,this e,book was produced by ,david ,widger widgercecomet4net ,additional proofing was done by ,curtis ,a4 ,weyant ,,the ,,suppressed ,,gospels ,,and ,,epistles ,,of ,,the ,,original ,,new ,,testament ,,of ,,jesus ,,the ,,christ ,,and ,,other ,,portions ,,of ,,the ,,ancient ,,holy ,,scriptures4 ,,now ,,extant1 ,,attributed ,,to ,,his ,,apostles1 ,,and ,,their ,,disciples1 ,,and ,,venerated ,,by ,,the ,,primitive ,,christian ,,churches ,,during ,,the ,,first ,,four ,,centuries1 ,,but ,,since1 ,,after ,,violent ,,disputations ,,forbidden ,,by ,,the ,,bishops ,,of ,,the ,,nicene ,,council1 ,,in ,,the ,,reign ,,of ,,the ,,emperor ,,constantine ,,and ,,omitted ,,from ,,the ,,catholics ,,and ,,protestant ,,editions ,,of ,,the ,,new ,,testament1 ,,by ,,its ,,compilers ,,translated ,,from ,,the ,,original ,,tongues1 ,,with ,,historical ,,references ,,to ,,their ,,authenticity1 ,,by ,,archbishop ,,wake ,,and ,,other ,,learned ,,divines ,,the ,,gospel ,,of ,,nicodemus1 ,,formerly ,,called ,,the ,,acts ,,of ,,pontius ,,pilate4 ,the ,gospel of ,,nicodemus1 the disciple1 concerning the ,sufferings and ,resurrection of our ,master and ,saviour1 ,,jesus ,,christ4 ,,chapter ,i4 #a ,christ accused to ,pilate by the ,jews of healing on the ,sabbath4 #i ,summoned before ,pilate by a messenger who does him honour4 #bj ,worshipped by the standards bowing down to him4 ,,annas and ,caiphas1 and ,summas1 and ,datam1 ,gamaliel1 ,judas1 ,levi1 ,nepthalim1 ,alexander1 ,cyrus1 and other ,jews1 went to ,pilate about ,jesus1 accusing him with many bad crimes4 #b ,and said1 ,we are assured that ,jesus is the son of ,joseph1 the carpenter1 and born of ,mary1 and that he declares himself the ,son of ,god1 and a king2 and not only so1 but attempts the dissolution of the ,sabbath1 and the laws of our fathers4 #c ,pilate replied1 ,what is it which he declares8 and what is it which he attempts dissolving8 #d ,the ,jews told him1 ,we have a law which forbids doing cures on the ,sabbath day2 but he cures both the lame and the deaf1 those afflicted with the palsy1 the blind1 the lepers1 and demoniacs1 on that day1 by wicked methods4 #e ,pilate replied1 ,how can he do this by wicked methods8 ,they answered ,he is a conjurer1 and casts out devils by the prince of the devils2 and so all things1 become subject to him4 #f ,then said ,pilate1 ,casting out devils seems not to be the work of an unclean spirit1 but to proceed from the power of ,god4 #g ,the ,jews replied to ,pilate1 ,we entreat your highness to summon him to appear before your tribunal1 and hear him yourself4 #h ,then ,pilate called a messenger1 and said to him1 ,by what means will ,christ be brought hither8 #i ,then went the messenger forth1 and knowing ,christ1 worshipped him2 and having spread the cloak which he had in his hand upon the ground1 he said1 ,lord1 walk upon this1 and go in1 for the governor calls thee4 #aj ,when the ,jews perceived what the messenger had done1 they exclaimed 7against him7 to ,pilate1 and said1 ,why did you not give him his summons by a beadle1 and not by a messenger8--,for the messenger1 when he saw him1 worshipped him1 and spread the cloak which he had in his hand upon the ground before him1 and said to him1 ,lord1 the governor calls thee4 #aa ,then ,pilate called the messenger1 and said1 ,why hast thou done thus8 #ab ,the messenger replied1 ,when thou sentest me from ,jerusalem to ,alexander1 ,i saw ,jesus sitting in a mean figure upon a she-ass1 and the children of the ,hebrews cried out1 ,hosannah1 holding boughs of trees in their hands4 #ac ,others spread their garments in the way1 and said1 ,save us1 thou who art in heaven2 blessed is he who cometh in the name of the ,lord4 #ad ,then the ,jews cried out1 against the messenger1 and said1 ,the children of the ,hebrews made their acclamations in the ,hebrew language2 and how couldst thou1 who art a ,greek1 understand the ,hebrew8 #ae ,the messenger answered them and said1 ,i asked one of the ,jews and said1 ,what is this which the children do cry out in the ,hebrew language8 #af ,and he explained it to me1 saying1 they cry out1 ,hosannah1 which being interpreted1 is1 ,o ,lord1 save me2 or1 ,o ,lord1 save4 #ag ,pilate then said to them1 ,why do you yourselves testify to the words spoken by the children1 namely1 by your silence8 ,in what has the messenger done amiss8 ,and they were silent4 #ah ,then the governor said unto the messenger1 ,go forth and endeavour by any means to bring him in4 #ai ,but the messenger went forth and did as before2 and said1 ,lord come in1 for the governor calleth thee4 #bj ,and as ,jesus was going in by the ensigns1 who carried the standards1 the tops of them bowed down and worshipped ,jesus4 #ba ,whereupon the ,jews exclaimed more vehemently against the ensigns4 #bb ,but ,pilate said to the ,jews1 ,i know it is not pleasing to you that the tops of the standards did of themselves bow and worship ,jesus2 but why do ye exclaim against the ensigns1 as if they had bowed and worshipped8 #bc ,they replied to ,pilate1 ,we saw the ensigns themselves bowing and worshipping ,jesus4 #bd ,then the governor called the ensigns1 and said unto them1 ,why did you do thus8 #be ,the ensigns said to ,pilate1 ,we are all ,pagans and worship the gods in temples2 and how should we think anything about worshipping him8 ,we only held the standards in our hands1 and they bowed themselves and worshipped him4 #bf ,then said ,pilate to the rulers of the synagogue1 ,do ye yourselves choose some strong men1 and let them hold the standards1 and we shall see whether they will then bend of themselves4 #bg ,so the elders of the ,jews sought out twelve of the most strong and able old men1 and made them hold the standards1 and they stood in the presence of the governor4 #bh ,then ,pilate said to the messenger1 ,take ,jesus out1 and by some means bring him in again4 ,and ,jesus and the messenger went out of the hall4 #bi ,and ,pilate called the ensigns who before had borne the standards1 and swore to them1 that if they had not borne the standards in that manner when ,jesus before entered in1 he would cut off their heads4 #cj ,then the governor commanded ,jesus to come in again4 #ca ,and the messenger did as he had done before1 and very much entreated ,jesus that he would go upon his cloak1 and walk on it2 and he did walk upon it1 and went in4 #cb ,and when ,jesus went in1 the standards bowed themselves as before1 and worshipped him4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 #b ,is comppassionated by ,pilate's wife1 #g charged with being born in fornication4 #ab ,testimony to the betrothing of his parents4 #ae ,hatred of the ,jews to him4 ,,now when ,pilate saw this1 he was afraid1 and was about to rise from his seat4 #b ,but while he thought to rise1 his own wife who stood at a distance1 sent to him1 saying1 ,have thou nothing to do with that just man2 for ,i have suffered much concerning him in a vision this night4 #c ,when the ,jews heard this they said to ,pilate1 ,did we not say unto thee1 ,he is a conjuror8 ,behold1 he hath caused thy wife to dream4 #d ,pilate then calling ,jesus1 said1 thou hast heard what they testify against thee1 and makest no answer8 #e ,jesus replied1 ,if they had not a power of speaking1 they could not have spoke2 but because every one has the command of his own tongue1 to speak both good and bad1 let him look to it4 #f ,but the elders of the ,jews answered1 and said to ,jesus1 ,what shall we look to8 #g ,in the first place1 we know this concerning thee1 that thou wast born through fornication2 secondly1 that upon the account of thy birth the infants were slain in ,bethlehem2 thirdly1 that thy father and mother ,mary fled into ,egypt1 because they could not trust their own people4 #h ,some of the ,jews who stood by spake more favourably1 ,we cannot say that he was born through fornication2 but we know that his mother ,mary was betrothed to ,joseph1 and so he was not born through fornication4 #i ,then said ,pilate to the ,jews who affirmed him to be born through fornication1 ,this your account is not true1 seeing there was a betrothment1 as they testify who are of your own nation4 #aj ,annas and ,caiphas spake to ,pilate1 ,all this multitude of people is to be regarded1 who cry out1 that he was born through fornication1 and is a conjurer2 but they who deny him to be born through fornication1 are his proselytes and disciples4 #aa ,pilate answered ,annas and ,caiphas1 ,who are the proselytes8 ,they answered1 ,they are those who are the children of ,pagans1 and are not become ,jews1 but followers of him4 #ab ,then replied ,eleazer1 and ,asterius1 and ,antonius1 and ,james1 ,caras and ,samuel1 ,isaac and ,phinees1 ,crispus and ,agrippa1 ,annas and ,judas1 ,we are not proselytes1 but children of ,jews1 and speak the truth1 and were present when ,mary was betrothed4 #ac ,then ,pilate addressing himself to the twelve men who spake this1 said to them1 ,i conjure you by the life of ,caesar1 that ye faithfully declare whether he was born through fornication1 and those things be true which ye have related4 #ad ,they answered ,pilate1 ,we have a law whereby we are forbid to swear1 it being a sin3 ,let them swear by the life of ,caesar that it is not as we have said1 and we will be contented to be put to death4 #ae ,then said ,annas and ,caiphas to ,pilate1 ,those twelve men will not believe that we know him to be basely born1 and to be a conjurer1 although he pretends that he is the ,son of ,god1 and a king3 which we are so far from believing1 that we tremble to hear4 #af ,then ,pilate commanded every one to go out except the twelve men who said he was not born through fornication1 and ,jesus to withdraw to a distance1 and said to them1 ,why have the ,jews a mind to kill ,jesus8 #ag ,they answered him1 ,they are angry because he wrought cures on the sabbath day4 ,pilate said1 ,will they kill him for a good work8 ,they say unto him1 ,yes1 ,sir4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 #a ,is exonerated by ,pilate4 #aa ,disputes with ,pilate concerning truth4 ,,then ,pilate1 filled with anger1 went out of the hall1 and said to the ,jews1 ,i call the whole world to witness that ,i find no fault in that man4 #b ,the ,jews replied to ,pilate1 ,if he had not been a wicked person1 we had not brought him before thee4 #c ,pilate said to them1 ,do ye take him and try him by your law4 #d ,then the ,jews said1 ,it is not lawful for us to put any one to death4 #e ,pilate said to the ,jews1 ,the command1 therefore1 thou shalt not kill1 belongs to you1 but not to me4 #f ,and he went again into the hall1 and called ,jesus by himself1 and said to him1 ,art thou the king of the ,jews8 #g ,and ,jesus answering1 said to ,pilate1 ,dost thou speak this of thyself1 or did the ,jews tell it thee concerning me8 #h ,pilate answering1 said to ,jesus1 ,am ,i a ,jew8 ,the whole nation and rulers of the ,jews have delivered thee up to me4 ,what hast thou done8 #i ,jesus answering1 said1 ,my kingdom is not of this world3 if my kingdom were of this world1 then would my servants fight1 and ,i should not have been delivered to the ,jews3 but now my kingdom is not from hence4 #aj ,pilate said1 ,art thou a king then8 ,jesus answered1 ,thou sayest that ,i am a king3 to this end was ,i born1 and for this end came ,i into the world2 and for this purpose ,i came1 that ,i should bear witness to the truth2 and every one who is of the truth1 heareth my voice4 #aa ,pilate saith to him1 ,what is truth8 #ab ,jesus said1 ,truth is from heaven4 #ac ,pilate said1 ,therefore truth is not on earth4 #ad ,jesus saith to ,pilate1 ,believe that truth is on earth among those1 who when they have the power of judgment1 are governed by truth1 and form right judgment4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 #a ,pilate finds no fault in ,jesus4 #af ,the ,jews demand his crucifixion4 ,,then ,pilate left ,jesus in the hall1 and went out to the ,jews1 and said1 ,i find not any one fault in ,jesus4 #b ,the ,jews say unto him1 ,but he said1 ,i can destroy the temple of ,god1 and in three days build it up again4 #c ,pilate saith to them1 ,what sort of temple is that of which he speaketh8 #d ,the ,jews say unto him1 ,that which ,solomon was forty-six years in building1 he said he would destroy1 and in three days build up4 #e ,pilate said to them again1 ,i am innocent from the blood of that man6 do ye look to it4 #f ,the ,jews say to him1 ,his blood be upon us and our children4 ,then ,pilate calling together the elders and scribes1 priests and ,levites1 saith to them privately1 ,do not act thus2 ,i have found nothing in your charge 7against him7 concerning his curing sick persons1 and breaking the sabbath1 worthy of death4 #g ,the priests and ,levites replied to ,pilate1 ,by the life of ,caesar1 if any one be a blasphemer1 he is worthy of death2 but this man hath blasphemed against the ,lord4 #h ,then the governor again commanded the ,jews to depart out of the hall2 and calling ,jesus1 said to him1 ,what shall ,i do with thee8 #i ,jesus answered him1 ,do according as it is written4 #aj ,pilate said to him1 ,how is it written8 #aa ,jesus saith to him1 ,moses and the prophets have prophesied concerning my suffering and resurrection4 #ab ,the ,jews hearing this1 were provoked1 and said to ,pilate1 ,why wilt thou any longer hear the blasphemy of that man8 #ac ,pilate saith to them1 ,if these words seem to you blasphemy1 do ye take him1 bring him to your court1 and try him according to your law4 #ad ,the ,jews reply to ,pilate1 ,our law saith1 he shall be obliged to receive nine and thirty stripes1 but if after this manner he shall blaspheme against the ,lord1 he shall be stoned4 #ae ,pilate saith unto them1 ,if that speech of his was blasphemy1 do ye try him according to your law4 #af ,the ,jews say to ,pilate1 ,our law command us not to put any one to death4 ,we desire that he may be crucified1 because he deserves the death of the cross4 #ag ,pilate saith to them1 ,it is not fit he should be crucified3 let him be only whipped and sent away4 #ah ,but when the governor looked upon the people that were present and the ,jews1 he saw many of the ,jews in tears1 and said to the chief priests of the ,jews1 ,all the people do not desire his death4 #ai ,the elders of the ,jews answered to ,pilate1 ,we and all the people came hither for this very purpose1 that he should die4 #bj ,pilate saith to them1 ,why should he die8 #ba ,they said to him1 ,because he declares himself to be the ,son of ,god and a ,king4 ,,chap4 ,v4 #a ,nicodemus speaks in defence of ,christ1 and relates his miracles4 #ab ,another ,jew1 #bf with ,veronica1 #cd ,centurio1 and others1 testify of other miracles4 ,,but ,nicodemus1 a certain ,jew1 stood before the governor1 and said1 ,i entreat thee1 ,o righteous judge1 that thou wouldst favour me with the liberty of speaking a few words4 #b ,pilate said to him1 ,speak on4 #c ,nicodemus said1 ,i spake to the elders of the ,jews1 and the scribes1 and priests and ,levites1 and all the multitude of the ,jews1 in their assembly2 ,what is it ye would do with this man8 #d ,he is a man who hath wrought many useful and glorious miracles1 such as no man on earth ever wrought before1 nor will ever work4 ,let him go1 and do him no harm2 if he cometh from ,god1 his miracles1 7his miraculous cures7 will continue2 but if from men1 they will come to nought4 #e ,thus ,moses1 when he was sent by ,god into ,egypt1 wrought the miracles which ,god commanded him1 before ,pharaoh king of ,egypt2 and though the magicians of that country1 ,jannes and ,jambres1 wrought by their magic the same miracles which ,moses did1 yet they could not work all which he did2 #f ,and the miracles which the magicians wrought1 were not of ,god1 as ye know1 ,o ,scribes and ,pharisees2 but they who wrought them perished1 and all who believed them4 #g ,and now let this man go2 because the very miracles for which ye accuse him1 are from ,god2 and he is not worthy of death4 #h ,the ,jews then said to ,nicodemus1 ,art thou become his disciple1 and making speeches in his favour8 #i ,nicodemus said to them1 ,is the governor become his disciple also1 and does he make speeches for him8 ,did not ,caesar place him in that high post8 #aj ,when the ,jews heard this they trembled1 and gnashed their teeth at ,nicodemus1 and said to him1 ,mayest thou receive his doctrine for truth1 and have thy lot with ,christ6 #aa ,nicodemus replied1 ,amen2 ,i will receive his doctrine1 and my lot with him1 as ye have said4 #ab ,then another certain ,jew rose up1 and desired leave of the governor to hear him a few words4 #ac ,and the governor said1 ,speak1 what thou hast a mind4 #ad ,and he said1 ,i lay for thirty- eight years by the sheep-pool at ,jerusalem1 labouring under a great infirmity1 and waiting for a cure which should be wrought by the coming of an angel1 who at a certain time troubled the water3 and whosoever first after the troubling of the water stepped in1 was made whole of whatsoever disease he had4 #ae ,and when ,jesus saw me languishing there1 he said to me1 ,wilt thou be made whole8 ,and ,i answered1 ,sir1 ,i have no man1 when the water is troubled1 to put me into the pool4 #af ,and he said unto me1 ,rise1 take up thy bed and walk4 ,and ,i was immediately made whole1 and took up my bed and walked4 #ag ,the ,jews then said to ,pilate1 ,our ,lord ,governor1 pray ask him what day it was on which he was cured of his infirmity4 #ah ,the infirm person replied1 ,it was on the sabbath4 #ai ,the ,jews said to ,pilate1 ,did we not say that he wrought his cures on the sabbath1 and cast out devils by the prince of devils8 #bj ,then another certain ,jew came forth1 and said1 ,i was blind1 could hear sounds1 but could not see any one2 and as ,jesus was going along1 ,i heard the multitude passing by1 and ,i asked what was there8 #ba ,they told me that ,jesus was passing by3 then ,i cried out1 saying1 ,jesus1 ,son of ,david1 have mercy on me4 ,and he stood still1 and commanded that ,i should be brought to him1 and said to me1 ,what wilt thou8 #bb ,i said1 ,lord1 that ,i may receive my sight4 #bc ,he said to me1 ,receive thy sight3 and presently ,i saw1 and followed him1 rejoicing and giving thanks1 #bd ,another ,jew also came forth1 and said1 ,i was a leper1 and he cured me by his word only1 saying1 ,i will1 be thou clean2 and presently ,i was cleansed from my leprosy4 #be ,and another ,jew came forth1 and said ,i was crooked1 and he made me straight by his word4 #bf ,and a certain woman named ,veronica1 said1 ,i was afflicted with an issue of blood twelve years1 and ,i touched the hem of his garment1 and presently the issue of blood stopped4 #bg ,the ,jews then said1 ,we have a law1 that a woman shall not be allowed as an evidence4 #bh ,and1 after other things1 another ,jew said1 ,i saw ,jesus invited to a wedding with his disciples1 and there was a want of wine in ,cana of ,galilee2 #bi ,and when the wine was all drank1 he commanded the servants that they should fill six pots which were there with water1 and they filled them up to the brim1 and he blessed them and turned the water into wine1 and all the people drank1 being surprised at this miracle1 #cj ,and another ,jew stood forth1 and said1 ,i saw ,jesus teaching in the synagogue at ,capernaum2 and there was in the synagogue a certain man who had a devil2 and he cried out1 saying1 let me alone2 what have we to do with thee1 ,jesus of ,nazareth8 ,art thou come to destroy us8 ,i know that thou art the ,holy ,one of ,god4 #ca ,and ,jesus rebuked him1 saying1 ,hold thy peace1 unclean spirit1 and come out of the man2 and presently he came out of him1 and did not at all hurt him4 #cb ,the following things were also said by a ,pharisee3 ,i saw that a great company came to ,jesus from ,galilee and ,judea1 and the sea-cost1 and many countries about ,jordan2 and many infirm persons came to him1 and he healed them all4 #cc ,and ,i heard the unclean spirits crying out1 and saying1 ,thou art the ,son of ,god4 ,and ,jesus strictly charged them1 that they should not make him known4 #cd ,after this another person1 whose name was ,centurio1 said1 ,i saw ,jesus in ,capernaum1 and ,i entreated him1 saying1 ,lord1 my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy4 #ce ,and ,jesus said to me1 ,i will come and cure him4 #cf ,but ,i said1 ,lord1 ,i am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof2 but only speak the word1 and my servant shall be healed4 #cg ,and ,jesus said unto me1 ,go thy way2 and as thou hast believed so be it done unto thee4 ,and my servant was healed from that same hour4 #ch ,then a certain nobleman said1 ,i had a son in ,capernaum1 who lay at the point of death2 and when ,i heard that ,jesus was come into ,galilee1 ,i went and besought him that he would come down to my house1 and heal my son1 for he was at the point of death4 #ci ,he said to me1 ,go thy way1 thy son liveth4 #dj ,and my son was cured from that hour4 #da ,besides these1 also many others of the ,jews1 both men and ,women1 cried out and said1 ,he is truly the ,son of ,god1 who cures all diseases only by his word1 and to whom the devils are altogether subject4 #db ,some of them farther said1 ,this power can proceed from none but ,god4 #dc ,pilate said to the ,jews1 ,why are not the devils subject to your doctors8 #dd ,some of them said1 ,the power of subjecting devils cannot proceed but from ,god4 #de ,but others said to ,pilate1 ,that he had raised ,lazarus from the dead1 after he had been four days in his grave4 #df ,the governor hearing this1 trembling1 said to the multitude of the ,jews1 ,what will it profit you to shed innocent blood8 ,,chapter ,,vi4 #a ,pilate dismayed by the turbulence of the ,jews1 #e who demand ,barabbas to be released1 and ,christ to be crucified4 #i ,pilate warmly expostulates with them1 #bj washes his hands of ,christ's blood1 #bc and sentences him to be whipped and crucified4 ,,then ,pilate having called together ,nicodemus1 and the fifteen men who said that ,jesus was not born through fornication1 said to them1 ,what shall ,i do1 seeing there is like to be a tumult among the people4 #b ,they say unto him1 ,we know not2 let them look to it who raise the tumult4 #c ,pilate then called the multitude again1 and said to them1 ,ye know that ye have a custom1 that ,i should release to you one prisoner at the feast of the passover3 #d ,i have a noted prisoner1 a murderer1 who is called ,barabbas1 and ,jesus who is called ,christ1 in whom ,i find nothing that deserves death2 which of them1 therefore1 have you a mind that ,i should release to you8 #e ,they all cry out1 and say1 ,release to us ,barabbas4 #f ,pilate saith to them1 ,what then shall ,i do with ,jesus who is called ,christ8 #g ,they all answer1 ,let him be crucified4 #h ,again they cry out and say to ,pilate1 ,you are not the friend of ,caesar1 if you release this man2 for he hath declared that he is the ,son of ,god1 and a king4 ,but are you inclined that he should be king1 and not ,caesar8 #i ,then ,pilate filled with anger said to them1 ,your nation hath always been seditious1 and you are always against those who have been serviceable to you4 #aj ,the ,jews replied1 ,who are those who have been serviceable to us8 #aa ,pilate answered them1 ,your ,god who delivered you from the hard bondage of the ,egyptians1 and brought you over the ,red ,sea as though it had been dry land1 and fed you in the wilderness with manna and the flesh of quails1 and brought water out of the rock1 and gave you a law from heaven4 #ab ,ye provoked him all ways1 and desired for yourselves a molten calf1 and worshipped it1 and sacrificed to it1 and said1 ,these are thy ,gods1 ,o ,israel1 which brought thee out of the land of ,egypt3 #ac ,on account of which your ,god was inclined to destroy you2 but ,moses interceded for you1 and your ,god heard him1 and forgave your iniquity4 #ad ,afterwards ye were enraged against1 and would have killed your prophets1 ,moses and ,aaron1 when they fled to the tabernacle1 and ye were always murmuring against ,god and his prophets4 #ae ,and arising from his judgment seat1 he would have gone out2 but the ,jews all cried out1 ,we acknowledge ,caesar to be king1 and not ,jesus2 #af ,whereas this person1 as soon as he was born1 the wise men came and offered gifts unto him2 which when ,herod heard1 he was exceedingly troubled1 and would have killed him3 #ag ,when his father knew this1 he fled with him and his mother ,mary into ,egypt4 ,herod1 when he heard he was born1 would have slain him2 and accordingly sent and slew all the children which were in ,bethlehem1 and in all the coasts thereof1 from two years old and under4 #ah ,when ,pilate heard this account1 he was afraid2 and commanding silence among the people1 who made a noise1 he said to ,jesus1 ,art thou therefore a king8 #ai ,all the ,jews replied to ,pilate1 he is the very person whom ,herod sought to have slain4 #bj ,then ,pilate taking water1 washed his hands before the people and said1 ,i am innocent of the blood of this just person2 look ye to it4 #ba ,the ,jews answered and said1 ,his blood be upon us and our children4 #bb ,then ,pilate commanded ,jesus to be brought before him1 and spake to him in the following words2 #bc ,thy own nation hath charged thee as making thyself a king2 wherefore ,i1 ,pilate1 sentence thee to be whipped according to the laws of former governors2 and that thou be first bound1 then hanged upon a cross in that place where thou art now a prisoner2 and also two criminals with thee1 whose names are ,dimas and ,gestas4 ,,chap4 ,,vii4 #a ,manner of ,christ's crucifixion with the two thieves4 ,,then ,jesus went out of the hall1 and the two thieves with him4 #b ,and when they came to the place which is called ,golgotha1 they stript him of his raiment1 and girt him about with a linen cloth1 and put a crown of thorns upon his head1 and put a reed in his hand4 #c ,and in like manner did they to the two thieves who were crucified with him1 ,dimas on his right hand and ,gestas on his left4 #d ,but ,jesus said1 ,my ,father1 forgive them1 ,for they know not what they do4 #e ,and they divided his garments1 and upon his vesture they cast lots4 #f ,the people in the mean time stood by1 and the chief priests and elders of the ,jews mocked him1 saying1 ,he saved others1 let him now save himself if he can2 if he be the son of ,god1 let him now come down from the cross4 #g ,the soldiers also mocked him1 and taking vinegar and gall1 offered it to him to drink1 and said to him1 ,if thou art king of the ,jews1 deliver thyself4 #h ,then ,longinus1 a certain soldier1 taking a spear1' pierced his side1 and presently there came forth blood and water4 #i ,and ,pilate wrote the title upon the cross in ,hebrew1 ,latin1 and ,greek letters1 viz41 ,,this ,,is ,,the ,,king ,,of ,,the ,,jews4 #aj ,but one of the two thieves who were crucified with ,jesus1 whose name was ,gestas1 said to ,jesus1 ,if thou art the ,christ1 deliver thyself and us4 #aa ,but the thief who was crucified on his right hand1 whose name was ,dimas1 answering1 rebuked him1 and said1 ,dost not thou fear ,god1 who art condemned to this punishment8 ,we indeed receive rightly and justly the demerit of our actions2 but this ,jesus1 what evil hath he done4 #ab ,after this1 groaning1 he said to ,jesus1 ,lord1 remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom4 #ac ,jesus answering1 said to him1 ,verily ,i say unto thee1 that this day thou shalt be with me in ,paradise4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 #a ,miraculous appearance at his death4 #aj ,the ,jews say the eclipse was natural4 #ab ,joseph of ,arimathcea embalms ,christ's body and buries it4 ,,and it was about the sixth hour1 and darkness was upon the face of the whole earth until the ninth hour4 #b ,and while the sun was eclipsed1 behold the veil of the temple was rent from the top1 to the bottom2 and the rocks also were rent1 and the graves opened1 and many bodies of saints1 which slept1 arose4 #c ,and about the ninth hour ,jesus cried out with a loud voice1 ,eli1 ,eli1 lama sabacthani8 which being interpreted is1 ,my ,god1 ,my ,god1 why hast thou forsaken me8 #d ,and after these things1 ,jesus said1 ,father1 into thy hands ,i commend my spirit2 and having said this1 he gave up the ghost4 #e ,but when the centurion saw that ,jesus thus crying out gave up the ghost1 he glorified ,god1 and said1 ,of a truth this was a just man4 #f ,and all the people who stood by1 were exceedingly troubled at the sight2 and reflecting upon what had passed1 smote upon their breasts1 and then returned to the city of ,jerusalem4 #g ,the centurion went to the governor1 and related to him all that had passed3 #h ,and when he had heard all these things1 he was exceedingly sorrowful2 #i ,and calling the ,jews together1 said to them1 ,have ye seen the miracle of the sun's eclipse1 and the other things which came to pass1 while ,jesus was dying8 #aj ,which when the ,jews heard1 they answered to the governor1 ,the eclipse of the sun happened according to its usual custom4 #aa ,but all those who were the acquaintance of ,christ1 stood at a distance1 as did the women who had followed ,jesus from ,galilee1 observing all these things4 #ab ,and behold a certain man of ,arimathaea1 named ,joseph1 who was also a disciple of ,jesus1 but not openly so1 for fear of the ,jews1 came to the governor1 and entreated the governor that he would give him leave to take away the body of ,jesus from the cross4 #ac ,and the governor gave him leave4 #ad ,and ,nicodemus came1 bringing with him a mixture of myrrh and aloes about a hundred pounds weight2 and they took down ,jesus from the cross with tears1 and bound him in linen cloths with spices1 according to the custom of burying among the ,jews2 #ae ,and placed him in a new tomb1 which ,joseph had built1 and caused to be cut out of a rock1 in which never any man had been put2 and they rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 #a ,the ,jews angry with ,nicodemus3 #e and with1 ,joseph of ,arimathaea1 #g whom they imprison4 ,,when the unjust ,jews heard that ,joseph had begged and buried the body of ,jesus1 they sought after ,nicodemus1 and those fifteen men who had testified before the governor1 that ,jesus was not born through fornication1 and other good persons who had shown any good actions towards him4 #b ,but when they all concealed themselves through fear of the ,jews1 ,nicodemus alone showed himself to them1 and said1 ,how can such persons as these enter into the synagogue8 #c ,the ,jews answered him1 ,but how durst thou enter into the synagogue1 who wast a confederate with ,christ8 ,let thy lot be along with him in the other world4 #d ,nicodemus answered1 ,amen2 so may it be1 that ,i may have my lot with him in his kingdom4 #e ,in like manner ,joseph1 when he came to the ,jews1 said to them1 ,why are ye angry with me for desiring the body of ,jesus of ,pilate8 ,behold1 ,i have put him in my tomb1 and wrapped him up in clean linen1 and put a stone at the door of the sepulchre3 #f ,i have acted rightly towards him2 but ye have acted unjustly against that just person1 in crucifying him1 giving him vinegar to drink1 crowning him with thorns1 tearing his body with whips1 and praying down the guilt of his blood upon you4 #g ,the ,jews at the hearing of this were disquieted and troubled2 and they seized ,joseph1 and commanded him to be put in custody before the ,sabbath1 and kept there till the ,sabbath was over4 #h ,and they said to him1 ,make confession2 for at this time it is not lawful to do thee any harm1 till the first day of the week come4 ,but we know that thou wilt not be thought worthy of a burial2 but we will give thy flesh to the birds of the air1 and the beasts of the earth4 #i ,joseph answered1 ,that speech is like the speech of proud ,goliath1 who reproached the living ,god in speaking against ,david4 ,but ye scribes and doctors know that ,god saith by the prophet1 ,vengeance is mine1 and ,i will repay to you evil equal to that which ye have threatened to me4 #aj ,the ,god whom you have hanged upon the cross1 is able to deliver me out of your hands4 ,all your wickedness will return upon you4 #aa ,for the governor1 when he washed his hands1 said1 ,i am clear from the blood of this just person4 ,but ye answered and cried out1 ,his blood be upon us and our children4 ,according as ye have said1 may ye perish for ever4 #ab ,the elders of the ,jews hearing these words1 were exceedingly enraged2 and seizing ,joseph1 they put him into a chamber where there was no window2 they fastened the door1 and put a seal upon the lock2 #ac ,and ,annas and ,caiaphas placed a guard upon it1 and took counsel with the priests and ,levites1 that they should all meet after the ,sabbath1 and they contrived to what death they should put ,joseph4 #ad ,when they had done this1 the rulers1 ,annas and ,caiaphas1 ordered ,joseph to be brought forth4 7,in this place there is a portion of the ,gospel lost or omitted4 which cannot be supplied4 ,it may1 nevertheless1 be surmised from the occurrence related in the next chapter1 that the order of ,annas and ,caiaphas were rendered unnecessary by ,joseph's miraculous escape1 and which was announced to an assembly of people47 ,,chapter ,x4 #a ,joseph's escape4 #b ,the soldiers relate ,christ's resurrection4 #ah ,christ is seen preaching in ,galilee4 #ba ,the ,jews repent of their cruelty to him4 ,,when all the assembly heard this 7about ,joseph's escape71 they admired and were astonished1 because they found the same seal upon the lock of the chamber1 and could not find ,joseph4 #b ,then ,annas and ,caiaphas went forth1 and while they were all admiring at ,joseph's being gone1 behold one of the soldiers1 who kept the sepulchre of ,jesus1 spake in the assembly1 #c ,that while they were guarding the sepulchre of ,jesus1 there was an earthquake2 and we saw an angel of ,god roll away the stone of the sepulchre and sit upon it2 #d ,and his countenance was like lightning and his garment like snow2 and we became through fear like persons dead4 #e ,and we heard an angel saying to the women at the sepulchre of ,jesus1 ,do not fear2 ,i know that you seek ,jesus who was crucified2 he is risen as he foretold2 #f ,come and see the place where he was laid2 and go presently1 and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead2 and he will go before you into ,galilee2 there ye shall see him as he told you4 #g ,then the ,jews called together all the soldiers who kept the sepulchre of ,jesus1 and said to them1 ,who are those women1 to whom the angel spoke8 ,why did ye not seize them4 #h ,the soldiers answered and said1 ,we know not who the women were2 besides we became as dead persons through fear1 and how could we seize those women8 #i ,the ,jews said to them1 ,as the ,lord liveth1 we do not believe you2 #aj ,the soldiers answering said to the ,jews1 when ye saw and heard ,jesus working so many miracles1 and did not believe him1 how should ye believe us8 ,ye well said1 ,as the ,lord liveth1 for the ,lord truly does live4 #aa ,we have heard that ye shut up ,joseph1 who buried the body of ,jesus1 in a chamber1 under a lock which was sealed2 and when ye opened it1 found him not there4 #ab ,do ye then produce ,joseph whom ye put under guard in the chamber1 and we will produce ,jesus whom we guarded in the sepulchre4 #ac ,the ,jews answered and said1 ,we will produce ,joseph1 do ye produce ,jesus4 ,but ,joseph is in his own city of ,arimathaea4 #ad ,the soldiers replied1 ,if ,joseph be in ,arimathaea1 and ,jesus in ,galilee1 we heard the angel inform the women4 #ae ,the ,jews hearing this1 were afraid1 and said among themselves1 ,if by any means these things should become public1 then everybody will believe in ,jesus4 #af ,then they gathered a large sum of money1 and gave it to the soldiers1 saying1 ,do ye tell the people that the disciples of ,jesus came in the night when ye were asleep1 and stole away the body of ,jesus2 and if ,pilate the governor should hear of this1 we will satisfy him and secure you4 #ag ,the soldiers accordingly took the money1 and said as they were instructed by the ,jews2 and their report was spread abroad among all the people4 #ah ,but a certain priest ,phinees1 ,ada a schoolmaster1 and a ,levite1 named ,ageus1 they three came from ,galilee to ,jerusalem1 and told the chief priests and all who were in the synagogues1 saying1 #ai ,we have seen ,jesus1 whom ye crucified1 talking with his eleven disciples1 and sitting in the midst of them in ,mount ,olivet1 and saying to them1 #bj ,go forth into the whole world1 preach the ,gospel to all nations1 baptizing them in the name of the ,father1 and the ,son1 and the ,holy ,ghost2 and whosoever shall believe and be baptized1 shall be saved4 #ba ,and when he had said these things to his disciples1 we saw him ascending up to heaven4 #bb ,when the chief priests and elders1 and ,levites heard these things1 they said to these three men1 ,give glory to the ,god of ,israel1 and make confession to him1 whether those things are true1 which ye say ye have seen and heard4 #bc ,they answering said1 ,as the ,lord of our fathers liveth1 the ,god of ,abraham1 and the ,god of ,isaac1 and the ,god of ,jacob1 according as we heard ,jesus talking with his disciples1 and according as we saw him ascending up to heaven1 so we have related the truth to you4 #bd ,and the three men farther answered1 and said1 adding these words1 ,if we should not own the words which we heard ,jesus speak1 and that we saw him ascending into heaven1 we should be guilty of sin4 #be ,then the chief priests immediately rose up1 and holding the book of the law in their hands1 conjured these men1 saying1 ,ye shall no more hereafter declare those things which ye have spoken concerning ,jesus4 #bf ,and they gave them a large sum of money1 and sent other persons along with them1 who should conduct them to their own country1 that they might not by any means make any stay at ,jerusalem4 #bg ,then the ,jews did assemble all together1 and having expressed the most lamentable concern said1 ,what is this extraordinary thing which is come to pass in ,jerusalem8 #bh ,but ,annas and ,caiaphas comforted them1 saying1 ,why should we believe the soldiers who guarded the sepulchre of ,jesus1 in telling us1 that an angel rolled away the stone from the door of the sepulchre8 #bi ,perhaps his own disciples told them this1 and gave them money that they should say so1 and they themselves took away the body of ,jesus4 #cj ,besides1 consider this1 that there is no credit to be given to foreigners1 because they also took a large sum of us1 and they have declared to us according to the instructions which we gave them4 ,they must either be faithful to us or to the disciples of ,jesus4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 #a ,nicodemus counsels the ,jews4 #f ,joseph found4 #aa ,invited by the ,jews to return4 #ai ,relates the manner of his miraculous escape4 ,,then ,nicodemus arose1 and said1 ,ye say right1 ,o sons of ,israel2 ye have heard what those three men have sworn by the ,law of ,god1 who said1 ,we have seen ,jesus speaking with his disciples upon mount ,olivet1 and we saw him ascending up to heaven4 #b ,and the scripture teacheth us that the blessed prophet ,elijah was taken up to heaven1 and ,elisha being asked by the sons of the prophets1 ,where is our father ,elijah8 ,he said to them1 that he is taken up to heaven4 #c ,and the sons of the prophets said to him1 ,perhaps the spirit hath carried him into one of the mountains of ,israel1 there perhaps we shall find him4 ,and they besought ,elisha1 and he walked about with them three days1 and they could not find him4 #d ,and now hear me1 ,o sons of ,israel1 and let us send men into the mountains of ,israel1 lest perhaps the spirit hath carried away ,jesus1 and there perhaps we shall find him1 and be satisfied4 #e ,and the counsel of ,nicodemus pleased all the people2 and they sent forth men who sought for ,jesus1 but could not find him2 and they returning1 said1 ,we went all about1 but could not find ,jesus1 but we have found ,joseph in his city of ,arimathaea4 #f ,the rulers hearing this1 and all the people1 were glad1 and praised the ,god of ,israel1 because ,joseph was found1 whom they had shut up in a chamber1 and could not find4 #g ,and when they had formed a large assembly1 the chief priests said1 ,by what means shall we bring ,joseph to us to speak with him8 #h ,and taking a piece of paper1 they wrote to him1 and said1 ,peace be with thee1 and all thy family1 ,we know that we have offended against ,god and thee4 ,be pleased to give a visit to us1 your fathers1 for we were perfectly surprised at your escape from prison4 #i ,we know that it was malicious counsel which we took against thee1 and that the ,lord took care of thee1 and the ,lord himself delivered thee from our designs4 ,peace be unto thee1 ,joseph1 who art honourable among all the people4 #aj ,and they chose seven of ,joseph's friends1 and said to them1 ,when ye come to ,joseph1 salute him in peace1 and give him this letter4 #aa ,accordingly1 when the men came to ,joseph1 they did salute him in peace1 and gave him the letter4 #ab ,and when ,joseph had read it1 he said1 ,blessed be the ,lord ,god1 who didst deliver me from the ,israelites1 that they could not shed my blood4 ,blessed be ,god1 who hast protected me under thy wings4 #ac ,and ,joseph kissed them1 and took them into his house4 ,and on the morrow1 ,joseph mounted his ass1 and went along with them to ,jerusalem4 #ad ,and when all the ,jews heard these things1 they went out to meet him1 and cried out1 saying1 ,peace attend thy coming hither1 father ,joseph4 #ae ,to which he answered1 ,prosperity from the ,lord attend all the people4 #ac ,and they all kissed him2 and ,nicodemus took him to his house1 having prepared a large entertainment4 #ag ,but on the morrow1 being a preparation-day1 ,annas1 and ,caiaphas1 and ,nicodemus1 said to ,joseph1 ,make confession to the ,god of ,israel1 and answer to us all those questions which we shall ask thee2 #ah ,for we have been very much troubled1 that thou didst bury the body of ,jesus2 and that when we had locked thee in a chamber1 we could not find thee2 and we have been afraid ever since1 till this time of thy appearing among us4 ,tell us therefore before ,god1 all that came to pass4 #ai ,then ,joseph answering1 said ,ye did indeed put me under confinement1 on the day of preparation1 till the morning4 #bj ,but while ,i was standing at prayer in the middle of the night1 the house was surrounded with four angels2 and ,i saw ,jesus as the brightness of the sun1 and fell down upon the earth for fear4 #ba ,but ,jesus laying hold on my hand1 lifted me from the ground1 and the dew was then sprinkled upon me2 but he1 wiping my face1 kissed me1 and said unto me1 ,fear not1 ,joseph2 look upon me for it is ,i4 #bb ,then ,i looked upon him1 and said1 ,rabboni ,elias6 ,he answered me1 ,i am not ,elias1 but ,jesus of ,nazareth1 whose body thou didst bury4 #bc ,i said to him1 show me the tomb in which ,i laid thee4 #bd ,then ,jesus1 taking me by the hand1 led me unto the place where ,i laid him1 and showed me the linen clothes1 and napkin which ,i put round his head4 ,then ,i knew that it was ,jesus1 and worshipped him1 and said2 ,blessed be he who cometh in the name of the ,lord4 #be ,jesus again taking me by the hand1 led me to ,arimathaea1 to my own house1 and said to me1 ,peace be to thee2 but go not out of thy house till the fortieth day2 but ,i must go to my disciples4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 #a ,the ,jews astonished and confounded4 #af ,simeon's two sons1 ,charinus and ,lenthius1 rise from the dead at ,christ's crucifixion4 #ai ,joseph proposes to get them to relate the mysteries of their resurrection4 #ba ,they are sought and found1 #bb brought to the synagogue1 #bc privately sworn to secrecy1 #be and undertake to write what they had seen4 ,,when the chief priests and ,levites heard all these things1 they were astonished1 and fell down with their faces on the ground as dead men1 and crying out to one another1 said1 ,what is this extraordinary sign which is come to pass in ,jerusalem8 ,we know the father and mother of ,jesus4 #b ,and a certain ,levite said1 ,i know many of his relations1 religions persons1 who are wont to offer sacrifices and burnt-offerings to the ,god of ,israel1 in the temple1 with prayers4 #c ,and when the high-priest ,simeon took him up in his arms1 he said to him1 ,lord1 now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace1 according to thy word2 for mine eyes have seen thy salvation1 which then halt prepared before the face of all people2 a light to enlighten the ,gentiles1 and the glory of thy people ,israel4 #d ,simeon in like manner blessed ,mary the ,mother of ,jesus1 and said to her1 ,i declare to thee concerning that child2 ,he is appointed for the fall and rising again of many1 and for a sign which shall be spoken against2 #e ,yea1 a sword shall pierce through thine own soul also1 and the thoughts of many hearts shall he revealed4 #f ,then said all the ,jews1 ,let us send to those three men1 who said they saw him talking with his disciples in mount ,olivet4 #g ,after this1 they asked them what they had seen2 who answered with one accord1 ,in the presence of the ,god of ,israel we affirm1 that we plainly saw ,jesus talking with his disciples in ,mount ,olivet1 and ascending up to heaven4 #h ,then ,annas and ,caiaphas took them into separate places1 and examined them separately2 who unanimously confessed the truth1 and said1 they had seen ,jesus4 #i ,then ,annas and ,caiaphas said ,our law saith1 ,by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established4 #aj ,but what have we said8 ,the blessed ,enoch pleased ,god1 and was translated by the word of ,god2 and the burying-place of the blessed ,moses is known4 #aa ,but ,jesus was delivered to ,pilate1 whipped1 crowned with thorns1 spit upon1 pierced with a spear1 crucified1 died upon the cross1 and was buried1 and his body the honourable ,joseph buried in a new sepulchre1 and he testifies that he saw him alive4 #ab ,and besides1 these men have declared1 that they saw him talking with his disciples in ,mount ,olivet1 and ascending up to heaven4 #ac ,then ,joseph rising up1 said to ,annas and ,caiaphas1 ,ye may be justly under a great surprise1 that you have been told1 that ,jesus is alive1 and gone up to heaven4 #ad ,it is indeed a thing really surprising1 that he should not only himself arise from the dead1 but also raise others from their graves1 who have been seen by many in ,jerusalem4 #ae ,and now hear me a little ,we all knew the blessed ,simeon1 the high-priest1 who took ,jesus when an infant into his arms in the temple4 #af ,this same ,simeon had two sons of his own1 and we were all present at their death and funeral4 #ag ,go therefore and see their tombs1 for these are open1 and they are risen3 and behold1 they are in the city of ,arimathaea1 spending their time together in offices of devotion4 #ah ,some1 indeed1 have heard the sound of their voices in prayer1 but they will not discourse with anyone1 but they continue as mute as dead men4 #ai ,but come1 let us go to them1 and behave ourselves towards them with all due respect and caution4 ,and if we can bring them to swear1 perhaps they will tell us some of the mysteries of their resurrection4 #bj ,when the ,jews heard this they were exceedingly rejoiced4 #ba ,then ,annas and ,caiaphas1 ,nicodemus1 ,joseph1 and ,gamaliel1 went to ,arimathaea1 but did not find them in their graves2 but walking about the city1 they found them on their bended knees at their devotions3 #bb ,then saluting them with all respect and deference to ,god1 they brought them to the synagogue at ,jerusalem2 and having shut the gates1 they took the book of the law of the ,lord1 #bc ,and putting it in their hands1 swore them by ,god ,adonai1 and the ,god of ,israel1 who spake to our fathers by the law and the prophets1 saying1 ,if ye believe him who raised you from the dead1 to be ,jesus1 tell us what ye have seen1 and how ye were raised from the dead4 #bd ,charinus and ,lenthius1 the two sons of ,simeon1 trembled when they heard these things1 and were disturbed1 and groaned2 and at the same time looking up to heaven1 they made the sign of the cross with their fingers on their tongues1 #be ,and immediately they spake1 and said1 ,give each of us some paper1 and we will write down for you all those things which we have seen4 ,and they each sat down and wrote1 saying3-- ,,chapter ,,xiii4 #a ,the narrative of ,charinus and ,lenthius commences4 #c ,a great light in hell4 #g ,simeon arrives1 and announces the coming of ,christ4 ,o ,,lord ,jesus and ,father1 who art ,god1 also the resurrection and life of the dead1 give us leave to declare thy mysteries1 which we saw after death1 belonging to thy cross2 for we are sworn by thy name4 #b ,for thou hast forbidden thy servants to declare the secret things1 which were wrought by thy divine power in hell4 #c ,when we were ,placed with our fathers in the dept of hell1 in the blackness of darkness1 on a sudden there appeared the colour of the sun like gold1 and a substantial purple-coloured light enlightening the place4 #d ,presently upon this1 ,adam1 the father of all mankind1 with all the patriarchs and prophets1 rejoiced and said1 ,that light is the author of everlasting light1 who hath promised to translate us to everlasting light4 #e ,then ,isaiah the prophet cried out and said1 ,this is the light of the ,father1 and the ,son of ,god1 according to my prophecy1 when ,i was alive upon earth4 #f ,the land of ,zabulon1 and the land of ,nephthalim1 beyond ,jordan1 a people who walked in darkness1 saw a great light2 and to them who dwelled in the region of the shadow of death1 light is arisen4 ,and now he is come1 and hath enlightened us who sat in death4 #g ,and while we were all rejoicing in the light which shone upon us1 our father ,simeon came among us1 and congratulating all the company1 said1 ,glorify the ,lord ,jesus ,christ the ,son of ,god4 #h ,whom ,i took up in my arms when an infant in the temple1 and being moved by the ,holy ,ghost1 said to him1 and acknowledged1 ,that now mine eyes have seen thy salvation1 which thou hast prepared before the face of all people2 a light to enlighten the ,gentiles1 and the glory of thy people ,israel4 #i ,all the saints who were in the depth of hell1 hearing this1 rejoiced the more4 #aj ,afterwards there came forth one like a little hermit1 and was asked by every one1 ,who art thou8 #aa ,to which he replied1 ,i am the voice of one crying in the wilderness1 ,john the ,baptist1 and the prophet of the ,most ,high1 who went before his coming to prepare his way1 to give the knowledge of salvation to his people for the forgiveness of sins4 #ab ,and ,i1 ,john1 when ,i saw ,jesus coming to me1 being moved by the ,holy ,ghost1 ,i said1 ,behold the ,lamb of ,god1 behold him who takes away the sins of the world4 #ac ,and ,i baptized him in the river ,jordan1 and saw the ,holy ,ghost descending upon him in the form of a dove1 and heard a voice from heaven saying1 ,this is my beloved ,son1 in whom ,i am well pleased4 #ad ,and now while ,i was going before him1 ,i came down hither to acquaint you1 that the ,son of ,god will next visit us1 and1 as the day-spring from on high1 will come to us1 who are in darkness and the shadow of death4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 #a ,adam causes ,seth to relate what he heard from ,michael the archangel1 when he sent him to ,paradise to entreat ,god to anoint his head in his sickness4 ,,but when the first man our father ,adam heard these things1 that ,jesus was baptized in ,jordan1 he called out to his son ,seth1 and said1 #b ,declare to your sons1 the patriarchs and prophets1 all those things1 which thou didst hear from ,michael1 the archangel1 when ,i sent thee to the gates of ,paradise1 to entreat ,god that he would annoint my head when ,i was sick4 #c ,then ,seth1 coming near to the patriarchs and prophets1 said1 ,i1 ,seth1 when ,i was praying to ,god at the gates of ,paradise1 beheld the angel of the ,lord1 ,michael1 appear unto me1 saying1 ,i am sent unto thee from the ,lord2 ,i am appointed to preside over human bodies4 #d ,i tell thee1 ,seth1 do not pray to ,god in tears1 and entreat him for the oil of the tree of mercy wherewith to anoint thy father ,adam for his head-ache2 #e ,because thou canst not by any means obtain it till the last day and times1 namely1 till five thousand and five hundred years be past4 #f ,then will ,christ1 the most merciful ,son of ,god1 come on earth to raise again the human body of ,adam1 and at the same time to raise the bodies of the dead1 and when he cometh he will be baptized in ,jordan2 #g ,then with the oil of his mercyhe will anoint all those who believe in him2 and the oil of his mercy will continue to future generations1 for those who shall be born of the water and the ,holy ,ghost unto eternal life4 #h ,and when at that time the most merciful ,son of ,god1 ,christ ,jesus1 shall come down on earth1 he will introduce our father ,adam into ,paradise1 to the tree of mercy4 #i ,when all the patriarchs and prophets heard all these things from ,seth1 they rejoiced more4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 #a ,quarrel between ,satan and the prince of hell1 concerning the expected arrival of ,christ in hell4 ,,while all the saints were rejoicing1 behold ,satan1 the prince and captain of death1 said to the prince of hell1 #b ,prepare to receive ,jesus of ,nazareth himself1 who boasted that he was the ,son of ,god1 and yet was a man afraid of death1 and said1 ,my soul is sorrowful even to death4 #c ,besides he did many injuries to me and to many others2 for those whom ,i made blind and lame and those also whom ,i tormented with several devils1 he cured by his word2 yea1 and those whom ,i brought dead to thee1 he by force takes away from thee4 #d ,to this the prince of hell replied to ,satan1 ,who is that so powerful prince1 and yet a man who is afraid of death8 #e ,for all the potentates of the earth are subject to my power1 whom thou broughtest to subjection by thy power4 #f ,but if he be so powerful in his human nature1 ,i affirm to thee for truth1 that he is almighty in his divine nature1 and no man can resist his power3 #g ,when therefore he said he was afraid of death1 he designed to ensnare thee1 and unhappy it will be to thee for everlasting ages1 #h ,then ,satan replying1 said to the prince of hell1 ,why didst thou express a doubt1 and wast afraid to receive that ,jesus of ,nazareth1 both thy adversary and mine8 #i ,as for me1 ,i tempted him and stirred up my old people the ,jews with zeal and anger against him2 #aj ,i sharpened the spear for his suffering2 ,i mixed the gall and vinegar1 and commanded that he should drink it2 ,i prepared the cross to crucify him1 and the nails to pierce through his hands and feet2 and now his death is near at hand1 ,i will bring him hither1 subject both to thee and me4 #aa ,then the prince of hell answering1 said1 ,thou saidst to me just now1 that he took away the dead from me by force4 #ab ,they who have been kept here till they should live again upon earth1 were taken away hence1 not by their own power1 but by prayers made to ,god1 and their almighty ,god took them from me4 #ac ,who then is that ,jesus of ,nazareth that by his word hath taken away the dead from me without prayer to ,god8 #ad ,perhaps it is the same who took away from me ,lazarus1 after he had been four days dead1 and did both stink and was rotten1 and of whom ,i had possession as a dead person1 yet he brought him to life again by his power4 #ae ,satan answering1 replied to the prince of hell1 ,it is the very same person1 ,jesus of ,nazareth4 #af ,which when the prince of hell heard1 he said to him1 ,i adjure thee by the powers which belong to thee and me1 that thou bring him not to me4 #ag ,for when ,i heard of the power of his word1 ,i trembled for fear1 and all my impious company were at the same disturbed2 #ah ,and we were not able to detain ,lazarus1 but he gave himself a shake1 and with all the signs of malice he immediately went away from us2 and the very earth1 in which the dead body of ,lazarus was lodged1 presently turned him out alive4 #ai ,and ,i know now that he is ,almighty ,god who could perform such things1 who is mighty in his dominion1 and mighty in his human nature1 who is the ,saviour of mankind4 #bj ,bring not therefore this person hither1 for he will set at liberty all those whom ,i hold in prison under unbelief1 and bound with the fetters of their sins1 and will conduct them to everlasting life4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 #a ,christ's arrival at hell-gates2 the confusion thereupon4 #ai ,he descends into hell4 ,,and while ,satan and the ,prince of hell were discoursing thus to each other1 on a sudden there was a voice as of thunder1 and the rushing of winds1 saying1 ,lift up your gates1 ,o ye princes2 and be ye lift up1 ,o everlasting gates1 and the ,king of ,glory shall come in4 #b ,when the prince of hell heard this1 he said to ,satan1 ,depart from me1 and begone out of my habitations2 if thou art a powerful warrior1 fight with the ,king of ,glory4 ,but what hast thou to do with him8 #c ,and he cast him forth from his habitations4 #d ,and the prince said to his impious officers1 ,shut the brass gates of cruelty1 and make them fast with iron bars1 and fight courageously1 lest we be taken captives4 #e ,but when all the company of the saints heard this they spake with a loud voice of anger to the prince of hell1 #f ,open thy gates1 that the ,king of ,glory may come in4 #g ,and the divine prophet ,david cried out1 saying1 ,did not ,i1 when on earth1 truly prophesy and say1 ,o that men would praise the ,lord for his goodness1 and for his wonderful works to the children of men6 #h ,for he hath broken the gates of brass1 and cut the bars of iron in sunder4 ,he hath taken them because of their iniquity1 and because of their unrighteousness they are afflicted4 #i ,after this1 another prophet1 namely1 holy ,isaiah1 spake in like manner to all the saints1 ,did not ,i rightly prophesy to you when ,i was alive on earth8 #aj ,the dead men shall live1 and they shall rise again who are in their graves1 and they shall rejoice who are in the earth2 for the dew which is from the ,lord1 shall bring deliverance to them4 #aa ,and ,i said in another place1 ,o grave1 where is thy victory8 ,o death1 where is thy sting8 #ab ,when all the saints heard these things spoken by ,isaiah1 they said to the prince of hell1 ,open now thy gates1 and take away thine iron bars2 for thou wilt now be bound1 and have no power4 #ac ,then was there a great voice1 as of the sound of thunder1 saying1 ,lift up your gates1 ,o princes2 and be ye lifted up1 ye gates of hell1 and the ,king of ,glory will enter in4 #ad ,the prince of hell perceiving the same voice repeated1 cried out1 as though he had been ignorant1 ,who is that ,king of ,glory8 #ae ,david replied to the prince of hell1 and said1 ,i understand the words of that voice1 because ,i spake them in his spirit4 ,and now1 as ,i have before said1 ,i say unto thee1 the ,lord strong and powerful1 the ,lord mighty in battle3 he is the ,king of ,glory1 and he is the ,lord in heaven and in earth4 #af ,he hath looked down to hear the groans of the prisoners1 and to set loose those that are appointed to death4 #ag ,and now1 thou filthy and stinking prince of hell1 open thy gates1 that the ,king of ,glory may enter in2 for he is the ,lord of heaven and earth4 #ah ,while ,david was saying this1 the mighty ,lord appeared in the form of a man1 and enlightened those places which had ever before been in darkness4 #ai ,and broke asunder the fetters which before could not be broken2 and with his invincible power visited those who sate in the deep darkness by iniquity1 and the shadow of death by sin4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 #a ,death and the devils in great horror at ,christ's coming4 #ac ,he tramples on death1 seizes the prince of hell1 and takes ,adam with him to ,heaven4 ,,impious death and her cruel officers hearing these things1 were seized with fear in their several kingdoms1 when they saw the clearness of the light1 #b ,and ,christ himself on a sudden appearing in their habitations1 they cried out therefore1 and said1 ,we are bound by thee2 thou seemest to intend our confusion before the ,lord4 #c ,who art thou1 who has no signs of corruption1 but that bright appearance which is a full proof of thy greatness1 of which yet thou seemest to take no notice8 #d ,who art thou1 so powerful1 and so weak1 so great and so little2 mean1 and yet a soldier of the first rank1 who can command in the form of a servant and a common soldier8 #e ,the king of ,glory1 dead and alive1 though once slain upon the cross8 #f ,who layest dead in the grave1 and art come down alive to us1 and in thy death all the creatures trembled1 and all the stars were moved2 and now hast thy liberty among the dead1 and givest disturbance to our legions8 #g ,who art thou1 who dost release the captives that were held in chains by original sin1 and bringest them into their former liberty8 #h ,who art thou1 who dost spread so glorious and divine a light over those who were made blind by the darkness of sin8 #i ,in like manner all the legions of devils were seized with the like horror1 and with the most submissive fear cried out1 and said1 #aj ,whence comes it1 ,o thou ,jesus ,christ1 that thou art a man so powerful and glorious in majesty so bright as to have no spot1 and so pure as to have no crime8 ,for that lower world of earth1 which was ever till now subject to us1 and from whence we received tribute1 never sent us such a dead man before1 never sent such presents as these to the princes of hell4 #aa ,who therefore art thou1 who with such courage enterest among our abodes1 and art not only not afraid to threaten us with the greatest punishments1 but also endeavourest to rescue all others from the chains in which we hold them8 #ab ,perhaps thou art that ,jesus1 of whom ,satan just now spoke to our prince1 that by the death of the cross thou wert about to receive the power of death4 #ac ,then the ,king of ,glory trampling upon death1 seized the prince of hell1 deprived him of all his power1 and took our earthly father ,adam with him to his glory4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 #a ,beelzebub1 prince of hell1 vehemently upbraids ,satan for persecuting ,christ and bringing him to hell4 #ad ,christ gives ,beelzebub dominion over ,satan forever1 as a recompence for taking away ,adam and his sons4 ,,then the prince of hell took ,satan1 and with great indignation said to him1 ,o thou prince of destruction1 author of ,beelzebub's defeat and banishment1 the scorn of ,god's angels and loathed by all righteous persons6 ,what inclined thee to act thus8 #b ,thou wouldst crucify the ,king of ,glory1 and by his destruction1 hast made us promises of very large advantages1 but as a fool wert ignorant of what thou wast about4 #c ,for behold now that ,jesus of ,nazareth1 with the brightness of his glorious divinity1 puts to flight all the horrid powers of darkness and death2 #d ,he has broke down our prisons from top to bottom1 dismissed all the captives1 released all who were bound1 and all who were wont formerly to groan under the weight of their torments1 have now insulted us1 and we are like to be defeated by their prayers4 #e ,our impious dominions are subdued1 and no part of mankind is now left in our subjection1 but on the other hand1 they all boldly defy us2 #f ,though1 before1 the dead never durst behave themselves insolently towards us1 nor being prisoners1 could ever on any occasion be merry4 #g ,o ,satan1 thou prince of all the wicked1 father of the impious and abandoned1 why wouldest thou attempt this exploit1 seeing our prisoners were hitherto always without the least hope of salvation and life8 #h ,but now there is not one of them does ever groan1 nor is there the least appearance of a tear in any of their faces4 #i ,o prince ,satan1 thou great keeper of the infernal regions1 all thy advantages which thou didst acquire by the forbidden tree1 and the loss of ,paradise1 thou hast now lost by the wood of the cross2 #aj ,and thy happiness all then expired1 when thou didst crucify ,jesus ,christ the ,king of ,glory4 #aa ,thou hast acted against thine own interest and mine1 as thou wilt presently perceive by those large torments and infinite punishments which thou art about to suffer4 #ab ,o ,satan1 prince of all evil1 author of death1 and source of all pride1 thou shouldest first have inquired into the evil crimes of ,jesus of ,nazareth1 and then thou wouldest have found that he was guilty of no fault worthy of death4 #ac ,why didst thou venture1 without either reason or justice1 to crucify him1 and hast brought down to our regions a person innocent and righteous1 and thereby hast lost all the sinners1 impious and unrighteous persons in the whole world8 #ad ,while the prince of hell was thus speaking to ,satan1 the ,king of ,glory said to ,beelzebub the prince of hell1 ,satan the prince shall he subject to thy dominions for ever1 in the room of ,adam and his righteous sons1 who are mine1 ,,chapter ,,xix4 #a ,christ takes ,adam by the hand1 the rest of the saints join hands1 and they all ascend with him to ,paradise4 ,,then ,jesus stretched forth his hand1 and said1 ,come to me1 all ye my saints1 who were created in my image1 who were condemned by the tree of the forbidden fruit1 and by the devil and death2 #b ,live now by the wood of my cross2 the devil1 the prince of this world1 is overcome1 and death is conquered1 #c ,then presently all the saints were joined together under the hand of the most high ,god2 and the ,lord ,jesus laid hold on ,adam's hand1 and said to him1 ,peace be to thee1 and all thy righteous posterity1 which is mine4 #d ,then ,adam1 casting himself at the feet of ,jesus1 addressed himself to him with tears1 in humble language1 and a loud voice1 saying1 #e ,i will extol thee1 ,o ,lord1 for thou halt lifted me up1 and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me4 ,o ,lord my ,god1 ,i cried unto thee1 and thou hast healed me4 #f ,o ,lord thou hast brought up my soul from the grave2 thou hast kept me alive1 that ,i should not go down to the pit4 #g ,sing unto the ,lord1 all ye saints of his1 and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness1 for his anger endureth but for a moment2 in his favour is life4 #h ,in like manner all the saints1 prostrate at the feet of ,jesus1 said with one voice1 ,thou art come1 ,o ,redeemer of the world1 and hast actually accomplished all things1 which thou didst foretell by the law and thy holy prophets4 #i ,thou hast redeemed the living by thy cross1 and art come down to us1 that by the death of the cross thou mightest deliver us from hell1 and by thy power from death4 #aj ,o ,lord1 as thou hast put the ensigns of thy glory in heaven1 and hast set up the sign of thy redemption1 even thy cross on earth2 so1 ,lord1 set the sign of the victory of thy cross in hell1 that death may have dominion no longer4 #aa ,then the ,lord stretching forth his hand1 made the sign of the cross upon ,adam1 and upon all his saints4 #ab ,and taking hold of ,adam by his right hand1 he ascended from hell1 and all the saints of ,god followed him4 #ac ,then the royal prophet1 ,david1 boldly cried1 and said1 ,o sing unto the ,lord a new song1 for he hath done marvellous things2 his right hand and his holy arm have gotten him the victory4 #ad ,the ,lord hath made known his salvation1 his righteousness hath he openly shewn in the sight of the heathen4 #ae ,and the whole multitude of saints answered1 saying1 ,this honour have all his saints1 ,amen1 ,praise ye the ,lord4 #af ,afterwards1 the prophet ,habbakuk cried out1 and said1 ,thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people1 even for salvation with thine anointed4 #ag ,and all the saints said1 ,blessed is he who cometh in the name of the ,lord2 for the ,lord hath enlightened us4 ,this is our ,god for ever and ever2 he shall reign over us to everlasting ages4 ,amen4 #ah ,in like manner all the prophets spake the sacred things of his praise1 and followed the ,lord4 ,,chapter ,,xx4 #a ,christ delivers ,adam to ,michael the archangel4 #c ,they meet ,enoch and ,elijah in heaven1 #e and also the blessed thief1 who relates how he came to ,paradise4 ,,then the ,lord1 holding ,adam by the hand1 delivered him to ,michael the archangel2 and he led them into ,paradise1 filled with mercy and glory2 #b ,and two very ancient men met them1 and were asked by the saints1 ,who are ye1 who have not yet been with us in hell1 and have had your bodies placed in ,paradise8 #c ,one of them answering1 said1 ,i am ,enoch1 who was translated by the word of ,god3 and this man who is with me1 is ,elijah the ,tishbite1 who was translated in a fiery chariot4 #d ,here we have hitherto been1 and have not tasted death1 but are now about to return at the coming of ,antichrist1 being armed with divine signs and miracles1 to engage with him in battle1 and to be slain by him at ,jerusalem1 and to be taken up alive again into the clouds1 after three days and a half4 #e ,and while the holy ,enoch and ,elias were relating this1 behold there came another man in a miserable figure1 carrying the sign of the cross upon his shoulders4 #f ,and when all the saints saw him1 they said to him1 ,who art thou8 ,for thy countenance is like a thief's2 and why dost thou carry a cross upon thy shoulders8 #g ,to which he answering1 said1 ,ye say right1 for ,i was a thief1 who committed all sorts of wicked4 ness upon earth4 #h ,and the ,jews crucified me with ,jesus2 and ,i observed the surprising things which happened in the creation at the crucifixion of the ,lord ,jesus4 #i ,and ,i believed him to be the ,creator of all things1 and the ,almighty ,king2 and ,i prayed to him1 saying1 ,lord remember me1 when thou comest into thy kingdom4 #aj ,he presently regarded my supplication1 and said to me1 ,verily ,i say unto thee1 this day thou shalt be with me in ,paradise4 #aa ,and he gave me this sign of the cross1 saying1 ,carry this1 and go to ,paradise2 and if the angel who is the guard of ,paradise will not admit thee1 show him the sign of the cross1 and say unto him ,jesus ,christ who is now crucified1 hath sent me hither to thee4 #ab ,when ,i did this and told the angel who is the guard of ,paradise all these things1 and he heard them1 he presently opened the gates1 introduced me1 and placed me on the right hand in ,paradise1 #ac ,saying1 ,stay here a little time1 till ,adam1 the father of all mankind1 shall enter in1 with all his sons1 who are the holy and righteous servants of ,jesus ,christ1 who was crucified4 #ad ,when they heard all this account from the thief1 all the patriarchs said with one voice1 ,blessed be thou1 ,o ,almighty ,god1 the ,father of everlasting goodness1 and the ,father of mercies1 who hast shown such favour to those who were sinners against him1 and hast brought them to the mercy of ,paradise1 and hast placed them amidst thy large and spiritual provisions1 in a spiritual and holy life4 ,amen4 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 #a ,charinus and ,lenthius being only allowed three days to remain on earth1 #g deliver in their narratives1 which miraculously correspond2 they vanish1 #ac and ,pilate records these transactions4 ,,these are the divine and sacred mysteries which we saw and heard4 ,we1 ,charinus and ,lenthius are not allowed to declare the other mysteries of ,god1 as the archangel ,michael ordered us1 #b ,saying1 ye shall go with my brethren to ,jerusalem1 and shall continue in prayers1 declaring and glorifying the resurrection of ,jesus ,christ1 seeing he hath raised you from the dead at the same time with himself4 #c ,and ye shall not talk with any man1 but sit as dumb persons till the time come when the ,lord will allow you to relate the mysteries of his divinity4 #d ,the archangel ,michael farther commanded us to go beyond ,jordan1 to an excellent and fat country1 where there are many who rose from the dead along with us for the proof of the resurrection of ,christ4 #e ,for we have only three days allowed us from the dead1 who arose to celebrate the passover of our ,lord with our parents1 and to bear our testimony for ,christ the ,lord1 and we have been baptized in the holy river of ,jordan4 ,and now they are not seen by any one4 #f ,this is as much as ,god allowed us to relate to you2 give ye therefore praise and honour to him1 and repent1 and he will have mercy upon you4 ,peace be to you from the ,lord ,god ,jesus ,christ1 and the ,saviour of us all4 ,amen1 ,amen1 ,amen4 #g ,and after they had made an end of writing1 and had written on two distinct pieces of paper1 ,charinus gave what he wrote into the hands of ,annas1 and ,caiaphas1 and ,gamaliel4 #h ,lenthius likewise gave what be wrote into the hands of ,nicodemus and ,joseph2 and immediately they were changed into exceeding white forms and were seen no more4 #i ,but what they had written was found perfectly to agree1 the one not containing one letter more or less than the other4 #aj ,when all the assembly of the ,jews heard all these surprising relations of ,charinus and ,lenthius1 they said to each other1 ,truly all these things were wrought by ,god1 and blessed be the ,lord ,jesus for ever and ever1 ,amen4 #aa ,and they went all out with great concern1 and fear1 and trembling1 and smote upon their breasts and went away every one to his home4 #ab ,but immediately all these things which were related by the ,jews in their synagogues concerning ,jesus1 were presently told by ,joseph and ,nicodemus to the governor4 #ac ,and ,pilate wrote down all these transactions1 and placed all these accounts in the public records of his hall4 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 #a ,pilate goes to the temple2 calls together the rulers1 and scribes1 and doctors4 #b ,commands the gates to be shut2 orders the book of the ,scriptures2 and causes the ,jews to relate what they really knew concerning ,christ4 #ad ,they declare that they crucified ,christ in ignorance1 and that they now know him to be the ,son of ,god1 according to the testimony of the ,scriptures2 which1 after they put him to death1 were examined4 ,,after these things ,pilate went to the temple of the ,jews1 and called together all the rulers and scribes1 and doctors of the law1 and went with them into a chapel of the temple4 #b ,and commanding that all the gates should be shut1 said to them1 ,i have heard that ye have a certain large book in this temple2 ,i desire you1 therefore1 that it may be brought before me4 #c ,and when the great book1 carried by four ministers of the temple1 and adorned with gold and precious stones1 was brought1 ,pilate said to them all1 ,i adjure you by the ,god of your ,fathers1 who made and commanded this temple to be built1 that ye conceal not the truth from me4 #d ,ye know all the things which are written in that book2 tell me therefore now1 if ye in the ,scriptures have found any thing of that ,jesus whom ye crucified1 and at what time of the world he1 ought to have come3 show it me4 #e ,then having sworn ,annas and ,caiaphas1 they commanded all the rest who were with them to go out of the chapel4 #f ,and they shut the gates of the temple and of the chapel1 and said to ,pilate1 ,thou hast made us to swear1 ,o judge1 by the building of this temple1 to declare to thee that which is true and right4 #g ,after we had crucified ,jesus1 not knowing that he was the ,son of ,god1 but supposing he wrought his miracles by some magical arts1 we summoned a large assembly in this temple4 #h ,and when we were deliberating among one another about the miracles which ,jesus had wrought1 we found many witnesses of our own country1 who declared that they had seen him alive after his death1 and that they heard him discoursing with his disciples1 and saw him ascending into the height of the heavens1 and entering into them2 #i ,and we saw two witnesses1 whose bodies ,jesus raised from the dead1 who told us of many strange things which ,jesus did among the dead1 of which we have a written account in our hands4 #aj ,and it is our custom annually to open this holy book before an assembly1 and to search there for the counsel of ,god4 #aa ,and we found in the first of the seventy books1 where ,michael the archangel is speaking to the third son of ,adam the first man1 an account that after five thousand five hundred years1 ,christ the most beloved son of ,god was to come on earth1 #ab ,and we further considered1 that perhaps he was the very ,god of ,israel who spoke to ,moses1 ,thou shalt make the ark of the testimony2 two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof1 and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof1 and a cubit and a half the height thereof4 #ac ,by these five cubits and a half for the building of the ark of the ,old ,testament1 we perceived and knew that in five thousand years and half 7one thousand7 years1 ,jesus ,christ was to come in the ark or tabernacle of a body2 #ad ,and so our ,scriptures testify that he is the ,son of ,god1 and the ,lord and ,king of ,israel4 #ae ,and because after his suffering1 our chief priests were surprised at the signs which were wrought by his means1 we opened that book to search all the generations down to the generation of ,joseph and ,mary the mother of ,jesus1 supposing him to be of the seed of ,david2 #af ,and we found the account of the creation1 and at what time he made the heaven and the earth1 and the first man ,adam1 and that from thence to the flood1 were two thousand seven hundred and forty- eight years4 #ag ,and from the flood to ,abraham1 nine hundred and twelve4 ,and from ,abraham to ,moses1 four hundred and thirty4 ,and from ,moses to ,david the ,king1 five hundred and ten4 #ah ,and from ,david to the ,babylonish captivity five hundred years4 ,and from the ,babylonish captivity to the incarnation of ,christ1 four hundred years4 #ai ,the sum of all which amounts to five thousand and half 7a thousand47 #bj ,and so it appears1 that ,jesus whom we crucified1 is ,jesus ,christ the ,son of ,god1 and true ,almighty ,god4 ,amen4 7,in the name of the ,holy ,trinity1 thus end the acts of our ,saviour ,jesus ,christ1 which the ,emperor ,theodosius the ,great found at ,jerusalem1 in the hall of ,pontius ,pilate1 among the public records2 the things were acted in the nineteenth year of ,tiberius ,caesar1 ,emperor of the ,romans1 and in the seventeenth year of the government of ,herod1 the son of ,herod and of ,galilee1 on the eighth of the calends of ,april1 which is the twenty-third day of the month of ,march1 in the ,c,c,i,id ,olympiad1 when ,joseph and ,caiaphas were rulers of the ,jews2 being a ,history written in ,hebrew by ,nicodemus1 of what happened after our ,saviour's crucifixion47 ,,references ,,to ,,the ,,gospel ,,of ,,nicodemus1 ,,formerly ,,called ,,the ,,acts ,,of ,,pontius ,,pilate4 ,although this ,gospel is1 by some among the learned1 supposed to have been really written by ,nicodemus1 who became a disciple of ,jesus ,christ1 and conversed with him2 others conjecture that it was a forgery towards the close of the third century by some zealous believer1 who1 observing that there had been appeals made by the ,christians of the former age1 to the acts of ,pilate1 but that such acts could not be produced1 imagined it would be of service to ,christianity to fabricate and publish this ,gospel2 as it would both confirm the ,christians under persecution1 and convince the ,heathens of the truth of the ,christian religion4 ,the ,rev4 ,jeremiah ,jones says1 that such pious frauds were very common among ,christians even in the first three centuries2 and that a forgery of this nature1 with the view above-mentioned1 seems natural and probable4 ,the same author1 in noticing that ,eusebius in his ,ecclesiastical ,history1 charges the ,pagans with having forged and published a book1 called ,the ,acts of ,pilate1 takes occasion to observe that the internal evidence of this ,gospel shows it was not the work of any ,heathen1 but that if in the latter end of the third century we find it in use among ,christians 7as it was then certainly in some churches71 and about the same time find a forgery of the ,heathens under the same title1 it seems exceedingly probable that some ,christians1 at that time1 should publish such a piece as this1 in order partly to confront the spurious one of the ,pagans1 and partly to support those appeals which had been made by former ,christians to the ,acts of ,pilate2 and ,mr4 ,jones says1 he thinks so more particularly as we have innumerable instances of forgeries by the faithful in the primitive ages1 grounded on less plausible reasons4 ,whether it be canonical or not1 it is of very great antiquity1 and is appealed to by several of the ancient ,christians4 ,the present translation is made from the ,gospel1 published by ,grynaeus in the ,orthodoxographa1 vol1 i1 tom1 ii1 p4 #fac4 ,notwithstanding the diversity of opinions here alluded to1 the majority of the learned believe that the internal evidence of the authenticity of this ,gospel is manifested in the correct details of that period of ,christ's life on which it treats1 while it far excels the canonical ,evangelists narrative of the trial of our ,saviour before ,pilate1 with more minute particulars of persons1 evidence1 circumstance1 c4