THE SUPPRESSED GOSPELS AND EPISTLES OF THE ORIGINAL NEW TESTAMENT OF JESUS THE CHRIST AND OTHER PORTIONS OF THE ANCIENT HOLY SCRIPTURES. NOW EXTANT, ATTRIBUTED TO HIS APOSTLES, AND THEIR DISCIPLES, AND VENERATED BY THE PRIMITIVE CHRISTIAN CHURCHES DURING THE FIRST FOUR CENTURIES, BUT SINCE, AFTER VIOLENT DISPUTATIONS FORBIDDEN BY THE BISHOPS OF THE NICENE COUNCIL, IN THE REIGN OF THE EMPEROR CONSTANTINE AND OMITTED FROM THE CATHOLICS AND PROTESTANT EDITIONS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, BY ITS COMPILERS TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL TONGUES, WITH HISTORICAL REFERENCES TO THEIR AUTHENTICITY, BY ARCHBISHOP WAKE AND OTHER LEARNED DIVINES THE GOSPEL OF NICODEMUS, FORMERLY CALLED THE ACTS OF PONTIUS PILATE. The Gospel of NICODEMUS, the disciple, concerning the Sufferings and Resurrectionof our Master and Saviour, JESUS CHRIST. CHAPTER I. 1 Christ accused to Pilate by the Jews of healing on the Sabbath. 9 Summoned before Pilate by a messenger who does him honour. 20 Worshipped by the standards bowing down to him. ANNAS and Caiphas, andSummas, and Datam, Gamaliel, Judas, Levi, Nepthalim, Alexander, Cyrus, and other Jews, wentto Pilate about Jesus, accusinghim with many bad crimes. 2 And said, We are assured thatJesus is the son of Joseph, thecarpenter, and born of Mary, andthat he declares himself the Son ofGod, and a king; and not only so, but attempts the dissolution of theSabbath, and the laws of ourfathers. 3 Pilate replied, What is itwhich he declares? and what is itwhich he attempts dissolving? 4 The Jews told him, We havea law which forbids doing cureson the Sabbath day; but he curesboth the lame and the deaf, thoseafflicted with the palsy, the blind, the lepers, and demoniacs, on thatday, by wicked methods. 5 Pilate replied, How can hedo this by wicked methods? Theyanswered He is a conjurer, andcasts out devils by the prince ofthe devils; and so all things, become subject to him. 6 Then said Pilate, Casting outdevils seems not to be the work ofan unclean spirit, but to proceedfrom the power of God. 7 The Jews replied to Pilate, We entreat your highness to summonhim to appear before your tribunal, and hear him yourself. 8 Then Pilate called a messenger, and said to him, By what meanswill Christ be brought hither? 9 Then went the messengerforth, and knowing Christ, worshipped him; and having spreadthe cloak which he had in his handupon the ground, he said, Lord, walk upon this, and go in, for thegovernor calls thee. 10 When the Jews perceivedwhat the messenger had done, they exclaimed (against him) toPilate, and said, Why did you notgive him his summons by a beadle, and not by a messenger?--For themessenger, when he saw him, worshipped him, and spread thecloak which he had in his handupon the ground before him, andsaid to him, Lord, the governorcalls thee. 11 Then Pilate called themessenger, and said, Why hast thoudone thus? 12 The messenger replied, Whenthou sentest me from Jerusalem toAlexander, I saw Jesus sitting ina mean figure upon a she-ass, andthe children of the Hebrews criedout, Hosannah, holding boughs oftrees in their hands. 13 Others spread their garmentsin the way, and said, Save us, thouwho art in heaven; blessed is hewho cometh in the name of theLord. 14 Then the Jews cried out, against the messenger, and said, The children of the Hebrews madetheir acclamations in the Hebrewlanguage; and how couldst thou, who art a Greek, understand theHebrew? 15 The messenger answeredthem and said, I asked one of theJews and said, What is this whichthe children do cry out in theHebrew language? 16 And he explained it to me, saying, they cry out, Hosannah, which being interpreted, is, OLord, save me; or, O Lord, save. 17 Pilate then said to them, Why do you yourselves testify tothe words spoken by the children, namely, by your silence? In whathas the messenger done amiss?And they were silent. 18 Then the governor said untothe messenger, Go forth andendeavour by any means to bringhim in. 19 But the messenger went forthand did as before; and said, Lordcome in, for the governor calleththee. 20 And as Jesus was going inby the ensigns, who carried thestandards, the tops of them boweddown and worshipped Jesus. 21 Whereupon the Jews exclaimedmore vehemently against the ensigns. 22 But Pilate said to the Jews, I know it is not pleasing to youthat the tops of the standards didof themselves bow and worshipJesus; but why do ye exclaimagainst the ensigns, as if they hadbowed and worshipped? 23 They replied to Pilate, We saw the ensigns themselvesbowing and worshipping Jesus. 24 Then the governor called theensigns, and said unto them, Whydid you do thus? 25 The ensigns said to Pilate, We are all Pagans and worshipthe gods in temples; and howshould we think anything aboutworshipping him? We only heldthe standards in our hands, and they bowed themselves andworshipped him. 26 Then said Pilate to the rulersof the synagogue, Do ye yourselveschoose some strong men, and letthem hold the standards, and weshall see whether they will thenbend of themselves. 27 So the elders of the Jewssought out twelve of the moststrong and able old men, and madethem hold the standards, and theystood in the presence of the governor. 28 Then Pilate said to themessenger, Take Jesus out, and bysome means bring him in again. And Jesus and the messenger wentout of the hall. 29 And Pilate called the ensignswho before had borne the standards, and swore to them, that if theyhad not borne the standards inthat manner when Jesus beforeentered in, he would cut offtheir heads. 30 Then the governor commandedJesus to come in again. 31 And the messenger did as hehad done before, and very muchentreated Jesus that he would goupon his cloak, and walk on it;and he did walk upon it, and wentin. 32 And when Jesus went in, the standards bowed themselves asbefore, and worshipped him. CHAPTER II. 2 Is comppassionated by Pilate's wife, 7 charged with being born in fornication. 12 Testimony to the betrothing of his parents. 15 Hatred of the Jews to him. NOW when Pilate saw this, hewas afraid, and was about torise from his seat. 2 But while he thought to rise, his own wife who stood at adistance, sent to him, saying, Havethou nothing to do with that justman; for I have suffered muchconcerning him in a vision thisnight. 3 When the Jews heard thisthey said to Pilate, Did we not sayunto thee, He is a conjuror? Behold, he hath caused thy wife to dream. 4 Pilate then calling Jesus, said, thou hast heard what they testifyagainst thee, and makest no answer? 5 Jesus replied, If they had nota power of speaking, they couldnot have spoke; but because everyone has the command of his owntongue, to speak both good andbad, let him look to it. 6 But the elders of the Jewsanswered, and said to Jesus, Whatshall we look to? 7 In the first place, we knowthis concerning thee, that thouwast born through fornication;secondly, that upon the account ofthy birth the infants were slain inBethlehem; thirdly, that thy fatherand mother Mary fled into Egypt, because they could not trust theirown people. 8 Some of the Jews who stoodby spake more favourably, Wecannot say that he was bornthrough fornication; but we knowthat his mother Mary was betrothedto Joseph, and so he was not bornthrough fornication. 9 Then said Pilate to the Jewswho affirmed him to be bornthrough fornication, This youraccount is not true, seeing there wasa betrothment, as they testify whoare of your own nation. 10 Annas and Caiphas spake toPilate, All this multitude of peopleis to be regarded, who cry out, that he was born through fornication, and is a conjurer; but they who denyhim to be born through fornication, are his proselytes and disciples. 11 Pilate answered Annas andCaiphas, Who are the proselytes?They answered, They are thosewho are the children of Pagans, and are not become Jews, butfollowers of him. 12 Then replied Eleazer, andAsterius, and Antonius, and James, Caras and Samuel, Isaac and Phinees, Crispus and Agrippa, Annas and Judas, We are not proselytes, but childrenof Jews, and speak the truth, and were present when Mary wasbetrothed. 13 Then Pilate addressinghimself to the twelve men whospake this, said to them, I conjureyou by the life of Caesar, that yefaithfully declare whether he wasborn through fornication, and thosethings be true which ye have related. 14 They answered Pilate, Wehave a law whereby we are forbidto swear, it being a sin: Let themswear by the life of Caesar that itis not as we have said, and we willbe contented to be put to death. 15 Then said Annas and Caiphasto Pilate, Those twelve men willnot believe that we know him to bebasely born, and to be a conjurer, although he pretends that he isthe Son of God, and a king: whichwe are so far from believing, thatwe tremble to hear. 16 Then Pilate commandedevery one to go out except thetwelve men who said he was notborn through fornication, andJesus to withdraw to a distance, and said to them, Why have the Jewsa mind to kill Jesus? 17 They answered him, Theyare angry because he wroughtcures on the sabbath day. Pilatesaid, Will they kill him for agood work? They say unto him, Yes, Sir. CHAPTER III. 1 Is exonerated by Pilate. 11 Disputes with Pilate concerning truth. THEN Pilate, filled with anger, went out of the hall, and saidto the Jews, I call the wholeworld to witness that I find nofault in that man. 2 The Jews replied to Pilate, If he had not been a wicked person, we had not brought him before thee. 3 Pilate said to them, Do ye takehim and try him by your law. 4 Then the Jews said, It is notlawful for us to put any one todeath. 5 Pilate said to the Jews, Thecommand, therefore, thou shaltnot kill, belongs to you, butnot to me. 6 And he went again into thehall, and called Jesus by himself, and said to him, Art thou the kingof the Jews? 7 And Jesus answering, saidto Pilate, Dost thou speak thisof thyself, or did the Jews tellit thee concerning me? 8 Pilate answering, said toJesus, Am I a Jew? The wholenation and rulers of the Jews havedelivered thee up to me. Whathast thou done? 9 Jesus answering, said, Mykingdom is not of this world:if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, and I should not have beendelivered to the Jews: but nowmy kingdom is not from hence. 10 Pilate said, Art thou a kingthen? Jesus answered, Thou sayestthat I am a king: to this endwas I born, and for this end cameI into the world; and for thispurpose I came, that I should bearwitness to the truth; and everyone who is of the truth, hearethmy voice. 11 Pilate saith to him, What istruth? 12 Jesus said, Truth is fromheaven. 13 Pilate said, Therefore truthis not on earth. 14 Jesus saith to Pilate, Believe that truth is on earthamong those, who when they havethe power of judgment, are governedby truth, and form right judgment. CHAPTER IV. 1 Pilate finds no fault in Jesus. 16 The Jews demand his crucifixion. THEN Pilate left Jesus in the hall, and went out to the Jews, and said, I find not any one fault in Jesus. 2 The Jews say unto him, Buthe said, I can destroy the templeof God, and in three days build itup again. 3 Pilate saith to them, Whatsort of temple is that of which hespeaketh? 4 The Jews say unto him, That which Solomon was forty-sixyears in building, he said hewould destroy, and in three daysbuild up. 5 Pilate said to them again, Iam innocent from the blood of thatman! do ye look to it. 6 The Jews say to him, Hisblood be upon us and our children. Then Pilate calling together theelders and scribes, priests andLevites, saith to them privately, Do not act thus; I have foundnothing in your charge (againsthim) concerning his curing sickpersons, and breaking the sabbath, worthy of death. 7 The priests and Levites repliedto Pilate, By the life of Caesar, if any one be a blasphemer, he isworthy of death; but this man hathblasphemed against the Lord. 8 Then the governor againcommanded the Jews to depart outof the hall; and calling Jesus, said to him, What shall I do withthee? 9 Jesus answered him, Do accordingas it is written. 10 Pilate said to him, How is itwritten? 11 Jesus saith to him, Mosesand the prophets have prophesiedconcerning my suffering andresurrection. 12 The Jews hearing this, wereprovoked, and said to Pilate, Why wilt thou any longer hear theblasphemy of that man? 13 Pilate saith to them, If thesewords seem to you blasphemy, doye take him, bring him to yourcourt, and try him according toyour law. 14 The Jews reply to Pilate, Our law saith, he shall be obligedto receive nine and thirty stripes, but if after this manner he shallblaspheme against the Lord, heshall be stoned. 15 Pilate saith unto them, Ifthat speech of his was blasphemy, do ye try him according to yourlaw. 16 The Jews say to Pilate, Ourlaw command us not to put any oneto death. We desire that he may becrucified, because he deserves thedeath of the cross. 17 Pilate saith to them, It is notfit he should be crucified: let himbe only whipped and sent away. 18 But when the governor lookedupon the people that were presentand the Jews, he saw many of theJews in tears, and said to thechief priests of the Jews, Allthe people do not desire his death. 19 The elders of the Jews answeredto Pilate, We and all the peoplecame hither for this very purpose, that he should die. 20 Pilate saith to them, Why shouldhe die? 21 They said to him, Becausehe declares himself to be the Sonof God and a King. CHAP. V. 1 Nicodemus speaks in defence of Christ, and relates his miracles. 12 Another Jew, 26 with Veronica, 34 Centurio, and others, testify of other miracles. BUT Nicodemus, a certain Jew, stood before the governor, and said, I entreat thee, O righteous judge, that thouwouldst favour me with theliberty of speaking a few words. 2 Pilate said to him, Speak on. 3 Nicodemus said, I spake tothe elders of the Jews, and thescribes, and priests and Levites, and all the multitude of the Jews, in their assembly; What is it yewould do with this man? 4 He is a man who hath wroughtmany useful and glorious miracles, such as no man on earth everwrought before, nor will everwork. Let him go, and do himno harm; if he cometh from God, his miracles, (his miraculouscures) will continue; but if frommen, they will come to nought. 5 Thus Moses, when he wassent by God into Egypt, wroughtthe miracles which God commandedhim, before Pharaoh king of Egypt;and though the magicians of thatcountry, Jannes and Jambres, wrought by their magic the samemiracles which Moses did, yet theycould not work all which he did; 6 And the miracles which themagicians wrought, were not ofGod, as ye know, O Scribes andPharisees; but they who wroughtthem perished, and all whobelieved them. 7 And now let this man go;because the very miracles forwhich ye accuse him, are fromGod; and he is not worthy ofdeath. 8 The Jews then said to Nicodemus, Art thou become his disciple, and making speeches in his favour? 9 Nicodemus said to them, Isthe governor become his disciplealso, and does he make speechesfor him? Did not Caesar placehim in that high post? 10 When the Jews heard thisthey trembled, and gnashed theirteeth at Nicodemus, and said tohim, Mayest thou receive hisdoctrine for truth, and havethy lot with Christ! 11 Nicodemus replied, Amen;I will receive his doctrine, andmy lot with him, as ye have said. 12 Then another certain Jewrose up, and desired leave of thegovernor to hear him a few words. 13 And the governor said, Speak, what thou hast a mind. 14 And he said, I lay for thirty-eight years by the sheep-pool atJerusalem, labouring under a greatinfirmity, and waiting for a curewhich should be wrought by thecoming of an angel, who at acertain time troubled the water: andwhosoever first after the troublingof the water stepped in, was madewhole of whatsoever disease he had. 15 And when Jesus saw me languishingthere, he said to me, Wilt thou bemade whole? And I answered, Sir, I have no man, when the water istroubled, to put me into the pool. 16 And he said unto me, Rise, take up thy bed and walk. AndI was immediately made whole, and took up my bed and walked. 17 The Jews then said to Pilate, Our Lord Governor, pray askhim what day it was on which hewas cured of his infirmity. 18 The infirm person replied, It was on the sabbath. 19 The Jews said to Pilate, Didwe not say that he wrought hiscures on the sabbath, and cast outdevils by the prince of devils? 20 Then another certain Jewcame forth, and said, I was blind, could hear sounds, but could notsee any one; and as Jesus wasgoing along, I heard the multitudepassing by, and I asked whatwas there? 21 They told me that Jesus waspassing by: then I cried out, saying, Jesus, Son of David, havemercy on me. And he stood still, and commanded that I should bebrought to him, and said to me, What wilt thou? 22 I said, Lord, that I mayreceive my sight. 23 He said to me, Receive thysight: and presently I saw, andfollowed him, rejoicing and givingthanks, 24 Another Jew also came forth, and said, I was a leper, and hecured me by his word only, saying, I will, be thou clean; and presentlyI was cleansed from my leprosy. 25 And another Jew cameforth, and said I was crooked, and he made me straight by hisword. 26 And a certain womannamed Veronica, said, I wasafflicted with an issue of bloodtwelve years, and I touched thehem of his garment, and presentlythe issue of blood stopped. 27 The Jews then said, Wehave a law, that a woman shallnot be allowed as an evidence. 28 And, after other things, another Jew said, I saw Jesusinvited to a wedding with hisdisciples, and there was a wantof wine in Cana of Galilee; 29 And when the wine was alldrank, he commanded the servantsthat they should fill six pots whichwere there with water, and theyfilled them up to the brim, and heblessed them and turned the waterinto wine, and all the people drank, being surprised at this miracle, 30 And another Jew stood forth, and said, I saw Jesus teachingin the synagogue at Capernaum;and there was in the synagoguea certain man who had a devil;and he cried out, saying, let me alone; what have we todo with thee, Jesus of Nazareth?Art thou come to destroy us?I know that thou art the Holy Oneof God. 31 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, unclean spirit, and come out of the man; andpresently he came out of him, anddid not at all hurt him. 32 The following things werealso said by a Pharisee: I sawthat a great company came toJesus from Galilee and Judea, andthe sea-cost, and many countriesabout Jordan; and many infirmpersons came to him, and he healedthem all. 33 And I heard the uncleanspirits crying out, and saying, Thou art the Son of God. AndJesus strictly charged them, thatthey should not make him known. 34 After this another person, whose name was Centurio, said, I saw Jesus in Capernaum, and Ientreated him, saying, Lord, myservant lieth at home sick of thepalsy. 35 And Jesus said to me, Iwill come and cure him. 36 But I said, Lord, I am notworthy that thou shouldst comeunder my roof; but only speakthe word, and my servant shall behealed. 37 And Jesus said unto me, Gothy way; and as thou hast believedso be it done unto thee. And myservant was healed from that samehour. 38 Then a certain noblemansaid, I had a son in Capernaum, who lay at the point of death; andwhen I heard that Jesus was comeinto Galilee, I went and besoughthim that he would come down tomy house, and heal my son, for hewas at the point of death. 39 He said to me, Go thy way, thy son liveth. 40 And my son was cured fromthat hour. 41 Besides these, also manyothers of the Jews, both men andWomen, cried out and said, He istruly the Son of God, who curesall diseases only by his word, andto whom the devils are altogethersubject. 42 Some of them farther said, This power can proceed from nonebut God. 43 Pilate said to the Jews, Whyare not the devils subject to yourdoctors? 44 Some of them said, Thepower of subjecting devils cannotproceed but from God. 45 But others said to Pilate, That he had raised Lazarus fromthe dead, after he had been fourdays in his grave. 46 The governor hearing this, trembling, said to the multitude ofthe Jews, What will it profit youto shed innocent blood? CHAPTER VI. 1 Pilate dismayed by the turbulence of the Jews, 5 who demand Barabbas to be released, and Christ to be crucified. 9 Pilate warmly expostulates with them, 20 washes his hands of Christ's blood, 23 and sentences him to be whipped and crucified. THEN Pilate having calledtogether Nicodemus, and thefifteen men who said that Jesuswas not born through fornication, said to them, What shall I do, seeing there is like to be a tumultamong the people. 2 They say unto him, We knownot; let them look to it who raisethe tumult. 3 Pilate then called themultitude again, and said to them, Ye know that ye have a custom, thatI should release to you one prisonerat the feast of the passover: 4 I have a noted prisoner, amurderer, who is called Barabbas, and Jesus who is called Christ, inwhom I find nothing that deservesdeath; which of them, therefore, have you a mind that I shouldrelease to you? 5 They all cry out, and say, Release to us Barabbas. 6 Pilate saith to them, Whatthen shall I do with Jesus who iscalled Christ? 7 They all answer, Let him becrucified. 8 Again they cry out and say toPilate, You are not the friend ofCaesar, if you release this man;for he hath declared that he is theSon of God, and a king. But areyou inclined that he should beking, and not Caesar? 9 Then Pilate filled with angersaid to them, Your nation hathalways been seditious, and you arealways against those who havebeen serviceable to you. 10 The Jews replied, Who are thosewho have been serviceable to us? 11 Pilate answered them, YourGod who delivered you from thehard bondage of the Egyptians, and brought you over the Red Seaas though it had been dry land, and fed you in the wilderness withmanna and the flesh of quails, andbrought water out of the rock, andgave you a law from heaven. 12 Ye provoked him all ways, and desired for yourselves amolten calf, and worshipped it, and sacrificed to it, and said, These are thy Gods, O Israel, which brought thee out of theland of Egypt: 13 On account of which yourGod was inclined to destroy you;but Moses interceded for you, andyour God heard him, and forgaveyour iniquity. 14 Afterwards ye were enragedagainst, and would have killedyour prophets, Moses and Aaron, when they fled to the tabernacle, and ye were always murmuringagainst God and his prophets. 15 And arising from hisjudgment seat, he would have goneout; but the Jews all cried out, We acknowledge Caesar to be king, and not Jesus; 16 Whereas this person, assoon as he was born, the wisemen came and offered gifts untohim; which when Herod heard, he was exceedingly troubled, and would have killed him: 17 When his father knew this, he fled with him and his motherMary into Egypt. Herod, whenhe heard he was born, would haveslain him; and accordingly sentand slew all the children whichwere in Bethlehem, and in all thecoasts thereof, from two years oldand under. 18 When Pilate heard thisaccount, he was afraid; andcommanding silence among thepeople, who made a noise, he saidto Jesus, Art thou therefore a king? 19 All the Jews replied toPilate, he is the very personwhom Herod sought to have slain. 20 Then Pilate taking water, washed his hands before the peopleand said, I am innocent of theblood of this just person; look yeto it. 21 The Jews answered and said, His blood be upon us and ourchildren. 22 Then Pilate commanded Jesusto be brought before him, andspake to him in the followingwords; 23 Thy own nation hath chargedthee as making thyself a king;wherefore I, Pilate, sentence theeto be whipped according to thelaws of former governors; andthat thou be first bound, thenhanged upon a cross in that placewhere thou art now a prisoner;and also two criminals with thee, whose names are Dimas and Gestas. CHAP. VII. 1 Manner of Christ's crucifixion with the two thieves. THEN Jesus went out of thehall, and the two thieveswith him. 2 And when they came to theplace which is called Golgotha, they stript him of his raiment, andgirt him about with a linen cloth, and put a crown of thorns upon hishead, and put a reed in his hand. 3 And in like manner did theyto the two thieves who werecrucified with him, Dimas on hisright hand and Gestas on his left. 4 But Jesus said, My Father, forgive them, For they know notwhat they do. 5 And they divided his garments, and upon his vesture they cast lots. 6 The people in the mean timestood by, and the chief priestsand elders of the Jews mocked him, saying, He saved others, let himnow save himself if he can; if hebe the son of God, let him nowcome down from the cross. 7 The soldiers also mocked him, and taking vinegar and gall, offeredit to him to drink, and said to him, If thou art king of the Jews, deliver thyself. 8 Then Longinus, a certain soldier, taking a spear, ' pierced his side, and presently there came forth bloodand water. 9 And Pilate wrote the titleupon the cross in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek letters, viz. , THIS ISTHE KING OF THE JEWS. 10 But one of the two thieveswho were crucified with Jesus, whose name was Gestas, said toJesus, If thou art the Christ, deliver thyself and us. 11 But the thief who wascrucified on his right hand, whose name was Dimas, answering, rebuked him, and said, Dost notthou fear God, who art condemnedto this punishment? We indeedreceive rightly and justly thedemerit of our actions; but thisJesus, what evil hath he done. 12 After this, groaning, he saidto Jesus, Lord, remember mewhen thou comest into thy kingdom. 13 Jesus answering, said tohim, Verily I say unto thee, thatthis day thou shalt be with me inParadise. CHAPTER VIII. 1 Miraculous appearance at his death. 10 The Jews say the eclipse was natural. 12 Joseph of Arimathcea embalms Christ's body and buries it. AND it was about the sixthhour, and darkness was uponthe face of the whole earth untilthe ninth hour. 2 And while the sun was eclipsed, behold the veil of the temple wasrent from the top, to the bottom;and the rocks also were rent, andthe graves opened, and manybodies of saints, which slept, arose. 3 And about the ninth hourJesus cried out with a loud voice, Eli, Eli, lama sabacthani? whichbeing interpreted is, My God, MyGod, why hast thou forsaken me? 4 And after these things, Jesussaid, Father, into thy hands Icommend my spirit; and havingsaid this, he gave up the ghost. 5 But when the centurion sawthat Jesus thus crying out gave upthe ghost, he glorified God, andsaid, Of a truth this was a justman. 6 And all the people who stoodby, were exceedingly troubled atthe sight; and reflecting uponwhat had passed, smote upon theirbreasts, and then returned to thecity of Jerusalem. 7 The centurion went to thegovernor, and related to him allthat had passed: 8 And when he had heard allthese things, he was exceedinglysorrowful; 9 And calling the Jews together, said to them, Have ye seen themiracle of the sun's eclipse, andthe other things which came topass, while Jesus was dying? 10 Which when the Jews heard, they answered to the governor, The eclipse of the sun happenedaccording to its usual custom. 11 But all those who were theacquaintance of Christ, stood ata distance, as did the women whohad followed Jesus from Galilee, observing all these things. 12 And behold a certain manof Arimathaea, named Joseph, whowas also a disciple of Jesus, butnot openly so, for fear of the Jews, came to the governor, and entreatedthe governor that he would give himleave to take away the body of Jesusfrom the cross. 13 And the governor gave him leave. 14 And Nicodemus came, bringingwith him a mixture of myrrh andaloes about a hundred poundsweight; and they took down Jesusfrom the cross with tears, andbound him in linen cloths withspices, according to the custom ofburying among the Jews; 15 And placed him in a newtomb, which Joseph had built, and caused to be cut out of a rock, in which never any man had beenput; and they rolled a great stoneto the door of the sepulchre. CHAPTER IX. 1 The Jews angry with Nicodemus: 5 and with, Joseph of Arimathaea, 7 whom they imprison. WHEN the unjust Jews heardthat Joseph had begged and buriedthe body of Jesus, they soughtafter Nicodemus, and those fifteenmen who had testified before thegovernor, that Jesus was not bornthrough fornication, and othergood persons who had shown anygood actions towards him. 2 But when they all concealedthemselves through fear of theJews, Nicodemus alone showedhimself to them, and said, Howcan such persons as these enterinto the synagogue? 3 The Jews answered him, Buthow durst thou enter into thesynagogue, who wast a confederatewith Christ? Let thy lot be alongwith him in the other world. 4 Nicodemus answered, Amen;so may it be, that I may havemy lot with him in his kingdom. 5 In like manner Joseph, whenhe came to the Jews, said to them, Why are ye angry with me fordesiring the body of Jesus ofPilate? Behold, I have put him inmy tomb, and wrapped him up inclean linen, and put a stone at thedoor of the sepulchre: 6 I have acted rightly towardshim; but ye have acted unjustlyagainst that just person, incrucifying him, giving him vinegarto drink, crowning him with thorns, tearing his body with whips, andpraying down the guilt of his bloodupon you. 7 The Jews at the hearing ofthis were disquieted and troubled;and they seized Joseph, andcommanded him to be put in custodybefore the Sabbath, and kept theretill the Sabbath was over. 8 And they said to him, Makeconfession; for at this time it isnot lawful to do thee any harm, till the first day of the week come. But we know that thou wilt not bethought worthy of a burial; butwe will give thy flesh to the birdsof the air, and the beasts of theearth. 9 Joseph answered, That speechis like the speech of proud Goliath, who reproached the living God inspeaking against David. But yescribes and doctors know that Godsaith by the prophet, Vengeance ismine, and I will repay to you evilequal to that which ye havethreatened to me. 10 The God whom you havehanged upon the cross, is able todeliver me out of your hands. Allyour wickedness will return uponyou. 11 For the governor, when hewashed his hands, said, I am clearfrom the blood of this just person. But ye answered and cried out, His blood be upon us and ourchildren. According as ye havesaid, may ye perish for ever. 12 The elders of the Jews hearingthese words, were exceedinglyenraged; and seizing Joseph, theyput him into a chamber wherethere was no window; they fastenedthe door, and put a seal uponthe lock; 13 And Annas and Caiaphas placeda guard upon it, and took counselwith the priests and Levites, that they should all meet afterthe Sabbath, and they contrivedto what death they should put Joseph. 14 When they had done this, therulers, Annas and Caiaphas, ordered Joseph to be broughtforth. (In this place there is a portionof the Gospel lost or omitted. Which cannot be supplied. Itmay, nevertheless, be surmisedfrom the occurrence related inthe next chapter, that the orderof Annas and Caiaphas were renderedunnecessary by Joseph's miraculousescape, and which was announcedto an assembly of people. ) CHAPTER X. 1 Joseph's escape. 2 The soldiers relate Christ's resurrection. 18 Christ is seen preaching in Galilee. 21 The Jews repent of their cruelty to him. WHEN all the assembly heardthis (about Joseph's escape), they admired and were astonished, because they found the same sealupon the lock of the chamber, andcould not find Joseph. 2 Then Annas and Caiaphas wentforth, and while they were alladmiring at Joseph's being gone, behold one of the soldiers, whokept the sepulchre of Jesus, spakein the assembly, 3 That while they were guardingthe sepulchre of Jesus, there wasan earthquake; and we saw an angelof God roll away the stone of thesepulchre and sit upon it; 4 And his countenance was likelightning and his garment likesnow; and we became through fearlike persons dead. 5 And we heard an angel sayingto the women at the sepulchre ofJesus, Do not fear; I know thatyou seek Jesus who was crucified;he is risen as he foretold; 6 Come and see the place wherehe was laid; and go presently, andtell his disciples that he is risenfrom the dead; and he will go beforeyou into Galilee; there ye shallsee him as he told you. 7 Then the Jews called togetherall the soldiers who kept the sepulchreof Jesus, and said to them, Who arethose women, to whom the angel spoke?Why did ye not seize them. 8 The soldiers answered and said, We know not who the women were;besides we became as dead personsthrough fear, and how could weseize those women? 9 The Jews said to them, As theLord liveth, we do not believe you; 10 The soldiers answering said tothe Jews, when ye saw and heardJesus working so many miracles, and did not believe him, how shouldye believe us? Ye well said, As the Lord liveth, for the Lordtruly does live. 11 We have heard that ye shutup Joseph, who buried the body ofJesus, in a chamber, under a lockwhich was sealed; and when yeopened it, found him not there. 12 Do ye then produce Josephwhom ye put under guard in thechamber, and we will produceJesus whom we guarded in thesepulchre. 13 The Jews answered and said, We will produce Joseph, do yeproduce Jesus. But Joseph is inhis own city of Arimathaea. 14 The soldiers replied, If Joseph be in Arimathaea, and Jesus in Galilee, we heardthe angel inform the women. 15 The Jews hearing this, wereafraid, and said among themselves, If by any means these thingsshould become public, theneverybody will believe in Jesus. 16 Then they gathered a largesum of money, and gave it to thesoldiers, saying, Do ye tell thepeople that the disciples of Jesuscame in the night when ye wereasleep, and stole away the body ofJesus; and if Pilate the governorshould hear of this, we will satisfyhim and secure you. 17 The soldiers accordingly tookthe money, and said as they wereinstructed by the Jews; and theirreport was spread abroad amongall the people. 18 But a certain priest Phinees, Ada a schoolmaster, and a Levite, named Ageus, they three came fromGalilee to Jerusalem, and toldthe chief priests and all whowere in the synagogues, saying, 19 We have seen Jesus, whomye crucified, talking with hiseleven disciples, and sitting in themidst of them in Mount Olivet, and saying to them, 20 Go forth into the whole world, preach the Gospel to all nations, baptizing them in the name of theFather, and the Son, and the HolyGhost; and whosoever shall believeand be baptized, shall be saved. 21 And when he had said thesethings to his disciples, we saw himascending up to heaven. 22 When the chief priests andelders, and Levites heard thesethings, they said to these threemen, Give glory to the God ofIsrael, and make confession tohim, whether those things are true, which ye say ye have seen and heard. 23 They answering said, As theLord of our fathers liveth, theGod of Abraham, and the God ofIsaac, and the God of Jacob, according as we heard Jesus talkingwith his disciples, and accordingas we saw him ascending up toheaven, so we have related thetruth to you. 24 And the three men fartheranswered, and said, adding thesewords, If we should not own thewords which we heard Jesus speak, and that we saw him ascendinginto heaven, we should be guiltyof sin. 25 Then the chief priestsimmediately rose up, and holdingthe book of the law in their hands, conjured these men, saying, Yeshall no more hereafter declarethose things which ye have spokenconcerning Jesus. 26 And they gave them a largesum of money, and sent otherpersons along with them, whoshould conduct them to their owncountry, that they might not by anymeans make any stay at Jerusalem. 27 Then the Jews did assembleall together, and having expressedthe most lamentable concern said, What is this extraordinary thingwhich is come to pass in Jerusalem? 28 But Annas and Caiaphas comfortedthem, saying, Why should we believethe soldiers who guarded the sepulchreof Jesus, in telling us, that an angelrolled away the stone from the doorof the sepulchre? 29 Perhaps his own disciples toldthem this, and gave them moneythat they should say so, and theythemselves took away the body of Jesus. 30 Besides, consider this, thatthere is no credit to be given toforeigners, because they also tooka large sum of us, and they havedeclared to us according to theinstructions which we gave them. They must either be faithful to usor to the disciples of Jesus. CHAPTER XI. 1 Nicodemus counsels the Jews. 6 Joseph found. 11 Invited by the Jews to return. 19 Relates the manner of his miraculous escape. THEN Nicodemus arose, andsaid, Ye say right, O sons ofIsrael; ye have heard what thosethree men have sworn by the Lawof God, who said, We have seenJesus speaking with his disciplesupon mount Olivet, and we sawhim ascending up to heaven. 2 And the scripture teachethus that the blessed prophet Elijahwas taken up to heaven, and Elishabeing asked by the sons of theprophets, Where is our father Elijah?He said to them, that he is taken upto heaven. 3 And the sons of the prophetssaid to him, Perhaps the spirithath carried him into one of themountains of Israel, there perhapswe shall find him. And they besoughtElisha, and he walked about withthem three days, and they couldnot find him. 4 And now hear me, O sons ofIsrael, and let us send men intothe mountains of Israel, lestperhaps the spirit hath carriedaway Jesus, and there perhaps weshall find him, and be satisfied. 5 And the counsel of Nicodemuspleased all the people; and theysent forth men who sought for Jesus, but could not find him; and theyreturning, said, We went all about, but could not find Jesus, but wehave found Joseph in his city ofArimathaea. 6 The rulers hearing this, andall the people, were glad, andpraised the God of Israel, becauseJoseph was found, whom they hadshut up in a chamber, and couldnot find. 7 And when they had formed alarge assembly, the chief priestssaid, By what means shall we bringJoseph to us to speak with him? 8 And taking a piece of paper, they wrote to him, and said, Peacebe with thee, and all thy family, We know that we have offendedagainst God and thee. Be pleasedto give a visit to us, your fathers, for we were perfectly surprised atyour escape from prison. 9 We know that it was maliciouscounsel which we took againstthee, and that the Lord took careof thee, and the Lord himselfdelivered thee from our designs. Peace be unto thee, Joseph, whoart honourable among all thepeople. 10 And they chose seven ofJoseph's friends, and said to them, When ye come to Joseph, salutehim in peace, and give him thisletter. 11 Accordingly, when the mencame to Joseph, they did salutehim in peace, and gave him theletter. 12 And when Joseph had read it, he said, Blessed be the Lord God, who didst deliver me from theIsraelites, that they could notshed my blood. Blessed be God, who hast protected me under thywings. 13 And Joseph kissed them, andtook them into his house. And onthe morrow, Joseph mounted hisass, and went along with them toJerusalem. 14 And when all the Jews heardthese things, they went out tomeet him, and cried out, saying, Peace attend thy coming hither, father Joseph. 15 To which he answered, Prosperity from the Lord attendall the people. 13 And they all kissed him; andNicodemus took him to his house, having prepared a largeentertainment. 17 But on the morrow, beinga preparation-day, Annas, andCaiaphas, and Nicodemus, said toJoseph, Make confession to theGod of Israel, and answer to usall those questions which we shallask thee; 18 For we have been very muchtroubled, that thou didst bury thebody of Jesus; and that when wehad locked thee in a chamber, wecould not find thee; and we havebeen afraid ever since, till thistime of thy appearing among us. Tell us therefore before God, allthat came to pass. 19 Then Joseph answering, said Ye did indeed put me underconfinement, on the day ofpreparation, till the morning. 20 But while I was standing atprayer in the middle of the night, the house was surrounded withfour angels; and I saw Jesus asthe brightness of the sun, and felldown upon the earth for fear. 21 But Jesus laying hold on myhand, lifted me from the ground, and the dew was then sprinkledupon me; but he, wiping my face, kissed me, and said unto me, Fearnot, Joseph; look upon me forit is I. 22 Then I looked upon him, andsaid, Rabboni Elias! He answeredme, I am not Elias, but Jesus ofNazareth, whose body thou didstbury. 23 I said to him, show me thetomb in which I laid thee. 24 Then Jesus, taking me by thehand, led me unto the place whereI laid him, and showed me thelinen clothes, and napkin which Iput round his head. Then I knewthat it was Jesus, and worshippedhim, and said; Blessed be he whocometh in the name of the Lord. 25 Jesus again taking me by thehand, led me to Arimathaea, to myown house, and said to me, Peacebe to thee; but go not out of thyhouse till the fortieth day; butI must go to my disciples. CHAPTER XII. 1 The Jews astonished and confounded. 16 Simeon's two sons, Charinus and Lenthius, rise from the dead at Christ's crucifixion. 19 Joseph proposes to get them to relate the mysteries of their resurrection. 21 They are sought and found, 22 brought to the synagogue, 23 privately sworn to secrecy, 25 and undertake to write what they had seen. WHEN the chief priests andLevites heard all thesethings, they were astonished, andfell down with their faces on theground as dead men, and cryingout to one another, said, What isthis extraordinary sign which iscome to pass in Jerusalem? Weknow the father and mother ofJesus. 2 And a certain Levite said, I know many of his relations, religions persons, who are wont tooffer sacrifices and burnt-offeringsto the God of Israel, in the temple, with prayers. 3 And when the high-priestSimeon took him up in his arms, he said to him, Lord, now lettestthou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mineeyes have seen thy salvation, which then halt prepared beforethe face of all people; a light toenlighten the Gentiles, and theglory of thy people Israel. 4 Simeon in like manner blessedMary the Mother of Jesus, andsaid to her, I declare to theeconcerning that child; He isappointed for the fall and risingagain of many, and for a signwhich shall be spoken against; 5 Yea, a sword shall piercethrough thine own soul also, andthe thoughts of many hearts shallhe revealed. 6 Then said all the Jews, Letus send to those three men, whosaid they saw him talking withhis disciples in mount Olivet. 7 After this, they asked themwhat they had seen; who answeredwith one accord, In the presenceof the God of Israel we affirm, that we plainly saw Jesus talkingwith his disciples in Mount Olivet, and ascending up to heaven. 8 Then Annas and Caiaphas tookthem into separate places, andexamined them separately; whounanimously confessed the truth, and said, they had seen Jesus. 9 Then Annas and Caiaphas said"Our law saith, By the mouth oftwo or three witnesses every wordshall be established. " 10 But what have we said?The blessed Enoch pleased God, and was translated by the word ofGod; and the burying-place of theblessed Moses is known. 11 But Jesus was delivered toPilate, whipped, crowned withthorns, spit upon, pierced with aspear, crucified, died upon thecross, and was buried, and hisbody the honourable Joseph buriedin a new sepulchre, and he testifiesthat he saw him alive. 12 And besides, these men havedeclared, that they saw him talkingwith his disciples in Mount Olivet, and ascending up to heaven. 13 Then Joseph rising up, saidto Annas and Caiaphas, Ye may bejustly under a great surprise, that you have been told, thatJesus is alive, and gone up toheaven. 14 It is indeed a thing reallysurprising, that he should notonly himself arise from the dead, but also raise others from theirgraves, who have been seen bymany in Jerusalem. 15 And now hear me a littleWe all knew the blessed Simeon, the high-priest, who took Jesuswhen an infant into his arms inthe temple. 16 This same Simeon had two sonsof his own, and we were all presentat their death and funeral. 17 Go therefore and see theirtombs, for these are open, andthey are risen: and behold, theyare in the city of Arimathaea, spending their time together inoffices of devotion. 18 Some, indeed, have heardthe sound of their voices in prayer, but they will not discourse withanyone, but they continue as muteas dead men. 19 But come, let us go to them, and behave ourselves towards themwith all due respect and caution. And if we can bring them to swear, perhaps they will tell us some ofthe mysteries of their resurrection. 20 When the Jews heard thisthey were exceedingly rejoiced. 21 Then Annas and Caiaphas, Nicodemus, Joseph, and Gamaliel, went to Arimathaea, but did notfind them in their graves; butwalking about the city, they foundthem on their bended knees attheir devotions: 22 Then saluting them with allrespect and deference to God, theybrought them to the synagogue atJerusalem; and having shut thegates, they took the book of thelaw of the Lord, 23 And putting it in their hands, swore them by God Adonai, andthe God of Israel, who spake toour fathers by the law and theprophets, saying, If ye believehim who raised you from the dead, to be Jesus, tell us what ye haveseen, and how ye were raised fromthe dead. 24 Charinus and Lenthius, thetwo sons of Simeon, trembledwhen they heard these things, andwere disturbed, and groaned; andat the same time looking up toheaven, they made the sign of thecross with their fingers on theirtongues, 25 And immediately they spake, and said, Give each of us somepaper, and we will write down foryou all those things which we haveseen. And they each sat downand wrote, saying:-- CHAPTER XIII. 1 The narrative of Charinus and Lenthius commences. 3 A great light in hell. 7 Simeon arrives, and announces the coming of Christ. O LORD Jesus and Father, whoart God, also the resurrectionand life of the dead, give usleave to declare thy mysteries, which we saw after death, belongingto thy cross; for we are sworn bythy name. 2 For thou hast forbidden thyservants to declare the secretthings, which were wrought bythy divine power in hell. 3 When we were Placed withour fathers in the dept of hell, in the blackness of darkness, on a sudden there appeared thecolour of the sun like gold, and a substantial purple-colouredlight enlightening the place. 4 Presently upon this, Adam, the father of all mankind, withall the patriarchs and prophets, rejoiced and said, That light is theauthor of everlasting light, whohath promised to translate us toeverlasting light. 5 Then Isaiah the prophet criedout and said, This is the lightof the Father, and the Son of God, according to my prophecy, when Iwas alive upon earth. 6 The land of Zabulon, and theland of Nephthalim, beyond Jordan, a people who walked in darkness, saw a great light; and to themwho dwelled in the region of theshadow of death, light is arisen. And now he is come, and hathenlightened us who sat in death. 7 And while we were all rejoicingin the light which shone upon us, our father Simeon came among us, and congratulating all the company, said, Glorify the Lord Jesus Christthe Son of God. 8 Whom I took up in my arms whenan infant in the temple, andbeing moved by the Holy Ghost, said to him, and acknowledged, That now mine eyes have seen thysalvation, which thou hast preparedbefore the face of all people; alight to enlighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. 9 All the saints who were inthe depth of hell, hearing this, rejoiced the more. 10 Afterwards there came forthone like a little hermit, and wasasked by every one, Who art thou? 11 To which he replied, I amthe voice of one crying in thewilderness, John the Baptist, andthe prophet of the Most High, whowent before his coming to preparehis way, to give the knowledge ofsalvation to his people for theforgiveness of sins. 12 And I, John, when I sawJesus coming to me, being movedby the Holy Ghost, I said, Beholdthe Lamb of God, behold him whotakes away the sins of the world. 13 And I baptized him in theriver Jordan, and saw the HolyGhost descending upon him in theform of a dove, and heard a voicefrom heaven saying, This is mybeloved Son, in whom I am wellpleased. 14 And now while I was goingbefore him, I came down hither toacquaint you, that the Son of Godwill next visit us, and, as theday-spring from on high, will come tous, who are in darkness and theshadow of death. CHAPTER XIV. 1 Adam causes Seth to relate what he heard from Michael the archangel, when he sent him to Paradise to entreat God to anoint his head in his sickness. BUT when the first man our fatherAdam heard these things, thatJesus was baptized in Jordan, he called out to his son Seth, and said, 2 Declare to your sons, thepatriarchs and prophets, all thosethings, which thou didst hear fromMichael, the archangel, when Isent thee to the gates of Paradise, to entreat God that he wouldannoint my head when I was sick. 3 Then Seth, coming near to thepatriarchs and prophets, said, I, Seth, when I was praying to Godat the gates of Paradise, beheldthe angel of the Lord, Michael, appear unto me, saying, I am sentunto thee from the Lord; I amappointed to preside over humanbodies. 4 I tell thee, Seth, do not prayto God in tears, and entreat himfor the oil of the tree of mercywherewith to anoint thy fatherAdam for his head-ache; 5 Because thou canst not by anymeans obtain it till the last dayand times, namely, till five thousandand five hundred years be past. 6 Then will Christ, the mostmerciful Son of God, come onearth to raise again the humanbody of Adam, and at the sametime to raise the bodies of thedead, and when he cometh he willbe baptized in Jordan; 7 Then with the oil of hismercyhe will anoint all thosewho believe in him; and the oilof his mercy will continue tofuture generations, for thosewho shall be born of the waterand the Holy Ghost unto eternallife. 8 And when at that time themost merciful Son of God, ChristJesus, shall come down on earth, he will introduce our father Adaminto Paradise, to the tree of mercy. 9 When all the patriarchs andprophets heard all these thingsfrom Seth, they rejoiced more. CHAPTER XV. 1 Quarrel between Satan and the prince of hell, concerning the expected arrival of Christ in hell. WHILE all the saints wererejoicing, behold Satan, theprince and captain of death, saidto the prince of hell, 2 Prepare to receive Jesus ofNazareth himself, who boastedthat he was the Son of God, andyet was a man afraid of death, andsaid, My soul is sorrowful even todeath. 3 Besides he did many injuriesto me and to many others; forthose whom I made blind and lameand those also whom I tormentedwith several devils, he cured byhis word; yea, and those whom Ibrought dead to thee, he by forcetakes away from thee. 4 To this the prince of hellreplied to Satan, Who is that sopowerful prince, and yet a man whois afraid of death? 5 For all the potentates of theearth are subject to my power, whom thou broughtest to subjectionby thy power. 6 But if he be so powerful in hishuman nature, I affirm to thee fortruth, that he is almighty in hisdivine nature, and no man canresist his power: 7 When therefore he said he wasafraid of death, he designed toensnare thee, and unhappy it will beto thee for everlasting ages, 8 Then Satan replying, said tothe prince of hell, Why didst thouexpress a doubt, and wast afraid toreceive that Jesus of Nazareth, both thy adversary and mine? 9 As for me, I tempted him andstirred up my old people the Jewswith zeal and anger against him; 10 I sharpened the spear for hissuffering; I mixed the gall andvinegar, and commanded that heshould drink it; I prepared thecross to crucify him, and the nailsto pierce through his hands andfeet; and now his death is nearat hand, I will bring him hither, subject both to thee and me. 11 Then the prince of hellanswering, said, Thou saidst to mejust now, that he took away thedead from me by force. 12 They who have been kept heretill they should live again uponearth, were taken away hence, not by their own power, but byprayers made to God, and theiralmighty God took them from me. 13 Who then is that Jesus ofNazareth that by his word hathtaken away the dead from mewithout prayer to God? 14 Perhaps it is the same whotook away from me Lazarus, afterhe had been four days dead, anddid both stink and was rotten, andof whom I had possession as a deadperson, yet he brought him to lifeagain by his power. 15 Satan answering, replied tothe prince of hell, It is the verysame person, Jesus of Nazareth. 16 Which when the prince of hellheard, he said to him, I adjurethee by the powers which belongto thee and me, that thou bringhim not to me. 17 For when I heard of the powerof his word, I trembled for fear, and all my impious company wereat the same disturbed; 18 And we were not able to detainLazarus, but he gave himself ashake, and with all the signs ofmalice he immediately went awayfrom us; and the very earth, inwhich the dead body of Lazaruswas lodged, presently turned himout alive. 19 And I know now that he isAlmighty God who could performsuch things, who is mighty in hisdominion, and mighty in his humannature, who is the Saviour ofmankind. 20 Bring not therefore this personhither, for he will set at libertyall those whom I hold in prisonunder unbelief, and bound withthe fetters of their sins, and willconduct them to everlasting life. CHAPTER XVI. 1 Christ's arrival at hell-gates; the confusion thereupon. 19 He descends into hell. AND while Satan and the Princeof hell were discoursing thusto each other, on a sudden therewas a voice as of thunder, and therushing of winds, saying, Lift upyour gates, O ye princes; and beye lift up, O everlasting gates, and the King of Glory shall come in. 2 When the prince of hell heardthis, he said to Satan, Depart fromme, and begone out of my habitations;if thou art a powerful warrior, fight with the King of Glory. But what hast thou to do withhim? 3 And he cast him forth from hishabitations. 4 And the prince said to hisimpious officers, Shut the brass gatesof cruelty, and make them fast withiron bars, and fight courageously, lest we be taken captives. 5 But when all the company ofthe saints heard this they spakewith a loud voice of anger to theprince of hell, 6 Open thy gates, that the Kingof Glory may come in. 7 And the divine prophet Davidcried out, saying, Did not I, whenon earth, truly prophesy and say, O that men would praise the Lordfor his goodness, and for hiswonderful works to the childrenof men! 8 For he hath broken the gatesof brass, and cut the bars of ironin sunder. He hath taken thembecause of their iniquity, andbecause of their unrighteousnessthey are afflicted. 9 After this, another prophet, namely, holy Isaiah, spake in likemanner to all the saints, Did notI rightly prophesy to you when Iwas alive on earth? 10 The dead men shall live, andthey shall rise again who are intheir graves, and they shall rejoicewho are in the earth; for the dewwhich is from the Lord, shallbring deliverance to them. 11 And I said in another place, O grave, where is thy victory?O death, where is thy sting? 12 When all the saints heardthese things spoken by Isaiah, they said to the prince of hell, Open now thy gates, and takeaway thine iron bars; for thouwilt now be bound, and have nopower. 13 Then was there a great voice, as of the sound of thunder, saying, Lift up your gates, O princes; andbe ye lifted up, ye gates of hell, and the King of Glory will enterin. 14 The prince of hell perceivingthe same voice repeated, cried out, as though he had been ignorant, Who is that King of Glory? 15 David replied to the princeof hell, and said, I understand thewords of that voice, because Ispake them in his spirit. And now, as I have before said, I say untothee, the Lord strong and powerful, the Lord mighty in battle: he isthe King of Glory, and he is theLord in heaven and in earth. 16 He hath looked down to hearthe groans of the prisoners, and toset loose those that are appointedto death. 17 And now, thou filthy andstinking prince of hell, open thygates, that the King of Glory mayenter in; for he is the Lord ofheaven and earth. 18 While David was saying this, the mighty Lord appeared in theform of a man, and enlightenedthose places which had ever beforebeen in darkness. 19 And broke asunder the fetterswhich before could not be broken;and with his invincible powervisited those who sate in the deepdarkness by iniquity, and the shadowof death by sin. CHAPTER XVII. 1 Death and the devils in great horror at Christ's coming. 13 He tramples on death, seizes the prince of hell, and takes Adam with him to Heaven. IMPIOUS death and her cruelofficers hearing these things, were seized with fear in theirseveral kingdoms, when they sawthe clearness of the light, 2 And Christ himself on a suddenappearing in their habitations, they cried out therefore, and said, We are bound by thee; thou seemestto intend our confusion beforethe Lord. 3 Who art thou, who has no signsof corruption, but that brightappearance which is a full proof ofthy greatness, of which yet thouseemest to take no notice? 4 Who art thou, so powerful, and so weak, so great and so little;mean, and yet a soldier of the firstrank, who can command in the formof a servant and a common soldier? 5 The king of Glory, dead andalive, though once slain upon thecross? 6 Who layest dead in the grave, and art come down alive to us, and in thy death all the creaturestrembled, and all the stars weremoved; and now hast thy libertyamong the dead, and givestdisturbance to our legions? 7 Who art thou, who dost releasethe captives that were heldin chains by original sin, andbringest them into their formerliberty? 8 Who art thou, who dost spreadso glorious and divine a light overthose who were made blind by thedarkness of sin? 9 In like manner all the legionsof devils were seized with the likehorror, and with the most submissivefear cried out, and said, 10 Whence comes it, O thouJesus Christ, that thou art a manso powerful and glorious in majestyso bright as to have no spot, andso pure as to have no crime? Forthat lower world of earth, whichwas ever till now subject to us, and from whence we receivedtribute, never sent us such adead man before, never sent suchpresents as these to the princes ofhell. 11 Who therefore art thou, whowith such courage enterest amongour abodes, and art not only notafraid to threaten us with thegreatest punishments, but alsoendeavourest to rescue all othersfrom the chains in which we holdthem? 12 Perhaps thou art that Jesus, of whom Satan just now spoke toour prince, that by the death ofthe cross thou wert about toreceive the power of death. 13 Then the King of Glorytrampling upon death, seized theprince of hell, deprived him of allhis power, and took our earthlyfather Adam with him to his glory. CHAPTER XVIII. 1 Beelzebub, prince of hell, vehemently upbraids Satan for persecuting Christ and bringing him to hell. 14 Christ gives Beelzebub dominion over Satan forever, as a recompence for taking away Adam and his sons. THEN the prince of hell tookSatan, and with great indignationsaid to him, O thou prince ofdestruction, author of Beelzebub'sdefeat and banishment, the scornof God's angels and loathed by allrighteous persons! What inclinedthee to act thus? 2 Thou wouldst crucify the Kingof Glory, and by his destruction, hast made us promises of verylarge advantages, but as a foolwert ignorant of what thou wastabout. 3 For behold now that Jesus ofNazareth, with the brightness ofhis glorious divinity, puts to flightall the horrid powers of darknessand death; 4 He has broke down our prisonsfrom top to bottom, dismissedall the captives, released allwho were bound, and all who werewont formerly to groan under theweight of their torments, havenow insulted us, and we are liketo be defeated by their prayers. 5 Our impious dominions aresubdued, and no part of mankindis now left in our subjection, buton the other hand, they all boldlydefy us; 6 Though, before, the dead neverdurst behave themselves insolentlytowards us, nor being prisoners, could ever on any occasion bemerry. 7 O Satan, thou prince of allthe wicked, father of the impiousand abandoned, why wouldest thouattempt this exploit, seeing ourprisoners were hitherto alwayswithout the least hope ofsalvation and life? 8 But now there is not one ofthem does ever groan, nor is therethe least appearance of a tear inany of their faces. 9 O prince Satan, thou greatkeeper of the infernal regions, all thy advantages which thou didstacquire by the forbidden tree, andthe loss of Paradise, thou hastnow lost by the wood of thecross; 10 And thy happiness all thenexpired, when thou didst crucifyJesus Christ the King of Glory. 11 Thou hast acted against thineown interest and mine, as thouwilt presently perceive by thoselarge torments and infinitepunishments which thou artabout to suffer. 12 O Satan, prince of all evil, author of death, and source of allpride, thou shouldest first haveinquired into the evil crimes ofJesus of Nazareth, and then thouwouldest have found that he wasguilty of no fault worthy of death. 13 Why didst thou venture, without either reason or justice, to crucify him, and hast broughtdown to our regions a personinnocent and righteous, and therebyhast lost all the sinners, impiousand unrighteous persons in thewhole world? 14 While the prince of hell wasthus speaking to Satan, the Kingof Glory said to Beelzebub theprince of hell, Satan the princeshall he subject to thy dominionsfor ever, in the room of Adam andhis righteous sons, who are mine, CHAPTER XIX. 1 Christ takes Adam by the hand, the rest of the saints join hands, and they all ascend with him to Paradise. THEN Jesus stretched forth hishand, and said, Come to me, all ye my saints, who were createdin my image, who were condemnedby the tree of the forbidden fruit, and by the devil and death; 2 Live now by the wood of mycross; the devil, the prince of thisworld, is overcome, and death isconquered, 3 Then presently all the saintswere joined together under thehand of the most high God; andthe Lord Jesus laid hold on Adam'shand, and said to him, Peace beto thee, and all thy righteousposterity, which is mine. 4 Then Adam, casting himselfat the feet of Jesus, addressedhimself to him with tears, inhumble language, and a loud voice, saying, 5 "I will extol thee, O Lord, forthou halt lifted me up, and hastnot made my foes to rejoice overme. O Lord my God, I criedunto thee, and thou hast healedme. " 6 "O Lord thou hast brought upmy soul from the grave; thouhast kept me alive, that I shouldnot go down to the pit. " 7 "Sing unto the Lord, all yesaints of his, and give thanks atthe remembrance of his holiness, for his anger endureth but for amoment; in his favour is life. " 8 In like manner all the saints, prostrate at the feet of Jesus, said with one voice, Thou art come, O Redeemer of the world, and hastactually accomplished all things, which thou didst foretell by thelaw and thy holy prophets. 9 Thou hast redeemed the livingby thy cross, and art come downto us, that by the death of thecross thou mightest deliver usfrom hell, and by thy power fromdeath. 10 O Lord, as thou hast put theensigns of thy glory in heaven, and hast set up the sign of thyredemption, even thy cross on earth;so, Lord, set the sign of the victoryof thy cross in hell, that deathmay have dominion no longer. 11 Then the Lord stretchingforth his hand, made the sign ofthe cross upon Adam, and uponall his saints. 12 And taking hold of Adam byhis right hand, he ascended fromhell, and all the saints of Godfollowed him. 13 Then the royal prophet, David, boldly cried, and said, O singunto the Lord a new song, for hehath done marvellous things; hisright hand and his holy arm havegotten him the victory. 14 The Lord hath made knownhis salvation, his righteousnesshath he openly shewn in the sightof the heathen. 15 And the whole multitude ofsaints answered, saying, Thishonour have all his saints, Amen, Praise ye the Lord. 16 Afterwards, the prophetHabbakuk cried out, and said, Thou wentest forth for the salvationof thy people, even for salvationwith thine anointed. 17 And all the saints said, Blessed is he who cometh in thename of the Lord; for the Lordhath enlightened us. This is ourGod for ever and ever; he shallreign over us to everlasting ages. Amen. 18 In like manner all the prophetsspake the sacred things of hispraise, and followed the Lord. CHAPTER XX. 1 Christ delivers Adam to Michael the archangel. 3 They meet Enoch and Elijah in heaven, 5 and also the blessed thief, who relates how he came to Paradise. THEN the Lord, holding Adamby the hand, delivered himto Michael the archangel; and heled them into Paradise, filled withmercy and glory; 2 And two very ancient menmet them, and were asked by thesaints, Who are ye, who have notyet been with us in hell, and havehad your bodies placed in Paradise? 3 One of them answering, said, I am Enoch, who was translatedby the word of God: and this manwho is with me, is Elijah theTishbite, who was translated in afiery chariot. 4 Here we have hitherto been, and have not tasted death, but arenow about to return at the comingof Antichrist, being armed withdivine signs and miracles, toengage with him in battle, and to beslain by him at Jerusalem, and tobe taken up alive again into theclouds, after three days and ahalf. 5 And while the holy Enochand Elias were relating this, behold there came another man in amiserable figure, carrying the signof the cross upon his shoulders. 6 And when all the saints sawhim, they said to him, Who artthou? For thy countenance is likea thief's; and why dost thou carrya cross upon thy shoulders? 7 To which he answering, said, Ye say right, for I was a thief, who committed all sorts of wicked. Ness upon earth. 8 And the Jews crucified mewith Jesus; and I observed thesurprising things which happenedin the creation at the crucifixionof the Lord Jesus. 9 And I believed him to be theCreator of all things, and theAlmighty King; and I prayed tohim, saying, Lord remember me, when thou comest into thy kingdom. 10 He presently regarded mysupplication, and said to me, Verily I say unto thee, this daythou shalt be with me in Paradise. 11 And he gave me this sign ofthe cross, saying, Carry this, andgo to Paradise; and if the angelwho is the guard of Paradise willnot admit thee, show him the signof the cross, and say unto himJesus Christ who is now crucified, hath sent me hither to thee. 12 When I did this and told theangel who is the guard of Paradiseall these things, and he heardthem, he presently opened thegates, introduced me, and placedme on the right hand in Paradise, 13 Saying, Stay here a littletime, till Adam, the father of allmankind, shall enter in, with allhis sons, who are the holy andrighteous servants of Jesus Christ, who was crucified. 14 When they heard all thisaccount from the thief, all thepatriarchs said with one voice, Blessed be thou, O Almighty God, the Father of everlasting goodness, and the Father of mercies, who hastshown such favour to those who weresinners against him, and hastbrought them to the mercy ofParadise, and hast placed themamidst thy large and spiritualprovisions, in a spiritual andholy life. Amen. CHAPTER XXI. 1 Charinus and Lenthius being only allowed three days to remain on earth, 7 deliver in their narratives, which miraculously correspond; they vanish, 13 and Pilate records these transactions. THESE are the divine andsacred mysteries which we sawand heard. We, Charinus andLenthius are not allowed to declarethe other mysteries of God, as thearchangel Michael ordered us, 2 Saying, ye shall go with mybrethren to Jerusalem, and shallcontinue in prayers, declaring andglorifying the resurrection ofJesus Christ, seeing he hath raisedyou from the dead at the sametime with himself. 3 And ye shall not talk withany man, but sit as dumb personstill the time come when the Lordwill allow you to relate themysteries of his divinity. 4 The archangel Michael farthercommanded us to go beyond Jordan, to an excellent and fat country, where there are many who rosefrom the dead along with usfor the proof of the resurrectionof Christ. 5 For we have only three daysallowed us from the dead, whoarose to celebrate the passover ofour Lord with our parents, and tobear our testimony for Christ theLord, and we have been baptizedin the holy river of Jordan. Andnow they are not seen by any one. 6 This is as much as God allowedus to relate to you; give yetherefore praise and honour tohim, and repent, and he will havemercy upon you. Peace be to youfrom the Lord God Jesus Christ, and the Saviour of us all. Amen, Amen, Amen. 7 And after they had made anend of writing, and had writtenon two distinct pieces of paper, Charinus gave what he wrote into thehands of Annas, and Caiaphas, andGamaliel. 8 Lenthius likewise gave whatbe wrote into the hands of Nicodemusand Joseph; and immediately theywere changed into exceeding whiteforms and were seen no more. 9 But what they had writtenwas found perfectly to agree, theone not containing one letter moreor less than the other. 10 When all the assembly of theJews heard all these surprisingrelations of Charinus and Lenthius, they said to each other, Truly allthese things were wrought byGod, and blessed be the Lord Jesusfor ever and ever, Amen. 11 And they went all out withgreat concern, and fear, andtrembling, and smote upon theirbreasts and went away every oneto his home. 12 But immediately all thesethings which were related by theJews in their synagogues concerningJesus, were presently told by Josephand Nicodemus to the governor. 13 And Pilate wrote down allthese transactions, and placed allthese accounts in the public recordsof his hall. CHAPTER XXII. 1 Pilate goes to the temple; calls together the rulers, and scribes, and doctors. 2 Commands the gates to be shut; orders the book of the Scriptures; and causes the Jews to relate what they really knew concerning Christ. 14 They declare that they crucified Christ in ignorance, and that they now know him to be the Son of God, according to the testimony of the Scriptures; which, after they put him to death, were examined. AFTER these things Pilate wentto the temple of the Jews, and called together all the rulersand scribes, and doctors of thelaw, and went with them into achapel of the temple. 2 And commanding that all thegates should be shut, said to them, I have heard that ye have a certainlarge book in this temple; I desireyou, therefore, that it may bebrought before me. 3 And when the great book, carried by four ministers of thetemple, and adorned with gold andprecious stones, was brought, Pilate said to them all, I adjureyou by the God of your Fathers, who made and commanded this templeto be built, that ye conceal not thetruth from me. 4 Ye know all the things whichare written in that book; tell metherefore now, if ye in theScriptures have found any thing ofthat Jesus whom ye crucified, and atwhat time of the world he, oughtto have come: show it me. 5 Then having sworn Annas andCaiaphas, they commanded all therest who were with them to go outof the chapel. 6 And they shut the gates of thetemple and of the chapel, and saidto Pilate, Thou hast made us toswear, O judge, by the building ofthis temple, to declare to thee thatwhich is true and right. 7 After we had crucified Jesus, not knowing that he was the Sonof God, but supposing he wroughthis miracles by some magical arts, we summoned a large assembly inthis temple. 8 And when we were deliberatingamong one another about themiracles which Jesus had wrought, we found many witnesses of ourown country, who declared thatthey had seen him alive after hisdeath, and that they heard himdiscoursing with his disciples, andsaw him ascending into the heightof the heavens, and entering intothem; 9 And we saw two witnesses, whose bodies Jesus raised from thedead, who told us of many strangethings which Jesus did among thedead, of which we have a writtenaccount in our hands. 10 And it is our custom annuallyto open this holy book before anassembly, and to search there forthe counsel of God. 11 And we found in the first ofthe seventy books, where Michaelthe archangel is speaking to thethird son of Adam the first man, an account that after five thousandfive hundred years, Christ themost beloved son of God was tocome on earth, 12 And we further considered, that perhaps he was the very Godof Israel who spoke to Moses, Thou shalt make the ark of thetestimony; two cubits and a halfshall be the length thereof, and acubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the heightthereof. 13 By these five cubits and ahalf for the building of the arkof the Old Testament, we perceivedand knew that in five thousandyears and half (one thousand) years, Jesus Christ was to come in theark or tabernacle of a body; 14 And so our Scriptures testifythat he is the Son of God, and theLord and King of Israel. 15 And because after his suffering, our chief priests were surprisedat the signs which were wroughtby his means, we opened that bookto search all the generations downto the generation of Joseph andMary the mother of Jesus, supposing him to be of theseed of David; 16 And we found the account ofthe creation, and at what time hemade the heaven and the earth, and the first man Adam, and thatfrom thence to the flood, were twothousand seven hundred and forty-eight years. 17 And from the flood to Abraham, nine hundred and twelve. And from Abraham to Moses, fourhundred and thirty. And fromMoses to David the King, fivehundred and ten. 18 And from David to the Babylonishcaptivity five hundred years. And from the Babylonish captivityto the incarnation of Christ, fourhundred years. 19 The sum of all which amountsto five thousand and half (a thousand. ) 20 And so it appears, that Jesuswhom we crucified, is Jesus Christthe Son of God, and true AlmightyGod. Amen. (In the name of the Holy Trinity, thus end the acts of our SaviourJesus Christ, which the EmperorTheodosius the Great found atJerusalem, in the hall of PontiusPilate, among the public records;the things were acted in thenineteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, Emperor of the Romans, and inthe seventeenth year of thegovernment of Herod, the son ofHerod and of Galilee, on theeighth of the calends of April, which is the twenty-third day ofthe month of March, in the CCIIdOlympiad, when Joseph and Caiaphaswere rulers of the Jews; being aHistory written in Hebrew byNicodemus, of what happened afterour Saviour's crucifixion. ) REFERENCES TO THE GOSPEL OF NICODEMUS, FORMERLY CALLED THE ACTS OF PONTIUS PILATE. [Although this Gospel is, by some among the learned, supposed to havebeen really written by Nicodemus, who became a disciple of Jesus Christ, and conversed with him; others conjecture that it was a forgery towardsthe close of the third century by some zealous believer, who, observingthat there had been appeals made by the Christians of the former age, to the acts of Pilate, but that such acts could not be produced, imagined it would be of service to Christianity to fabricate and publishthis Gospel; as it would both confirm the Christians under persecution, and convince the Heathens of the truth of the Christian religion. TheRev. Jeremiah Jones says, that such pious frauds were very common amongChristians even in the first three centuries; and that a forgery of thisnature, with the view above-mentioned, seems natural and probable. Thesame author, in noticing that Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History, charges the Pagans with having forged and published a book, called "TheActs of Pilate, " takes occasion to observe that the internal evidence ofthis Gospel shows it was not the work of any Heathen, but that if in thelatter end of the third century we find it in use among Christians (asit was then certainly in some churches), and about the same time find aforgery of the Heathens under the same title, it seems exceedinglyprobable that some Christians, at that time, should publish such a pieceas this, in order partly to confront the spurious one of the Pagans, andpartly to support those appeals which had been made by former Christiansto the Acts of Pilate; and Mr. Jones says, he thinks so more particularlyas we have innumerable instances of forgeries by the faithful in theprimitive ages, grounded on less plausible reasons. Whether it becanonical or not, it is of very great antiquity, and is appealed to byseveral of the ancient Christians. The present translation is made fromthe Gospel, published by Grynaeus in the Orthodoxographa, vol, i, tom, ii, p. 613. ] Notwithstanding the diversity of opinions here alluded to, the majorityof the learned believe that the internal evidence of the authenticity ofthis Gospel is manifested in the correct details of that period ofChrist's life on which it treats, while it far excels the canonicalEvangelists narrative of the trial of our Saviour before Pilate, withmore minute particulars of persons, evidence, circumstance, &c.