A LATER GOSPEL OF NICODEMUS

Narrative of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of his Holy Resurrection

COMPILED BY A JEW NAMED ÆNEAS; TRANSLATED FROM THE HEBREW TONGUE INTO THE ROMAN BY NICODEMUS,

A ROMAN TOPARCH.1

After the kingdom of the Hebrews was abolished, four hundred years had passed away, and the Hebrews were tributaries under the government of the Romans, the king of the Romans appointing for them a king; Tiberius Cæsar at length wielded the Roman scepter, and in the eighteenth year of his reign he appointed as king in Judea, Herod, the son of that Herod who slew the infants in Bethlehem, and he had Pilate for governor in Jerusalem; Annas and Caiaphas also holding the high-priesthood of Jerusalem; Nicodemus, a Roman toparch, called unto him a Jew, named Æneas, and asked him to write what was done in Jerusalem, concerning Christ, in the times of Annas and Caiaphas; which also the Jew did, and delivered it unto Nicodemus, who straightway translated it from the Hebrew copy into Roman language. Now the matter of the history is this:

CHAPTER I

Our Lord Jesus Christ wrought many, and great, and extraordinary miracles in Judea, and was therefore viewed

1 It will be observed that here Nicodemus is a Roman, and only the translator of a book written by Æneas. Part of the preface seems to indicate that it was the work of a contemporary, but part of it suggests more truly that it was done in after times. The Greek text, from which this second version of Nicodemus is made, seems to be less ancient than the first, and to have been revised and polished by its editor. I suppose the name of Æneas not to be older than the account of the Journey to the Underworld, which has been added to the original composition, and follows the present recension of Nicodemus as Part II.

with jealousy by the Hebrews, when Pilate was governor at Jerusalem, and Annas and Caiaphas were chief priests. So Judas, Levi, Nephthalim, Alexander, Syrus, and many other of the Jews came to the chief priests, speaking against. Christ. And the chief priests sent them to tell these things to Pilate. And they went away, and said to him, A man who hath a father called Joseph, and a mother Mary, goeth about in this city, and calleth himself a king, and the Son of God, and, although a Jew, overthroweth the Scriptures, and breaketh the Sabbaths. Pilate therefore inquired of them, in what manner he broke the Sabbaths. And they answered, saying, He healeth the sick on the Sabbath. Pilate saith, If he maketh the sick whole, he doth no evil. They say to him, If he wrought his cures aright, the evil would be small; but he performed them by using magic, and having demons with him. Pilate saith, To heal the sick is not a diabolical work, but a gift from God.

The Hebrews said, We pray thy majesty to summon him, that thou mayest examine thoroughly what we say. Pilate therefore, throwing off his robe, gave it to one of his servants, saying, Go and show this to Jesus, and say to him, Pilate the governor calleth thee to come to him. So the servant departed, and finding Jesus, he called to him, spreading upon the ground the robe of Pilate, and inviting him to walk upon it. The Hebrews seeing this, and being greatly offended, came to Pilate, murmuring against him how that he had counted Jesus worthy of so great honor.

And he inquired of the servant that was sent, why he had done so. And the servant answered, when thou sentest me to Alexander the Jew, I met with Jesus, as he entered the gate of the city, sitting upon an ass; and I saw the Hebrews that they strewed their garments in the way, and the ass walked upon the garments; and others cut down branches; and they came out to meet him, and cried, Hosanna in the highest! Thus, therefore, it became me also to do.

On hearing these words, the Jews said to him, Thou who art a Roman, how knewest thou what was said by the Hebrews? The servant answered, I asked one of the

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Hebrews, and he told it to me. Pilate said, What meaneth Hosanna? The Jews said, Save us, Lord. Pilate answered, Seeing ye confess that your children spake thus, how do ye now accuse, and say against Jesus that which ye say? And the Jews were silent, and could answer nothing.

Now when Jesus came to Pilate, the soldiers of Pilate worshiped him. And there stood also others before Pilate, holding the standards. And when Jesus came the standards also bowed down and worshiped him. As Pilate therefore wondered at what had happened, the Jews said to him, Lord, the standards did not worship Jesus, but the soldiers who hold them carelessly.

Pilate saith to the ruler of the synagogue, Choose out twelve strong men, and give them the standards to hold them firmly. And when this was done Pilate commanded the servant to take Jesus out, and bring him in again. And as he came in the standards again bowed down, and worshiped him. Therefore, Pilate wondered greatly. And the Jews said, He is a magician, and therefore he doeth these things.

CHAPTER II

Pilate saith to Jesus, Hearest thou what these testify against thee, and answerest not? Jesus answered and said, Every man hath power to speak what he will, whether good or evil; therefore these having the power, say what they will.

The Jews said to him, What have we to say concerning thee? first, that thou wast born of sin; secondly, that on account of thee, when thou wast born, they slew the infants; thirdly, that thy father and thy mother fled into Egypt, wherefore they had no boldness before the people.

To these things, the Jews who were there present, and were pious men, answered and said, We say that his birth was not of sin, for we know that Joseph received his mother Mary, according to the rule of espousals, to keep her. Pilate said, Therefore ye lie who say that his birth was of sin. They say again to Pilate, All the people testify that he is a magician. The pious Jews answered, and said, We were present at the espousal of his mother, and we are Jews, and

we know his whole conduct; but that he is a magician this we do not know. Now the Jews who said this were these: Lazarus, Astharius, Antonius, James, Zarah, Samuel, Isaac, Phinehas, Crispus, Dagrippus, Amesa, and Judas.

Therefore, Pilate saith to them, I will that ye swear by the life of Cæsar, whether the birth of this man was without sin. They answered, Our law ordaineth that we should swear nothing, because an oath is a great sin. Yet by the life of Cæsar, we swear that his birth was without sin; and if we lie, command that we all be beheaded. And when they said these things, the Jews who accused him answered Pilate, and said, And dost thou believe these twelve Jews alone, more than the whole multitude, and us, who know well that he is a magician, and a blasphemer, and calleth himself the Son of God?

For

Then Pilate commanded all to go out of the prætorium, except only the twelve spoken of, and when this was done Pilate saith to them privately, As for this man, it appeareth that, for envy and madness, the Jews wish to slay him. they accuse him of one thing, that he breaketh the Sabbath. But he then doeth a good work, because he healeth the sick. This is no cause for condemning the man to death. And the twelve said to him, Yea, lord, thus it is.

man.

CHAPTER III

Therefore, Pilate went out in anger and wrath, and he said to Annas and Caiaphas, and the multitude who brought Jesus, I hold the sun to witness that I find no fault in this The multitude answered, If he were not a sorcerer, and a magician, and a blasphemer, we should not have brought him to thy majesty. Pilate said, Try him yourselves; and since ye have a law, as your law saith, so do. The Jews said, Our law doth not permit us to put any man to death. Pilate saith, If ye are unwilling to put him to death, how much more am I!

Then Pilate returned into the palace, and said to Jesus, Tell me, art thou the king of the Jews? Jesus answered, Dost thou say this, or did the other Jews say this to thee,

that thou shouldst ask me? Pilate said, And am I a Hebrew? I am not a Hebrew; thine own people, and the chief priests, delivered thee into my hands; tell me, then, if thou art king of the Jews. Jesus answered, My kingdom is not in this world; for if my kingdom was in this world my soldiers would not be unconcerned, that I am arrested; therefore, my kingdom is not in this world. Pilate saith, Art thou then a king? Jesus said, Thou sayest: for this was I born, namely, to bear witness to the truth, and if any one is a man of truth he believeth my word, and doeth it. Pilate saith, What is truth? Jesus answered, Truth is from heaven. Pilate saith, Is not truth on earth? Christ saith, I am the truth; and how is truth judged on earth, by those who have earthly power!

CHAPTER IV

Therefore, Pilate, leaving Jesus alone, went out, and said to the Jews, I find no fault in this man. The Jews answered, May we tell thy majesty what he himself said? He said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. Pilate saith, And what sort of temple did he say he could destroy? The Hebrews said, The temple of Solomon, which Solomon was forty-six years building.

Pilate saith privately to the chief priests and scribes and Pharisees, I entreat you, do nothing evil to this man; for if ye do evil to him ye will deal unjustly. For it is not just that such a man should die, who hath done great good to many men. They said to Pilate, If he who hath dishonored Cæsar is worthy of death, my lord, how much rather is this man who dishonoreth God?

Then Pilate gave order, and they all went out. Then saith he to Jesus, What wilt thou that I should do to thee? Jesus saith to Pilate, Do unto me as it is ordained. Pilate saith, How is it ordained? Jesus answered, Moses and the prophets wrote that I should be crucified and should rise again. The Hebrews who heard him said to Pilate, Why seek ye to hear from him greater insult against God? Pilate saith, This is no word of insult against God, since