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Acts of Pilate
Anonymous / composite
Chapter 15 About this work A pseudonymous narrative associated with the Gospel of Nicodemus that expands Jesus’s trial, crucifixion, resurrection testimony, and in some forms the descent to the dead.
Author Anonymous / composite
Traditional attribution Pilate’s official records; later associated with Nicodemus
Date Main form c. mid-4th century; later accretions
Origin Unknown
Genre Apocryphon Several related textual forms circulate under this title, so the precise witness and date must be verified.
And Nicodemus rising up , stood in the midst of
‹ Chapter 14 Chapter 16 ›
the
counsel
,
and
said
:
You
have
said
rightly
.
And
are
not
the
men
who
have
come
down
from
Galilee
God
-
fearing
,
men
of
peace
,
hating
a
lie
?
And
they
recounted
with
an
oath
,
how
“
we
saw
Jesus
sitting
on
Mount
Mambre
with
his
disciples
,
and
he
taught
them
in
our
hearing
,
”
and
that
they
saw
him
taken
up
into
heaven
.
And
no
one
asked
them
this
:
How
he
was
taken
up
into
heaven
.
And
,
as
the
writing
of
the
holy
book
teaches
us
,
holy
Elias
too
was
taken
up
into
heaven
,
and
Elisæus
cried
out
with
a
loud
voice
,
and
Elias
threw
his
sheepskin
over
Elisæus
;
and
again
Elisæus
threw
that
sheepskin
over
the
Jordan
,
and
went
over
and
came
to
Jericho
.
And
the
sons
of
the
prophets
met
him
,
and
said
to
Elisæus
,
Where
is
thy
master
Elias
?
And
he
said
,
He
has
been
taken
up
into
heaven
.
And
they
said
to
Elisæus
,
Has
a
spirit
snatched
him
away
,
and
thrown
him
upon
one
of
the
mountains
?
But
rather
let
us
take
our
boys
with
us
and
seek
him
.
And
they
persuaded
Elisæus
,
and
he
went
with
them
.
And
they
sought
him
for
three
days
and
three
nights
,
and
found
him
not
,
because
he
was
taken
up
.
And
now
,
men
,
hear
me
,
and
let
us
send
into
all
Israel
,
and
see
lest
Jesus
can
have
been
taken
up
somewhere
or
other
,
and
thrown
upon
one
of
the
mountains
.
And
that
saying
pleased
all
.
And
they
sent
to
all
the
mountains
of
Israel
to
seek
Jesus
,
and
they
found
Him
not
;
but
they
found
Joseph
of
Arimathæa
,
and
no
one
dared
to
lay
hold
of
him
.
And they reported to the elders and priests and Levites : We have gone round all the mountains of Israel , and not found Jesus ; but we have found Joseph in Arimathæa . And hearing of Joseph , they rejoiced , and gave glory to the God of Israel . And the rulers of the synagogue , and the priests and the Levites , taking counsel in what manner they should send to Joseph , took paper , and wrote to Joseph : —
Peace to thee and all that is thine ! We know that we have sinned against God , and against thee ; and thou hast prayed to the God of Israel , and He has delivered thee out of our hands . And now deign to come to thy fathers and thy children , because we have been vehemently grieved . We have all sought for thee — we who opened the door , and found thee not . We know that we counselled evil counsel against thee ; but the Lord hath supplanted our counsel against thee . Thou art worthy to be honoured , father Joseph , by all the people .
And they chose out of all Israel seven men friendly to Joseph , whom also Joseph knew to be friendly ; and the rulers of the synagogue and the priests and the Levites say to them : See , if he take the letter and read it , for certain he will come with you to us ; but if he do not read it , you may know that he is ill - disposed toward us , and , saluting him in peace , return to us . And blessing them , they sent them away . And they came to Arimathæa to Joseph , and adored him on their face upon the ground , and said : Peace to thee and all thine ! And Joseph said : Peace to you , and to all the people of Israel ! And they gave him the roll of the letter . And Joseph took and read it , and rolled up the letter , and blessed God , and said : Blessed be the Lord God , who hath delivered Israel from shedding innocent blood ; and blessed be God , who sent His angel , and covered me under his wings . And he kissed them , and set a table for them ; and they ate and drank , and slept there .
And they rose in the morning ; and Joseph saddled his ass , and travelled with them , and they came into the holy city Jerusalem . And there met them all the people , crying out , and saying : Peace be in thy coming in , father Joseph ! To whom he answered and said : The peace of the Lord be upon all the people ! And they all kissed him . And they prayed with Joseph , and were terrified at the sight of him . And Nicodemus took him into his house , and made a great feast , and called Annas and Caiaphas , and the elders and chief priests and Levites , to his house . And making merry , and eating and drinking with Joseph , they blessed God , and went every one to his own house . And Joseph remained in the house of Nicodemus .
And on the next day , which is the preparation , the priests and the rulers of the synagogue and the Levites rose early , and came to the house of Nicodemus . And Nicodemus met them , and said to them : Peace to you ! And they said to him : Peace to thee and Joseph , and to thy house and Joseph’s house ! And Nicodemus brought them into his house . And the council sat ; and Joseph sat between Annas and Caiaphas , and no one dared to say a word . And Joseph said to them : Why have you called me ? And they made signs with their eyes to Nicodemus , that he should speak with Joseph . And Nicodemus , opening his mouth , said : Father Joseph , thou knowest that the reverend teachers , priests , and Levites seek to hear a word from thee . And Joseph said : Ask . And Annas and Caiaphas , taking up the law , adjured Joseph , saying : Give glory to the God of Israel , and give confession to Him , that thou wilt not hide any word from us . And they said to him : With grief were we grieved that thou didst beg the body of Jesus , and wrap it in clean linen , and lay it in a tomb . Therefore we shut thee up in a house where there was no window , and put a lock and a seal on the gate ; and on the first day of the week we opened the gates , and found thee not . We were therefore exceedingly grieved , and astonishment came over all the people of God . And therefore hast thou been sent for ; and now tell us what has happened .
Then said Joseph : On the day of the Preparation , about the tenth hour , you shut me in , and I remained there the whole Sabbath in full . And when midnight came , as I was standing and praying , the house where you shut me in was hung up by the four corners , and there was a flashing of light in mine eyes . And I fell to the ground trembling . Then some one lifted me up from the place where I had fallen , and poured over me an abundance of water from the head even to the feet , and put round my nostrils the odour of a wonderful ointment , and rubbed my face with the water itself , as if washing me , and kissed me , and said to me , Joseph , fear not ; but open thine eyes , and see who it is that speaks to thee . And looking , I saw Jesus ; and being terrified , I thought it was a phantom . And with prayer and the commandments I spoke to him , and he spoke with me . And I said to him : Art thou Rabbi Elias ? And he said to me : I am not Elias . And I said : Who art thou , my lord ? And he said to me : I am Jesus , whose body thou didst beg from Pilate , and wrap in clean linen ; and thou didst lay a napkin on my face , and didst lay me in thy new tomb , and roll a stone to the door of the tomb . Then I said to him that was speaking to me : Show me , Lord , where I laid thee . And he led me , and showed me the place where I laid him , and the linen which I had put on him , and the napkin which I had wrapped upon his face ; and I knew that it was Jesus . And he took hold of me with his hand , and put me in the midst of my house though the gates were shut , and put me in my bed , and said to me : Peace to thee ! And he kissed me , and said to me : For forty days go not out of thy house ; for , lo , I go to my brethren into Galilee .
Notes 1 i.e., servants.
2 The Greek ῥῆμαmeans thing as well as word.
