THE LATIN GOSPEL OF NICODEMUS

OR

THE ACTS OF PILATE 1

I, Æneas, was at first a protector of the Hebrews, and a follower of the law; then the Savior's grace and his great gift apprehended me, and I knew Christ Jesus in Holy Scripture, I came to him, and embraced his faith, that I might become worthy of his holy baptism. First of all I sought for the records, written in those times, concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, which the Jews published in the age of Pontius Pilate, and we found them in Hebrew writings, drawn up in the age of our Lord Jesus Christ; but I translated them into Gentile speech during the reign of the eminent Theodosius, in his 17th consulship, and Valentinian, the 5th time consul, in the 9th indiction. All ye who read this book, and copy into other documents, be mindful of me, and pray for me, Eneas, the least of the servants of the Lord, that he may be merciful to me, and forgive my sins which I have committed against him. Peace be to all who read these things, and to all their house forever. Amen.

Now it came to pass in the 19th year of the reign of Tiberius Cæsar, Emperor of the Romans, and of Herod, the son of Herod, King of Galilee, the 19th year of his dominion, on the 8th of the kalends of April, which is the 25th day of the month of March in the consulate of Rufinus and Rubellio, in the 4th year of the 202d Olympiad, under the chief priests of the Jews, Joseph and Caiaphas: the great things done by the chief priests and the other Jews, which Nicodemus recorded after the cross and passion of the Lord, and which Nicodemus himself committed to Hebrew writing.

1 This is a late Latin form of Nicodemus, which devotes these preliminary chapters to Pilate.

CHAPTER I

Annas and Caiaphas, Summas and Datam, Gamaliel, Judas, Levi, Nephthalim, Alexander and Jairus, and the rest of the Jews came to Pilate, accusing the Lord Jesus Christ of many things, and saying, We know that he was born the son of Joseph the carpenter by Mary, and he saith he is the Son of God and a king: not only this, but he also breaketh the Sabbath, and wisheth to abolish the law of our fathers. Pilate saith, What are the things which he doth, and would thereby abolish the law? The Jews say, We have a law that no one should heal on the Sabbath; but he on the Sabbath, by evil arts, healeth the lame and the humpbacked, the blind, the paralytic, the leprous and demoniacs. Pilate saith to them, By what evil arts? They say to him, He is an evildoer, and casteth out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of the demons, and they all are subject to him. Pilate saith to them, It is not for an unclean spirit to cast out demons, but for the god Scolapius.2

The Jews said, We pray thy majesty to set him to be examined before thy judgment-seat. Pilate called the Jews to him, and said unto them, Tell me how can I, who am a procurator, examine a king? They say unto him, We do not say that he is a king, but he saith that he is. Therefore, Pilate called a messenger, and said to him, Let Jesus be brought with gentleness. And the messenger went out and adored him, when he recognized him, and spread upon the ground the vestment which he carried in his hand, saying, Lord, walk upon this and enter, for the procurator calleth for thee. But the Jews, seeing what the messenger did, cried out against Pilate, saying, Why didst thou not cause him to enter by the summons of a herald, and not by a messenger? For when the messenger saw him he adored him, and the vestment which he held in his hand he spread before him on the ground, and said to him, Lord, the procurator calleth for thee.

2 Literally," the god of Scolapius," but "in deo Scolapii" are to be understood as if in apposition. Thus, for "Urbs Roma," "the city Rome," we say "the city of Rome." Scolapius is, of course, Esculapius.

Now Pilate, summoning the messenger, said to him, Why hast thou done this, and honored Jesus who is called Christ? The messenger said to him, When thou sentest me to Jerusalem, I saw him siting on an ass, and the children of the Hebrews broke off branches from the trees and strewed them in the way, and some held branches in their hands; and some strewed their garments in the way, crying and saying, Save, then, thou who art in the highest; blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

The Jews cried out and said against the messenger, The children of the Hebrews cried out in Hebrew; how is it for thee, a Gentile, to know this? The messenger said to them, I asked one of the Jews and said, What is that which they cry out in Hebrew? and he explained it to me. Pilate said to them, How did they cry out in Hebrew? The Jews said, Hosanna in the highest. Pilate saith to them, How is Hosanna in the highest interpreted? They say unto him, Save us, thou who art in the highest. Pilate saith to them, If ye confirm the words and sayings with which the children cried out, what sin hath the messenger committed? And they were silent. The procurator, therefore, said to the messenger, Go out and bring him in as thou wilt. And the messenger went out and did as before, and said to Jesus, Lord, come in, for the procurator calleth for thee.

Now when Jesus entered, and the standard-bearers were bearing the standards, the tops of the standards bowed down of themselves and worshiped Jesus. But the Jews, seeing how the standards bowed themselves and worshiped Jesus, cried out still more against those who bore the standards. So Pilate said to the Jews, Marvel ye not how the standards bowed themselves and worshiped Jesus? The Jews said to Pilate, We saw how the men who bear the standards bowed and worshiped Jesus. And the procurator called the standard-bearers, and said unto them, Why have ye done thus? They said unto Pilate, We are Gentiles, and servants of the temples; how should we worship him? for as we were holding the ensigns they bowed themselves of their own accord, and worshiped him.

Pilate said unto the rulers of the synagogue, and the elders of the people, Choose ye strong and powerful men, and let them hold the standards, and let us see if they bow of themselves. So the elders of the Jews took twelve most strong and powerful men, and made them hold the standards by six and six, and they stood before the judgment-seat of the procurator. Pilate saith to the messenger, Take out Jesus from the prætorium, and bring him in again in any way thou wilt. And Jesus and the messenger went outside the prætorium. And Pilate called those who held the standards before, and said to them, By the safety of Cæsar, if the standards do not bow themselves when Jesus entereth, I will cut off your heads. And the procurator commanded Jesus to enter the second time. And the messenger did the same as before, and greatly entreated Jesus to go up, and walk upon his vestment. And he walked upon it and came in. But as Jesus entered, immediately the standards bowed themselves and worshiped Jesus.

CHAPTER II

Now when Pilate saw it, fear took hold of him, and he forthwith wished to rise up from the judgment-seat. And while he thought thus, to rise up and depart, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have nothing to do with that just man; for I have this night suffered many things because of him. And Pilate called the Jews, and said to them, Ye know that my wife is a worshiper of God, and rather accordeth with you in Judaism. The Jews say unto him, It is so, and we know it. Pilate saith to them, Behold, my wife hath sent to me saying, Have nothing to do with that just man; for I have this night suffered many things because of him. The Jews answered and said unto Pilate, Have we not told thee that he is a magician? behold, he hath sent a fantom of dreams to thy wife.

Pilate called Jesus and said to him, What is it that these testify against thee? and sayest thou nothing to them? And Jesus answered, If they had not power they would not speak.

Every one hath power over his own mouth, to speak good and bad: they will see.

So the elders of the Jews answered and said to Jesus, What shall we see? First, that thou art born of fornication; secondly, that at thy nativity at Bethlehem there was made a slaughter of infants; thirdly, that thy father Joseph and thy mother Mary fled into Egypt, because they had no confidence in the people.

Certain of the Jews who stood by, being well disposed, said, We say not that he was born of fornication, but we know that Mary was espoused to Joseph, and he was not born of fornication. Pilate said to the Jews who said he was born of fornication, This your speech is not true, because the espousals were celebrated, as these men of your nation say. Annas and Caiaphas say unto Pilate, We say with all the multitude that he was born of fornication and is a malefactor; but these are proselytes and his disciples. And Pilate calling to Annas and Caiaphas saith to them, What are proselytes? They say unto him, They were born children of the Gentiles, and are now become Jews. Those who bore witness that Jesus was not born of fornication, Lazarus and Asterius, Antonius and Jacob, Annes and Azaras, Samuel and Isaac, Phinehas and Crispus, Agrippa and Judas, answered, We are not proselytes, but were born children of the Jews, and speak the truth; for we were present at the espousals of Mary.

So Pilate called unto him these twelve men who proved that Jesus was not born of fornication, and he said unto them, I adjure you by the safety of Cæsar, tell me if it is true that Jesus was not born of fornication, and he said unto Pilate, We have a law not to swear, because it is sin; but let them swear by the safety of Cæsar that it is not as we say, and we are deserving of death. Then said Pilate to Annas and Caiaphas, Answer ye nothing to those things which these men testify? Annas and Caiaphas say unto Pilate, These twelve are believed that he was not born of fornication: all we people cry that he was born of fornication, and is a

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