,\n\n2  Saying, ye shall go with my\nbrethren to Jerusalem, and shall\ncontinue in prayers, declaring and\nglorifying the resurrection of\nJesus Christ, seeing he hath raised\nyou from the dead at the same\ntime with himself.\n\n3  And ye shall not talk with\nany man, but sit as dumb persons\ntill the time come when the Lord\nwill allow you to relate the\nmysteries of his divinity.\n\n4  The archangel Michael farther\ncommanded us to go beyond Jordan,\nto an excellent and fat country,\nwhere there are many who rose\nfrom the dead along with us\nfor the proof of the resurrection\nof Christ.\n\n5  For we have only three days\nallowed us from the dead, who\narose to celebrate the passover of\nour Lord with our parents, and to\nbear our testimony for Christ the\nLord, and we have been baptized\nin the holy river of Jordan. And\nnow they are not seen by any one.\n\n6  This is as much as God allowed\nus to relate to you; give ye\ntherefore praise and honour to\nhim, and repent, and he will have\nmercy upon you. Peace be to you\nfrom the Lord God Jesus Christ,\nand the Saviour of us all. Amen,\nAmen, Amen.\n\n7  And after they had made an\nend of writing, and had written\non two distinct pieces of paper,\nCharinus gave what he wrote into the\nhands of Annas, and Caiaphas, and\nGamaliel.\n\n8  Lenthius likewise gave what\nbe wrote into the hands of Nicodemus\nand Joseph; and immediately they\nwere changed into exceeding white\nforms and were seen no more.\n\n9  But what they had written\nwas found perfectly to agree, the\none not containing one letter more\nor less than the other.\n\n10  When all the assembly of the\nJews heard all these surprising\nrelations of Charinus and Lenthius,\nthey said to each other, Truly all\nthese things were wrought by\nGod, and blessed be the Lord Jesus\nfor ever and ever, Amen.\n\n11  And they went all out with\ngreat concern, and fear, and\ntrembling, and smote upon their\nbreasts and went away every one\nto his home.\n\n12  But immediately all these\nthings which were related by the\nJews in their synagogues concerning\nJesus, were presently told by Joseph\nand Nicodemus to the governor.\n\n13  And Pilate wrote down all\nthese transactions, and placed all\nthese accounts in the public records\nof his hall.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXII.\n\n     1 Pilate goes to the temple; calls together\n     the rulers, and scribes, and doctors.\n     2 Commands the gates to be shut;\n     orders the book of the Scriptures; and\n     causes the Jews to relate what they really\n     knew concerning Christ.\n     14 They declare that they crucified Christ\n     in ignorance, and that they now know him\n     to be the Son of God, according to the\n     testimony of the Scriptures; which,\n     after they put him to death, were examined.\n\nAFTER these things Pilate went\nto the temple of the Jews,\nand called together all the rulers\nand scribes, and doctors of the\nlaw, and went with them into a\nchapel of the temple.\n\n2  And commanding that all the\ngates should be shut, said to them,\nI have heard that ye have a certain\nlarge book in this temple; I desire\nyou, therefore, that it may be\nbrought before me.\n\n3  And when the great book,\ncarried by four ministers of the\ntemple, and adorned with gold and\nprecious stones, was brought,\nPilate said to them all, I adjure\nyou by the God of your Fathers,\nwho made and commanded this temple\nto be built, that ye conceal not the\ntruth from me.\n\n4  Ye know all the things which\nare written in that book; tell me\ntherefore now, if ye in the\nScriptures have found any thing of\nthat Jesus whom ye crucified, and at\nwhat time of the world he, ought\nto have come: show it me.\n\n5  Then having sworn Annas and\nCaiaphas, they commanded all the\nrest who were with them to go out\nof the chapel.\n\n6  And they shut the gates of the\ntemple and of the chapel, and said\nto Pilate, Thou hast made us to\nswear, O judge, by the building of\nthis temple, to declare to thee that\nwhich is true and right.\n\n7  After we had crucified Jesus,\nnot knowing that he was the Son\nof God, but supposing he wrought\nhis miracles by some magical arts,\nwe summoned a large assembly in\nthis temple.\n\n8  And when we were deliberating\namong one another about the\nmiracles which Jesus had wrought,\nwe found many witnesses of our\nown country, who declared that\nthey had seen him alive after his\ndeath, and that they heard him\ndiscoursing with his disciples, and\nsaw him ascending into the height\nof the heavens, and entering into\nthem;\n\n9  And we saw two witnesses,\nwhose bodies Jesus raised from the\ndead, who told us of many strange\nthings which Jesus did among the\ndead, of which we have a written\naccount in our hands.\n\n10  And it is our custom annually\nto open this holy book before an\nassembly, and to search there for\nthe counsel of God.\n\n11  And we found in the first of\nthe seventy books, where Michael\nthe archangel is speaking to the\nthird son of Adam the first man,\nan account that after five thousand\nfive hundred years, Christ the\nmost beloved son of God was to\ncome on earth,\n\n12  And we further considered,\nthat perhaps he was the very God\nof Israel who spoke to Moses,\nThou shalt make the ark of the\ntestimony; two cubits and a half\nshall be the length thereof, and a\ncubit and a half the breadth thereof,\nand a cubit and a half the height\nthereof.\n\n13  By these five cubits and a\nhalf for the building of the ark\nof the Old Testament, we perceived\nand knew that in five thousand\nyears and half (one thousand) years,\nJesus Christ was to come in the\nark or tabernacle of a body;\n\n14  And so our Scriptures testify\nthat he is the Son of God, and the\nLord and King of Israel.\n\n15  And because after his suffering,\nour chief priests were surprised\nat the signs which were wrought\nby his means, we opened that book\nto search all the generations down\nto the generation of Joseph and\nMary the mother of Jesus,\nsupposing him to be of the\nseed of David;\n\n16  And we found the account of\nthe creation, and at what time he\nmade the heaven and the earth,\nand the first man Adam, and that\nfrom thence to the flood, were two\nthousand seven hundred and forty-\neight years.\n\n17  And from the flood to Abraham,\nnine hundred and twelve.\nAnd from Abraham to Moses, four\nhundred and thirty. And from\nMoses to David the King, five\nhundred and ten.\n\n18  And from David to the Babylonish\ncaptivity five hundred years.\nAnd from the Babylonish captivity\nto the incarnation of Christ, four\nhundred years.\n\n19  The sum of all which amounts\nto five thousand and half (a thousand.)\n\n20  And so it appears, that Jesus\nwhom we crucified, is Jesus Christ\nthe Son of God, and true Almighty\nGod. Amen.\n\n(In the name of the Holy Trinity,\nthus end the acts of our Saviour\nJesus Christ, which the Emperor\nTheodosius the Great found at\nJerusalem, in the hall of Pontius\nPilate, among the public records;\nthe things were acted in the\nnineteenth year of Tiberius Caesar,\nEmperor of the Romans, and in\nthe seventeenth year of the\ngovernment of Herod, the son of\nHerod and of Galilee, on the\neighth of the calends of April,\nwhich is the twenty-third day of\nthe month of March, in the CCIId\nOlympiad, when Joseph and Caiaphas\nwere rulers of the Jews; being a\nHistory written in Hebrew by\nNicodemus, of what happened after\nour Saviour's crucifixion.)\n\n\n\n            REFERENCES TO THE GOSPEL OF NICODEMUS, FORMERLY\n                   CALLED THE ACTS OF PONTIUS PILATE.\n\n[Although this Gospel is, by some among the learned, supposed to have\nbeen  really written by Nicodemus, who became a disciple of Jesus Christ,\nand conversed with him; others conjecture that it was a forgery towards\nthe close  of the third century by some zealous believer, who, observing\nthat there had  been appeals made by the Christians of the former age,\nto the acts of Pilate,  but that such acts could not be produced,\nimagined it would be of service to  Christianity to fabricate and publish\nthis Gospel; as it would both confirm the Christians under persecution,\nand convince the Heathens of the truth of  the Christian religion. The\nRev. Jeremiah Jones says, that such pious frauds  were very common among\nChristians even in the first three centuries; and  that a forgery of this\nnature, with the view above-mentioned, seems natural  and probable. The\nsame author, in noticing that Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History,\ncharges the Pagans with having forged and published a book,  called \"The\nActs of Pilate,\" takes occasion to observe that the internal evidence  of\nthis Gospel shows it was not the work of any Heathen, but that if in the\nlatter  end of the third century we find it in use among Christians (as\nit was then  certainly in some churches), and about the same time find a\nforgery of the  Heathens under the same title, it seems exceedingly\nprobable that some  Christians, at that time, should publish such a piece\nas this, in order partly  to confront the spurious one of the Pagans, and\npartly to support those appeals  which had been made by former Christians\nto the Acts of Pilate; and Mr. Jones says, he thinks so more particularly\nas we have innumerable instances  of forgeries by the faithful in the\nprimitive ages, grounded on less plausible reasons. Whether it be\ncanonical or not, it is of very great antiquity, and is appealed to by\nseveral of the ancient Christians. The present translation is made from\nthe Gospel, published by Grynaeus in the Orthodoxographa, vol, i,  tom,\nii, p. 613.]\n\nNotwithstanding the diversity of opinions here alluded to, the majority\nof the learned believe  that the internal evidence of the authenticity of\nthis Gospel is manifested in the correct details  of that period of\nChrist's life on which it treats, while it far excels the canonical\nEvangelists narrative of the trial of our Saviour before Pilate, with\nmore minute particulars of persons, evidence, circumstance, &c.","title":"The suppressed Gospels and Epistles of the original New Testament of Jesus the Christ, Volume 4, Nicodemus","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":14881}