Canon of Truth
Christian Fourth Order Memories
Fractured Paradise: A Novel In Progress
by
Oliver Smith
OliverSmith@CyberPoet.com
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Fourth Order Recitation -
The Gospel Of The Nativity Of Mary
The blessed and glorious virgin Mary, born into the family of David, in the
city of Nazareth, brought up in Jerusalem in the temple of Nerth.
Her father was Joachim, and her
mother Anna. Her father was from Nazareth in Galilee, but her mother
was from Bethlehem. Their life was without deceit and correct in front
of Nerth, irreproachable and pious in the presence of everyone. They
divided their resources three ways: one part for the temple and temple
servants, one part for strangers and the poor and one part for themselves.
They were loved by both Nerth and other people while they
lived a chaste married life in their own house for twenty years, not
having children, but they promised to commit their child to the service
of Nerth if Nerth were to give them a child. Because of this they
visited Nerth's temple on each of the feasts during the year.
When it came time for the festival of dedication, Joachim went to
Jerusalem with several men from his own tribe. Issachar, who was the high
priest at that time, hated Joachim because Joachim was giving an
offering, just like others, as though he had children. Issachar felt
that this was presumptuous and told Joachim his gifts were not
acceptable to Nerth because Nerth had judged him unworthy to have
children.
For does not the the Canon of Truth say that every one without children
are cursed? He should not come into the presence of Nerth until the
curse has been broken and children have been born to his wife.
Embarrassed by the reproach, Joachim, hid with the shepherds, afraid to
return home, knowing that the men in his tribe would rebuke him because of
the priest's words. One day, Joachim was disturbed by a bright light
when a Guardian from Nerth appeared to him, saying, "Do not be afraid,
Joachim, for I have been sent by Nerth to tell you that your prayers
have been answered and that your good deeds have been noticed. He has
seen your shame and heard the unjust words with which others have accused
you. Nerth is the one who says when woman will give birth in order
ensure that the child is from Nerth and not the product of lust."
For was it not
the case that the first mother of your nation--Sarah--was barren up to
her eightieth year? And, nevertheless, in extreme old age she brought
forth Isaac, to whom the promise was renewed of the blessing of all
nations. Rachel also, so favoured of the Lord, and so beloved by holy
Jacob, was long barren; and yet she brought forth Joseph, who was not
only the lord of Egypt, but the deliverer of many nations who were
ready to perish of hunger. Who among the judges was either stronger
than Samson, or more holy than Samuel? And yet the mothers of both were
barren. If, therefore, the reasonableness of my words does not persuade
thee, believe in fact that conceptions very late in life, and births in
the case of women that have been barren, are usually attended with
something wonderful. Accordingly thy wife Anna will bring forth a
daughter to thee, and thou shall call her name Mary: she shall be, as
you have vowed, consecrated to the Lord from her infancy, and she shall
be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from her mother's womb. She shall
neither eat nor drink any unclean thing, nor shall she spend her life
among the crowds of the people without, but in the temple of the Lord,
that it may not be possible either to say, or so much as to suspect,
any evil concerning her. Therefore, when she has grown up, just as she
herself shall be miraculously born of a barren woman, so in an
incomparable manner she, a virgin, shall bring forth the Son of the
Most High, who shall be called Jesus, and who, according to the
etymology of His name, shall be the Saviour of all nations. And this
shall be the sign to thee of those things which I announce: When thou
shalt come to the Golden gate in Jerusalem, thou shalt there meet Anna
thy wife, who, lately anxious from the delay of thy return, will then
rejoice at the sight of thee. Having thus spoken, the angel departed
from him.
Thereafter he appeared to Anna his wife, saying: Fear not, Anna, nor
think that it is a phantom which thou seest. For I am that angel who
has presented your prayers and alms before God; and now have I been
sent to you to announce to you that thou shalt bring forth a daughter,
who shall be called Mary, and who shall be blessed above all women.
She, full of the favour of the Lord even from her birth, shall remain
three years in her father's house until she be weaned. Thereafter,
being delivered to the service of the Lord, she shall not depart from
the temple until she reach the years of discretion. There, in fine,
serving God day and night in fastings and prayers, she shall abstain
from every unclean thing; she shall never know man, but alone, without
example, immaculate, uncorrupted, without intercourse with man, she, a
virgin, shall bring forth a son; she, His hand-maiden, shall bring
forth the Lord--both in grace, and in name, and in work, the Saviour of
the world. Wherefore arise, and go up to Jerusalem; and when thou shalt
come to the gate which, because it is plated with gold, is called
Golden, there, for a sign, thou shalt meet thy husband, for whose
safety thou hast been anxious. And when these things shall have so
happened, know that what I announce shall without doubt be fulfilled.
Therefore, as the angel had commanded, both of them setting out from
the place where they were, went up to Jerusalem; and when they had come
to the place pointed out by the angel's prophecy, there they met each
other. Then, rejoicing at seeing each other, and secure in the
certainty of the promised offspring, they gave the thanks due to the
Lord, who exalteth the humble. And so, having worshipped the Lord, they
returned home, and awaited in certainty and in gladness the divine
promise. Anna therefore conceived, and brought forth a daughter; and
according to the command of the angel, her parents called her name
Mary.
And when the circle of three years had rolled round, and the time of
her weaning was fulfilled, they brought the virgin to the temple of the
Lord with offerings. Now there were round the temple, according to the
fifteen Psalms of Degrees,[1] fifteen steps going up; for, on account
of the temple having been built on a mountain, the altar of
burnt-offering, which stood outside, could not be reached except by
steps. On one of these, then, her parents placed the little girl, the
blessed virgin Mary. And when they were putting off the clothes which
they had worn on the journey, and were putting on, as was usual, others
that were neater and cleaner, the virgin of the Lord went up all the
steps, one after the other, without the help of any one leading her or
lifting her, in such a manner that, in this respect at least, you would
think that she had already attained full age. For already the Lord in
the infancy of His virgin wrought a great thing, and by the indication
of this miracle foreshowed how great she was to be. Therefore, a
sacrifice having been offered according to the custom of the law, and
their vow being perfected, they left the virgin within the enclosures
of the temple, there to be educated with the other virgins, and
themselves returned home.
But the virgin of the Lord advanced in age and in virtues; and though,
in the words of the Psalmist, her father and mother had forsaken her,
the Lord took her up. For daily was she visited by angels, daily did
she enjoy a divine vision, which preserved her from all evil, and made
her to abound in all good. And so she reached her fourteenth year; and
not only were the wicked unable to charge her with anything worthy of
reproach, but all the good, who knew her life and conversation, judged
her to be worthy of admiration. Then the high priest publicly announced
that the virgins who were publicly settled in the temple, and had
reached this time of life, should return home and get married,
according to the custom of the nation and the ripeness of their years.
The others readily obeyed this command; but Mary alone, the virgin of
the Lord, answered that she could not do this, saying both that her
parents had devoted her to the service of the Lord, and that, moreover,
she herself had made to the Lord a vow of virginity, which she would
never violate by any intercourse with man. And the high priest, being
placed in great perplexity of mind, seeing that neither did he think
that the vow should be broken contrary to the Scripture, which says,
Vow and pay, nor did he dare to introduce a custom unknown to the
nation, gave order that at the festival, which was at hand, all the
chief persons from Jerusalem and the neighbourhood should be present,
in order that from their advice he might know what was to be done in so
doubtful a case. And when this took place, they resolved unanimously
that the Lord should be consulted upon this matter. And when they all
bowed themselves in prayer, the high priest went to consult God in the
usual way. Nor had they long to wait: in the hearing of all a voice
issued from the oracle and from the mercy-seat, that, according to the
prophecy of Isaiah, a man should be sought out to whom the virgin ought
to be entrusted and espoused. For it is clear that Isaiah says: A rod
shall come forth from the root of Jesse, and a flower shall ascend from
his root; and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of
wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the
spirit of wisdom and piety; and he shall be filled with the spirit of
the fear of the Lord. According to this prophecy, therefore, he
predicted that all of the house and family of David that were unmarried
and fit for marriage should bring there rods to the altar; and that he
whose rod after it was brought should produce a flower, and upon the
end of whose rod the Spirit of the Lord should settle in the form of a
dove, was the man to whom the virgin ought to be entrusted and
espoused.
Now there was among the rest Joseph, of the house and family of David,
a man of great age: and when all brought there rods, according to the
order, he alone withheld his. Wherefore, when nothing in conformity
with the divine voice appeared, the high priest thought it necessary to
consult God a second time; and He answered, that of those who had been
designated, he alone to whom the virgin ought to be espoused had not
brought his rod. Joseph, therefore, was found out. For when he had
brought his rod, and the dove came from heaven; and settled upon the
top of it, it clearly appeared to all that he was the man to whom the
virgin should be espoused. Therefore, the usual ceremonies of betrothal
having been gone through, he went back to the city of Bethlehem to put
his house in order, and to procure things necessary for the marriage.
But Mary, the virgin of the Lord, with seven other virgins of her own
age, and who had been weaned at the same time, whom she had received
from the priest, returned to the house of her parents in Galilee.
And in those days, that is, at the time of her first coming into
Galilee, the angel Gabriel was sent to her by God, to announce to her
the conception of the Lord, and to explain to her the manner and order
of the conception. Accordingly, going in, he filled the chamber where
she was with a great light; and most courteously saluting her, he said:
Hail, Mary! O virgin highly favoured by the Lord, virgin full of grace,
the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou above all women, blessed above
all men that have been hitherto born.[3] And the virgin, who was
already well acquainted with angelic faces, and was not unused to the
light from heaven, was neither terrified by the vision of the angel,
nor astonished at the greatness of the light, but only perplexed by his
words; and she began to consider of what nature a salutation so unusual
could be, or what it could portend, or what end it could have. And the
angel, divinely inspired, taking up this thought, says: Fear not, Mary,
as if anything contrary to thy chastity were hid under this salutation.
For in choosing chastity, thou hast found favour with the Lord; and
therefore thou, a virgin, shalt conceive without sin, and shalt bring
forth a son. He shall be great, because He shall rule from sea to sea,
and from the river even to the ends of the earth; and He shall be
called the Son of the Most High, because He who is born on earth in
humiliation, reigns in heaven in exaltation; and the Lord God will give
Him the throne of His father David, and He shall reign in the house of
Jacob for ever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end; forasmuch as
He is King of kings and Lord of lords, and His throne is from
everlasting to everlasting. The virgin did not doubt these words of the
angel; but wishing to know the manner of it, she answered: How can that
come to pass? For while, according to my vow, I never know man, how can
I bring forth without the addition of man's seed? To this the angel
says: Think not, Mary, that thou shalt conceive in the manner of
mankind: for without any intercourse with man, thou, a virgin, wilt
conceive; thou, a virgin, wilt bring forth; thou, a virgin, wilt nurse:
for the Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most
High shall overshadow thee, without any of the heats of lust; and
therefore that which shall be born of thee shall alone be holy, because
it alone, being conceived and born without sin, shall be called the Son
of God. Then Mary stretched forth her hands, and raised her eyes to
heaven, and said: Behold the hand-maiden of the Lord, for I am not
worthy of the name of lady; let it be to me according to thy word. It
will be long, and perhaps to some even tedious, if we insert in this
little work every thing which we read of as having preceded or followed
the Lord's nativity: wherefore, omitting those things which have been
more fully written in the Gospel, let us come to those which are held
to be less worthy of being narrated.
Joseph therefore came from Judaea into Galilee, intending to marry the
virgin who had been betrothed to him; for already three months had
elapsed, and it was the beginning of the fourth since she had been
betrothed to him. In the meantime, it was evident from her shape that
she was pregnant, nor could she conceal this from Joseph. For in
consequence of his being betrothed to her, coming to her more freely
and speaking to her more familiarly, he found out that she was with
child. He began then to be in great doubt and perplexity, because he
did not know what was best for him to do. For, being a just man, he was
not willing to expose her; nor, being a pious man, to injure her fair
fame by a suspicion of fornication. He came to the conclusion,
therefore, privately to dissolve their contract, and to send her away
secretly. And while he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the
Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, thou son of David,
fear not; that is, do not have any suspicion of fornication in the
virgin, or think any evil of her; and fear not to take her as thy wife:
for that which is begotten in her, and which now vexes thy soul, is the
work not of man, but of the Holy Spirit. For she alone of all virgins
shall bring forth the Son of God, and thou shalt call His name Jesus,
that is, Saviour; for He shall save His people from their sins.
Therefore Joseph, according to the command of the angel, took the
virgin as his wife; nevertheless he knew her not, but took care of her,
and kept her in chastity. And now the ninth month from her conception
was at hand, when Joseph, taking with him his wife along with what
things he needed, went to Bethlehem, the city from which he came. And
it came to pass, while they were there, that her days were fulfilled
that she should bring forth; and she brought forth her first-born son,
as the holy evangelists have shown, our Lord Jesus Christ, who with the
Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost lives and reigns God from
everlasting to everlasting.
Book of James, or Protevangelium
According to the history of the twelve tribes of Israel Joachim was
very wealthy, and he offered his gifts in ways, saying, "That which is
of my superfluity shall be for the whole people, and that which is for
my forgiveness shall be for Nerth, for a propitiation unto me." Now
the great day of Nerth approached and the people of Israel offered
their gifts. Reuben stood over against him saying: It is not lawful for
thee to offer your gifts first since you have no children. Being very
disturbed by this Joachim went to the records of the twelve tribes of
Israel, saying "I will look in the records and determine if I will be
the only one without children in Israel." In his search he found that
all of the righteous had given birth and raised children. Then he
remembered how Nerth had given Abraham a son, Isaac, in his old age.
Joachim was ashamed of this and started to avoid his wife by going out
to the wilderness, pitching a tent and fasted for forty days and
nights, saying to himself, "I will not go down for either meat or drink
until Nerth visits me, answering my prayer with meat and drink. Anna,
his wife, lamented with two lamentations, and bewailed herself with two
bewailings, saying: I will bewail my widowhood, and I will bewail my
childlessness. And the great day of the Lord drew nigh, and Judith her
handmaid said unto her: How long humblest thou thy soul? The great day
of the Lord hath come, and it is not lawful for thee to mourn: but take
this headband, which the mistress of my work gave me, and it is not
lawful for me to put it on, forasmuch as I am an handmaid, and it hath
a mark of royalty. And Anna said: Get thee from me. Lo! I have done
nothing (or I will not do so) and the Lord hath greatly humbled me:
peradventure one gave it to thee in subtlety, and thou art come to make
me partaker in thy sin. And Judith said: How shall I curse thee, seeing
the Lord hath shut up thy womb, to give thee no fruit in Israel ? And
Anna was sore grieved [and mourned with a great mourning because she
was reproached by all the tribes of Israel. And coming to herself she
said: What shall I do ? I will pray with weeping unto the Lord my God
that he visit me]. And she put off her mourning garments and cleansed
(or adorned) her head and put on her bridal garments: and about the
ninth hour she went down into the garden to walk there. And she saw a
laurel-tree and sat down underneath it and besought the Lord saying: O
God of our fathers, bless me, and hearken unto my prayer, as thou didst
bless the womb of Sarah, and gavest her a son, even Isaac. And looking
up to the heaven she espied a nest of sparrows in the laurel-tree, and
made a lamentation within herself, saying: Woe unto me, who begat me ?
And what womb brought me forth for I am become a curse before the
children of Israel, and I am reproached, and they have mocked me forth
out of the temple of the Lord? 2 Woe unto me, unto what am I likened ?
I am not likened unto the fowls of the heaven, for even the fowls of
the heaven are fruitful before thee, O Lord. Woe unto me, unto what am
I likened ? I am not likened unto the beasts of the earth, for even the
beasts of the earth are fruitful before thee, O Lord. Woe unto me, unto
what am I likened ? I am not likened unto these waters, for even these
waters are fruitful before thee, O Lord. 3 Woe unto me, unto what am I
likened ? I am not likened unto this earth, for even this earth
bringeth forth her fruits in due season and blesseth thee, O Lord. And
behold an angel of the Lord appeared, saying unto her: Anna, Anna, the
Lord hath hearkened unto thy prayer, and thou shalt conceive and bear,
and thy seed shall be spoken of in the whole world. And Anna said: As
the Lord my God liveth, if I bring forth either male or female, I will
bring it for a gift unto the Lord my God, and it shall be ministering
unto him all the days of its life. And behold there came two messengers
saying unto her: Behold Joachim thy husband cometh with his flocks: for
an angel of the Lord came down unto him saying: Joachim, Joachim, the
Lord God hath hearkened unto thy prayer. Get thee down hence, for
behold thy wife Anna hath conceived. 3 And Joachim sat him down and
called his herdsmen saying: Bring me hither ten lambs without blemish
and without spot, and they shall be for the Lord my God; and bring me
twelve tender calves, and they shall be for the priests and for the
assembly of the elders; and an hundred kids for the whole people. And
behold Joachim came with his flocks, and Anna stood at the gate and saw
Joachim coming, and ran and hung upon his neck, saying: Now know I that
the Lord God hath greatly blessed me: for behold the widow is no more a
widow, and she that was childless shall conceive. And Joachim rested
the first day in his house. And on the morrow he offered his gifts,
saying in himself: If the Lord God be reconciled unto me, the plate
that is upon the forehead of the priest will make it manifest unto me.
And Joachim offered his gifts and looked earnestly upon the plate of
the priest when he went up unto the altar of tile Lord, and he saw no
sin in himself. And Joachim said: Now know I that the Lord is become
propitious unto me and hath forgiven all my sins. And he went down from
the temple of the Lord justified, and went unto his house. And her
months were fulfilled, and in the ninth month Anna brought forth. And
she said unto the midwife: what have I brought forth ? And she said: A
female. And Anna said: My soul is magnified this day, and she laid
herself down. And when the days were fulfilled, Anna purified herself
and gave suck to the child and called her name Mary. And day by day
the child waxed strong, and when she was six months old her mother
stood her upon the ground to try if she would stand; and she walked
seven steps and returned unto her bosom. And she caught her up, saying:
As the Lord my God liveth, thou shalt walk no more upon this ground,
until I bring thee into the temple of the Lord. And she made a
sanctuary in her bed chamber and suffered nothing common or unclean to
pass through it. And she called for the daughters of the Hebrews that
were undefiled, and they carried her hither and thither. And the first
year of the child was fulfilled, and Joachim made a great feast and
bade the priests and the scribes and the assembly of the elders and the
whole people of Israel. And Joachim brought the child to the priests,
and they blessed her, saying: 0 God of our fathers, bless this child
and give her a name renowned for ever among all generations. And all
the people said: So be it, so be it. Amen. And he brought her to the
high priests, and they blessed her, saying: 0 God of the high places,
look upon this child, and bless her with the last blessing which hath
no successor. And her mother caught her up into the sanctuary of her
bed chamber and gave her suck. And Anna made a song unto the Lord God,
saying: I will sing an hymn unto the Lord my God, because he hath
visited me and taken away from me the reproach of mine enemies, and the
Lord hath given me a fruit of his righteousness, single and manifold
before him. Who shall declare unto the sons of Reuben that Anna giveth
suck ? Hearken, hearken, ye twelve tribes of Israel, that Anna giveth
suck. And she laid the child to rest in the bed chamber of her
sanctuary, and went forth and ministered unto them. And when the feast
was ended, they gat them down rejoicing, and glorifying the God of
Israel. And unto the child her months were added: and the child became
two years old. And Joachim said: Let us bring her up to the temple of
the Lord that we may pay the promise which we promised; lest the Lord
require it of us (lit. send unto us), and our gift become unacceptable.
And Anna said: Let us wait until the third year, that the child may not
long after her father or mother. And Joachim said: Let us wait. And
the child became three years old, and Joachim said: Call for the
daughters of the Hebrews that are undefiled, and let them take every
one a lamp, and let them be burning, that the child turn not backward
and her heart be taken captive away from the temple of the Lord. And
they did so until they were gone up into the temple of the Lord. And
the priest received her and kissed her and blessed her and said: The
Lord hath magnified thy name among all generations: in thee in the
latter days shall the Lord make manifest his redemption unto the
children of Israel. And he made her to sit upon the third step of the
altar. And the Lord put grace upon her and she danced with her feet and
all tile house of Israel loved her.
VIII. 1 And her parents gat them down marveling, and praising the Lord
God because tile child was not turned away backward. And Mary was in
the temple of the Lord as a dove that is nurtured: and she received
food from the hand of an angel. And when she was twelve years old,
there was a council of the priests, saying: Behold Mary is become
twelve years old in the temple of the Lord. What then shall we do with
her ? lest she pollute the sanctuary of the Lord. And they said unto
the high priest: Thou standest over the altar of the Lord. Enter in and
pray concerning her: And whatsoever the Lord shall reveal to thee, that
let us do.
3 And the high priest took the vestment with the twelve bells and went
in unto the Holy of Holies and prayed concerning her. And lo, an angel
of tile Lord appeared saying unto him: Zacharias, Zacharias~ go forth
and assemble them that are widowers of the people, and let them bring
every man a rod, and to whomsoever the Lord shall show a sign, his wife
shall she be. And the heralds went forth over all the country round
about Judaea, and the trumpet of the Lord sounded, and all men ran
thereto. And Joseph cast down his adze (an ax-like tool for dressing
wood) and ran to meet them, and when they were gathered together they
went to the high priest and took their rods with them. And he took the
rods of them all and went into the temple and prayed. And when he had
finished the prayer he took the rods and went forth and gave them back
to them: and there was no sign upon them. But Joseph received the last
rod: and 1o, a dove came forth of the rod and flew upon the bead of
Joseph. And the priest said unto Joseph: Unto thee hath it fallen to
take the virgin of the Lord and keep her for thyself. 2 And Joseph
refused, saying: I have sons, and I am an old man, but she is a girl:
lest I became a laughing-stock to the children of Israel. And the
priest said unto Joseph: Year the Lord thy God, and remember what
things God did unto Dathan and Abiram and Korah, how the earth clave
(opened) and they were swallowed up because of their gainsaying
(contradiction). And now fear thou, Joseph, lest it be so in thine
house. And Joseph was afraid, and took her to keep her for himself. And
Joseph said unto Mary: Lo, I have received thee out of the temple of
the Lord: and now do I leave thee in my house, and I go away to build
my buildings and I will come again unto thee. The Lord shall watch over
thee.
X. 1 Now there was a council of the priests, and they said: Let us make
a veil for the temple of the Lord. And the priest said: Call unto me
pure virgins of the tribe of David. And the officers departed and
sought and found seven virgins. And the
priests called to mind the child Mary, that she was of the tribe of
avid and was undefiled before God: and the officers went and fetched
her. And they brought them into the temple of the Lord, and the priest
said: Cast me lots, which of you shah weave the gold and the undefiled
(the white) and tile fine linen and the silk and the hyacinthine, and
the scarlet and the true purple. And the lot of the true purple and the
scarlet fell unto Mary, and she took them and went unto her house.
[And at that season Zacharias became dumb, and Samuel was
in his stead until the time when Zacharias spake again.]But Mary took
the scarlet and began to spin it.
XL 1 And she took the pitcher and went forth to fill it with water: and
lo a voice saying: Hail, thou that art highly favoured; the Lord is
with thee: blessed art thou among women.
And she looked about her upon the right hand and upon the left, to see
whence this voice should be: and being filled with trembling she~ went
to her house and set down the pitcher, and took the purple and sat down
upon her seat and drew out the thread.
2 And behold an angel of the Lord stood before her saying: Fear not,
Mary, for thou hast found grace before the Lord of all things, and thou
shalt conceive of his word. And she, when she heard it, questioned in
herself, saying: Shall I verily conceive of the living God, and bring
forth after the manner of all women ? And the angel of the Lord said:
Not so, Mary, for a power of the Lord shall overshadow thee: wherefore
also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the
Son of the Highest. And thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall
save his people from their sins. And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of
the Lord is before him: be it unto me according to thy word.
XII 1 And she made the purple and the scarlet and brought them unto the
priest. And the priest blessed her and said: Mary, the Lord God hath
magnified thy name, and thou shalt be blessed among all generations of
the earth. 2 And Mary rejoiced and went away unto Elizabeth her
kinswoman: and she knocked at the door. And Elizabeth when she heard it
cast down the scarlet (al. the wool) and ran to the door and opened it,
and when she saw Mary she blessed her and said: Whence is this to me
that the mother of my Lord should come unto me ? for behold that which
is in me leaped and blessed thee. And Mary forgat the mysteries which
Gabriel the archangel had told her, and she looked up unto the heaven
and said: Who am I, Lord, that all the generations of the earth do
bless me ? 8 And she abode three months with Elizabeth, and day by day
her womb grew: and Mary was afraid and departed unto her house and hid
herself from the children of Israel. Now she was sixteen years old when
these mysteries came to pass.
XIII. I Now it was the sixth month with her, and behold Joseph came
from his building, and he entered into his house and found her great
with child. And he smote his face, and cast himself down upon the
ground on sackcloth and wept bitterly, saying: With what countenance
shall I look unto the Lord my God ? and what prayer shall I make
concerning this maiden? for I received her out of the temple of the
Lord my God a virgin, and have not kept her safe. Who is he that hath
ensnared me ? Who hath done this evil in mine house and hath defiled
the virgin ? Is not the story of Adam repeated in me ? for as at the
hour of his giving thanks the serpent came and found Eve alone and
deceived her, so hath it befallen me also. 2 And Joseph arose from off
the sackcloth and called Mary and said unto her O thou that wast cared
for by God, why hast thou done this ? thou hast forgotten the Lord thy
God. Why hast thou humbled thy soul, thou that wast nourished up in the
Holy of Holies and didst receive food at the hand of an angel? 3 But
she wept bitterly, saying: I am pure and I know not a man. And Joseph
said unto her: Whence then is that which is in thy womb ? and she said:
As the Lord my God liveth, I know not whence it is come unto me.
XIV. I And Joseph was sore afraid and ceased from speaking unto her (or
left her alone), and pondered what he should do with her. And Joseph
said: If I hide her sin, I shall be found fighting against the law of
the Lord: and if I manifest her unto the children of Israel, I fear
lest that which is in her be the seed of an angel, and I shall be found
delivering up innocent blood to the judgement of death. What then shall
I do ? I will let her go from me privily. And the night came upon him.
2 And behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying:
Fear not this child, for that which is in her is of the Holy Ghost, and
she shall bear a son and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall
save his people from their sins. And Joseph arose from sleep and
glorified the God of Israel which had shown this favour unto her: and
he watched over her.
XV. I Now Annas the scribe came unto him and said to him: Wherefore
didst thou not appear in our assembly ? and Joseph said unto him: I was
weary with the journey, and I rested the first day. And Annas turned
him about and saw Mary great with child. 2 And he went hastily to the
priest and said unto him: Joseph, to whom thou bearest witness [that he
is righteous] hath sinned grievously. And the priest said: Wherein ?
And he said: The virgin whom he received out of the temple of the Lord,
he hath defiled her, and married her by stealth (lit. stolen her
marriage), and hath not declared it to the children of Israel. And the
priest answered and said: Hath Joseph done this ? And Annas the scribe
said: Send officers, and thou shalt find the virgin great with child.
And the officers went and found as he had said, and they brought her
together with Joseph unto the place of judgement. 3 And the priest
said: Mary, wherefore hast thou done this, and wherefore hast thou
humbled thy soul and forgotten the Lord thy God, thou that wast
nurtured in the Holy of Holies and didst receive food at the hand of an
angel and didst hear the hymns and didst dance before the Lord,
wherefore hast thou done this ?
But she wept bitterly, saying: As the Lord my God liveth I am pure
before him and I know not a man. 4 And the priest said unto Joseph:
Wherefore hast thou done this ? And Joseph said: As the Lord my God
liveth I am pure as concerning her. And the priest said: Bear no false
witness but speak the truth: thou hast married her by stealth and hast
not declared it unto the children of Israel, and hast not bowed thine
head under the mighty hand that thy seed should be blessed. And Joseph
held his peace.
XVI 1 And the priest said: Restore the virgin whom thou didst receive
out of the temple of the Lord. And Joseph was full of weeping. And the
priest said: I will give you to drink of the water of the conviction of
the Lord, and it will make manifest your sins before your eyes. 2 And
the priest took thereof and made Joseph drink and sent him into the
hill-country. And he returned whole. He made Mary also drink and sent
her into the hill-country. And she returned whole. And all the people
marvelled, because sin appeared not in them. 3 And the priest said: If
the Lord God hath not made your sin manifest, neither do I condemn you.
And he let them go. And Joseph took Mary and departed unto his house
rejoicing, and glorifying the God of Israel.
XVII. 1 Now there went out a decree from Augustus the king that all
that were in Bethlehem of Judaea should be recorded. And Joseph said: I
will record my sons: but this child, what shall I do with her ? how
shall I record her ? as my wife ? nay, I am ashamed. Or as my daughter?
but all the children of Israel know that she is not my daughter. This
day of the Lord shall do as the Lord willeth. 2 And he saddled the
she-ass, and set her upon it, and his son led it and Joseph followed
after. And they drew near (unto Bethlehem) within three miles: and
Joseph turned himself about and saw her of a sad countenance and said
within himself: Peradventure that which is within her paineth her. And
again Joseph turned himself about and saw her laughing, and said unto
her: Mary, what aileth thee that I see thy face at one time laughing
and at another time sad ? And Mary said unto Joseph: It is because I
behold two peoples with mine eyes, the one weeping and lamenting and
the other rejoicing and exulting.
8 And they came to the midst of the way, and Mary said unto him: Take
me down from the ass, for that which is within me presseth me, to come
forth. And he took her down from the ass and said unto her: Whither
shall I take thee to hide thy shame ? for the place is desert.
XVIII. I And he found a cave there and brought her into it, and set his
sons by her: and he went forth and sought for a midwife of the Hebrews
in the country of Bethlehem.
2 Now I Joseph was walking, and I walked not. And I looked up to the
air and saw the air in amazement. And I looked up unto the pole of the
heaven and saw it standing still, and the fowls of the heaven without
motion. And I looked upon the earth and saw a dish set, and workmen
lying by it, and their hands were in the dish: and they that were
chewing chewed not, and they that were lifting the food lifted it not,
and they that put it to their mouth put it not thereto, but the faces
of all of them were looking upward. And behold there were sheep being
driven, and they went not forward but stood still; and the shepherd
lifted his hand to smite them with his staff, and his hand remained up.
And I looked upon the stream of the river and saw the mouths of the
kids upon the water and they drank not. And of a sudden all things
moved onward in their course.
XIX. I And behold a woman coming down from the hillcountry, and she
said to me: Man, whither goest thou ? And I said: I seek a midwife of
the Hebrews. And she answered and said unto me: Art thou of Israel ?
And I said unto her: Yea. And she said: And who is she that bringeth
forth in the cave ? And I said: She that is betrothed unto me. And she
said to me: Is she not thy wife? And I said to her: It is Mary that was
nurtured up in the temple of the Lord: and I received her to wife by
lot: and she is not my wife, but she hath conception by the Holy Ghost.
And the midwife said unto him: Is this the truth? And Joseph said unto
her: Come hither and see. And the midwife went with him.
2 And they stood in the place of the cave: and behold a bright cloud
overshadowing the cave. And the midwife said: My soul is magnified this
day, because mine eyes have seen marvellous things: for salvation is
born unto Israel. And immediately the cloud withdrew itself out of the
cave, and a great light appeared in the cave so that our eyes could not
endure it. And by little and little that light withdrew itself until
the young child appeared: and it went and took the breast of its mother
Mary.
And the midwife cried aloud and said: Great unto me to-day is this day,
in that ! have seen this new sight. 3 And the midwife went forth of the
cave and Salome met her. And she said to her: Salome, Salome, a new
sight have I to tell thee. A virgin hath brought forth, which her
nature alloweth not. And Salome said: As the Lord my God liveth, if I
make not trial and prove her nature I will not believe that a virgin
hath brought forth.
XX. 1 And the midwife went in and said unto Mary: Order thyself, for
there is no small contention arisen concerning thee. Arid Salome made
trial and cried out and said: Woe unto mine iniquity and mine unbelief,
because I have tempted the living God, and lo, my hand falleth away
from me in fire. And she bowed her knees unto the Lord, saying: O God
of my fathers, remember that I am the seed of Abraham and Isaac and
Jacob: make me not a public example unto the children of Israel, but
restore me unto the poor, for thou knowest, Lord, that in thy name did
I perform my cures, and did receive my hire of thee. 3 And lo, an angel
of the Lord appeared, saying unto her: Salome, Salome, the Lord hath
hearkened to thee: bring thine hand near unto the young child and take
him up, and there shall be unto thee salvation and joy. 4 And Salome
came near and took him up, saying: I will do him worship, for a great
king is born unto Israel. And behold immediately Salome was healed: and
she went forth of the cave justified. And Io, a voice saying: Salome,
Salome, tell none of the marvels which thou hast seen, until the child
enter into Jerusalem.
XXI 1 And behold, Joseph made him ready to go forth into Judaea. And
there came a great tumult in Bethlehem of Judaea; for there came wise
men, saying: Where is he that is born king of the Jews ? For we have
seen his star in the east and are come to worship him. 2 And when Herod
heard it he was troubled and sent officers unto the wise men. And he
sent for the high priests and examined them, saying: How is it written
concerning the Christ, where he is born ? They say unto him: In
Bethlehem of Judaea: for so it is written. And he let them go. And he
examined the wise men, saying unto them: What sign saw ye concerning
the king that is born ? And the wise men said: We saw a very great star
shining among those stars and dimming them so that the stars appeared
not: and thereby knew we that a king was born unto Israel, and we came
to worship him. And Herod said: Go and seek for him, and if ye find
him, tell me, that I also may come and worship him. 3 And the wise men
went forth. And lo, the star which they saw in the east went before
them until they entered into the cave: and it stood over the head of
the cave. And the wise men saw the young child with Mary, his mother:
and they brought out of their scrip gifts, gold-and frankincense and
myrrh. 4 And being warned by the angel that they should not enter into
Judaea, they went into their own country by another way.
XXII. 1 But when Herod perceived that he was mocked by the wise men, he
was wroth, and sent murderers, saying unto them: Slay the children from
two years old and under. 2 And when Mary heard that the children were
being slain, she was afraid, and took the young child and wrapped in
swaddling clothes and laid him in an ox-manger. Because there was no
room for them in the inn.
3 But Elizabeth when she heard that they sought for her son John, took
him and went up into the hill-country and looked about her where she
should hide him: and there was no hiding-place. And Elizabeth groaned
and said with a loud voice: 0 mountain of God, receive thou a mother
with a child. For Elizabeth was not able to go up. And immediately the
mountain clave asunder and took her in. And there was a light shining
alway for them: for an angel of the Lord was with them, keeping watch
over them.
XXIII. I Now Herod sought for John, and sent officers to Zacharias,
saying: Where hast thou hidden thy son? And he answered and said unto
them: I am a minister of God and attend continually upon the temple of
the Lord: I know not where my son is. 2 And the officers departed and
told Herod all these things. And Herod was wroth and said: His son is
to be king over Israel. And he sent unto him again, saying: Say the
truth: where is thy son ? for thou knowest that thy blood is under my
hand. And the officers departed and told him all these things. 3 And
Zacharias said: I am a martyr of God if thou sheddest my blood: for my
spirit the Lord shah receive, because thou sheddest innocent blood in
the fore-court of the temple of the Lord.
And about the dawning of the day Zacharias was slain. And the children
of Israel knew not that he was slain.
XXIV. 1 But the priests entered in at the hour of the salutation, and
the blessing of Zacharias met them not according to the manner. And the
priests stood waiting for Zacharias, to salute him with the prayer, and
to glorify the Most High. 2 But as he delayed to come, they were all
afraid: and one of them took courage and entered in: and he saw beside
the altar congealed blood: and a voice saying: Zacharias hath been
slain, and his blood shall not be wiped out until his avenger come. And
when he heard that word he was afraid, and went forth and told the
priests. 3 And they took courage and went in and saw that which was
done: and the panels of the temple did wail: and they rent their
clothes from the top to the bottom. And his body they found not, but
his blood they found turned into stone. And they feared, and went forth
and told all the people that Zacharias was slain. And all tile tribes
of the people heard it, and they mourned for him and lamented him three
days and three nights. And after the three days the priests took
counsel whom they should set in his stead: and the lot came up upon
Simon. Now he it was which was warned by the Holy Ghost that he should
not see death until he should see the Christ in the flesh.
XXV. 1 Now I, James, which wrote this history in Jerusalem, when there
arose a tumult when Herod died, withdrew myself into the wilderness
until the tumult ceased in Jerusalem.
Glorifying the Lord God which gave me the gift, and the wisdom to write
this history.
2 And grace shall be with those that fear our Lord Jesus Christ: to
whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
THE ARABIC GOSPEL OF THE INFANCY OF THE SAVIOUR
IN the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God.
With the help and favour of the Most High we begin to write a book of
the miracles of our Lord and Master and Saviour Jesus Christ, which is
called the Gospel of the Infancy: in the peace of the Lord. Amen.
1. We find (1) what follows in the book of Joseph the high priest, who
lived in the time of Christ. Some say that he is Caiaphas. (2) He has
said that Jesus spoke, and, indeed, when He was lying in His cradle
said to Mary His mother: I am Jesus, the Son of God, the Logos, whom
thou hast brought forth, as the Angel Gabriel announced to thee; and my
Father has sent me for the salvation of the world.
2. In the three hundred and ninth year of the era of Alexander,
Augustus put forth an edict, that every man should be enrolled in his
native place. Joseph therefore arose, and taking Mary his spouse, went
away to (3) Jerusalem, and came to Bethlehem, to be enrolled along with
his family in his native city. And having come to a cave, Mary told
Joseph that the time of the birth was at hand, and that she could not
go into the city; but, said she, let us go into this cave. This took
place at sunset. And Joseph went out in haste to go for a woman to be
near her. When, therefore, he was busy about that, he saw an Hebrew old
woman belonging to Jerusalem, and said: Come hither, my good woman, and
go into this cave, in which there is a woman near her time.
3. Wherefore, after sunset, the old woman, and Joseph with her, came to
the cave, and they both went in. And, behold, it was filled with lights
more beautiful than the gleaming of lamps and candles, (4) and more
splendid than the light of the sun. The child, enwrapped in swaddling
clothes, was sucking the breast of the Lady Mary His mother, being
placed in a stall. And when both were wondering at this light, the old
woman asks the Lady Mary: Art thou the mother of this Child? And when
the Lady Mary gave her assent, she says: Thou art not at all like the
daughters of Eve. The Lady Mary said: As my son has no equal among
children, so his mother has no equal among women. The old woman
replied: My mistress, I came to get payment; I have been for a long
time affected with palsy. Our mistress the Lady Mary said to her: Place
thy hands upon the child. And the old woman did so, and was immediately
cured. Then she went forth, saying: Henceforth I will be the attendant
and servant of this child all the days of my life.
4. Then came shepherds; and when they had lighted a fire, and were
rejoicing greatly, there appeared to them the hosts of heaven praising
and celebrating God Most High. And while the shepherds were doing the
same, the cave was at that time made like a temple of the upper world,
since both heavenly and earthly voices glorified and magnified God on
account of the birth of the Lord Christ. And when that old Hebrew woman
saw the manifestation of those miracles, she thanked God, saying: I
give Thee thanks, O God, the God of Israel, because mine eyes have seen
the birth of the Saviour of the world.
5. And the time of circumcision, that is, the eighth day, being at
hand, the child was to be circumcised according to the law. Wherefore
they circumcised Him in the cave. And the old Hebrew woman took the
piece of skin; but some say that she took the navel-string, and laid it
past in a jar of old oil of nard. And she had a son, a dealer in
unguents, and she gave it to him, saying: See that thou do not sell
this jar of unguent of nard, even although three hundred denarii (5)
should be offered thee for it. And this is that jar which Mary the
sinner bought and poured upon the head and feet of our Lord Jesus
Christ, which thereafter she wiped with the hair of her head. (1) Ten
days after, they took Him to Jerusalem; and on the fortieth day (2)
after His birth they carried Him into the temple, and set Him before
the Lord, and offered sacrifices for Him, according to the command-meet
of the law of Moses, which is: Every male that openeth the womb shall
be called the holy of God. (3)
6. Then old Simeon saw Him shining like a pillar of light, when the
Lady Mary, His virgin mother, rejoicing over Him, was carrying Him in
her arms. And angels, praising Him, stood round Him in a circle, like
life guards standing by a king. Simeon therefore went up in haste to
the Lady Mary, and, with hands stretched out before her, said to the
Lord Christ: Now, O my Lord, let Thy servant depart in peace, according
to Thy word; for mine eyes have seen Thy compassion, which Thou hast
prepared for the salvation of all peoples, a light to all nations, and
glory to Thy people Israel. Hanna also, a prophetess, was present, and
came up, giving thanks to God, and calling the Lady Mary blessed. (4)
7. And it came to pass, when the Lord Jesus was born at Bethlehem of
Judaea, in the time of King Herod, behold, magi came from the east to
Jerusalem, as Zeraduscht (5) had predicted; and there were with them
gifts, gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And they adored Him, and
presented to Him their gifts. Then the Lady Mary took one of the
swaddling-bands, and, on account of the smallness of her means, gave it
to them; and they received it from her with the greatest marks of
honour. And in the same hour there appeared to them an angel in the
form of that star which had before guided them on their journey; and
they went away, following the guidance of its light, until they arrived
in their own country. (6)
8. And their kings and chief men came together to them, asking what
they had seen or done, how they had gone and come back, what they had
brought with them. And they showed them that swathing-cloth which the
Lady Mary had given them. Wherefore they celebrated a feast, and,
according to their custom, lighted a fire and worshipped it, and threw
that swathing-cloth into it; and the fire laid hold of it, and
enveloped it. And when the fire had gone out, they took out the
swathing-cloth exactly as it had been before, just as if the fire had
not touched it. Wherefore they began to kiss it, and to put it on their
heads and their eyes, saying: This verily is the truth without doubt.
Assuredly it is a great thing that the fire was not able to burn or
destroy it. Then they took it, and with the greatest honour laid it up
among their treasures.
9. And when Herod saw that the magi had left him, and not come back to
him, he summoned the priests and the wise men, and said to them: Show
me where Christ is to be born. And when they answered, In Bethlehem of
Judaea, he began to think of putting the Lord Jesus Christ to death.
Then appeared an angel of the Lord to Joseph in his sleep, and said:
Rise, take the boy and His mother, and go away into Egypt. (7) He rose,
therefore, towards cockcrow, and set out.
10. While he is reflecting how be is to set about his journey, morning
came upon him after he had gone a very little way. And now he was
approaching a great city, in which there was an idol, to which the
other idols and gods of the Egyptians offered gifts and vows. And there
stood before this idol a priest ministering to him, who, as often as
Satan spoke from that idol, reported it to the inhabitants of Egypt and
its territories. This priest had a son, three years old, beset by
several demons; and he made many speeches and utterances; and when the
demons seized him, he tore his clothes, and remained naked, and threw
stones at the people. And there was a hospital in that city dedicated
to that idol. And when Joseph and the Lady Mary had come to the city,
and had turned aside into that hospital, the citizens were very much
afraid; and all the chief men and the priests of the idols came
together to that idol, and said to it: What agitation and commotion is
this that has arisen in our land? The idol answered them: A God has
come here in secret, who is God indeed; nor is any god besides Him
worthy of divine worship, because He is truly the Son of God. And when
this land became aware of His presence, it trembled at His arrival, and
was moved and shaken; and we are exceedingly afraid from the greatness
of His power. And in the same hour that idol fell down, and at its fall
all, inhabitants of Egypt and others, ran together.
11. And the son of the priest, his usual disease having come upon him,
entered the hospital, and there came upon Joseph and the Lady Mary,
from whom all others had fled. The Lady Mary had washed the cloths of
the Lord Christ, and had spread them over some wood. That demoniac boy,
therefore, came and took one of the cloths, and put it on his head.
Then the demons, fleeing in the shape of ravens and serpents, began to
go forth out of his mouth. The boy, being immediately healed at the
command of the Lord Christ, began to praise God, and then to give
thanks to the Lord who had healed him. And when his father saw him
restored to health, My son, said he, what has happened to thee? and by
what means hast thou been healed? The son answered: When the demons had
thrown me on the ground, I went into the hospital, and there I found an
august woman with a boy, whose newly-washed cloths she had thrown upon
some wood: one of these I took up and put upon my head, and the demons
left me and fled. At this the father rejoiced greatly, and said: My
son, it is possible that this boy is the Son of the living God who
created the heavens and the earth: for when he came over to us, the
idol was broken, and all the gods fell, and perished by the power of
his magnificence.
12. Here was fulfilled the prophecy which says, Out of Egypt have I
called my son. (1) Joseph indeed, and Mary, when they heard that that
idol had fallen down and perished, trembled, and were afraid. Then they
said: When we were in the land of Israel, Herod thought to put Jesus to
death, and on that account slew all the children of Bethlehem and its
confines; and there is no doubt that the Egyptians, as soon as they
have heard that this idol has been broken, will burn us with fire. (2)
13. Going out thence, they came to a place where there were robbers who
had plundered several men of their baggage and clothes, and had bound
them. Then the robbers heard a great noise, like the noise of a
magnificent king going out of his city with his army, and his chariots
and his drums; and at this the robbers were terrified, and left all
their plunder. And their captives rose up, loosed each other's bonds,
recovered their baggage, and went away. And when they saw Joseph and
Mary coming up to the place, they said to them: Where is that king, at
the hearing of the magnificent sound of whose approach the robbers have
left us, so that we have escaped safe? Joseph answered them: He will
come behind us.
14. Thereafter they came into another city, where there was a demoniac
woman whom Satan, accursed and rebellious, had beset, when on one
occasion she had gone out by night for water. She could neither bear
clothes, nor live in a house; and as often as they tied her up with
chains and thongs, she broke them, and fled naked into waste places;
and, standing in cross-roads and cemeteries, she kept throwing stones
at people, and brought very heavy calamities upon her friends. And when
the Lady Mary saw her, she pitied her; and upon this Satan immediately
left her, and fled away in the form of a young man, saying: Woe to me
from thee, Mary, and from thy son. So that woman was cured of her
torment, and being restored to her senses, she blushed on account of
her nakedness; and shunning the sight of men, went home to her friends.
And after she put on her clothes, she gave an account of the matter to
her father and her friends; and as they were the chief men of the city,
they received the Lady Mary and Joseph with the greatest honour and
hospitality.
15. On the day after, being supplied by them with provision for their
journey, they went away, and on the evening of that day arrived at
another town, in which they were celebrating a marriage; but, by the
arts of accursed Satan and the work of enchanters, the bride had become
dumb, and could not speak a word. And after the Lady Mary entered the
town, carrying her son the Lord Christ, that dumb bride saw her, and
stretched out her hands towards the Lord Christ, and drew Him to her,
and took Him into her arms, and held Him close and kissed Him, and
leaned over Him, moving His body back and forwards. Immediately the
knot of her tongue was loosened, and her ears were opened; and she gave
thanks and praise to God, because He had restored her to health. And
that night the inhabitants of that town exulted with joy, and thought
that God and His angels had come down to them.
16. There they remained three days, being held in great honour, and
living splendidly. Thereafter, being supplied by them with provision
for their journey, they went away and came to another city, in which,
because it was very populous, they thought of passing the night. And
there was in that city an excellent woman: and once, when she had gone
to the river to bathe, lo, accursed Satan, in the form of a serpent,
had leapt upon her, and twisted himself round her belly; and as often
as night came on, he tyrannically tormented her. This woman, seeing the
mistress the Lady Mary, and the child, the Lord Christ, in her bosom,
was struck with a longing for Him, and said to the mistress the Lady
Mary: O mistress, give me this child, that I may carry him, and kiss
him. She therefore gave Him to the woman; and when He was brought to
her, Satan let her go, and fled and left her, nor did the woman ever
see him after that day. Wherefore all who were present praised God Most
High, and that woman bestowed on them liberal gifts
17. On the day after, the same woman took scented water to wash the
Lord Jesus; and after she had washed Him, she took the water with which
she had done it, and poured part of it upon a girl who was living
there, whose body was white with leprosy, and washed her with it. And
as soon as this was done, the girl was cleansed from her leprosy. And
the towns- people said: There is no doubt that Joseph and Mary and that
boy are gods, not men. And when they were getting ready to go away from
them, the girl who had laboured under the leprosy came up to them, and
asked them to let her go with them.
18. When they had given her permission, she went with them. And
afterwards they came to a city, in which was the castle of a most
illustrious prince, who kept a house for the entertainment of
strangers. They turned into this place; and the girl went away to the
prince's wife; and she found her weeping and sorrowful, and she asked
why she was weeping. Do not be surprised, said she, at my tears; for I
am overwhelmed by a great affliction, which as yet I have not endured
to tell to any one. Perhaps, said the girl, if you reveal it and
disclose it to me, I may have a remedy for it. Hide this secret, then,
replied the princess, and tell it to no one. I was married to this
prince, who is a king and ruler over many cities, and I lived long with
him, but by me he had no son. And when at length I produced him a son,
he was leprous; and as soon as he saw him, he turned away with
loathing, and said to me: Either kill him, or give him to the nurse to
be brought up in some place from which we shall never hear of him more.
After this I can have nothing to do with thee, and I will never see
thee more. On this account I know not what to do, and I am overwhelmed
with grief. Alas! my son. Alas! my husband. Did I not say so? said the
girl. I have found a cure for thy disease, and I shall tell it thee.
For I too was a leper; but I was cleansed by God, who is Jesus, the son
of the Lady Mary. And the woman asking her where this God was whom she
had spoken of, Here, with thee, said the girl; He is living in the same
house. But how is this possible? said she. Where is he? There, said the
girl, are Joseph and Mary; and the child who is with them is called
Jesus; and He it is who cured me of my disease and my torment. But by
what means, said she, wast thou cured of thy leprosy? Wilt thou not
tell me that? Why not? said the girl. I got from His mother the water
in which He had been washed, and poured it over myself; and so I was
cleansed from my leprosy. Then the princess rose up, and invited them
to avail themselves of her hospitality. And she prepared a splendid
banquet for Joseph in a great assembly of the men of the place. And on
the following day she took scented water with which to wash the Lord
Jesus, and thereafter poured the same water over her son, whom she had
taken with her; and immediately her son was cleansed from his leprosy.
Therefore, singing thanks and praises to God, she said: Blessed is the
mother who bore thee, O Jesus; dost thou so cleanse those who share the
same nature with thee with the water in which thy body has been washed?
Besides, she bestowed great gifts upon the mistress the Lady Mary, and
sent her away with great honour.
19. Coming thereafter to another city, they wished to spend the night
in it. They turned aside, therefore, to the house of a man newly
married, but who, under the influence of witchcraft, was not able to
enjoy his wife; and when they had spent that night with him, his bond
was loosed. And at daybreak, when they were girding themselves for
their journey, the bridegroom would not let them go, and prepared for
them a great banquet.
20. They set out, therefore, on the following day; and as they came
near another city, they saw three women weeping as they came out of a
cemetery. And when the Lady Mary beheld them, she said to the girl who
accompanied her: Ask them what is the matter with them, or what
calamity has befallen them. And to the girl's questions they made no
reply, but asked in their turn: Whence are you, and whither are you
going? for the day is already past, and night is coming on apace. We
are travellers, said the girl, and are seeking a house of entertainment
in which we may pass the night. They said: Go with us, and spend the
night with us. They followed them, therefore, and were brought into a
new house with splendid decorations and furniture. Now it was winter;
and the girl, going into the chamber of these women, found them again
weeping and lamenting. There stood beside them a mule, covered with
housings of cloth of gold, and sesame was put before him; and the women
were kissing him, and giving him food. And the gift said: What is all
the ado, my ladies, about this mule? They answered her with tears, and
said: This mule, which thou seest, was our brother, born of the same
mother with ourselves. And when our father died, and left us great
wealth, and this only brother, we did our best to get him married, and
were preparing his nuptials for him, after the manner of men. But some
women, moved by mutual jealousy, bewitched him unknown to us; and one
night, a little before daybreak, when the door of our house was shut,
we saw that this our brother had been turned into a mule, as thou now
beholdest him. And we are sorrowful, as thou seest, having no father to
comfort us: there is no wise man, or magician, or enchanter in the
world that we have omitted to send for; but nothing has done us any
good. And as often as our hearts are overwhelmed with grief, we rise
and go away with our mother here, and weep at our father's grave, and
come back again.
21. And when the girl heard these things, Be of good courage, said she,
and weep not: for the cure of your calamity is near; yea, it is beside
you, and in the middle of your own house. For I also was a leper; but
when I saw that woman, and along with her that young child, whose name
is Jesus, I sprinkled my body with the water with which His mother had
washed Him, and I was cured. And I know that He can cure your
affliction also. But rise, go to Mary my mistress; bring her into your
house, and tell her your secret; and entreat and supplicate her to have
pity upon yon. After the woman had heard the girl's words, they went in
haste to the Lady Mary, and brought her into their chamber, and sat
down before her weeping, and saying: O our mistress, Lady Mary, have
pity on thy hand-maidens; for no one older than ourselves, and no head
of the family, is left- -neither father nor brother--to live with us;
but this mule which thou seest was our brother, and women have made him
such as thou seest by witchcraft. We beseech thee, therefore, to have
pity upon us. Then, grieving at their lot, the Lady Mary took up the
Lord Jesus, and put Him on the mule's back; and she wept as well as the
women, and said to Jesus Christ: Alas! my son, heal this mule by Thy
mighty power, and make him a man endowed with reason as he was before.
And when these words were uttered by the Lady Mary, his form was
changed, and the mule became a young man, free from every defect. Then
he and his mother and his sisters adored the Lady Mary, and lifted the
boy above their heads, and began to kiss Him, saying: Blessed is she
that bore Thee, O Jesus, O Saviour of the world; blessed are the eyes
which enjoy the felicity of seeing Thee.
22. Moreover, both the sisters said to their mother: Our brother
indeed, by the aid of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the salutary
intervention of this girl, who pointed out to us Mary and her son, has
been raised to human form. Now, indeed, since our brother is unmarried,
it would do very well for us to give him as his wife this girl, their
servant. And having asked the Lady Mary, and obtained her consent, they
made a splendid wedding for the girl; and their sorrow being changed
into joy, and the beating of their breasts into dancing, they began to
be glad, to rejoice, to exult, and sing--adorned, on account of their
great joy, in most splendid and gorgeous attire. Then they began to
recite songs and praises, and to say: O Jesus, son of David, who
turnest sorrow into gladness, and lamentations into joy! And Joseph and
Mary remained there ten clays. Thereafter they set out, treated with
great honours by these people, who bade them farewell, and from bidding
them farewell returned weeping, especially the girl.
23. And turning away from this place, they came to a desert; and
hearing that it was infested by robbers, Joseph and the Lady Mary
resolved to cross this region by night. But as they go along, behold,
they see two robbers lying in the way, and along with them a great
number of robbers, who were their associates, sleeping. Now those two
robbers, into whose hands they had fallen, were Titus and Dumachus.
Titus therefore said to Dumachus: I beseech thee to let these persons
go freely, and so that our comrades may not see them. And as Dumachus
refused, Titus said to him again: Take to thyself forty drachmas from
me, and hold this as a pledge. At the same time he held out to him the
belt which he had about his waist, to keep him from opening his mouth
or speaking. And the Lady Mary, seeing that the robber had done them a
kindness, said to him: The Lord God will sustain thee by His right
hand, and will grant thee remission of thy sins. And the Lord Jesus
answered, and said to His mother: Thirty years hence, O my mother, the
Jews will crucify me at Jerusalem, and these two robbers will be raised
upon the cross along with me, Titus on my right hand and Dumachus on my
left; and after that day Titus shall go before me into Paradise. And
she said: God keep this from thee, my son. And they went thence towards
a city of idols, which, as they came near it, was changed into
sand-hills.
24. Hence they turned aside to that sycamore which is now called
Matarea,[1] and the Lord Jesus brought forth in Matarea a fountain in
which the Lady Mary washed His shirt. And from the sweat of the Lord
Jesus which she sprinkled there, balsam was produced in that region.
25. Thence they came down to Memphis, and saw Pharaoh, and remained
three years in Egypt; and the Lord Jesus did in Egypt very many
miracles which are recorded neither in the Gospel of the Infancy nor in
the perfect Gospel.
26. And at the end of the three years He came back out of Egypt, and
returned. And when they had arrived at Judaea, Joseph was afraid to
enter it; but hearing that Herod was dead, and that Archelaus his son
had succeeded him, he was afraid indeed, but he went into Judaea. And
an angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said: O Joseph, go into the
city of Nazareth, and there abide. Wonderful indeed, that the Lord of
the world should be thus borne and carried about through the world!
27. Thereafter, going into the city of Bethlehem, they saw there many
and grievous diseases infesting the eyes of the children, who were
dying in consequence. And a woman was there with a sick son, whom, now
very near death, she brought to the Lady Mary, who saw him as she was
washing Jesus Christ. Then said the woman to her: O my Lady Mary, look
upon this son of mine, who is labouring under a grievous disease. And
the Lady Mary listened to her, and said: Take a little of that water in
which I have washed my son, and sprinkle him with it. She therefore
took a little of the water, as the Lady Mary had told her, and
sprinkled it over her son. And when this was done his illness abated;
and after sleeping a little, he rose up from sleep safe and sound. His
mother rejoicing at this, again took him to the Lady Mary. And she said
to her: Give thanks to God, because He hath healed this thy son.
28. There was in the same place another woman, a neighbour of her whose
son had lately been restored to health. And as her son was labouring
under the same disease, and his eyes were now almost blinded, she wept
night and day. And the mother of the child that had been cured said to
her: Why dost thou not take thy son to the Lady Mary, as I did with
mine when he was nearly dead? And he got well with that water with
which the body of her son Jesus had been washed. And when the woman
heard this from her, she too went and got some of the same water, and
washed her son with it, and his body and his eyes were instantly made
well. Her also, when she had brought her son to her, and disclosed to
her all that had happened, the Lady Mary ordered to give thanks to God
for her son's restoration to health, and to tell nobody of this matter.
29. There were in the same city two women, wives of one man, each
having a son ill with fever. The one was called Mary, and her son's
name was Cleopas. She rose and took up her son, and went to the Lady
Mary, the mother of Jesus, and offering her a beautiful mantle, said: O
my Lady Mary, accept this mantle, and for it give me one small bandage.
Mary did so, and the mother of Cleopas went away, and made a shirt of
it, and put it on her son. So he was cured of his disease; but the son
of her rival died. Hence there sprung up hatred between them; and as
they did the house-work week about, and as it was the turn of Mary the
mother of Cleopas, she heated the oven to bake bread; and going away to
bring the lump that she had kneaded, she left her son Cleopas beside
the oven. Her rival seeing him alone--and the oven was very hot with
the fire blazing under it--seized him and threw him into the oven, and
took herself off. Mary coming back, and seeing her son Cleopas lying in
the oven laughing, and the oven quite cold, as if no fire had ever come
near it, knew that her rival had thrown him into the fire. She drew him
out, therefore, and took him to the Lady Mary, and told her of what had
happened to him. And she said: Keep silence, and tell nobody of the
affair; for I am afraid for you if you divulge it. After this her rival
went to the well to draw water; and seeing Cleopas playing beside the
well, and nobody near, she seized him and threw him into the well, and
went home herself. And some men who had gone to the well for water saw
the boy sitting on the surface of the water; and so they went down and
drew him out. And they were seized with a great admiration of that boy,
and praised God. Then came his mother, and took him up, and went
weeping to the Lady Mary, and said: O my lady, see what my rival has
done to my son, and how she has thrown him into the well; she will be
sure to destroy him some day or other. The Lady Mary said to her: God
will avenge thee upon her. Thereafter, when her rival went to the well
to draw water, her feet got entangled in the rope, and she fell into
the well. Some men came to draw her out, but they found her skull
fractured and her bones broken. Thus she died a miserable death, and in
her came to pass that saying: They have digged a well deep, but have
fallen into the pit which they had prepared.[1]
30. Another woman there had twin sons who had fallen into disease, and
one of them died, and the other was at his last breath. And his mother,
weeping, lifted him up, and took him to the Lady Mary, and said: O my
lady, aid me and succour me. For I had two sons, and I have just buried
the one, and the other is at the point of death. See how I am going to
entreat and pray to God. And she began to say: O Lord, Thou art
compassionate, and merciful, and full of affection. Thou gavest me two
sons, of whom Thou hast taken away the one: this one at least leave to
me. Wherefore the Lady Mary, seeing the fervour of her weeping, had
compassion on her, and said: Put thy son in my son's bed, and cover him
with his clothes. And when she had put him in the bed in which Christ
was lying, he had already closed his eyes in death; but as soon as the
smell of the clothes of the Lord Jesus Christ reached the boy, he
opened his eyes, and, calling upon his mother with a loud voice, he
asked for bread, and took it and sucked it. Then his mother said: O
Lady Mary, now I know that the power of God dwelleth in thee, so that
thy son heals those that partake of the same nature with himself, as
soon as they have touched his clothes. This boy that was healed is he
who in the Gospel is called Bartholomew.
31. Moreover, there was there a leprous woman, and she went to the Lady
Mary, the mother of Jesus, and said: My lady, help me. And the Lady
Mary answered: What help dost thou seek? Is it gold or silver? or is it
that thy body be made clean from the leprosy? And that woman asked: Who
can grant me this? And the Lady Mary said to her: Wait a little, until
I shall have washed my son Jesus, and put him to bed. The woman waited,
as Mary had told her; and when she had put Jesus to bed, she held out
to the woman the water in which she had washed His body, and said: Take
a little of this water, and pour it over thy body. And as soon as she
had done so, she was cleansed, and gave praise and thanks to God.
32. Therefore, after staying with her three days, she went away; and
coming to a city, saw there one of the chief men, who had married the
daughter of another of the chief men. But when he saw the woman, he
beheld between her eyes the mark of leprosy in the shape of a star; and
so the marriage was dissolved, and became null and void. And when that
woman saw them in this condition, weeping and overwhelmed with sorrow,
she asked the cause of their grief. But they said: Inquired not into
our condition, for to no one living can we tell our grief, and to none
but ourselves can we disclose it. She urged them, however, and
entreated them to entrust it to her, saying that she would perhaps be
able to tell them of a remedy. And when they showed her the girl, and
the sign of leprosy which appeared between her eyes, as soon as she saw
it, the woman said: I also, whom you see here, laboured under the same
disease, when, upon some business which happened to come in my way, I
went to Bethlehem. There going into a cave, I saw a woman named Mary,
whose son was he who was named Jesus; and when she saw that I was a
leper. she took pity on me, and handed me the water with which she had
washed her son's body. With it I sprinkled my body, and came out clean.
Then the woman said to her: Wilt thou not, O lady, rise and go with us,
and show us the Lady Mary? And she assented; and they rose and went to
the Lady Mary, carrying with them splendid gifts. And when they had
gone in, and presented to her the gifts, they showed her the leprous
girl whom they had brought. The Lady Mary therefore said: May the
compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ descend upon you; and handling to
them also a little of the water in which she had washed the body of
Jesus Christ, she ordered the wretched woman to be bathed in it. And
when this had been done, she was immediately cured; and they, and all
standing by, praised God. Joyfully therefore they returned to their own
city, praising the Lord for what He had done. And when the chief heard
that his wife had been cured, he took her home, and made a second
marriage, and gave thanks to God for the recovery of his wife's health.
33. There was there also a young woman afflicted by Satan; for that
accursed wretch repeatedly appeared to her in the form of a huge
dragon, and prepared to swallow her. He also sucked out all her blood,
so that she was left like a corpse. As often as he came near her, she,
with her hands clasped over her head, cried out, and said: Woe, woe's
me, for nobody is near to free me from that accursed dragon. And her
father and mother, and all who were about her or saw her, bewailed her
lot; and men stood round her in a crowd, and all wept and lamented,
especially when she wept, and said: Oh, my brethren and friends, is
there no one to free me from that murderer? And the daughter of the
chief who had been healed of her leprosy, hearing the girl's voice,
went up to the roof of her castle, and saw her with her hands clasped
over her head weeping, and all the crowds standing round her weeping as
wall. She therefore asked the demoniac's husband whether his wife's
mother were alive. And when he answered that both her parents were
living, she said: Send for her mother to come to me. And when she saw
that he had sent for her, and she had come, she said: Is that
distracted girl thy daughter? Yes, O lady, said that sorrowful and
weeping woman, she is my daughter. The chiefs daughter answered: Keep
my secret, for I confess to thee that I was formerly a leper; but now
the Lady Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, has healed me. But if thou
wishest thy daughter to be healed, take her to Bethlehem, and seek Mary
the mother of Jesus, and believe that thy daughter will be healed; I
indeed believe that thou wilt come back with joy, with thy daughter
healed. As soon as the woman heard the words of the chief's daughter,
she led away her daughter in haste; and going to the place indicated,
she went to the Lady Mary, and revealed to her the state of her
daughter. And the Lady Mary hearing her words, gave her a little of the
water in which she had washed the body of her son Jesus, and ordered
her to pour it on the body of her daughter. She gave her also from the
clothes of the Lord Jesus a swathing-cloth, saying: Take this cloth,
and show it to thine enemy as often as thou shalt see him. And she
saluted them, and sent them away.
34. When, therefore, they had gone away from her, and returned to their
own district, and the time was at hand at which Satan was wont to
attack her, at this very time that accursed one appeared to her in the
shape of a huge dragon, and the girl was afraid at the sight of him.
And her mother said to her: Fear not, my daughter; allow him to come
near thee, and then show him the cloth which the Lady Mary hath given
us, and let us see what will happen. Satan, therefore, having come near
in the likeness of a terrible dragon, the body of the girl shuddered
for fear of him; but as soon as she took out the cloth, and placed it
on her head, and covered her eyes with it, flames and live coals began
to dart forth from it, and to be cast upon the dragon. O the great
miracle which was done as soon as the dragon saw the cloth of the Lord
Jesus, from which the fire darted, and was cast upon his head and eyes!
He cried out with a loud voice: What have I to do with thee, O Jesus,
son of Mary? Whither shall I fly from thee? And with great fear he
turned his back and departed from the girl, and never afterwards
appeared to her. And the girl now had rest from him, and gave praise
and thanks to God, and along with her all who were present at that
miracle.
35. Another woman was living in the same place, whose son was tormented
by Satan. He, Judas by name, as often as Satan seized him, used to bite
all who came near him; and if he found no one near him, he used to bite
his own hands and other limbs. The mother of this wretched creature,
then, hearing the fame of the Lady Mary and her son Jesus, rose up and
brought her son Judas with her to the Lady Mary. In the meantime, James
and Joses had taken the child the Lord Jesus with them to play with the
other children; and they had gone out of the house and sat down, and
the Lord Jesus with them. And the demoniac Judas came up, and sat down
at Jesus' right hand: then, being attacked by Satan in the same manner
as usual, he wished to bite the Lord Jesus, but was not able;
nevertheless he struck Jesus on the right side, whereupon He began to
weep. And immediately Satan went forth out of that boy, fleeing like a
mad dog. And this boy who struck Jesus, and out of whom Satan went
forth in the shape of a dog, was Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him to
the Jews; and that same side on which Judas struck Him, the Jews
transfixed with a lance.(1)
36. Now, when the Lord Jesus had completed seven years from His birth,
on a certain day He was occupied with boys of His own age. For they
were playing among clay, from which they were making images of asses,
oxen, birds, and other animals; and each one boasting of his skill, was
praising his own work. Then the Lord Jesus said to the boys: The images
that I have made I will order to walk. The boys asked Him whether then
he were the son of the Creator; and the Lord Jesus bade them walk. And
they immediately began to leap; and then, when He had given them leave,
they again stood still. And He had made figures of birds and sparrows,
which flew when He told them to fly, and stood still when He told them
to stand, and ate and drank when He handed them food and drink. After
the boys had gone away and told this to their parents, their fathers
said to them: My sons, take care not to keep company with him again,
for he is a wizard: flee from him, therefore, and avoid him, and do not
play with him again after this.
37. On a certain day the Lord Jesus, running about and playing with the
boys, passed the shop of a dyer, whose name was Salem; and he had in
his shop many pieces of cloth which he was to dye. The Lord Jesus then,
going into his shop, took up all the pieces of cloth, and threw them
into a tub full of indigo. And when Salem came and saw his cloths
destroyed, he began to cry out with a loud voice, and to reproach
Jesus, saying: Why hast thou done this to me, O son of Mary? Thou hast
disgraced me before all my townsmen: for, seeing that every one wished
the colour that suited himself, thou indeed hast come and destroyed
them all. The Lord Jesus answered: I shall change for thee the colour
of any piece of cloth which thou shalt wish to be changed. And
immediately He began to take the pieces of cloth out of the tub, each
of them of that colour which the dyer wished, until He had taken them
all out. When the Jews saw this miracle and prodigy, they praised God.
38. And Joseph used to go about through the whole city, and take the
Lord Jesus with him, when people sent for him in the way of his trade
to make for them doors, and milk-pails, and beds, and chests; and the
Lord Jesus was with him wherever he went. As often, therefore, as
Joseph had to make anything a cubit or a span longer or shorter, wider
or narrower, the Lord Jesus stretched His hand towards it; and as soon
as He did so, it became such as Joseph wished. Nor was it necessary for
him to make anything with his own hand, for Joseph was not very skilful
in carpentry.
39. Now, on a certain day, the king of Jerusalem sent for him, and
said: I wish thee, Joseph, to make for me a throne to fit that place in
which I usually sit. Joseph obeyed, and began the work immediately, and
remained in the palace two years, until he finished the work of that
throne. And when he had it carried to its place, he perceived that each
side wanted two spans of the prescribed measure. And the king, seeing
this, was angry with Joseph; and Joseph, being in great fear of the
king, spent the night without supper, nor did he taste anything at all.
Then, being asked by the Lord Jesus why he was afraid, Joseph said:
Because I have spoiled all the work that I have been two years at. And
the Lord Jesus said to him: Fear not, and do not lose heart; but do
thou take hold of one side of the throne; I shall take the other; and
we shall put that to rights. And Joseph, having done as the Lord Jesus
had said and each having drawn by his own side, the throne was put to
rights, and brought to the exact measure of the place. And those that
stood by and saw this miracle were struck with astonishment, and
praised God. And the woods used in that throne were of those which are
celebrated in the time of Solomon the son of David; that is, woods of
many and various kinds.
40. On another day the Lord Jesus went out into the road, and saw the
boys that had come together to play, and followed them; but the boys
hid themselves from Him. The Lord Jesus, therefore, having come to the
door of a certain house, and seen some women standing there, asked them
where the boys had gone; and when they answered that there was no one
there, He said again: Who are these whom you see in the furnace?' They
replied that they were kids of three years old. And the Lord Jesus
cried out, and said: Come out hither, O kids, to your Shepherd. Then
the boys, in the form of kids, came out, and began to dance round Him;
and the women, seeing this, were very much astonished, and were seized
with trembling, and speedily, supplicated and adored the Lord Jesus,
saying: O our Lord Jesus, son of Mary, Thou art of a truth that good
Shepherd of Israel; have mercy on Thy handmaidens who stand before
Thee, and who have never doubted: for Thou hast come, O our Lord, to
heal, and not to destroy. And when the Lord Jesus answered that the
sons of Israel were like the Ethiopians among the nations, the women
said: Thou, O Lord, knowest all things, nor is anything hid from Thee;
now, indeed, we beseech Thee, and ask Thee of Thy affection to restore
these boys Thy servants to their former condition. The Lord Jesus
therefore said: Come, boys, let us go and play. And immediately, while
these women were standing by, the kids were changed into boys.
41. Now in the month Adar, Jesus, after the manner of a king, assembled
the boys together. They spread their clothes on the ground, and He sat
down upon them. Then they put on His head a crown made of flowers, and,
like chamber-servants, stood in His presence, on the right and on the
left, as if He were a king. And whoever passed by that way was forcibly
dragged by the boys, saying: Come hither, and adore the king; then go
thy way.
42. In the meantime, while these things were going on, some men came up
carrying a boy. For this boy had gone into the mountain with those of
his own age to seek wood, and there he found a partridge's nest; and
when he stretched out his hand to take the eggs from it, a venomous
serpent bit him from the middle of the nest, so that he called out for
help. His comrades accordingly went to him with haste, and found him
lying on the ground like one dead. Then his relations came and took hun
up to carry him back to the city. And after they had come to that place
where the Lord Jesus was sitting like a king, and the rest of the boys
standing round Him like His servants, the boys went hastily forward to
meet him who had been bitten by the serpent, and said to his relations:
Come and salute the king. Bat when they were unwilling to go, on
account of the sorrow in I which they were, the boys dragged them by
force against their will. And when they had come up to the Lord Jesus,
He asked them why they were carrying the boy. And when they answered
that a serpent had bitten him, the Lord Jesus said to the boys: Let us
go and kill that serpent. And the parents of the boy asked leave to go
away, because their son was in the agony of death; but the boys
answered them, saying: Did you not hear the king saying: Let us go kill
the serpent? and will yon not obey him? And so, against their will the
could was carried back. And when they came to the nest, the Lord Jesus
said to the boys: Is this the serpent's place? They saint that it was;
and the serpent, at the call of the Lord, came forth without delay, and
submitted itself to Him. And He said to it: Go away, and suck out all
the poison which thou hast infused into this boy. And so the serpent
crawled to the boy, and sucked out all its poison. Then the Lord Jesus
cursed it, and immediately on this being done it burst asunder; and the
Lord Jesus stroked the boy with his hand, and he was healed. And he
began to weep; but Jesus said: Do not weep, for by and by thou shalt be
my disciple. And this is Simon the Cananite,(2) of whom mention is made
in the Gospel.(3)
43. On another day, Joseph sent his son James to gather wood, and the
Lord Jesus went with him as his companion. And when they had come to
the place where the wood was, and James had begun to gather it, behold,
a venomous viper bit his band, so that he began to cry out and weep.
The Lord Jesus then, seeing him in this condition, went up to him, and
blew upon the place where the viper had bitten him; and this being
done, he was healed immediately.
44. One day, when the Lord Jesus was again with the boys playing on the
roof of a house, one of the boys fell down from above, and immediately
expired. And the rest of the boys fled in all directions, and the Lord
Jesus was left alone on the roof. And the relations of the boy came up
and said to the Lord Jesus: It was thou who didst throw our son
headlong from the roof. And when He denied it, they cried out, saying:
Our son is dead, and here is he who has killed him. And the Lord Jesus
said to them: Do not bring an evil report against me; but if you do not
believe me, come and let us ask the boy himself, that be may bring the
truth to light. Then the Lord Jesus went down, and standing over the
dead body, said, with a loud voice: Zeno, Zeno, who threw thee down
from the roof? Then the dead boy answered and said: My lord, it was not
thou who didst throw me down, but such a one cast me down from it. And
when the Lord commanded those who were standing by to attend to His
words, all who were present praised God for this miracle.
45. Once upon a time the Lady Mary bad ordered the Lord Jesus to go and
bring her water from the well. And when He had gone to get the water,
the pitcher already full was knocked against something, and broken. And
the Lord Jesus stretched out His handkerchief, and collected the water,
and carried it to His mother; and she was astonished at it. And she hid
and preserved in her heart all that she saw.
46. Again, on another day, the Lord Jesus was with the boys at a stream
of water, and they had again made little fish-ponds. And the Lord Jesus
had made twelve sparrows, and had arranged them round His fish-pond,
three on each side. And it was the Sabbath-day. Wherefore a Jew, the
son of Hanan, coming up, and seeing them thus engaged, said in anger
and great indignation: Do you make figures of clay on the Sabbath-day?
And he ran quickly, and destroyed their fish-ponds. But when the Lord
Jesus clapped His hands over the sparrows which He had made, they flew
away chirping. Then the son of Hanan came up to the fish-pond of Jesus
also, and kicked it with his shoes, and the water of it vanished away.
And the Lord Jesus said to him: As that water has vanished away, so thy
life shall likewise vanish away. And immediately that boy dried up.
47. At another time, when the Lord Jesus was returning home with Joseph
in the evening. He met a boy, who ran up against Him with so much force
that He fell. And the Lord Jesus said to him: As thou hast thrown me
down, so thou shall fall and not rise again. And the same hour the boy
fell down, and expired.
48. There was, moreover, at Jerusalem, a certain man named Zacchaeus,
who taught boys. He said to Joseph: Why, O Joseph, dost thou not bring
Jesus to the to learn his letters? Joseph agreed to do so, and reported
the matter to the Lady Mary. They therefore took Him to the master; and
he, as soon as he saw Him, wrote out the alphabet for Him, and told Him
to say Aleph. And when He had said Aleph, the master ordered Him to
pronounce Beth. And the Lord Jesus said to him: Tell me first the
meaning of the letter Aleph, and then I shall pronounce Beth. And when
the master threatened to flog Him, the Lord Jesus explained to him the
meanings of the letters Aleph and Beth; also which figures of the
letter were straight, which crooked, which drawn round into a spiral,
which marked with points, which without them, why one letter went
before another; and many other things He began to recount and to
elucidate which the master himself had never either heard or read in
any book. The Lord Jesus, moreover, said to the master: Listen, and I
shall say them to thee. And He began clearly and distinctly to repeat
Aleph, Beth, Gimel, Daleth, on to Tau. And the master was astonished,
and said: I think that this boy was born before Noah. And turning to
Joseph, be said: Thou hast brought to me to be taught a boy more
learned than all the masters. To the Lady Mary also be said: This son
of thine has no need of instruction.
49. Thereafter they took Him to another and a more learned master, who,
when be saw Him, said: Say Aleph. And when He had said Aleph, the
master ordered him to pronounce Beth. And the Lord Jesus answered him,
and said: First tell me the meaning of the letter Aleph, and then I
shall pronounce Beth. And when the master hereupon raised his hand and
flogged Him, immediately his hand dried up, and he died. Then said
Joseph, to the Lady Mary: From this time we shall not let him go out of
the house, since every one who opposes him is struck dead.
50. And when He was twelve years old, they took Him to Jerusalem to the
feast. And when the feast was finished, they indeed returned; but the
Lord Jesus remained in the temple among the teachers and elders and
learned men of the sons of Israel, to whom He put various questions
upon the sciences, and gave answers in His turn.(1) For He said to
them: Whose son is the Messias? They answered Him: The son of David.
Wherefore then, said He, does he in the Spirit call him his lord, when
he says, The Lord said to my lord, Sit at my right hand, that I may put
thine enemies under thy footsteps?(1) Again the chief of the teachers
said to Him: Hast thou read the books? Both the books, said the Lord
Jesus, and the things contained in the books. And He explained the
books, and the law, and the precepts, and the statutes, and the
mysteries, which are contained in the books of the prophets--things
which the understanding of no creature attains to. That teacher
therefore said: I hitherto have neither attained to nor heard of such
knowledge: Who, pray, do you think that boy will be?
51. And a philosopher who was there present, a skilful astronomer,
asked the Lord Jesus whether He had studied astronomy. And the Lord
Jesus answered him, and explained the number of the spheres, and of the
heavenly bodies, their natures and operations; their opposition; their
aspect, triangular, square, and sextile; their course, direct and
retrograde; the twenty-fourths,(2) and sixtieths of twenty-fourths; and
other things beyond the reach of reason.
52. There was also among those philosophers one very skilled in
treating of natural science, and he asked the Lord Jesus whether He had
studied medicine. And He, in reply, explained to him physics and
metaphysics, hyperphysics and hypophysics, the powers likewise and
humours of the body, and the effects of the same; also the number of
members and bones, of veins, arteries, and nerves; also the effect of
heat and dryness, of cold and moisture, and what these give rise to;
what was the operation of the soul upon the body, and its perceptions
and powers; what was the operation of the faculty of speech, of anger,
of desire; lastly, their conjunction and disjunction, and other things
beyond the reach of any created intellect. Then that philosopher rose
up, and adored the Lord Jesus, and said: O Lord, from this time I will
be thy disciple and slave.
53. While they were speaking to each other of these and other things,
the Lady Mary came, after having gone about seeking Him for three days
along with Joseph. She therefore, seeing Him sitting among the teachers
asking them questions, and answering in His turn, said to Him: My son,
why hast thou treated us thus? Behold, thy father and I have sought
thee with great trouble. But He said: Why do you seek me? Do you not
know that I ought to occupy myself in my Father's house? But they did
not understand the words that He spoke to them. Then those teachers
asked Mary whether He were her son; and when she signified that He was,
they said: Blessed art thou, O Mary, who hast brought forth such a son.
And returning with them to Nazareth, He obeyed them in all things. And
His mother kept all these words of His in her heart. And the Lord Jesus
advanced in stature, and in wisdom, and in favour with God and man.(3)
54. And from this day He began to hide His miracles and mysteries and
secrets, and to give attention to the law, until He completed His
thirtieth year, when His Father publicly declared Him at the Jordan by
this voice sent down from heaven: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am
well pleased; the Holy Spirit being present in the form of a white
dove.(4)
55. This is He whom we adore with supplications, who hath given us
being and life, and who hath brought us from our mothers' wombs; who
for our sakes assumed a human body, and redeemed us, that He might
embrace us in eternal compassion, and show to us His mercy according to
His liberality, and beneficence, and generosity, and benevolence. To
Him is glory, and beneficence, and power, and dominion from this time
forth for evermore. Amen. Here endeth the whole Gospel of the Infancy,
with the aid of God Most High, according to what we have found in the
original.
GOSPEL OF THOMAS - infancy II
The stories of Thomas the Israelite, the Philosopher, concerning the
works of the Childhood of the Lord.
I. I, Thomas the Israelite, tell unto you, even all the brethren that
are of the Gentiles, to make known unto you the works of the childhood
of our Lord Jesus Christ and his mighty deeds, even all that he did
when he was born in our land: whereof the beginning is thus:
II. 1 This little child Jesus when he was five years old was playing at
the ford of a brook: and he gathered together the waters that flowed
there into pools, and made them straightway clean, and commanded them
by his word alone. 2 And having made soft clay, he fashioned thereof
twelve sparrows. And it was the Sabbath when he did these things (or
made them). And there were also many other little children playing with
him.
3 And a certain Jew when he saw what Jesus did, playing upon the
Sabbath day, departed straightway and told his father Joseph: Lo, thy
child is at the brook, and he hath taken clay and fashioned twelve
little birds, and hath polluted the Sabbath day. 4 And Joseph came to
the place and saw: and cried out to him, saying: Wherefore doest thou
these things on the Sabbath, which it is not lawful to do? But Jesus
clapped his hands together and cried out to the sparrows and said to
them: Go! and the sparrows took their flight and went away chirping. 5
And when the Jews saw it they were amazed, and departed and told their
chief men that which they had seen Jesus do.
III. 1 But the son of Annas the scribe was standing there with Joseph;
and he took a branch of a willow and dispersed the waters which Jesus
had gathered together. 2 And when Jesus saw what was done, he was wroth
and said unto him: O evil, ungodly, and foolish one, what hurt did the
pools and the waters do thee? behold, now also thou shalt be withered
like a tree, and shalt not bear leaves, neither root, nor fruit. 3 And
straightway that lad withered up wholly, but Jesus departed and went
unto Joseph's house. But the parents of him that was withered took him
up, bewailing his youth, and brought him to Joseph, and accused him
'for that thou hast such a child which doeth such deeds.'
IV. 1 After that again he went through the village, and a child ran and
dashed against his shoulder. And Jesus was provoked and said unto him:
Thou shalt not finish thy course (lit. go all thy way). And immediately
he fell down and died. But certain when they saw what was done said:
Whence was this young child born, for that every word of his is an
accomplished work? And the parents of him that was dead came unto
Joseph, and blamed him, saying: Thou that hast such a child canst not
dwell with us in the village: or do thou teach him to bless and not to
curse: for he slayeth our children.
V. 1 And Joseph called the young child apart and admonished him,
saying: Wherefore doest thou such things, that these suffer and hate us
and persecute us? But Jesus said: I know that these thy words are not
thine: nevertheless for thy sake I will hold my peace: but they shall
bear their punishment. And straightway they that accused him were
smitten with blindness. 2 And they that saw it were sore afraid and
perplexed, and said concerning him that every word which he spake
whether it were good or bad, was a deed, and became a marvel. And when
they (he ?) saw that Jesus had so done, Joseph arose and took hold upon
his ear and wrung it sore. 3 And the young child was wroth and said
unto him: It sufficeth thee (or them) to seek and not to find, and
verily thou hast done unwisely: knowest thou not that I am thine? vex
me not.
VI. 1 Now a certain teacher, Zacchaeus by name, stood there and he
heard in part when Jesus said these things to his father and he
marvelled greatly that being a young child he spake such matters. 2 And
after a few days he came near unto Joseph and said unto him: Thou hast
a wise child, and he hath understanding. Come, deliver him to me that
he may learn letters. And I will teach him with the letters all
knowledge and that he salute all the elders and honour them as
grandfathers and fathers, and love them of his own years. 3 And he told
him all the letters from Alpha even to Omega clearly, with much
questioning. But Jesus looked upon Zacchaeus the teacher and saith unto
him: Thou that knowest not the Alpha according to its nature, how canst
thou teach others the Beta? thou hypocrite, first, if thou knowest it,
teach the Alpha, and then will we believe thee concerning the Beta.
Then began he to confound the mouth of the teacher concerning the first
letter, and he could not prevail to answer him. 4 And in the hearing of
many the young child saith to Zacchaeus: Hear, O teacher, the ordinance
of the first letter and pay heed to this, how that it hath [what
follows is really unintelligible in this and in all the parallel texts:
a literal version would run something like this: how that it hath
lines, and a middle mark, which thou seest, common to both, going
apart; coming together, raised up on high, dancing (a corrupt word), of
three signs, like in kind (a corrupt word), balanced, equal in
measure]: thou hast the rules of the Alpha.
VII. 1 Now when Zacchaeus the teacher heard such and so many allegories
of the first letter spoken by the young child, he was perplexed at his
answer and his instruction being so great, and said to them that were
there: Woe is me, wretch that I am, I am confounded: I have brought
shame to myself by drawing to me this young child. 2 Take him away,
therefore I beseech thee, my brother Joseph: I cannot endure the
severity of his look, I cannot once make clear my (or his) word. This
young child is not earthly born: this is one that can tame even fire:
be like this is one begotten before the making of the world. What belly
bare this, what womb nurtured it? I know not. Woe is me, O my friend,
he putteth me from my sense, I cannot follow his understanding. I have
deceived myself, thrice wretched man that I am: I strove to get me a
disciple and I am found to have a master. 3 I think, O my friends, upon
my shame, for that being old I have been overcome by a young child;-
and I am even ready to faint and to die because of the boy, for I am
not able at this present hour to look him in the face. And when all men
say that I have been overcome by a little child, what have I to say?
and what can I tell concerning the lines of the first letter whereof he
spake to me? I am ignorant, O my friends, for neither beginning nor end
of it (or him) do I know. 4 Wherefore I beseech thee, my brother
Joseph, take him away unto thine house: for he is somewhat great,
whether god or angel or what I should call him, I know not.
VIII. 1 And as the Jews were counselling Zacchaeus, the young child
laughed greatly and said: Now let those bear fruit that were barren
(Gr. that are thine) and let them see that were blind in heart. I am
come from above that I may curse them, and call them to the things that
are above, even as he commanded which hath sent me for your sakes. 2
And when the young child ceased speaking, immediately all they were
made whole which had come under his curse. And no man after that durst
provoke him, lest he should curse him, and he should be maimed.
IX. 1 Now after certain days Jesus was playing in the upper story of a
certain house, and one of the young children that played with him fell
down from the house and died. And the other children when they saw it
fled, and Jesus remained alone. 2 And the parents of him that was dead
came and accused him that he had cast him down. (And Jesus said: I did
not cast him down) but they reviled him still. 3 Then Jesus leaped down
from the roof and stood by the body of the child and cried with a loud
voice and said: Zeno (for so was his name called), arise and tell me,
did I cast thee down? And straightway he arose and said: Nay, Lord,
thou didst not cast me down, but didst raise me up. And when they saw
it they were amazed: and the parents of the child glorified God for the
sign which had come to pass, and worshipped Jesus.
X. 1 After a few days, a certain young man was cleaving wood in the
neighbourhood (MSS. corner), and the axe fell and cut in sunder the
sole of his foot, and losing much blood he was at the point to die. 2
And when there was a tumult and concourse, the young child Jesus also
ran thither, and by force passed through the multitude, and took hold
upon the foot of the young man that was smitten, and straightway it was
healed. And he said unto the young man: Arise now and cleave the wood
and remember me. But when the multitude saw what was done they
worshipped the young child, saying: Verily the spirit of God dwelleth
in this young child.
XI. 1 Now when he was six years old, his mother sendeth him to draw
water and bear it into the house, and gave him a pitcher: but in the
press he struck it against another and the pitcher was broken. 2 But
Jesus spread out the garment which was upon him and filled it with
water and brought it to his mother. And when his mother saw what was
done she kissed him; and she kept within herself the mysteries which
she saw him do.
XII. 1 Again, in the time of sowing the young child went forth with his
father to sow wheat in their land: and as his father sowed, the young
child Jesus sowed also one corn of wheat. 2 And he reaped it and
threshed it and made thereof an hundred measures (cors): and he called
all the poor of the village unto the threshing floor and gave them the
wheat. And Joseph took the residue of the wheat. And he was eight years
old when he wrought this sign.
XIII. 1 Now his father was a carpenter and made at that time ploughs
and yokes. And there was required of him a bed by a certain rich man,
that he should make it for him. And whereas one beam, that which is
called the shifting one was too short and Joseph knew not what to do,
the young child Jesus said to his father Joseph: Lay down the two
pieces of wood and make them even at the end next unto thee (MSS. at
the middle part). And Joseph did as the young child said unto him. And
Jesus stood at the other end and took hold upon the shorter beam and
stretched it and made it equal with the other. And his father Joseph
saw it and marvelled: and he embraced the young child and kissed him,
saying: Happy am I for that God hath given me this young child.
XIV. 1 But when Joseph saw the understanding of the child, and his age,
that it was coming to the full, he thought with himself again that he
should not be ignorant of letters; and he took him and delivered him to
another teacher. And the teacher said unto Joseph: First will I teach
him the Greek letters, and after that the Hebrew. For the teacher knew
the skill of the child and was afraid of him: notwithstanding he wrote
the alphabet and Jesus pondered thereon a long time and answered him
not. 2 And Jesus said to him: If thou be indeed a teacher and if thou
knowest letters well, tell me the power of the Alpha and then will I
tell thee the power of the Beta. And the teacher was provoked and smote
him on the head. And the young child was hurt and cursed him, and
straightway he fainted and fell to the ground on his face. 3 And the
child returned unto the house of Joseph: and Joseph was grieved and
commanded his mother, saying: Let him not forth without the door, for
all they die that provoke him to wrath.
XV. 1 And after some time yet another teacher which was a faithful
friend of Joseph said to him: Bring the young child unto me to the
school, peradventure I may be able by cockering him to teach him the
letters. And Joseph said: If thou hast no fear, my brother, take him
with thee. And he took him with him, in fear and much trouble of
spirit, but the young child followed him gladly. 2 And going with
boldness into the school he found a book lying upon the pulpit and he
took it, and read not the letters that were therein, but opened his
mouth and spake by the Holy Spirit, and taught the law to them that
stood by. And a great multitude came together and stood there
hearkening, and marvelled at the beauty of his teaching and the
readiness of his words, in that being an infant he uttered such things.
3 But when Joseph heard it, he was afraid, and ran unto the school
thinking whether this teacher also were without skill (or smitten with
infirmity): but the teacher said unto Joseph: Know, my brother, that I
received this child for a disciple, but he is full of grace and wisdom;
and now I beseech thee, brother, take him unto thine house. 4 And when
the young child heard that, he smiled upon him and said: Forasmuch as
thou hast said well and hast borne right witness, for thy sake shall he
also that was smitten be healed. And forthwith the other teacher was
healed. And Joseph took the young child and departed unto his house.
XVI. 1 And Joseph sent his son James to bind fuel and carry it into his
house. And the young child Jesus also followed him. And as James was
gathering of faggots, a viper bit the hand of James. 2 And as he was
sore afflicted and ready to perish, Jesus came near and breathed upon
the bite, and straightway the pain ceased, and the serpent burst, and
forthwith James continued whole.
XVII. 1 And after these things, in the neighbourhood of Joseph, a
little child fell sick and died, and his mother wept sore. And Jesus
heard that there w as great mourning and trouble and he ran quickly and
found the child dead: and he touched his breast and said: I say unto
thee, Child, die not, but live and be with thy mother. And straightway
it looked up and laughed. And he said to the woman: Take him up and
give him milk, and remember me. 2 And the multitude that stood by saw
it and marvelled, and said: Of a truth this young child is either a god
or an angel of God; for every word of his is a perfect work. And Jesus
departed thence, and was playing with other children.
XVIII. 1 And after some time there was work of building. And there came
a great tumult, and Jesus arose and went thither: and he saw a man
lying dead, and took hold of his hand and said: Man, I say unto thee,
arise and do thy work. And immediately he arose and worshipped him. 2
And when the multitude saw it, they were astonished, and said: This
young child is from heaven: for he hath saved many souls from death,
and hath power to save them all his life long.
XIX. 1 And when he was twelve years old his parents went according to
the custom unto Jerusalem to the feast of the passover with their
company: and after the passover they returned to go unto their house.
And as they returned the child Jesus went back to Jerusalem; but his
parents supposed that he was in their company. 2 And when they had gone
a day's journey, they sought him among their kinsfolk, and when they
found him not, they were troubled, and returned again to the city
seeking him. And after the third day they found him in the temple
sitting in the midst of the doctors and hearing and asking them
questions. And all men paid heed to him and marvelled how that being a
young child he put to silence the elders and teachers of the people,
expounding the heads of the law and the parables of the prophets. 3 And
his mother Mary came near and said unto him: Child, wherefore hast thou
so done unto us? behold we have sought thee sorrowing. And Jesus said
unto them: Why seek ye me? know ye not that I must be in my Father's
house? 4 But the scribes and Pharisees said: Art thou the mother of
this child? and she said: I am. And they said unto her: Blessed art
thou among women because God hath blessed the fruit of thy womb. For
such glory and such excellence and wisdom we have neither seen nor
heard at any time. 5 And Jesus arose and followed his mother and was
subject unto his parents: but his mother kept in mind all that came to
pass. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and grace. Unto him be
glory for ever and ever. Amen.
GOSPEL OF THOMAS
The Writing of the holy Apostle Thomas concerning the conversation of
the Lord in his childhood.
I. I, Thomas the Israelite, have thought it needful to make known unto
all the brethren that are of the Gentiles the mighty works of childhood
which our Lord Jesus Christ wrought when he was conversant in the body,
and came unto the city of Nazareth in the fifth year of his age.
II. 1 On a certain day when there had fallen a shower of rain he went
forth of the house where his mother was and played upon the ground
where the waters were running: and he made pools, and the waters flowed
down, and the pools were filled with water. Then saith he: I will that
ye become clean and wholesome waters. And straightway they did so. 2
But a certain son of Annas the scribe passed by bearing a branch of
willow, and he overthrew the pools with the branch, and the waters were
poured out. And Jesus turned about and said unto him: O ungodly and
disobedient one, what hurt have the pools done thee that thou hast
emptied them? Thou shalt not finish thy course, and thou shalt be
withered up even as the branch which thou hast in hand. 3 And he went
on, and after a little he fell and gave up the ghost. And when the
young children that played with him saw it, they marvelled and departed
and told the father of him that was dead. And he ran and found the
child dead, and went and accused Joseph.
III. 1 Now Jesus made of that clay twelve sparrows: and it was the
Sabbath day. And a child ran and told Joseph, saying: Behold, thy child
playeth about the brook, and hath made sparrows of the clay, which is
not lawful. 2 And he when he heard it went and said to the child:
Wherefore doest thou so and profaneth the Sabbath? But Jesus answered
him not, but looked upon the sparrows and said: Go ye, take your
flight, and remember me in your life. And at the word they took flight
and went up into the air. And when Joseph saw it he was astonished.
IV. 1 And after certain days, as Jesus passed through the midst of the
city, a certain child cast a stone at him and smote his shoulder. And
Jesus said unto him: Thou shalt not finish thy course. And straightway
he also fell down and died. And they that were there were amazed,
saying: From whence is this child, that every word which he speaketh
becometh a perfect work? 2 But they also departed and accused Joseph,
saying: Thou wilt not be able to dwell with us in this city: but if
thou wilt, teach thy child to bless and not to curse: for verily he
slayeth our children: and every thing that he saith becometh a perfect
work.
V. And as Joseph sat upon his seat, the child stood before him; and he
took hold upon his ear and pinched it sore. But Jesus looked upon him
earnestly and said: It sufficeth thee.
VI. 1 And on the morrow he took him by the hand and led him to a
certain teacher, Zacchaeus by name, and said unto him: Take this child,
O master, and teach him letters. And the other said: Deliver him unto
me, my brother, and I will teach him the scripture, and I will persuade
him to bless all men and not to curse them. 2 And when Jesus heard that
he laughed and said unto them: Ye speak that ye know, but I have
knowledge more than you, for I am before the worlds. And I know when
the fathers of your fathers were begotten, and I know how many are the
years of your life. And every one that heard it was amazed. 3 And again
saith Jesus unto them: Marvel ye because I said unto you that I know
how many are the years of your life? Of a truth I know when the world
was created. Behold, now ye believe me not: when ye shall see my cross
then will ye believe that I speak truth. And they were astonished when
they heard all these things.
VII. 1 Now Zacchaeus wrote the alphabet in Hebrew, and saith unto him:
Alpha. And the young child said: Alpha. And again the master said:
Alpha, and the young child likewise. Then again the third time the
master said: Alpha. Then Jesus looked upon the teacher and said: Thou
that knowest not the Alpha, how canst thou teach another the Beta? And
the child beginning at the Alpha said of his own accord the two and
twenty letters. 2 And thereafter saith he: Hear, O master the ordinance
of the first letter, and know how many incomings and lines it hath, and
marks, common, going apart, and coming together. And when Zacchaeus
heard such designations of the one letter he was amazed and had nothing
to answer; and turning about he said unto Joseph: My brother, this
child is of a truth not earthly born: take him away therefore from me.
VIII. 1 And after these things one day Jesus was playing with other
boys upon the top of an house of two stories. And one child was pushed
down by another and thrown down to the ground and died. And the boys
which were playing with him, when they saw it, fled, and Jesus was left
alone standing upon the roof whence the boy was thrown down. 2 And when
the parents of the boy that was dead heard of it they ran weeping, and
when they found the boy lying dead upon the earth and Jesus standing
alone, they supposed that the boy had been thrown down by him, and they
looked upon him and reviled him. 3 But Jesus, seeing that, leaped down
straightway from the upper story and stood at the head of him that was
dead and saith to him: Zeno, did I cast thee down? Arise and tell. For
so was the boy called. And with the word the boy rose up and worshipped
Jesus and said: Lord, thou didst not cast me down, but when I was dead
thou didst make me alive.
IX. 1 And a few days after one of the neighbours was cleaving wood and
did cut off the sole of his foot with the axe, and by loss of blood was
at the point to die. 2 And much people ran together and Jesus came
thither with them. 3 And he took hold on the foot of the young man that
was smitten, and healed him forthwith, and saith unto him: Arise,
cleave thy wood. And he arose and worshipped him, giving thanks, and
cleft the wood. Likewise also all they that were there marvelled and
gave thanks unto him.
X. Now when he was six years old, Mary his mother sent him to fetch
water from the spring: and as he went his pitcher was broken. And he
went to the spring and spread out his upper garment and drew water out
of the spring and filled it and took it and brought back the water to
his mother. And when she saw it, was amazed and embraced him and kissed
him.
XI. 1 And when he came to the eighth year of his age Joseph was
required by a certain rich man to build him a bed, for he was a
carpenter. And he went forth into the field to gather wood, and Jesus
also went with him. And he cut two beams of wood and wrought them with
the axe, and set one beside the other and measured and found it too
short; and when he saw that he was vexed and sought to find another. 2
But Jesus seeing it saith unto him: Set these two together so that the
ends of both be even. And Joseph, though he was perplexed concerning
this, what the child should mean, did that which was commanded. And he
saith again unto him: Take firm hold of the short beam. And Joseph took
hold on it, marvelling. Then Jesus also took hold of the other end and
pulled the [other] end thereof and made it also equal to the other
beam, and saith unto Joseph: Be no more vexed, but do thy work without
hindrance. And he when he saw it was exceedingly amazed and said within
himself: Blessed am I for that God hath given me such a son. 3 And when
they departed into the city Joseph told it to Mary, and she when she
heard and saw the wonderful mighty works of her son rejoiced,
glorifying him with the Father and the Holy Spirit now and for ever and
world without end. Amen.
GOSPEL OF THOMAS
Here beginneth a treatise of the Boyhood of Jesus according to Thomas.
I. How Mary and Joseph fled with him into Egypt.
When there was a tumult because search was made by Herod for our Lord
Jesus Christ, that he might slay him, then said an angel unto Joseph:
Take Mary and her child and flee into Egypt from the face of them that
seek to slay him. Now Jesus was two years old when he entered into
Egypt. And as he walked through a sown field he put forth his hand and
took of the ears and put them upon the fire and ground them and began
to eat. [And he gave such favour unto that field that year by year when
it was sown it yielded unto the lord of it so many measures of wheat as
the number of the grains which he had taken from it.] Now when they had
entered into Egypt they took lodging in the house of a certain widow,
and abode in the same place one year. And Jesus became three years old.
And seeing boys playing he began to play with them. And he took a dried
fish and put it into a basin and commanded it to move to and fro, and
it began to move. And again he said to the fish: Cast out thy salt that
is in thee and go into the water. And it came to pass. But when the
neighbours saw what was done they told it to the widow woman in whose
house his mother Mary dwelt. And she when she heard it hasted and cast
them out of her house.
II. How a Master cast him out of the city.
1 And as Jesus walked with Mary his mother through the midst of the
marketplace of the city, he looked about and saw a master teaching his
pupils. And behold twelve sparrows which were quarrelling one with
another fell from the wall into the lap of the master who taught the
boys. And when Jesus saw it he laughed and stood still. 2 Now when that
teacher saw him laughing, he said to his pupils in great anger: Go,
bring him hither unto me. And when they had brought him, the master
took hold on his ear and said: What sawest thou that thou didst laugh?
And he said unto him: Master, see, my hand is full of corn, and I
shewed it unto them, and scattered the corn, which they are carrying
away in danger: for this cause they fought with one another that they
might partake of the corn. 3 And Jesus left not the place until it was
accomplished. And for this cause the master laboured to cast him out of
the city together with his mother.
III. How Jesus came out of Egypt.
1 And behold, an angel of the Lord met with Mary and said unto her:
Take the child and return into the land of the Jews: for they are dead
which sought his life. So Mary arose with Jesus, and they went into the
city Nazareth, which is in the inheritance of his (her?) father. 2 But
when Joseph departed out of Egypt after the death of Herod, he took
Jesus into the wilderness until there was quiet in Jerusalem from them
that sought the life of the child. And he gave thanks to God for that
he had given him understanding, and because he had found grace before
the Lord God. Amen.
or, And Mary arose with Jesus, and they went unto the city of Capernaum
which is of Tiberias, unto the inheritance of her father. 2 But when
Joseph heard that Jesus was come out of Egypt after the death of Herod,
he took him, &c.
or, After these things an angel of the Lord came unto Joseph and unto
Mary the mother of Jesus and said unto them: Taketh he child, return
into the land of Israel, for they are dead that sought the life of the
child. And they arose and went to Nazareth where Joseph possessed the
goods of his father. 2 And when Jesus was seven years old, there was
quiet in the realm of Herod from all them that sought the life of the
child. And they returned unto Bethlehem and abode there.
IV. What Jesus did in the city of Nazareth.
It is a glorious work for Thomas the Israelite (Ismaelite) the apostle
of the Lord to tell of the works of Jesus after he came out of Egypt
unto Nazareth. Hear (understand) therefore all of you beloved brethren,
the signs which the Lord Jesus did when he was in the city of Nazareth:
as it is said in the first chapter.
1 Now when Jesus was five years old there was a great rain upon the
earth, and the child Jesus walked about therein. And the rain was very
terrible: and he gathered the water together into a pool and commanded
with a word that it should become clear: and forthwith it did so.
2 Again, he took of the clay which came of that pool and made thereof
to the number of twelve sparrows. Now it was the Sabbath day when Jesus
did this among the children of the Hebrews: and the children of the
Hebrews went and said unto Joseph his father: Lo, thy son was playing
with us and he took clay and made sparrows which it was not right to do
upon the Sabbath, and he hath broken it. And Joseph went to the child
Jesus, and said unto him: Wherefore hast thou done this which it was
not right to do on the Sabbath? But Jesus spread forth (opened) his
hands and commanded the sparrows, saying: Go forth into the height and
fly: ye shall not meet death at any man's hands. And they flew and
began to cry out and praise almighty God. But when the Jews saw what
was done they marvelled and departed, proclaiming the signs which Jesus
did.
3 But a Pharisee which was with Jesus took a branch of an olive tree
and began to empty the pool which Jesus had made. And when Jesus saw it
he was vexed and said to him: O thou of Sodom, ungodly and ignorant,
what hurt did the fountain of water do thee, which I made? Lo, thou
shalt become like a dry tree which hath neither roots nor leaf nor
fruit. And straightway he was dried up and fell to the earth and died:
but his parents carried him away dead and reviled Joseph, saying:
Behold what thy son hath done: teach thou him to pray and not to
blaspheme.
V. How the people of the city were grieved against Joseph because of
that which Jesus did.
1 And after some days as Jesus walked with Joseph through the city,
there ran one of the children and smote Jesus on the arms: but Jesus
said unto him: So finish thou thy course. And immediately he fell to
the earth and died. But they when they saw this wonder, cried out
saying: From whence cometh this child? And they said unto Joseph: It is
not right that such a child should be among us. And he departed and
took him with him. And they said to him: Depart out of this place; and
if thou must be with us, teach him to pray and not to blaspheme: for
our sons are put to death by him (lit. lose their senses). 2 And Joseph
called Jesus and began to admonish him, saying: Wherefore blasphemest
thou? They that dwell in this place conceive hatred against us. But
Jesus said: I know that these words are not mine but thine: yet for thy
sake I will hold my peace: But let them see (? bear) their own
foolishness. And straightway they that spake against Jesus were made
blind, and as they walked to and fro they said: Every word that cometh
out of his mouth hath fulfillment. 3 And when Joseph saw what Jesus had
done he took hold on him by his ear in anger: but Jesus was vexed and
said unto Joseph: It sufficeth thee to see me and not to touch me. For
thou knowest not who I am, which if thou knewest, thou wouldest not
grieve me. And albeit I am with thee now, yet was I made before thee.
VI. How Jesus was treated by the Master.
1 There was therefore a man named Zacheus who heard all that Jesus said
unto Joseph, and he marvelled in himself and said: I have never beheld
such a child that spake so. And he came near unto Joseph and said to
him: Thou hast a wise child: deliver him to me to learn letters, and
when he is learned in the study of the letters, I will teach him
reverently that he become not foolish. Joseph answered and said unto
him: No man is able to teach him but God only. Think you that this
young child will be the occasion unto us of little torment, my brother?
[There should be mention of a cross in this sentence. Syriac has,
Thinkest thou that he is worthy to receive a little cross? See below.]
2 But when Jesus heard Joseph saying these things, he said unto
Zacheus: Verily, O master, all things that proceed out of my mouth are
true. And I am before all men, and I am Lord, but ye are the children
of strangers: for unto me is given the glory of them (or of the worlds)
but unto you nothing is given: for I am before all worlds. And I know
how many are the years of thy life, and when thou shalt raise that
standard (i. e. the cross) whereof my father spake, then shalt thou
understand that all things that proceed out of my mouth are true.
3 But the Jews which stood by and heard the words which Jesus spake,
marvelled and said: Now have we seen such wonders and heard such words
from this child, as we have never heard neither shall hear from any
other man, neither from the chief priests nor the doctors nor the
Pharisees. 4 Jesus answered and said unto them: Wherefore marvel ye? Do
ye think it a thing incredible that I have told you the truth? I know
when ye were born, and your fathers: and if I should say more unto you,
I know when the world was created, and who sent me unto you.
When the Jews heard the word which the child spake, they were wroth
because they were not able to answer him. And the child turned himself
about and rejoiced and said: I spake unto you a proverb; but I know
that ye are weak and know not anything.
5 Now that master said unto Joseph: Bring him unto me and I will teach
him letters. And Joseph took the child Jesus and brought him to the
house [of a certain master] where other children also were taught. But
the master began to teach him the letters with sweet speech, and wrote
for him the first line which goeth from A unto T, and began to flatter
him and to teach him (and commanded him to say the letters:) but the
child held his peace. 6 Then that teacher smote the child on the head
and when the child received the blow, he said unto him: I ought to
teach thee and not thou to teach me. I know the letters which thou
wouldest teach me, and I know that ye are unto me as vessels out of
which cometh nought but sound, and neither wisdom nor salvation of the
soul. And beginning the line he spake all the letters from A even unto
T fully with much quickness: and he looked upon the master and said:
But thou knowest not how to interpret A and B: how wouldest thou teach
others? Thou hypocrite, if thou knowest and canst tell me concerning A,
then will I tell thee concerning B. But when the teacher began to
expound concerning the first letter, he was not able to give any
answer.
7 Then said Jesus unto Zacheus: Hearken unto me, O master and
understand the first letter. Give ear unto me, how that it hath two
lines (eight quite unintelligible descriptive phrases follow).
8 Now when Zacheus saw that he so divided the first letter he was
confounded at such names, and at his teaching, and cried out and said:
Woe is me, for I am confounded: I have hired shame unto myself by means
of this child. And he said unto Joseph: I beseech thee earnestly, my
brother, take him away from me: for I cannot look upon his face nor
hear his mighty words. For this child is able to subdue the fire and to
restrain the sea, for he was born before the worlds. What womb bare him
or what manner of mother brought him up I know not. 10 O my friends, I
am astray in my wits, I am mocked, wretched man that I am. I said that
I had a disciple, but he is found to be my master. I cannot overcome my
shame, for I am old, and I cannot find wherewithal to answer him, so
that I am like to fall into heavy sickness and depart out of the world
or go away from this city, for all men have seen my shame, that a child
hath ensnared me. What can I answer any man, or what words can I speak,
for he hath overcome me at the first letter! I am confounded, O ye my
friends and acquaintances, and I can find neither first nor last to
answer him. 11 And now I beseech thee brother Joseph, remove him from
me and take him unto thine house, for either he is a sorcerer or a god
(Lord) or an angel, and what to say I know not.
12 And Jesus turned himself unto the Jews that were with Zacheus and
said unto them: Now let all them that see not see and let them
understand which understand not, and let the deaf hear, and let them
arise which have died by my means, and let me call them that are high
unto that which is higher, even as he that sent me unto you hath
commanded me. And when the child Jesus ceased speaking, all the
afflicted were made whole, as many as had been afflicted at his word.
And they durst not speak unto him.
VII. How Jesus raised up a boy.
1 Now on a day, when Jesus climbed up upon an house with the children,
he began to play with them: but one of the boys fell down through the
door out of the upper chamber and died straightway. And when the
children saw it they fled all of them, but Jesus remained alone in the
house. 2 And when the parents of the child which had died came they
spake against Jesus saying: Of a truth thou madest him fall. But Jesus
said: I never made him fall: nevertheless they accused him still. Jesus
therefore came down from the house and stood over the dead child and
cried with a loud voice, calling him by his name: Zeno, Zeno, arise and
say if I made thee fall. And on a sudden he arose and said: Nay, Lord.
And when his parents saw this great miracle which Jesus did, they
glorified God, and worshipped Jesus.
VIII. How Jesus healed the foot of a boy.
1 And aft er a few days a certain boy of that village was cleaving
wood, and smote his foot. 2 And when much people came unto him, Jesus
also came with them. And he touched the foot which was hurt, and
forthwith it was made whole. And Jesus said unto him: Arise and cleave
the wood and remember me. But when the multitude that were with him saw
the signs which were done they worshipped Jesus and said: of a truth we
believe surely that thou art God.
IX. How Jesus bare water in his cloak.
1 And when Jesus was six years old, his mother sent him to draw water.
And when Jesus was come unto the well there was much people there and
they brake his pitcher. 2 But he took the cloak which he had upon him
and filled it with water and brought it to Mary his mother. And when
his mother saw the miracle that Jesus did she kissed him and said:
Lord, hearken unto me and save my son.
X. How Jesus sowed wheat.
1 Now when it was seed time, Joseph went forth to sow corn, and Jesus
followed after him. And when Joseph began to sow, Jesus put forth his
hand and took of the corn so much as he could hold in his hand, and
scattered it. 2 Joseph therefore came at the time of harvest to reap
his harvest. And Jesus also came and gathered the ears which he had
sown, and they made an hundred measures of good corn: and he called the
poor and the widows and fatherless and gave them the corn which he had
gained, save that Joseph took a little thereof unto his house for a
blessing [of Jesus].
XI. How Jesus made a short beam even with a long one.
1 And Jesus came to be eight years old. Now Joseph was a builder and
wrought ploughs and yokes for oxen. And on a day a certain rich man
said unto Joseph: Sir, make me a bed serviceable and comely. But Joseph
was troubled because the beam which he had made ready for the work was
short. 2 Jesus said unto him: Be not troubled, but take thou hold of
this beam by the one end and I by the other, and let us draw it out.
And so it came to pass, and forthwith Joseph found it serviceable for
that which he desired. And he said unto Joseph: Behold, fashion that
thou wilt. But Joseph when he saw what was done embraced him and said:
Blessed am I for that God hath given me such a son.
XII. How Jesus was delivered over to learn letters.
1 And when Joseph saw that he had so great grace and that he increased
in stature, he thought to deliver him over to learn letters. And he
delivered him to another doctor that he should teach him. Then said
that doctor unto Joseph: What manner of letters wouldest thou teach
this child? Joseph answered and said: Teach him first the letters of
the Gentiles and after that the Hebrew. Now the doctor knew that he was
of an excellent understanding, and received him gladly. And when he had
written for him the first line, that is to say A and B, he taught him
for the space of some hours: but Jesus held his peace and answered
nothing. 2 At the last Jesus said unto the master: If thou be verily a
master and indeed knowest the letters, tell me the power of A and I
will tell thee the power of B. Then was the master filled with
indignation and smote him on the head. But Jesus was wroth and cursed
him, and on a sudden he fell down and died. 3 But Jesus returned unto
his own home. And Joseph enjoined Mary his mother that she should not
let him go out of the court of the house.
XIII. How he was delivered unto another master.
1 After many days there came another doctor which was a friend of
Joseph and said unto him: Deliver him to me and I will teach him
letters with much gentleness. And Joseph said unto him: If thou art
able, take him and teach him, and it shall be done gladly. And when the
doctor received Jesus, he went with fear and great boldness and took
him rejoicing. 2 And when he was come unto the house of the doctor, he
found a book lying in that place and took it and opened it, and read
not those things which were written therein, but opened his mouth and
spake by the Holy Ghost and taught the law: and all that stood by
hearkened attentively, and the teacher sat by him and heard him gladly
and entreated him to continue teaching. And much people gathered
together and heard all the holy doctrine which he taught and the
beloved words which proceeded out of his mouth marvelling that he being
a little child spake such things.
3 But when Joseph heard, he was afraid and ran unto the place where
Jesus was; and the master said unto Joseph: Know my brother, that I
received thy child to teach him and instruct him, but he is filled with
great grace and wisdom. Therefore behold now, take him unto thy house
with joy, because the grace which he hath is given him of the Lord. 4
And when Jesus heard the master speak thus he was joyful and said: Lo,
now thou hast well said, O master: for thy sake shall he rise again who
was dead. And Joseph took him unto his own home.
XIV. How Jesus made James whole of the bite of a serpent.
Now Joseph sent James to gather straw, and Jesus followed after him.
And as James gathered straw, a viper bit him and he fell to the earth
as dead by means of the venom. But when Jesus saw that, he breathed
upon his wound and forthwith James was made whole, and the viper died.
XV. How Jesus raised up a boy.
After a few days a child that was his neighbour died, and his mother
mourned for him sore; and when Jesus heard, he went and stood over the
child, and smote him on the breast and said: Child, I say unto thee,
die not, but live. And immediately the child arose: and Jesus said unto
the mother of the child: Take up thy son and give him suck, and
remember me. 2 But the multitudes when they saw that miracle said: Of a
truth this child is from heaven, for now hath he set free many souls
from death and hath saved all them that hoped in him.
[A gap in all the Latin MSS. filled by the Greek text A, cap. 19,1-3
Jesus and the doctors in the Temple.]
3 The Scribes and Pharisees said unto Mary: Art thou the mother of this
child? and Mary said: Of a truth I am. And they said unto her: Blessed
art thou among women, because God hath blessed the fruit of thy womb in
that he hath given thee a child so glorious: for so great gifts of
wisdom we have never seen nor heard in any.
4 And Jesus arose and followed his mother. But Mary kept in her heart
all the great signs which Jesus wrought among the people, in healing
many that were sick. And Jesus increased in stature and wisdom, and all
that saw him glorified God the Father Almighty: Who is blessed for ever
and ever. Amen.
All these things have I, Thomas the Israelite (Ismaelite), written and
recorded for the Gentiles and for our brethren, and likewise many other
things which Jesus did, which was born in the land of Juda. Behold, the
house of Israel hath seen all these from the first even unto the last,
even how great signs and wonders Jesus did among them, which were good
exceedingly. And this is he which shall judge the world according to
the will of his Father, immortal and invisible, as the holy Scripture
declareth and as the prophets have testified of his works among all the
peoples of Israel: for he is the Son of God throughout all the World.
And unto him belongeth all glory and honour everlastingly, who liveth
and reigneth God, world without end. Amen.
THOMAS'S GOSPEL of the INFANCY of JESUS CHRIST, (Jesus at 5 years)
THOMAS, an Israelite, judged it necessary to make known to our brethren
among the Gentiles, the actions and miracles of Christ in his
childhood, which our Lord and God Jesus Christ wrought after his birth
in Bethlehem in our country, at which I myself was astonished; the
beginning of which was as followeth. When the child Jesus was five
years of age and there had been a shower of rain, which was now over,
Jesus was playing with other Hebrew boys by a running stream; and the
water running over the banks, stood in little lakes; But the water
instantly became clear and useful again; he having smote them only by
his word, they readily obeyed him. Then he took from the bank of the
stream some soft clay, and formed out of it twelve sparrows; and there
were other boys playing with him. But a certain Jew seeing the things
which he was doing, namely, his forming clay into the figures of
sparrows on the sabbath day, went presently away, and told his father
Joseph, and said, Behold, thy boy is playing by the river side, and has
taken clay, and formed it into twelve sparrows, and profaneth the
sabbath. Then Joseph came to the place where he was, and when he saw
him, called to him, and said, Why doest thou that which it is not
lawful to do on the sabbath day? Then Jesus clapping together the palms
of his hands, called to the sparrows, and said to them: Go, fly away;
and while ye live remember me. So the sparrows fled away, making a
noise. The Jews seeing this, were astonished, and went away, and told
their chief persons what a strange miracle they had seen wrought by
Jesus. Besides this, the son of Anna the scribe was standing there with
Joseph, and took a bough of a willow tree, and scattered the waters
which Jesus had gathered into lakes.
2 But the boy Jesus seeing what he had done, became angry, and said to
him, Thou fool, what harm did the lake do thee, that thou shouldest
scatter the water?
3 Behold, now thou shalt wither as a tree, and shalt not bring forth
either leaves, or branches, or fruit.
4 And immediately he became withered all over.
5 Then Jesus went away home. But the parents of the boy who was
witered, lamenting the misfortune of his youth, took and carried him to
Joseph, accusing him, and said, Why dost thou keep a son who is guilty
of such actions?
6 Then Jesus at the request of all who were present did heal him,
leaving only some small member to continue withered, that they might
take warning.
7 Another time Jesus went forth into the street, and a boy running by,
rushed upon his shoulder;
8 At which Jesus being angry, said to him, thou shalt go no farther.
9 And he instantly fell down dead
10 Which when some persons saw, they said, Where was this boy born,
that everything which he says presently cometh to pass?
11 Then the parents of the dead boy going to Joseph complained, saying,
You are not fit to live with us, in our city, having such a boy as
that:
12 Either teach him that he bless and not curse, or else depart hence
with him, for he kills our children.
13 Then Joseph calling the boy Jesus by himself, instructed him
saying, Why doest thou such things to injure the people so, that they
hate us and prosecute us?
14 But Jesus replied, I know that what thou sayest is not of thyself,
but for thy sake I will say nothing;
15 But they who have said these things to thee, shall suffer
everlasting punishment.
16 And immediately they who had accused him became blind.
17 And all they who saw it were exceedingly afraid and confounded, and
said concerning him, Whatsoever he saith, whether good or bad,
immediately cometh to pass: and they were amazed.
18 And when they saw this action of Christ, Joseph arose, and plucked
him by the ear, at which the boy was angry, and said to him, Be easy;
19 For if they seek for us, they shall not find us: thou hast done very
imprudently.
20 Dost thou not know that I am thine? Trouble me no more.
A CERTAIN schoolmaster named Zacchaeus, standing in a certain place,
heard Jesus speaking these things to his father.
2 And he was much surprised, that being a child, he should speak such
things; and after a few days he came to Joseph, and said,
3 Thou hast a wise and sensible child, send him to me, that he may
learn to read.
4 When he sat down to teach the letters to Jesus, he began with the
first letter Aleph;
5 But Jesus pronounced the second letter Mpeth (Beth) Cghimel (Gimel),
and said over all the letters to him to the end.
6 Then opening a book, he taught his master the prophets:
but he was ashamed, and was at a loss to conceive how he came to know
the letters.
7 And he arose and went home, wonderfully surprised at so strange a
thing.
CHAP. IV.
(1 Fragment of an adventure at a dyer's.)
AS Jesus was passing by a certain shop, he saw a young man dipping (or
dyeing) some cloths and stockings in a furnace, of a sad colour, doing
them according to every person's particular order;
2 The boy Jesus going to the young man who was doing this, took also
some of the cloths.
* * * * * *
Here ended the fragment of Thomas's Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus
Christ
The first Gospel of the INFANCY of JESUS CHRIST
The following accounts we found in the book of Joseph the high-priest,
called by some Caiaphas: 2 He relates, that Jesus spake even when he
was in the cradle, and said to his mother:
3 Mary, I am Jesus the Son of God, that word which thou didst bring
forth according to the declaration of the angel Gabriel to thee, and my
father hath sent me for the salvation of the world. 4 In the three
hundred and ninth year of the era of Alexander, Augustus published a
decree that all persons should go to be taxed in their own country. 5
Joseph therefore arose, and with Mary his spouse he went to Jerusalem,
and then came to Bethlehem, that he and his family might be taxed in
the city of his fathers. 6 And when they came by the cave, Mary
confessed to Joseph that her time of bringing forth was come, and she
could not go on to the city, and said, Let us go into this cave. 7 At
that time the sun was very near going down. 8 But Joseph hastened away,
that he might fetch her a mid-wife; and when he saw an old Hebrew woman
who was of Jerusalem, he said to her, Pray come hither, good woman, and
go into that cave, and you will there see a woman just ready to bring
forth. 9 It was after sunset, when the old woman and Joseph with her
reached the cave, and they both went into it. 10 And behold, it was all
filled with lights, greater than the light of lamps and candles, an,
greater than the light of the sun itself. 11 The infant was then
wrapped up in swaddling clothes, an sucking the breasts of his mother
St. Mary. 12 When they both saw this light, they were surprised; the
old woman asked St. Mary, Art thou the mother of this child ? 13 St.
Mary replied, She was. 14 On which the old woman said, Thou art very
different from all other women. 15 St. Mary answered, As there is not
any child like to my son, so neither is there any woman like to his
mother. 16 The old woman answered and said, O my Lady, I am come hither
that I may obtain an everlasting reward. 17 Then our Lady, St. Mary
said to her, Lay thine hand upon the infant; which, when she had done,
she became whole 18 And as she was going forth, she said, From
henceforth, all the days of my life, I will attend upon and be a
servant of this infant. 19 After this, when the shepherds came, and had
made a fire and they were exceedingly rejoicing, the heavenly host
appeared to them, praising and adoring the supreme God. 20 And as the
shepherds we engaged in the same employment, the cave at that time
seemed like a glorious temple, because both the tongues of angels and
men united to adore and magnify God, on account of the birth of the
Lord Christ. 21 But when the old Hebrew woman saw all these evident
miracles, she gave praises to God, and said, I thank thee, O God, thou
God of Israel, for that mine eyes have seen the birth of the Saviour of
the world.
CHAPTER II
And when the time of his circumcision was come, namely, the eighth day,
on which the law commanded the child to be circumcised, they
circumcised him in the cave. 2 And the old Hebrew woman took the
foreskin (others say she took the navel-string), and preserved it in an
alabaster-box of old oil of spikenard. 3 And she had a son who was a
druggist, to whom she said, Take heed thou sell not this alabaster box
of spikenard-ointment, although thou shouldst be, offered three hundred
pence for it. 4 Now this is that alabaster box which Mary the sinner
procured, and poured forth the ointment out of it upon the head and the
feet of our Lord Jesus Christ, and wiped it off with the hairs of her
head. 5 Then after ten days they brought him to Jerusalem, and on the
fortieth day from his birth they presented him in the temple before the
Lord, making the proper offerings for him, according to the requirement
of the law of Moses: namely, that every male which opens the womb shall
be called holy unto God. 6 At that time old Simeon saw him shining as a
pillar of light, when St. Mary the Virgin, his mother, carried him in
her arms, and was filled with the greatest pleasure at the sight. 7 And
the angels stood around him, adoring him, as a king's guards stand
around him. 8 Then Simeon going near to St. Mary, and stretching forth
his hands towards her, said to the Lord Christ, Now, O my a Lord, thy
servant shall depart in peace, according to thy word; 9 For mine eyes
have seen thy mercy, which thou hast prepared for the salvation of all
nations; a light to all people, and the glory of thy people Israel. 10
Hannah the prophetess was also present, and drawing near, she gave
praises to God, and celebrated the happiness of Mary.
CHAPTER III
And it came to pass, when the Lord Jesus was born at Bethlehem, a city
of Judea in the time of Herod the King; the wise men came from the East
to Jerusalem, according to the prophecy of Zoradascht(Zoroaster), and
brought with them offerings: namely, gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and
worshipped him, and offered to him their gifts. 2 Then the Lady Mary
took one of his swaddling clothes in which the infant was wrapped and
gave it to them instead of a blessing, which they received from her as
a most noble present. 3 And at the same time there appeared to them an
angel in the form of that star which had before been their guide in
their journey; the light of which they followed till they returned into
their own country.
4 On their return their kings and princes came to them inquiring, What
they had seen and done? What sort of journey and return they had? What
company they had on the road? 5 But they produced the swaddling cloth
which St. Mary had given to them, on account whereof they kept a feast.
6 And having, according to the custom of their country, made a fire,
they worshipped it. 7 And casting the swaddling cloth into it, the fire
took it, and kept it. 8 And when the fire was put out, they took forth
the swaddling cloth unhurt, as much as if the fire had not touched it.
9 Then they began to kiss it, and put it upon their heads and their
eyes, saying, This is certainly an undoubted truth, and it is really
surprising that the fire could not burn it, and consume it. 10 Then
they took it, and with the greatest respect laid it up among their
treasures.
CHAPTER IV
Now Herod, perceiving that the wise men did delay, and not return to
him, called together the priests and wise men and said, Tell me in what
place the Christ should be born? 2 And when they replied, in Bethlehem,
a city of Judea, he began to contrive in his own mind the death of the
Lord Jesus Christ. 3 But an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in his
sleep and said, Arise, take the child and his mother, and go into Egypt
as soon as the cock crows. So he arose, and went.
4 And as he was considering with himself about his journey, the morning
came upon him. 5 In the length of the journey the girts of the saddle
broke. 6 And now he drew near a great city, in which there was an idol,
to which the other idol and gods of Egypt brought their offerings and
vows. 7 And there was by this idol a priest ministering to it, who as
often as Satan spoke out of that idol, related the things he said to
the inhabitants of Egypt and those countries. 8 This priest had a son
three years old, who was possessed with a great multitude of devil who
uttered many strange things and when the devils seized him walked about
naked with his clothes torn, throwing stones at those whom he saw. 9
Near to that idol was the inn of the city, into which when Joseph and
St. Mary were come, and had turned into that inn, all the inhabitants
of the city were astonished. 10 And all the magistrates and priests of
the idols assembled before that idol, and made inquiry there, saying,
What means all this consternation, and dread, which has fallen upon our
country? 11 The idol answered them, The unknown God is come hither, who
is truly God; nor is there any one besides him, who is worthy of divine
worship; for he is truly the Son of God. 12 At the fame of him this
country trembled, and at his coming it is under the present commotion
and consternation; and we ourselves are affrighted by the greatness of
his power. 13 And at the same instant this idol fell down, and at his
fall all the inhabitants of Egypt, besides others, ran together.
14 But the son of the priest, when his usual disorder came upon him,
going into the inn, found there Joseph and St. Mary, whom all the rest
had left behind and forsook. 15 And when the Lady St. Mary had washed
the swaddling clothes of the Lord Christ, and hanged them out to dry
upon a post, the boy possessed with the devil took down one of them,
and put it upon his head. 16 And presently the devils began to come out
of his mouth, and fly away in the shape of crows and serpents. 17 From
that time the boy was healed by the power of the Lord Christ, and he
began to sing praises, and give thanks to the Lord who had healed him.
18 When his father saw him restored to his former state of health, he
said, My son, what has happened to thee, and by what means wert thou
cured ? 19 The son answered, When the devils seized me, I went into the
inn, and there found a very handsome woman with a boy, whose swaddling
clothes she had just before washed, and hanged out upon a post. 20 One
of these I took, and put it upon my head, and immediately the devils
left me, and fled away. 21 At this the father exceedingly rejoiced, and
said, My son, perhaps this boy is the son of the living God, who made
the heavens and the earth. 22 For as soon as he came amongst us, the
idol was broken and all the gods fell down, and were destroyed by a
greater power. 23 Then was fulfilled the prophecy which saith, Out of
Egypt I have called my son.
CHAPTER V
Now Joseph and Mary, when they heard that the idol was fallen down and
destroyed were seized with fear and trembling, and said, When we were
in the land of Israel, Herod, intending to kill Jesus, slew for that
purpose all the infants at Bethlehem, and that neighbourhood. 2 And
there is no doubt but the Egyptians if they come to hear that this idol
is broken and fallen down, will burn us with fire. 3 They went
therefore hence to the secret places of robbers, who robbed travellers
as they pass by, of their carriages and their clothes, and carried them
away bound. 4 These thieves upon their coming heard a great noise, such
as the noise of a king with a great army and many horses, and the
trumpets sounding at his departure from his own city at which they were
so affrighted as to leave all their booty behind them, and fly away in
haste. 5 Upon this the prisoners arose, and loosed each other's bonds,
and taking each man his bags, they went away, and saw Joseph and Mary
coming towards them, and inquired, Where is that king, the noise of
whose approach the robbers heard, and left us, so that we are now come
off safe ? 6 Joseph answered, He will come after us.
CHAPTER VI
Then they went into another city where there was a woman possessed with
a devil, and in whom Satan, that cursed rebel, had taken up his abode.
2 One night, when she went to fetch water, she could neither endure her
clothes on, nor to be in any house; but as often as they tied her with
chains or cords, she brake them, and went out into desert places, and
sometimes standing where roads crossed, and in churchyards, would throw
stones at men. 3 When St. Mary saw this woman, she pitied her;
whereupon Satan presently left her, and fled away in the form of a
young man, saying, Wo to me, because of thee, Mary, and thy son. 4 So
the woman was delivered from her torment; but considering herself
naked, she blushed, and avoided seeing any man, and having put on her
clothes, went home, and gave an account of her case to her father and
relations, who, as they were the best of the city, entertained St. Mary
and Joseph with the greatest respect. 5 The next morning having
received a sufficient supply of provisions for the road, they went from
them, and about the evening of the day arrived at another town, where a
marriage was then about to be solemnized; but by the arts of Satan and
the practices of some sorcerers, the bride was become so dumb, that she
could not so much as open her mouth. 6 But when this dumb bride saw the
Lady St. Mary entering into the town, and carrying the Lord Christ in
her arms, she stretched out her hands to the Lord Christ, and took him
in her arms, and closely hugging him, very often kissed him,
continually moving him and pressing him to her body. 7 Straightway the
string of her tongue was loosed, and her ears were opened, and she
began to sing praises unto God, who had restored her. 8 So there was
great joy among the inhabitants of the town that night, who thought
that God and his angels were come down among them.
9 In this place they abode three days, meeting with the greatest
respect and most splendid entertainment. 10 And being then furnished by
the people with provisions for the road, they departed and went to
another city, in which they were inclined to lodge, because it was a
famous place. 11 There was in this city a gentlewoman, who, as she went
down one day to the river to bathe, behold cursed Satan leaped upon her
in the form of a serpent, 12 And folded himself about her belly, and
every night lay upon her. 13 This woman seeing the Lady St. Mary, and
the Lord Christ the infant in her bosom, asked the Lady St. Mary, that
she would give her the child to kiss, and carry in her arms. 14 When
she had consented, and as soon as the woman had moved the child, Satan
left her, and fled away, nor did the woman ever afterwards see him. 15
Hereupon all the neighbours praised the Supreme God, and the woman
rewarded them with ample beneficence. 16 On the morrow the same woman
brought perfumed water to wash the Lord Jesus; and when she had washed
him, she preserved the water. 17 And there was a girl there, whose body
was white with a leprosy, who being sprinkled with this water, and
washed, was instantly cleansed from her leprosy. 18 The people
therefore said Without doubt Joseph and Mary, and that boy are Gods,
for they do not look like mortals. 19 And when they were making ready
to go away, the girl, who had been troubled with the leprosy, came and
desired they would permit her to go along with them; so they consented,
and the girl went with them till they came to a city, in which was the
palace of a great king, and whose house was not far from the inn. 20
Here they staid, and when the girl went one day to the prince's wife,
and found her in a sorrowful and mournful condition, she asked her the
reason of her tears. 21 She replied, Wonder not at my groans, for I am
under a great misfortune, of which I dare not tell any one. 22 But,
says the girl, if you will entrust me with your private grievance,
perhaps I may find you a remedy for it. 23 Thou, therefore, says the
prince's wife, shalt keep the secret, and not discover it to any one
alive! 24 I have been married to this prince, who rules as king over
large dominions, and lived long with him, before he had any child by
me. At length I conceived by him, but alas! I brought forth a leprous
son; which, when he saw, he would not own to be his, but said to me, 26
Either do thou kill him, or send him to some nurse in such a place,
that he may be never heard of; and now take care of yourself; I will
never see you more. 27 So here I pine, lamenting my wretched and
miserable circumstances. Alas, my son! alas, my husband! Have I
disclosed it to you? 28 The girl replied, I have found a remedy for
your disease, which I promise you, for I also was leprous, but God hath
cleansed me, even he who is called Jesus, the son of the Lady Mary. 29
The woman inquiring where that God was, whom she spake of, the girl
answered He lodges with you here in the same house. 30 But how can this
be? says she; where is he? Behold, replied the girl, Joseph and Mary;
and the infant who is with them is called Jesus: and it is he who
delivered me from my disease and torment. 31 But by what means, says
she, were you cleansed from your leprosy? Will you not tell me that? 32
Why not? says the girl; I took the water with which his body had been
washed, and poured it upon me, and my leprosy vanished. 33 The prince's
wife then arose and entertained them, providing a great feast for
Joseph among a large company of men. 34 And the next day took perfumed
water to wash the Lord Jesus, and afterwards poured the same water upon
her son, whom she had brought with her, and her son was instantly
cleansed from his leprosy. 36 Then she sang thanks and praises unto
God, and said, Blessed is the mother that bare thee, O Jesus! 36 Dost
thou thus cure men of the same nature with thyself; with the water with
which thy body is washed? 37 She then offered very large gifts to the
Lady Mary, and sent her away with all imaginable respect.
CHAPTER VII
They came afterwards to another city, and had a mind to lodge there. 2
Accordingly they went to a man's house, who was newly married, but by
the influence of sorcerers could not enjoy his wife: 3 But they lodging
at his house that night, the man was freed of his disorder: 4 And when
they were preparing early in the morning to go forward on their
journey, the new married person hindered them, and provided a noble
entertainment for them. 5 But going forward on the morrow, they came to
another city, and saw three women going from a certain grave with great
weeping. 6 When St. Mary saw them she spake to the girl who was their
companion, saying, Go and inquire of them, what is the matter with
them, and what misfortune has befallen them? 7 When the girl asked them
they made her no answer, but asked her again, Who are ye and where are
ye going? For the day is far spent, and the night is at hand. 8 We are
travellers, saith the girl, and are seeking for an inn to lodge at. 9
They replied, Go along with us, and lodge with us. 10 They then
followed them and were introduced into a new house, well furnished with
all sorts of furniture. 11 It was now winter-time and the girl went
into the parlour where these women were and found them weeping and
lamenting, as before. 12 By them stood a mule covered over with silk,
and an ebony collar hanging down from his neck, whom they kissed, and
were feeding. 13 But when the girl said, How handsome, ladies, that
mule is! they replied with tears, and said, This mule, which you see,
was our brother, born of this same mother as we: 14 For when our father
died, and left us a very large estate, and we had only this brother,
and we endeavoured to procure him a suitable match, and thought he
should be married as other men, some giddy and jealous woman bewitched
him without our knowledge. 15 And we, one night, a little before day,
while the doors of the house were all fast shut, saw this our brother
was changed into a mule, such as you now see him to be: 16 And we, in
the melancholy condition in which you see us, having no father to
comfort us, have applied to all the wise men, magicians, and diviners
in the world, but they have been of no service to us. 17 As often
therefore as we find ourselves oppressed with grief, we rise and go
with this our mother to our father's tomb, where, when we have cried
sufficiently we return home. 18 When the girl had heard this, she said,
Take courage, and cease your fears, for you have a remedy for your
afflictions near at hand, even among you and in the midst of your
house, 19 For I was also leprous but when I saw this woman, and this
little infant with her, whose name is Jesus, I sprinkled my body with
the water with which his mother had washed him, and I was presently
made well. 20 And I am certain that he is also capable of relieving you
under your distress. Wherefore, arise, go to my mistress, Mary, and
when you have brought her into your own parlour, disclose to her the
secret, at the same time, earnestly beseeching her to compassionate
your case. 21 As soon as the women had heard the girl's discourse, they
hastened away to the Lady St. Mary, introduced themselves to her, and
sitting down before her, they wept. 22 And said, O our Lady St. Mary,
pity your handmaids, for we have no head of our family no one older
than us; no father, or brother to go in and out before us. 23 But this
mule, which you see, was our brother, which some woman by witchcraft
have brought into this condition which you see: we therefore entreat
you to compassionate us. 24 Hereupon St. Mary was grieved at their
case, and taking the Lord Jesus, put him upon the back of the mule. 25
And said to her son, O Jesus Christ, restore (or heal) according to thy
extraordinary power this mule, and grant him to have again the shape of
a man and a rational creature, as he had formerly. 26 This was scarce
said by the Lady St. Mary, but the mule immediately passed into a human
form, and became a young man without any deformity. 27 Then he and his
mother and the sisters worshipped the Lady St. Mary, and lifting the
child upon their heads, they kissed him, and said, Blessed is thy
mother, O Jesus, O Saviour of the world! Blessed are the eyes which are
so happy as to see thee. 28 Then both the sisters told their mother,
saying, Of a truth our brother is restored to his former shape by the
help of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the kindness of that girl, who told
us of Mary and her son. 29 And inasmuch as our brother is unmarried, it
is fit that we marry him to this girl their servant. 30 When they had
consulted Mary in this matter, and she had given her consent, they made
a splendid wedding for this girl. 31 And so their sorrow being turned
into gladness, and their mourning into mirth, they began to rejoice.
and to make merry, and sing, being dressed in their richest attire,
with bracelets. 32 Afterwards they glorified and praised God, saying, O
Jesus son of David who changest sorrow into gladness, and mourning into
mirth! 33 After this Joseph and Mary tarried there ten days, then went
away, having received great respect from those people 34 Who, when they
took their leave of them, and returned home, cried, 33 But especially
the girl.
CHAPTER VIII
In their journey from hence they came into a desert country, and were
told it was infested with robbers; so Joseph and St. Mary prepared to
pass through it in the night. 2 And as they were going along, behold
they saw two robbers asleep in the road, and with them a great number
of robbers, who were their confederates, also asleep. 3 The names of
these two were Titus and Dumachus; and Titus said to Dumachus, I
beseech thee let those persons go along quietly, that our company may
not perceive anything of them: 4 But Dumachus refusing, Titus again
said, I will give thee forty groats, and as a pledge take my girdle,
which he gave him before he had done speaking, that he might not open
his mouth, or make a noise. 5 When the Lady St. Mary saw the kindness
which this robber did shew them, she said to him, The Lord God will
receive thee to his right hand, and grant thee pardon of thy sins. 6
Then the Lord Jesus answered, and said to his mother, When thirty years
are expired, O mother, the Jews will crucify me at Jerusalem; 7 And
these two thieves shall be with me at the same time upon the cross,
Titus on my right hand, and Dumachus on my left, and from that time
Titus shall go before me into paradise: 8 And when she had said, God
forbid this should be thy lot, O my son, they went on to a city in
which were several idols which, as soon as they came near to it, was
turned into hills of sand. 9 Hence they went to that sycamore tree,
which is now called Matarea; 10 And in Matarea the Lord Jesus caused a
well to spring forth, in which St. Mary washed his coat; 11 And a
balsam is produced, or grows, in that country from the sweat which ran
down there from the Lord Jesus. 12 Thence they proceeded to Memphis,
and saw Pharaoh, and abode three years in Egypt. 13 And the Lord Jesus
did very many miracles in Egypt, which are neither to be found in the
Gospel of the Infancy nor in the Gospel of Perfection.
14 At the end of three years he returned out of Egypt, and when he came
near to Judea, Joseph was afraid to enter; 15 For hearing that Herod
was dead, and that Archelaus his son reigned in his stead, he was
afraid; 16 And when he went to Judea, an angel of God appeared to him,
and said, O Joseph, go into the city Nazareth, and abide there. 17 It
is strange indeed that he who is the Lord of all countries, should be
thus carried backward and forward through so many countries.
CHAPTER IX
When they came afterwards into the city Bethlehem, they found there
several very desperate distempers, which became so troublesome to
children by seeing them, that most of them died. 2 There was there a
woman who had a sick son, whom she brought, when he was at the point of
death, to the Lady St. Mary, who saw her when she was washing Jesus
Christ. 3 Then said the woman, O my Lady Mary, look down upon this my
son, who is afflicted with most dreadful pains. 4 St. Mary hearing her,
said, Take a little of that water with which I have washed my son, and
sprinkle it upon him. 5 Then she took a little of that water, as St.
Mary had commanded, and sprinkled it upon her son, who being wearied
with his violent pains, had fallen asleep; and after he had slept a
little, awaked perfectly well and recovered. 6 The mother being
abundantly glad of this success, went again to St. Mary, and St. Mary
said to her, Give praise to God, who hath cured this thy son. 7 There
was in the same place another woman, a neighbour of her, whose son was
now cured. 8 This woman's son was afflicted with the same disease, and
his eyes were now almost quite shut, and she was lamenting for him day
and night. 9 The mother of the child which was cured, said to her, Why
do you not bring your son to St. Mary, as I brought my son to her, when
he was in the agonies of death; and he was cured by that water, with
which the body of her son Jesus was washed? 10 When the woman heard her
say this, she also went, and having procured the same water, washed her
son with it, whereupon his body and his eyes were instantly restored to
their former state. 11 And when she brought her son to St. Mary, and
opened his case to her, she commanded her to give thanks to God for the
recovery of her son's health, and tell no one what had happened.
CHAPTER X
There were in the same city two wives of one man, who had each a son
sick. One of them was called Mary and her son's name was Caleb. 2 She
arose, and taking her son, went to the Lady St. Mary, the mother of
Jesus, and offered her a very handsome carpet, saying, O my Lady Mary
accept this carpet of me, and instead of it give me a small swaddling
cloth. 3 To this Mary agreed, and when the mother of Caleb was gone,
she made a coat for her son of the swaddling cloth, put it on him, and
his disease was cured; but the son of the other wife died.
4 Hereupon there arose between them, a difference in doing the business
of the family by turns, each her week. 5 And when the turn of Mary the
mother of Caleb came, and she was heating the oven to bake bread, and
went away to fetch the meal, she left her son Caleb by the oven; 6
Whom, the other wife, her rival, seeing to be by himself took and cast
him into the oven, which was very hot, and then went away. 7 Mary on
her return saw her son Caleb lying in the middle of the oven laughing,
and the oven quite as cold as though it had not been before heated, and
knew that her rival the other wife had thrown him into the fire. 8 When
she took him out she brought him to the Lady St Mary, and told her the
story to whom she replied, Be quiet, I am concerned lest thou shouldest
make this matter known. 9 After this her rival, the other wife, as she
was drawing water at the well, and saw Caleb playing by the well, and
that no one was near, took him, and threw him into the well. 10 And
when some men came to fetch water from the well they saw the boy
sitting on the superficies of the water, an drew him out with ropes,
and were exceedingly surprised a the child, and praised God. 11 Then
came the mother and took him and carried him to the Lady St. Mary,
lamenting and saying, 0 my Lady, see what my rival hath done to my son,
and how she hath cast him into the well, and I do not question but one
time or other she will be the occasion of his death. 12 St. Mary
replied to her God will vindicate your injured cause. 13 Accordingly a
few days after, when the other wife came to the well to draw water, her
foot was entangled in the rope, so that she fell headlong into the
well, and they who ran to her assistance, found her skull broken, and
bones bruised. 14 So she came to a bad end, and in her was fulfilled
that saying of the author, They digged a well, and made it deep, but
fell themselves into the pit which they prepared.
CHAPTER XI
Another woman in that city had likewise two sons sick. 2 And when one
was dead, the other, who lay at the point of death, she took in her
arms to the Lady St. Mary, and in a flood of tears addressed herself to
her, saying, 3 O my Lady, help and relieve me; for I had two sons the
one I have just now buried, the other I see is just at the point of
death, behold how I (earnestly) seek favour from God, and pray to him.
4 Then she said, O Lord, thou art gracious, and merciful, and kind;
thou hast given me two sons; one of them thou hast taken to thyself, O
spare me this other. 5 St. Mary then perceiving the greatness of her
sorrow, pitied her and said, Do thou place thy son in my son's bed, and
cover him with his clothes. 6 And when she had placed him in the bed
wherein Christ lay, at the moment when his eyes were just closed by
death; as soon as ever the smell of the garments of the Lord Jesus
Christ reached the boy, his eyes were opened, and calling with a loud
voice to his mother, he asked for bread, and when he had received it,
he sucked it. 7 Then his mother said, O Lady Mary, now I am assured
that the powers of God do dwell in you, so that thy son can cure
children who are of the same sort as himself, as soon as they touch his
garments. 8 This boy who was thus cured, is the same who in the Gospel
is called Bartholomew.
CHAPTER XII
Again there was a leprous woman who went to the Lady St. Mary, the
mother of Jesus, and said, 0 my Lady, help me. 2 St. Mary replied, what
help dost thou desire? Is it gold or silver, or that thy body be cured
of its leprosy? 3 Who, says the woman, can grant me this? 4 St. Mary
replied to her, Wait a little till I have washed my son Jesus, and put
him to bed. 5 The woman waited, as she was commanded; and Mary when she
had put Jesus in bed, giving her the water with which she had washed
his body, said Take some of the water, and pour it upon thy body; 6
Which when she had done, she instantly became clean, and praised God,
and gave thanks to him.
7 Then she went away, after she had abode with her three days: 8 And
going into the city, she saw a certain prince, who had married another
prince's daughter; 9 But when he came to see her, he perceived between
her eyes the signs of leprosy like a star, and thereupon declared the
marriage dissolved and void. 10 When the woman saw these persons in
this condition, exceedingly sorrowful, and shedding abundance of tears,
she inquired of them the reason of their crying. 11 They replied,
Inquire not unto our circumstances; for we are not able to declare our
misfortunes into any person whatsoever. 12 But still she pressed and
desired them to communicate their case to her, intimating, that perhaps
she might be able to direct them to a remedy. 13 So when they shewed
the young woman to her, and the signs of the leprosy, which appeared
between her eyes, 14 She said, I also, whom ye see in this place, was
afflicted with the same distemper, and going on some business to
Bethlehem, I went into a certain cave, and saw a woman named Mary, who
had a son called Jesus. 16 She seeing me to be leprous, was concerned
for me, and gave me some water with which she had washed her son's
body; with that I sprinkled my body, and became clean. 16 Then said
these women, Will you, Mistress, go along with us, and shew the Lady
St. Mary to us? 17 To which she consenting, they arose and went to the
Lady St. Mary, taking with them very noble presents. 18 And when they
came in and offered their presents to her they showed the leprous young
woman what they brought with them to her. 19 Then said St. Mary, The
mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ rest upon you; 20 And giving them a
little of that water with which she had washed the body of Jesus
Christ, she bade them wash the diseased person with it; which when they
had done, she was presently cured; 21 So they, and all who were
present, praised God; and being filled with joy, they went back to
their own city, and gave praise to God on that account. 22 Then the
prince hearing that his wife was cured, took her home and made a second
marriage, giving thanks unto God for the recovery of his wife's health.
CHAPTER XIII
Again there was also a girl, who was afflicted by Satan; 2 For that
cursed spirit did frequently appear to her in the shape of a dragon,
and was inclined to swallow her up, and had so sucked out all her
blood, that she looked like a dead carcase. 3 As often as she came to
herself, with her hands wringed about her head she would cry out, and
say, Wo, Wo is me, that there is no one to be found who can deliver me
from that impious dragon! 4 Her father and mother, and all who were
about her and saw her, mourned and wept over her; 5 And all who were
present would especially be under sorrow and in tears, when they heard
her bewailing, and saying, My brethren and friends, is there no one who
can deliver me from this murderer? 6 Then the prince's daughter, who
had been cured of her leprosy, hearing the complaint of that girl, went
upon the top of her castle, and saw her with her hand twisted about her
head, pouring out a flood of tears, and all the people that were about
her in sorrow. 7 Then she asked the husband of the possessed person,
Whether his wife's mother was alive? He told her, That her father and
mother were both alive. 8 Then she ordered her mother to be sent to
her: to whom, when she saw her coming, she said, Is this possessed girl
thy daughter? She moaning and bewailing said, Yes, madam, I bore her. 9
The prince's daughter answered, Disclose the secret of her case to me,
for I confess to you that I was leprous, but the Lady Mary, the mother
of Jesus Christ, healed me. 10 And if you desire your daughter to be
restored to her former state, take her to Bethlehem, and inquire for
Mary the mother of Jesus, and doubt not but your daughter will be
cured; for I do not question but you will come home with great joy at
your daughter's recovery. 11 As soon as ever she had done speaking, she
arose and went with her daughter to the place appointed, and to Mary,
and told her the case of her daughter. 12 When St. Mary had heard her
story, she gave her a little of the water with which she had washed the
body of her son Jesus, and bade her pour it upon the body of her
daughter. 13 Likewise she gave her one of the swaddling cloths of the
Lord Jesus, and said, Take this swaddling cloth and shew it to thine
enemy as often as thou seest him; and she sent them away in peace. 14
After they had left that city and returned home, and the time was come
in which Satan was wont to seize her, in the same moment this cursed
spirit appeared to her in the shape of a huge dragon, and the girl
seeing him was afraid. 15 The mother said to her, Be not afraid
daughter; let him alone till he come nearer to thee! then shew him the
swaddling cloth, which the Lady Mary gave us, and we shall see the
event. 16 Satan then coming like a dreadful dragon, the body of the
girl trembled for fear. 17 But as soon as she had put the swaddling
cloth upon her head, and about her eyes, and shewed it to him,
presently there issued forth from the swaddling cloth flames and
burning coals, and fell upon the dragon. 18 Oh! how great a miracle was
this, which was done: as soon as the dragon saw the swaddling cloth of
the Lord Jesus, fire went forth and was scattered upon his head and
eyes; so that he cried out with a loud voice, What have I to do with
thee, Jesus, thou son of Mary, Whither shall I flee from thee? 19 So he
drew back much affrighted, and left the girl. 20 And she was delivered
from this trouble, and sang praises and thanks to God, and with her all
who were present at the working of the miracle.
CHAPTER XIV
Another woman likewise lived there, whose son was possessed by Satan. 2
This boy, named Judas, as often as Satan seized him, was inclined to
bite all that were present; and if he found no one else near him, he
would bite his own hands and other parts. 3 But the mother of this
miserable boy, hearing of St. Mary and her son Jesus, arose presently,
and taking her son in her arms, brought him to the Lady Mary. 4 In the
meantime, James and Joses had taken away the infant, the Lord Jesus, to
play at a proper season with other children; and when they went forth,
they sat down and the Lord Jesus with them. 5 Then Judas, who was
possessed, came and sat down at the right hand of Jesus. 6 When Satan
was acting upon him as usual, he went about to bite the Lord Jesus. 7
And because he could not do it, he struck Jesus on the right side, so
that he cried out. 8 And in the same moment Satan went out of the boy,
and ran away like a mad dog. 9 This same boy who struck Jesus, and out
of whom Satan went in the form of a dog, was Judas Iscariot, who
betrayed him to the Jews. 10 And that same side, on which Judas struck
him, the Jews pierced with a spear.
CHAPTER XV
And when the Lord Jesus was seven years of age, he was on a certain day
with other boys his companions about the same age. 2 Who when they were
at play, made clay into several shapes namely, asses, oxen, birds, and
other figures, 3 Each boasting of his work and endeavouring to exceed
the rest. 4 Then the Lord Jesus said to the boys, I will command these
figures which I have made to walk. 5 And immediately they moved and
when he commanded then to return, they returned. 6 He had also made the
figure of birds and sparrows, which when he commanded to fly, did fly,
and when he commanded to stand still, did stand still; and if he gave
them meat and drink they did eat and drink. 7 When at length the boys
went away, and related these things to their parents, their fathers
said to them, Take heed children, for the future, of his company, for
he is a sorcerer; shun and avoid him, and from henceforth never play
with him.
8 On a certain day also when the Lord Jesus was playing with the boys,
and running about he passed by a dyer's shop, who name was Salem. 9 And
there were in his shop many pieces of cloth belonging to the people of
that city, which they designed to dye of several colours. 10 Then the
Lord Jesus going into the dyer's shop, took all the cloths, and threw
them into the furnace. 11 When Salem came home and saw the cloths
spoiled, he began to make a great noise, and to chide the Lord Jesus,
saying 12 What hast thou done me, O thou Son of Mary? Thou hast injured
both me and my neighbours; they all desired their cloths of a proper
colour; but thou hast come, and spoiled them all. 13 The Lord Jesus
replied, l will change the colour of every cloth to what colour thou
desirest; 14 And then he presently began to take the cloths out of the
furnace, and they were all dyed of those same colours which the dyer
desired. 15 And when the Jews saw this surprising miracle, they praised
God.
CHAPTER XVI
And Joseph, wheresoever he went in the city, took the Lord Jesus with
him, where he was sent for to work to make gates, or milk-pails, or
sieves, or boxes; the Lord Jesus was with him wheresoever he went. 2
And as often as Joseph had anything in his work, to make longer or
shorter, or wider, or narrower, the Lord Jesus would stretch his hand
towards it. 3 And presently it became as Joseph would have it. 4 So
that he had no need to finish anything with his own hands, for he was
not very skillful at his carpenter's trade
5 On a certain time the King of Jerusalem sent for him and said, I
would have thee make me a throne of the same dimensions with that place
in which I commonly sit. 6 Joseph obeyed, and forthwith began the work,
and continued two years in the king's palace before he finished it. 7
And when he came to fix it in its place, he found it wanted two spans
on each side of the appointed measure. 8 Which, when the king saw, he
was very angry with Joseph; 9 And Joseph afraid of the king's anger,
went to bed without his supper, taking not any thing to eat. 10 Then
the Lord Jesus asked him, What he was afraid of? 11 Joseph replied,
Because I have lost my labour in the work which I have been about these
two years. 12 Jesus said to him, Fear not, neither be cast down; 13 Do
thou lay hold on one side of the throne and I will the other, and we
will bring it to its just dimensions. 14 And when Joseph had done as
the Lord Jesus said, and each of them had with strength drawn his side,
the throne obeyed, and was brought to the proper dimensions of the
place: 15 Which miracle when they who stood by saw, they were
astonished, and praised God. 16 The throne was made of the same wood,
which was in being in Solomon's time, namely, wood adorned with various
shapes and figures.
On another day the Lord Jesus going out into the street, and seeing
some boys who were met to play, joined himself to their company: 2 But
when they saw him, they hid themselves, and left him to seek for them:
3 The Lord Jesus came to the gate of a certain house, and asked some
women who were standing there, Where the boys were gone? 4 And when
they answered, That there was no one there; the Lord Jesus said, Who
are those whom ye see in the furnace? 5 They answered, They were kids
of three years old. 6 Then Jesus cried out aloud, and said, Come out
hither, O ye kids, to your shepherd; 7 And presently the boys came
forth like kids, and leaped about him; which when the women saw, they
were exceedingly amazed, and trembled. 8 Then they immediately
worshipped the Lord Jesus, and beseeched him, saying, O our Lord Jesus,
son of Mary, thou art truly that good shepherd of Israel! have mercy on
thy handmaids, who stand before thee, who do not doubt, but that thou,
O Lord, art come to save, and not to destroy. 9 After that, when the
Lord Jesus said, the children of Israel are like Ethiopians among the
people; the women said, Thou Lord, knowest all things, nor is anything
concealed from thee; but now we entreat thee, and beseech of thy mercy
that thou wouldst restore those boys to their former state. 10 Then
Jesus said, Come hither O boys, that we may go and play; and
immediately, in the presence of these women, the kids were changed and
returned into the shape of boys.
In the month Adar Jesus gathered together the boys, and ranked them as
though he had been a king. For they spread their garments on the ground
for him to sit on; and having made a crown of flowers, put it upon his
head, and stood on his right and left as the guards of a king. 3 And if
any one happened to pass by, they took him by force, and said, Come
hither, and worship the king, that you may have a prosperous journey.
4 In the mean time, while these things were doing, there came certain
men, carrying a boy upon a couch; 5 For this boy having gone with his
companions to the mountain to gather wood, and having found there a
partridge's nest, and put his hand in to take out the eggs, was stung
by a poisonous serpent, which leaped out of the nest; so that he was
forced to cry out for the help of his companions: who, when they came,
found him lying upon the earth like a dead person. 6 After which his
neighbours came and carried him back into the city. 7 But when they
came to the place where the Lord Jesus was sitting like a king, and the
other boys stood around him like his ministers, the boys made hast to
meet him, who was bitten by the serpent, and said to his neighbours,
Come and pay your respects to the king; 8 But when, by reason of their
sorrow, they refused to come, the boys drew them, and forced them
against their wills to come. 9 And when they came to the Lord Jesus, he
inquired, On what account they carried that boy? 10 And when they
answered, that a serpent had bitten him, the Lord Jesus said to the
boys, Let us go and kill that serpent. 11 But when the parents of the
boy desired to be excused, because their son lay at the point of death;
the boys made answer, and said, Did not ye hear what the king said? Let
us go and kill the serpent; and will not ye obey him? 12 So they
brought the couch back again, whether they would or not. 13 And when
they were come to the nest, the Lord Jesus said to the boys, Is this
the serpent's lurking place? They said, It was. 14 Then the Lord Jesus
calling the serpent, it presently came forth and submitted to him; to
whom he said, Go and suck out all the poison which thou hast infused
into that boy; 15 So the serpent crept to the boy, and took away all
its poison again. 16 Then the Lord Jesus cursed the serpent so that it
immediately burst asunder, and died. 17 And he touched the boy with his
hand to restore him to his former health; 18 And when he began to cry,
I the Lord Jesus said, Cease crying, for hereafter thou shalt be my
disciple; 19 And this is that Simon the Canaanite, who is mentioned in
the Gospel.
CHAPTER XIX
On another day Joseph sent his son James to gather wood and the Lord
Jesus went with him; 2 And when they came to the place where the wood
was, and James began to gather it, be- hold, a venomous viper bit him,
so that he began to cry, and make a noise. 3 The Lord Jesus seeing him
in this condition, came to him; and blowed upon the place where the
viper had bit him, and it was instantly well.
4 On a certain day the Lord Jesus was with some boys, who were playing
on the housetop, and one of the boys fell down, and presently died. 5
Upon which the other boys all running away, the Lord Jesus was left
alone on the house-top. 6 And the boy's relations came to him and said
to the Lord Jesus, Thou didst throw our son down from the housetop. 7
But he denying it, they cried out, Our son is dead, and this is he who
killed him. 8 The Lord Jesus replied to them, Do not charge me with a
crime, of which you are not able to convict me, but let us go ask the
boy himself, who will bring the truth to light. 9 Then the Lord Jesus
going down stood over the head of the dead boy, and said with a loud
voice, Zeinunus, Zeinunus, who threw thee down from the house top? 10
Then the dead boy answered, thou didst not throw me down, but such a
one did. 11 And when the Lord Jesus bade those who stood by to take
notice of his words, all who were present praised God on account of
that miracle.
12 On a certain time the Lady St. Mary had commanded the Lord Jesus to
fetch her some water out of the well; 13 And when he had gone to fetch
the water, the pitcher, when it was brought up full, brake. 14 But
Jesus spreading his mantle gathered up the water again, and brought it
in that to his mother. 15 Who, being astonished at this wonderful
thing, laid up this, and all the other things which she had seen, in
her memory.
16 Again on another day the Lord Jesus was with some boys by a river
and they drew water out of the river by little channels, and made
little fish pools. 17 But the Lord Jesus had made twelve sparrows, and
placed them about his pool on each side, three on a side. 18 But it was
the Sabbath day, and the son of Hanani a Jew came by, and saw them
making these things, and said, Do ye thus make figures of clay on the
Sabbath? And he ran to them, and broke down their fish pools. 19 But
when the Lord Jesus clapped his hands over the sparrows which he had
made, they fled away chirping. 20 At length the son of Hanani coming to
the fish-pool of Jesus to destroy it, the water vanished away, and the
Lord Jesus said to him, 21 In like manner as this water has vanished,
so shall thy life vanish; and presently the boy died.
22 Another time, when the Lord Jesus was coming home in the evening
with Joseph, he met a boy, who ran so hard against him, that he threw
him down; 23 To whom the Lord Jesus said, As thou hast thrown me down,
so shalt thou fall, nor ever rise. 24 And that moment the boy fell down
and died.
CHAPTER XX
There was also at Jerusalem one named Zaccheus, who was a schoolmaster.
2 And he said to Joseph, Joseph, why dost thou not send Jesus to me,
that he may learn his letters? 3 Joseph agreed, and told St. Mary; 4 So
they brought him to that master; who, as soon as he saw him, wrote out
an alphabet for him. 5 And he bade him say Aleph; and when he had said
Aleph, the master bade him pronounce Beth. 6 Then the Lord Jesus said
to him, Tell me first the meaning of the letter Aleph, and then I will
pronounce Beth. 7 And when the master threatened to whip him, the Lord
Jesus explained to him the meaning of the letters Aleph and Beth; 8
Also which were the straight figures of the letters, which the oblique,
and what letters had double figures; which had points, and which had
none; why one letter went before another; and many other things he
began to tell him, and explain, of which the master himself had never
heard, nor read any book. 9 The Lord Jesus farther said the master,
Take notice how I say to thee; then he began clearly and distinctly to
say Aleph, Beth, Gimel, Daleth, and so on to the end of the alphabet.
10 At this the master was so surprised, that he said, I believe his boy
was born before Noah; 11 And turning to Joseph, he said, Thou hast
brought a boy to be to be taught, who is more learned than any master.
12 He said also unto St. Mary, This your son has no need of any
learning.
13 They brought him then to a more learned master, who, when he saw
him, said, say Aleph. 14 And when he had said Aleph, he master bade him
pronounce Beth; to which the Lord Jesus replied, Tell me first the
meaning of the letter Aleph, and then I will pronounce Beth. 15 But
this master, when he lift up his hand to whip him, had his hand
presently withered, and he died. 16 Then said Joseph to St. Mary,
henceforth we will not allow him to go out of the house; for every one
who displeases him is killed.
CHAPTER XXI
And when he was twelve years old, they brought him to Jerusalem to the
feast; and when the feast was over, they returned. 2 But the Lord Jesus
continued behind in the temple among the doctors and elders, and
learned men of Israel; to whom he proposed several questions of
learning, and also gave them answers: 3 For he said to them, Whose son
is the Messiah? They answered, the son of David: 4 Why then, said he,
does he in the spirit call him Lord? when he saith, The Lord said to my
Lord, sit thou at my right hand, till I have made thine enemies thy
footstool. 5 Then a certain principal Rabbi asked him, Hast thou read
books? 6 Jesus answered, he had read both books, and the things which a
were contained in books. 7 And he explained to them the books of the
law, and precepts, and statutes: and the mysteries which are contained
in the books of the prophets; things which the mind of no creature a
could reach. 8 Then said that Rabbi, I never yet have seen or heard of
such knowledge! What do you think that boy will be!
9 When a certain astronomer, who was present, asked the Lord Jesus,
Whether he had studied astronomy? 10 The Lord Jesus replied, and told
him the number of the spheres and heavenly bodies, as also their
triangular, square, and to sextile aspect; their progressive and
retrograde motion; their size and several prognostication; and other
things which the reason of man had never discovered.
11 There was also among them a philosopher well skilled in physic and
natural philosophy, who asked the Lord Jesus Whether he had studied
physic? 12 He replied, and explained to him physics and metaphysics. 13
Also those things which were above and below the power of nature; 14
The powers also of the body, its humours, and their effects. 15 Also
the number of its members, and bones, veins, arteries, and nerves; 16
The several constitutions of body, hot and dry, cold and moist, and the
tendencies of them; 17 How the soul operated upon the body; 18 What its
various sensations and faculties were; 19 The faculty of speaking,
anger, desire; 20 And lastly the manner of its composition and
dissolution; and other things, which the understanding of no creature
had ever reached. 21 Then that philosopher arose, and worshipped the
Lord Jesus, and said, O Lord Jesus, from henceforth I will be thy
disciple and servant.
22 While they were discoursing on these and such like things, the Lady
St. Mary came in, having been three days walking about with Joseph,
seeking for him. 23 And when she saw him sitting among the doctors, and
in his turn proposing questions to them, and giving answers, she said
to him, My son, why hast thou done thus by us? Behold I and thy father
have been at much pains in seeking thee. 24 He replied, Why did ye seek
me? Did ye not know that I ought to be employed in my father's house?
25 But they understood not the words which he said to them 26 Then the
doctors asked Mary, Whether this was her son? And when she said, He
was, they said, O happy Mary, who hast borne such a son. 27 Then he
returned with them to Nazareth, and obeyed them in all things. 28 And
his mother kept all these things in her mind; 29 And the Lord Jesus
grew in stature and wisdom, and favour with God and man.
CHAPTER XXII
Now from this time Jesus began to conceal his miracles and secret
works, 2 And he gave himself to the study of the law, till he arrived
to the end of his thirtieth year; 3 At which time the Father publicly
owned him at Jordan, sending down this voice from heaven, This is my
beloved son, in whom I am well pleased; 4 The Holy Ghost being also
present in the form of a dove. 5 This is he whom we worship with all
reverence, because he gave us our life and being, and brought us from
our mother's womb. 6 Who, for our sakes, took a human body, and hath
redeemed us, so that he might so embrace us with everlasting mercy, and
shew his free, large, bountiful grace and goodness to us. 7 To him be
glory and praise, and power, and dominion, from henceforth and for
evermore, Amen.
The end of the whole Gospel of the Infancy, by the assistance of the
Supreme God, according to what we found in the original.
THE GOSPEL OF PSEUDO-MATTHEW
HERE beginneth the book of the Birth of the Blessed Mary and the
Infancy of the Saviour. Written in Hebrew by the Blessed Evangelist
Matthew, and translated into Latin by the Blessed Presbyter Jerome.
To their well-beloved brother Jerome the Presbyter, Bishops Cromatius
and Heliodorus in the Lord, greeting.
The birth of the Virgin Mary, and the nativity and infancy of our Lord
Jesus Christ, we find in apocryphal books. But considering that in them
many things contrary to our faith are written, we have believed that
they ought all to be rejected, lest perchance we should transfer the
joy of Christ to Antichrist. (1) While, therefore, we were considering
these things, there came holy men, Parmenius and Varinus, who said that
your Holiness had found a Hebrew volume, written by the hand of the
most blessed Evangelist Matthew, in which also the birth of the virgin
mother herself, and the infancy of our Saviour, were written. And
accordingly we entreat your affection by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself,
to render it from the Hebrew into Latin, (2) not so much for the
attainment of those things which are the insignia of Christ, as for the
exclusion of the craft of heretics, who, in order to teach bad
doctrine, have mingled their own lies with the excellent nativity of
Christ, that by the sweetness of life they might hide the bitterness of
death. It will therefore become your purest piety, either to listen to
us as your brethren entreating, or to let us have as bishops exacting,
the debt of affection which you may deem due.
REPLY TO THEIR LETTER BY JEROME.
To my lords the holy and most blessed Bishops Cromatius and Heliodorus,
Jerome, a humble servant of Christ, in the Lord greeting.
He who digs in ground where he knows that there is gold, (3) does not
instantly snatch at whatever the uptorn trench may pour forth; but,
before the stroke of the quivering spade raises aloft the glittering
mass, he meanwhile lingers over the sods to turn them over and lift
them up, and especially he who has not added to his gains. An arduous
task is enjoined upon me, since what your Blessedness has commanded me,
the holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew himself did not write for the
purpose of publishing. For if he had not done it somewhat secretly, he
would have added it also to his Gospel which he published. But he
composed this book in Hebrew; and so little did he publish it, that at
this day the book written in Hebrew by his own hand is in the
possession of very religious men, to whom in successive periods of time
it has been handed down by those that were before them. And this book
they never at any time gave to any one to translate. And so it came to
pass, that when it was published by a disciple of Manichaeus named
Leucius, who also wrote the falsely styled Acts of the Apostles, this
book afforded matter, not of edification, but of perdition; and the
opinion of the Synod in regard to it was according to its deserts, that
the ears of the Church should not be open to it. Let the snapping of
those that bark against us now cease; for we do not add this little
book to the canonical writings, but we translate what was written by an
Apostle and Evangelist, that we may disclose the falsehood of heresy.
In this work, then, we obey the commands of pious bishops as well as
oppose impious heretics. It is the love of Christ, therefore, which we
fulfil, believing that they will assist us by their prayers, who
through our obedience attain to a knowledge of the holy infancy of our
Saviour.
There is extant another letter to the same bishops, attributed to
Jerome: --
You ask me to let you know what I think of a book held by some to be
about the nativity of St. Mary. And so I wish you to know that there is
much in it that is false. For one Seleucus, who wrote the Sufferings of
the Apostles, composed this book. But, just as he wrote what was true
about their powers, and the miracles they worked, but said a great deal
that was false about their doctrine; so here too he has invented many
untruths out of his own head. I shall take care to render it word for
word, exactly as it is in the Hebrew, since it is asserted that it was
composed by the holy Evangelist Matthew, and written in Hebrew, and set
at the head of his Gospel. Whether this be true or not, I leave to the
author of the preface and the trustworthiness of the writer: as for
myself, I pronounce them doubtful; I do not affirm that they are
clearly false. But this I say freely-- and I think none of the faithful
will deny it -- that, whether these stories be true or inventions, the
sacred nativity of St. Mary was preceded by great miracles, and
succeeded by the greatest; and so by those who believe that God can do
these things, they can be believed and read without damaging their
faith or imperilling their souls. In short, so far as I can, following
the sense rather than the words of the writer, and sometimes walking in
the same path, though not in the same footsteps, sometimes digressing a
little, but still keeping the same road, I shall in this way keep by
the style of the narrative, and shall say nothing that is not either
written there, or might, following the same train of thought, have been
written.
CHAP. 1. (1) -- In those days there was a man in Jerusalem, Joachim by
name, of the tribe of Judah. He was the shepherd of his own sheep,
fearing the Lord in integrity and singleness of heart. He had no other
care than that of his herds, from the produce of which he supplied with
food all that feared God, offering double gifts in the fear of God to
all who laboured in doctrine, and who ministered unto Him. Therefore
his lambs, and his sheep, and his wool, and all things whatsoever he
possessed, he used to divide into three portions: one he gave to the
orphans, the widows, the strangers, and the poor; the second to those
that worshipped God; and the third he kept for himself and all his
house. (2) And as he did so, the Lord multiplied to him his herds, so
that there was no man like him in the people of Israel. This now he
began to do when he was fifteen years old. And at the age of twenty he
took to wife Anna, the daughter of Achar, of his own tribe, that is, of
the tribe of Judah, of the family of David. And though they had lived
together for twenty years, he had by her neither sons nor daughters.
(3)
CHAP. 2. -- And it happened that, in the time of the feast, among those
who were offering incense to the Lord, Joachim stood getting ready his
gifts in the sight of the Lord. And the priest, Ruben by name, coming
to him, said: It is not lawful for thee to stand among those who are
doing sacrifice to God, because God has not blessed thee so as to give
thee seed in lsrael. Being therefore put to shame in the sight of the
people, he retired from the temple of the Lord weeping, and did not
return to his house, but went to his flocks, taking with him his
shepherds into the mountains to a far country, so that for five months
his wife Anna could hear no tidings of him. And she prayed with tears,
saying: O Lord, most mighty God of Israel, why hast Thou, seeing that
already Thou hast not given me children, taken from me my husband also?
Behold, now five months that I have not seen my husband; and I know not
where he is tarrying; (4) nor, if I knew him to be dead, could I bury
him. And while she wept excessively, she entered into the court of His
house; and she fell on her face in prayer, and poured out her
supplications before the Lord. After this, rising from her prayer, and
lifting her eyes to God, she saw a sparrow's nest in a laurel tree, (5)
and uttered her voice to the Lord with groaning, and said: Lord God
Almighty, who hast given offspring to every creature, to beasts wild
and tame, to serpents, and birds, and fishes, and they all rejoice over
their young ones, Thou hast shut out me alone from the gift of Thy
benignity. For Thou, O God, knowest my heart, that from the beginning
of my married life I have vowed that, if Thou, O God, shouldst give me
son or daughter, I would offer them to Thee in Thy holy temple. And
while she was thus speaking, suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared
before her, saying: Be not afraid, Anna, for there is seed for thee in
the decree of God; and all generations even to the end shall wonder at
that which shall be born of thee. And when he had thus spoken, he
vanished out of her sight. But she, in fear and dread because she had
seen such a sight, and heard such words, at length went into her
bed-chamber, and threw herself on the bed as if dead. And for a whole
day and night she remained in great trembling and in prayer. And after
these things she called to her her servant, and said to her: Dost thou
see me deceived in my widowhood and in great perplexity, and hast thou
been unwilling to come in to me? Then she, with a slight murmur, thus
answered and said: If God hath shut up thy womb, and hath taken away
thy husband from thee, what can I do for thee? And when Anna heard
this, she lifted up her voice, and wept aloud.
CHAP. 3. -- At the same time there appeared a young man on the
mountains to Joachim while he was feeding his flocks, and said to him:
Why dost thou not return to thy wife? And Joachim said: I have had her
for twenty years, and it has not been the will of God to give me
children by her. I have been driven with shame and reproach from the
temple of the Lord: why should I go back to her, when I have been once
cast off and utterly despised? Here then will I remain with my sheep;
and so long as in this life God is willing to grant me light, I shall
willingly, by the hands of my servants, bestow their portions upon the
poor, and the orphans, and those that fear God. And when he had thus
spoken, the young man said to him: I am an angel of the Lord, and I
have to-day appeared to thy wife when she was weeping and praying, and
have consoled her; and know that she has conceived a daughter from thy
seed, and thou in thy ignorance of this hast left her. She will be in
the temple of God, and the Holy Spirit shall abide in her; and her
blessedness shall be greater than that of all the holy women, so that
no one can say that any before her has been like her, or that any after
her in this world will be so. Therefore go down from the mountains, and
return to thy wife, whom thou wilt find with child. For God hath raised
up seed in her, and for this thou wilt give God thanks; and her seed
shall be blessed, and she herself shall be blessed, and shall be made
the mother of eternal blessing. Then Joachim adored the angel, and said
to him: If I have found favour in thy sight, sit for a little in my
tent, and bless thy servant. (1) And the angel said to him: Do not say
servant, but fellow-servant; for we are the servants of one Master. (2)
But my food is invisible, and my drink cannot be seen by a mortal.
Therefore thou oughtest not to ask me to enter thy tent; but if thou
wast about to give me anything, (3) offer it as a burnt-offering to the
Lord. Then Joachim took a lamb without spot, and said to the angel: I
should not have dared to offer a burnt-offering to the Lord, unless thy
command had given me the priest's right of offering. (4) And the angel
said to him: I should not have invited thee to offer unless I had known
the will of the Lord. And when Joachim was offering the sacrifice to
God, the angel and the odour of the sacrifice went together straight up
to heaven with the smoke. (5)
Then Joachim, throwing himself on his face, lay in prayer from the
sixth hour of the day even until evening. And his lads and hired
servants who were with him saw him, and not knowing why he was lying
down, thought that he was dead; and they came to him, and with
difficulty raised him from the ground. And when he recounted to them
the vision of the angel, they were struck with great fear and wonder,
and advised him to accomplish the vision of the angel without delay,
and to go back with all haste to his wife. And when Joachim was turning
over in his mind whether he should go back or not, it happened that he
was overpowered by a deep sleep; and, behold, the angel who had already
appeared to him when awake, appeared to him in his sleep, saying: I am
the angel appointed by God as thy guardian: go down with confidence,
and return to Anna, because the deeds of mercy which thou and thy wife
Anna have done have been told in the presence of the Most High; and to
you will God give such fruit as no prophet or saint has ever had from
the beginning, or ever will have. And when Joachim awoke out of his
sleep, he called all his herdsmen to him, and told them his dream. And
they worshipped the Lord, and said to him: See that thou no further
despise the words of the angel. But rise and let us go hence, and
return at a quiet pace, feeding our flocks.
And when, after thirty days occupied in going back, they were now near
at hand, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Anna, who was
standing and praying, and said: (6) Go to the gate which is called
Golden, (7) and meet thy husband in the way, for to-day he will come to
thee. She therefore went towards him in haste With her maidens, and,
praying to the Lord, she stood a long time in the gate waiting for him.
And when she was wearied with long waiting, she lifted up her eyes and
saw Joachim afar off coming with his flocks; and she ran to him and
hung on his neck, giving thanks to God, and saying: I was a widow, and
behold now I am not so: I was barren, and behold I have now conceived.
And so they worshipped the Lord, and went into their own house. And
when this was heard of, there was great joy among all their neighbours
and acquaintances, so that the whole land of lsrael congratulated them.
CHAP. 4. --After these things, her nine months being fulfilled, Anna
brought forth a daughter, and called her Mary. And having weaned her in
her third year, Joachim, and Anna his wife, went together to the temple
of the Lord to offer sacrifices to God, and placed the infant, Mary by
name, in the community of virgins, in which the virgins remained day
and night praising God. And when she was put down before the doors of
the temple, she went up the fifteen steps (1) so swiftly, that she did
not look back at all; nor did she, as children are wont to do, seek for
her parents. Whereupon her parents, each of them anxiously seeking for
the child, were both alike astonished, until they found her in the
temple, and the priests of the temple themselves wondered.
CHAP. 5. -- Then Anna, filled with the Holy Spirit, said before them
all: The Lord Almighty, the God of Hosts, being mindful of His word,
hath visited His people with a good and holy visitation, to bring down
the hearts of the Gentiles who were rising against us, and turn them to
Himself. He hath opened His ears to our prayers: He hath kept away from
us the exulting of all our enemies. The barren hath become a mother,
and hath brought forth exultation and gladness to lsrael. Behold the
gifts which I have brought to offer to my Lord, and mine enemies have
not been able to hinder me. For God hath turned their hearts to me, and
Himself hath given me everlasting joy.
CHAP. 6. -- And Mary was held in admiration by all the people of
Israel; and when she was three years old, she walked with a step so
mature, she spoke so perfectly, and spent her time so assiduously in
the praises of God, that all were astonished at her, and wondered; and
she was not reckoned a young infant, but as it were a grown-up person
of thirty years old. She was so constant in prayer, and her appearance
was so beautiful and glorious, that scarcely any one could look into
her face. And she occupied herself constantly with her wool-work, so
that she in her tender years could do all that old women were not able
to do. And this was the order that she had set for herself: (2) From
the morning to the third hour she remained in prayer; from the third to
the ninth she was occupied with her weaving; and from the ninth she
again applied herself to prayer. She did not retire from praying until
there appeared to her the angel of the Lord, from whose hand she used
to receive food; and thus she became more and more perfect in the work
of God. Then, when the older virgins rested from the praises of God,
she did not rest at all; so that in the praises and vigils of God none
were found before her, no one more learned in the wisdom of the law of
God, more lowly in humility, more elegant in singing, more perfect in
all virtue. She was indeed stedfast, immoveable, unchangeable, and
daily advancing to perfection. No one saw her angry, nor heard her
speaking evil. All her speech was so full of grace, that her God was
acknowledged to be in her tongue. She was always engaged in prayer and
in searching the law, and she was anxious lest by any word of hers she
should sin with regard to her companions. Then she was afraid lest in
her laughter, or the sound of her beautiful voice, she should commit
any fault, or lest, being elated, she should display any wrong- doing
or haughtiness to one of her equals. (3) She blessed God without
intermission; and lest perchance, even in her salutation, she might
cease from praising God; if any one saluted her, she used to answer by
way of salutation: Thanks be to God. And from her the custom first
began of men saying, Thanks be to God, when they saluted each other.
She refreshed herself only with the food which she daily received from
the hand of the angel; but the food which she obtained from the priests
she divided among the poor. The angels of God were often seen speaking
with her, and they most diligently obeyed her. If any one who was
unwell touched her, the same hour he went home cured.
CHAP. 7. -- Then Abiathar the priest offered gifts without end to the
high priests, in order that he might obtain her as wife to his son. But
Mary forbade them, saying: It cannot be that I should know a man, or
that a man should know me. For all the priests and all her relations
kept saying to her: God is worshipped in children and adored in
posterity, as has always happened among the sons of Israel. But Mary
answered and said unto them: God is worshipped in chastity, as is
proved first of all. (4) For before Abel there was none righteous among
men, and he by his offerings pleased God, and was without mercy slain
by him who displeased Him. Two crowns, therefore, he received -- of
oblation and of virginity, because in his flesh there was no pollution.
Elias also, when he was in the flesh, was taken up in the flesh,
because he kept his flesh unspotted. Now I, from my infancy in the
temple of God, have learned that virginity can be sufficiently dear to
God. And so, because I can offer what is dear to God, I have resolved
in my heart that I should not know a man at all.
CHAP. 8. -- Now it came to pass, when she was fourteen s years old, and
on this account there was occasion for the Pharisees' saying that it
was now a custom that no woman of that age should abide in the temple
of God, they fell upon the plan of sending a herald through all the
tribes of lsrael, that on the third day all should come together into
the temple of the Lord. And when all the people had come together,
Abiathar the high priest rose, and mounted on a higher step, that he
might be seen and heard by all the people; and when great silence had
been obtained, he said: Hear me, O sons of Israel, and receive my words
into your ears. Ever since this temple was built by Solomon, there have
been in it virgins, the daughters of kings and the daughters of
prophets, and of high priests and priests; and they were great, and
worthy of admiration. But when they came to the proper age they were
given in marriage, and followed the course of their mothers before
them, and were pleasing to God. But a new order of life has been found
out by Mary alone, who promises that she will remain a virgin to God.
Wherefore it seems to me, that through our inquiry and the answer of
God we should try to ascertain to whose keeping she ought to be
entrusted. Then these words found favour with all the synagogue. And
the lot was east by the priests upon the twelve tribes, and the lot
fell upon the tribe of Judah. And the priest said: To-morrow let every
one who has no wife come, and bring his rod in his hand. Whence it
happened that Joseph (1) brought his rod along with the young men. And
the rods having been handed over to the high priest, he offered a
sacrifice to the Lord God, and inquired of the Lord. And the Lord said
to him: Put all their rods into the holy of holies of God, and let them
remain there, and order them to come to thee on the morrow to get back
their rods; and the man from the point of whose rod a dove shall come
forth, and fly towards heaven, and in whose hand the rod, when given
back, shall exhibit this sign, to him let Mary be delivered to be kept.
On the following day, then, all having assembled early, and an
incense-offering having been made, the high priest went into the holy
of ho-lies, and brought forth the rods. And when he had distributed the
rods, (2) and the dove came forth out of none of them, the high priest
put on the twelve bells (3) and the sacerdotal robe; and entering into
the holy of holies, he there made a burnt-offering, and poured forth a
prayer. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him, saying: There is
here the shortest rod, of which thou hast made no account: thou didst
bring it in with the rest, but didst not take it out with them. When
thou hast taken it out, and hast given it him whose it is, in it will
appear the sign of which I spoke to thee. Now that was Joseph's rod;
and because he was an old man, he had been cast off, as it were, that
he might not receive her, but neither did he himself wish to ask back
his rod. (4) And when he was humbly standing last of all, the high
priest cried out to him with a loud voice, saying: Come, Joseph, and
receive thy rod; for we are waiting for thee. And Joseph came up
trembling, because the high priest had called him with a very loud
voice. But as soon as he stretched forth his hand, and laid hold of his
rod, immediately from the top of it came forth a dove whiter than snow,
beautiful exceedingly, which, after long flying about the roofs of the
temple, at length flew towards the heavens. Then all the people
congratulated the old man, saying: Thou hast been made blessed in thine
old age, O father Joseph, seeing that God hath shown thee to be fit to
receive Mary. And the priests having said to him, Take her, because of
all the tribe of Judah thou alone hast been chosen by God; Joseph began
bashfully to address them, saying: I am an old man, and have children;
why do you hand over to me this infant, who is younger than my
grandsons? Then Abiathar the high priest said to him: Remember, Joseph,
how Dathan and Abiron and Core perished, because they despised the will
of God. So will it happen to thee, if thou despise this which is
commanded thee by God. Joseph answered him: I indeed do not despise the
will of God; but I shall be her guardian until I can ascertain
concerning the will of God, as to which of my sons can have her as his
wife. Let some virgins of her companions, with whom she may meanwhile
spend her time, be given for a consolation to her. Abiathar the high
priest answered and said: Five virgins indeed shall be given her for
consolation, until the appointed day come in which thou mayst receive
her; for to no other can she be joined in marriage.
Then Joseph received Mary, with the other five virgins who were to be
with her in Joseph's house. These virgins were Rebecca, Sephora,
Susanna, Abigea, and Cael; to whom the high priest gave the silk, and
the blue, (5) and the fine linen, and the scarlet, and the purple, and
the fine flax. For they cast lots among themselves what each virgin
should do, and the purple for the veil of the temple of the Lord fell
to the lot of Mary. And when she had got it, those virgins said to her:
Since thou art the last, and humble, and younger than all, thou hast
deserved to receive and obtain the purple. And thus saying, as it were
in words of annoyance, they began to call her queen of virgins. While,
however, they were so doing, the angel of the Lord appeared in the
midst of them, saying: These words shall not have been uttered by way
of annoyance, but prophesied as a prophecy most true. They trembled,
therefore, at the sight of the angel, and at his words, and asked her
to pardon them, and pray for them.
CHAP. 9.--And on the second day, while Mary was at the fountain to fill
her pitcher, the angel of the Lord appeared to her, saying: Blessed art
thou, Mary; for in thy womb thou hast prepared an habitation for the
Lord. For, lo, the light from heaven shall come and dwell in thee, and
by means of thee will shine over the whole world.
Again, on the third day, while she was working at the purple with her
fingers, there entered a young man of ineffable beauty. And when Mary
saw him, she exceedingly feared and trembled. And he said to her: Hail,
Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among
women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. [1] And when she heard
these words, she trembled, and was exceedingly afraid. Then the angel
of the Lord added: Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found favour with God:
Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a King,
who fills not only the earth, but the heaven, and who reigns from
generation to generation.
CHAP. 10.--While these things were doing, Joseph was occupied with his
work, house-building, in the districts by the sea-shore; for he was a
carpenter. And after nine months he came back to his house, and found
Mary pregnant. Wherefore, being in the utmost distress, he trembled and
cried out, saying: O Lord God, receive my spirit; for it is better for
me to die than to live any longer. And the virgins who were with Mary
said to him: Joseph, what art thou saying? We know that no man has
touched her; we can testify that she is still a virgin, and untouched.
We have watched over her; always has she continued with us in prayer;
daily do the angels of God speak with her; daily does she receive food
from the hand of the Lord. We know not how it is possible that there
can be any sin in her. But if thou wishest us to tell thee what we
suspect, nobody but the angel of the Lord [2] has made her pregnant.
Then said Joseph: Why do you mislead me, to believe that an angel of
the Lord has made her pregnant? But it is possible that some one has
pretended to be an angel of the Lord, and has beguiled her. And thus
speaking, he wept, and said:
With what face shall I look at the temple of the Lord, or with what
face shall I see the priests of God? What am I to do? And thus saying,
he thought that he would flee, and send her away.
CHAP. 11.-- And when he was thinking of rising up and hiding himself,
and dwelling in secret, behold, on that very night, the angel of the
Lord appeared to him in sleep, saying: Joseph, thou son of David, fear
not; receive Mary as thy wife: for that which is in her womb is of the
Holy Spirit. And she shall bring forth a son, and His name shall be
called Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. And Joseph,
rising from his sleep, gave thanks to God, and spoke to Mary and the
virgins who were with her, and told them his vision. And he was
comforted about Mary, saying: I have sinned, in that I suspected thee
at all.
CHAP. 12.--After these things there arose a great report that Mary was
with child. And Joseph was seized by the officers of the temple, and
brought along with Mary to the high priest. And he with the priests
began to reproach him, and to say: Why hast thou beguiled so great and
so glorious a virgin, who was fed like a dove in the temple by the
angels of God, who never wished either to see or to have a man, who had
the most excellent knowledge of the law of God? If thou hadst not done
violence to her, she would still have remained in her virginity. And
Joseph vowed, and swore that he had never touched her at all. And
Abiathar the high priest answered him: As the Lord liveth, I will give
thee to drink of the water of drinking of the Lord, and immediately thy
sin will appear.
Then was assembled a multitude of people which could not be numbered,
and Mary was brought to the temple. And the priests, and her relatives,
and her parents wept, and said to Mary: Confess to the priests thy sin,
thou that wast like a dove in the temple of God, and didst receive food
from the hands of an angel. And again Joseph was summoned to the altar,
and the water of drinking of the Lord was given him to drink. And when
any one that had lied drank this water, and walked seven times round
the altar, God used to show some sign in his face. When, therefore,
Joseph had drunk in safety, and had walked round the altar seven times,
no sign of sin appeared in him. Then all the priests, and the officers,
and the people justified him, saying: Blessed art thou, seeing that no
charge has been found good against thee. And they summoned Mary, and
said: And what excuse canst thou have? or what greater sign can appear
in thee than the conception of thy womb, which betrays thee? This only
we require of thee, that since Joseph is pure regarding thee, thou
confess who it is that has beguiled thee. For it is better that thy
confession should betray thee, than that the wrath of God should set a
mark on thy face, and expose thee in the midst of the people. Then Mary
said, stedfastly and without trembling: O Lord God, King over all, who
knowest all secrets, if there be any pollution in me, or any sin, or
any evil desires, or unchastity, expose me in the sight of all the
people, and make me an example of punishment to all. Thus saying, she
went up to the altar of the Lord boldly, and drank the water of
drinking, and walked round the altar seven times, and no spot was found
in her.
And when all the people were in the utmost astonishment, seeing that
she was with child, and that no sign had appeared in her face, they
began to be disturbed among themselves by conflicting statements: some
said that she was holy and unspotted, others that she was wicked and
defiled. Then Mary, seeing that she was still suspected by the people,
and that on that account she did not seem to them to be wholly cleared,
said in the hearing of all, with a loud voice, As the Lord Adonai
liveth, the Lord of Hosts before whom I stand, I have not known man;
but I am known by Him to whom from my earliest years I have devoted
myself. And this vow I made to my God from my infancy, that I should
remain unspotted in Him who created me, and I trust that I shall so
live to Him alone, and serve Him alone; and in Him, as long as I shall
live, will I remain unpolluted. Then they all began to kiss her feet
and to embrace her knees, asking her to pardon them for their wicked
suspicions. And she was led down to her house with exultation and joy
by the people, and the priests, and all the virgins. And they cried
out, and said: Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever, because He
hath manifested thy holiness to all His people Israel.
CHAP. 13.--And it came to pass some little time after, that an
enrolment was made according to the edict of Caesar Augustus, that all
the world was to be enrolled, each man in his native place. This
enrolment was made by Cyrinus, the governor of Syria, [1] It was
necessary, therefore, that Joseph should enrol with the blessed Mary in
Bethlehem, because to it they belonged, being of the tribe of Judah,
and of the house and family of David. When, therefore, Joseph and the
blessed Mary were going along the road which leads to Bethlehem, Mary
said to Joseph: I see two peoples before me, the one weeping, and the
other rejoicing. And Joseph answered: Sit still on thy beast, and do
not speak superfluous words. Then there appeared before them a
beautiful boy, clothed in white raiment, who-said to Joseph: Why didst
thou say that the words which Mary spoke about the two peoples were
superfluous? For she saw the people of the Jews weeping, because they
have departed from their God; and the people of the Gentiles rejoicing,
because they have now been added and made near to the Lord, according
to that which He promised to our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for
the time is at hand when in the seed of Abraham all nations shall be
blessed. [2]
And when he had thus said, the angel ordered the beast to stand, for
the time when she should bring forth was at hand; and he commanded the
blessed Mary to come down off the animal, and go into a recess under a
cavern, in which there never was light, but always darkness, because
the light of day could not reach it. And when the blessed Mary had gone
into it, it began to shine with as much brightness as if it were the
sixth hour of the day. The light from God so shone in the cave, that
neither by day nor night was light wanting as long as the blessed Mary
was there. And there she brought forth a son, and the angels surrounded
Him when He was being born. And as soon as He was born, He stood upon
His feet, and the angels adored Him, saying: Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace to men of good pleasure. [3] Now, when the
birth of the Lord was at hand, Joseph had gone away to seek midwives.
And when he had found them, he returned to the cave, and found with
Mary the infant which she had brought forth. And Joseph said to the
blessed Mary: I have brought thee two midwives--Zelomi [4] and Salome;
and they are standing
r outside before the entrance to the cave, not daring to come in
hither, because of the exceeding brightness. And when the blessed Mary
heard this, she smiled; and Joseph said to her: Do not smile; but
prudently allow them to visit thee, in case thou shouldst require them
for thy cure. Then she ordered them to enter. And when Zelomi had come
in, Salome having stayed without, Zelomi said to Mary: Allow me to
touch thee. And when she had permitted her to make an examination, the
midwife cried out with a loud voice, and said: Lord, Lord Almighty,
mercy on us! It has never been heard or thought of, that any one should
have her breasts full of milk, and that the birth of a son should show
his mother to be a virgin. But there has been no spilling of blood in
his birth, no pain in bringing him forth. A virgin has conceived, a
virgin has brought forth, and a virgin she remains. And hearing these
words, Salome said: Allow me to handle thee, and prove whether Zelomi
have spoken the truth. And the blessed Mary allowed her to handle her.
And when she had withdrawn her hand from handling her, it dried up, and
through excess of pain she began to weep bitterly, and to be in great
distress, crying out, and saying: O Lord God, Thou knowest that I have
always feared Thee, and that without recompense I have cared for all
the poor; I have taken nothing from the widow and the orphan, and the
needy have I not sent empty away. And, behold, I am made wretched
because of mine unbelief, since without a cause I wished to try Thy
virgin.
And while she was thus speaking, there stood by her a young man in
shining garments, saying: Go to the child, and adore Him, and touch Him
with thy hand, and He will heal thee, because He is the Saviour of the
world, and of all that hope in Him. And she went to the child with
haste, and adored Him, and touched the fringe of the cloths in which He
was wrapped, and instantly her hand was cured. And going forth, she
began to cry aloud, and to tell the wonderful things which she had
seen, and which she had suffered, and how she had been cured; so that
many through her statements believed.
And some shepherds also affirmed that they had seen angels singing a
hymn at midnight, praising and blessing the God of heaven, and saying:
There has been born the Saviour of all, who is Christ the Lord, in whom
salvation shall be brought back to Israel. [1]
Moreover, a great star, larger than any that had been seen since the
beginning of the world, shone over the cave from the evening till the
morning. And the prophets who were in Jerusalem said that this star
pointed out the birth of Christ, who should restore the promise not
only to Israel, but to all nations.
CHAP. 14.--And on the third day after the birth of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the most blessed Mary went forth out of the cave, and entering
a stable, placed the child in the stall, and the ox and the ass adored
Him. Then was fulfilled that which was said by Isaiah the prophet,
saying: The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib. [2]
The very animals, therefore, the ox and the ass, having Him in their
midst, incessantly adored Him. Then was fulfilled that which was said
by Abacuc the prophet, saying: [3] Between two animals thou art made
manifest. In the same place Joseph remained with Mary three days.
CHAP. 15.--And on the sixth day they entered Bethlehem, where they
spent the seventh day. And on the eighth day they circumcised the
child, and called His name Jesus; for so He was called by the angel
before He was conceived in the womb. [4] Now, after the days of the
purifiation of Mary were fulfilled according to the law of Moses, then
Joseph took the infant to the temple of the Lord. And when the infant
had received parhithomus, [5]--parhithomus, that is, circumcision--they
offered for Him a pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons. [6]
Now there was in the temple a man of God, perfect and just, whose name
was Symeon, a hundred and twelve years old. He had received the answer
from the Lord, that he should not taste of death till he had seen
Christ, the Son of God, living in the flesh. And having seen the child,
he cried out with a loud voice, saying: God hath visited His people,
and the Lord hath fulfilled His promise. And he made haste, and adored
Him. And after this he took Him up into his cloak and kissed His feet,
and said: Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according
to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast
prepared before the face of all peoples, to be a light to lighten the
Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel. [7]
There was also in the temple of the Lord, Anna, a prophetess, the
daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, who had lived with her
husband seven years from her virginity; and she had now been a widow
eighty-four years. And she never left the temple of the Lord, but spent
her time in fasting and prayer. She also likewise adored the child,
saying: In Him is the redemption of the world. [8]
CHAP. 16.--And when the second year was past, [9] Magi came from the
east to Jerusalem, bringing great gifts. And they made strict inquiry
of the Jews, saying: Where is the king who has been born to you? for we
have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him. And word
of this came to King Herod, and so alarmed him that he called together
the scribes and the Pharisees, and the teachers of the people, asking
of them where the prophets had foretold that Christ should be born. And
they said: In Bethlehem of Judah. For it is written: And thou
Bethelehem, in the land of Judah, art by no means the least among the
princes of Judah; for out of thee shall come forth a Leader who shall
rule my people Israel. [1] Then King Herod summoned the magi to him,
and strictly inquired of them when the star appeared to them. Then,
sending them to Bethlehem, he said: Go and make strict inquiry about
the child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may
come and worship him also. And while the magi were going on their way,
there appeared to them the star, which was, as it were, a guide to
them, going before them until they came to where the child was. And
when the magi saw the star, they rejoiced with great joy; and going
into the house, they saw the child Jesus sitting in His mother's lap.
Then they opened their treasures, and presented great gifts to the
blessed Mary and Joseph. And to the child Himself they offered each of
them a piece of gold. [2] And likewise one gave gold, another
frankincense, and the third myrrh. [3] And when they were going to
return to King Herod, they were warned by an angel in their sleep not
to go back to Herod; and they returned to their own country by another
road. [4]
CHAP. 17--And when Herod [5] saw that he had been made sport of by the
magi, his heart swelled with rage, and he sent through all the roads,
wishing to seize them and put them to death. But when he could not find
them at all; he sent anew to Bethlehem and all its borders, and slew
all the male children whom he found of two years old and under,
according to the time that he had ascertained from the magi. [6]
Now the day before this was done Joseph was warned in his sleep by the
angel of the Lord, who said to him: Take Mary and the child, and go
into Egypt by the way of the desert. And joseph went according to the
saying of the angel. [7]
CHAP. 18.--And having come to a certain cave, and wishing to rest in
it, the blessed [8] Mary dismounted from her beast, and sat down with
the child Jesus in her bosom. And there were with Joseph three boys,
and with Mary a girl, going on the journey along with them. And, lo,
suddenly there came forth from the cave many dragons; and when the
children saw them, they cried out in great terror. Then Jesus went down
from the bosom of His mother, and stood on His feet before the dragons;
and they adored Jesus, and thereafter retired. Then was fulfilled that
which was said by David the prophet, saying: Praise the Lord from the
earth, ye dragons; ye dragons, and all ye deeps [9] And the young child
Jesus, walking before them, commanded them to hurt no man. But Mary and
Joseph were very much afraid lest the child should be hurt by the
dragons. And Jesus said to them: Do not be afraid, and do not consider
me to be a little child; for I am and always have been perfect; and all
the beasts of the forest must needs be tame before me. Lions and
panthers adored Him likewise, and accompanied them in the desert.
Wherever Joseph and the blessed Mary went, they went before them
showing them the way, and bowing their heads; and showing their
submission by wagging their tails, they adored Him with great
reverence. Now at first, when Mary saw the lions and the panthers, and
various kinds of wild beasts, coming about them, she was very much
afraid. But the infant Jesus looked into her face with a joyful
countenance, and said: Be not afraid, mother; for they come not to do
thee harm, but they make haste to serve both thee and me. With these
words He drove all fear from her heart. And the lions kept walking with
them, and with the oxen, and the asses, and the beasts of burden which
carried their baggage, and did not hurt a single one of them, though
they kept beside them; but they were tame among the sheep and the rams
which they had brought with them from Judaea, and which they had with
them. They walked among wolves, and feared nothing; and no one of them
was hurt by another. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by the
prophet: Wolves shall feed with lambs; the lion and the ox shall eat
straw together. [10] There were together two oxen drawing a waggon with
provision for the journey, and the lions directed them in their path.
And it came to pass on the third day of their journey, while they were
walking, that the blessed Mary was fatigued by the excessive heat of
the sun in the desert; and seeing a palm tree, she said to Joseph: Let
me rest a little under the shade of this tree. Joseph therefore made
haste, and led her to the palm, and made her come down from her beast.
And as the blessed Mary was sitting there, she looked up to the foliage
of the palm, and saw it full of fruit, and said to Joseph: I wish it
were possible to get some of the fruit of this palm. And Joseph said to
her: I wonder that thou sayest this, when thou seest how high the palm
tree is; and that thou thinkest of eating of its fruit. I am thinking
more of the want of water, because the skins are now empty, and we have
none wherewith to refresh ourselves and our cattle. Then the child
Jesus, with a joyful countenance, reposing in the bosom of His mother,
said to the palm: O tree, bend thy branches, and refresh my mother with
thy fruit. And immediately at these words the palm bent its top down to
the very feet of the blessed Mary; and they gathered from it fruit,
with which they were all refreshed. And after they had gathered all its
fruit, it remained bent down, waiting the order to rise from Him who
bad commanded it to stoop. Then Jesus said to it: Raise thyself, O palm
tree, and be strong, and be the companion of my trees, which are in the
paradise of my Father; and open from thy roots a vein of water which
has been hid in the earth, and let the waters flow, so that we may be
satisfied from thee. And it rose up immediately, and at its root there
began to come forth a spring of water exceedingly clear and cool and
sparkling. And when they saw the spring of water, they rejoiced with
great joy, and were satisfied, themselves and all their cattle and
their beasts. Wherefore they gave thanks to God. And on the day after,
when they were setting out thence, and in the hour in which they began
their journey, Jesus turned to the palm, and said: This privilege I
give thee, O palm tree, that one of thy branches be carried away by my
angels, and planted in the paradise of my Father. And this blessing I
will confer upon thee, that it shall be said of all who conquer in any
contest, You have attained the palm of victory. And while He was thus
speaking, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, and stood upon the
palm tree; and taking off one of its branches, flew to heaven with the
branch in his hand. And when they saw this, they fell on their faces,
and became as it were dead. And Jesus said to them: Why are your hearts
possessed with fear? Do you not know that this palm, which I have
caused to be transferred to paradise, shall be prepared for all the
saints in the place of delights, as it has been prepared for us in this
place of the wilderness? And they were filled with joy; and being
strengthened, they all rose up. After this, while they were going on
their journey, Joseph said to Jesus: Lord, it is a boiling heat; if it
please Thee, let us go by the sea-shore, that we may be able to rest in
the cities on the coast. Jesus said to him: Fear not, Joseph; I will
shorten the way for you, so that what you would have taken thirty days
to go over, you shall accomplish in this one day. And while they were
thus speaking, behold, they looked forward, and began to see the
mountains and cities of Egypt.
And rejoicing and exulting, they came into the regions of Hermopolis,
and entered into a certain city of Egypt which is called Sotinen; [1]
and because they knew no one there from whom they could ask
hospitality, they went into a temple which was called the Capitol of
Egypt. And in this temple there had been set up three hundred and
fifty-five idols, [2] to each of which on its own day divine honours
and sacred rites were paid. For the Egyptians belonging to the same
city entered the Capitol, in which the priests told them how many
sacrifices were offered each day, according to the honour in which the
god was held. And it came to pass, when the most blessed Mary went into
the temple with the little child, that all the idols prostrated
themselves on the ground, so that all of them were lying on their faces
shattered and broken to pieces; [3] and thus they plainly showed that
they were nothing. Then was fulfilled that which was said by the
prophet Isaiah: Behold, the Lord will come upon a swift cloud, and will
enter Egypt, and all the handiwork of the Egyptians shall be moved at
His presence. Then Affrodosius, that governor of the city, when news of
this was brought to him, went to the temple with all his army. And the
priests of the temple, when they saw Affrodosius with all his army
coming into the temple, thought that he was making haste only to see
vengeance taken on those on whose account the gods had fallen down. But
when he came into the temple, and saw all the gods lying prostrate on
their faces, he went up to the blessed Mary, who was carrying the Lord
in her bosom, and adored Him, and said to all his army and all his
friends: Unless this were the God of our gods, our gods would not have
fallen on their faces before Him; nor would they be lying prostrate in
His presence: wherefore they silently confess that He is their Lord.
Unless we, therefore, take care to do what we have seen our gods doing,
we may run the risk of His anger, and all come to destruction, even as
it happened to Pharaoh king of the Egyptians, who, not believing in
powers so mighty, was drowned in the sea, with all his army. Then all
the people of that same city believed in the Lord God through Jesus
Christ. After no long time the angel said to Joseph: Return to the land
of Judah, for they are dead who sought the child's life. And it came to
pass, after Jesus had returned out of Egypt, when He was in Galilee,
and entering on the fourth year of His age, that on a Sabbath-day He
was playing with some children at the bed of the Jordan. And as He sat
there, Jesus made to Himself seven pools of clay, and to each of them
He made passages, through which at His command He brought water from
the torrent into the pool, and took it back again. Then one of those
children, a son of the devil, moved with envy, shut the passages which
supplied the pools with water, and overthrew what Jesus had built up.
Then said Jesus to him: Woe unto thee, thou son of death, thou son of
Satan! Dost thou destroy the works which I have wrought? And
immediately he who had done this died. Then with great uproar the
parents of the dead boy cried out against Mary and Joseph, saying to
them: Your son has cursed our son, and he is dead. And when Joseph and
Mary heard this, they came forthwith to Jesus, on account of the outcry
of the parents of the boy, and the gathering together of the Jews. But
Joseph said privately to Mary: I dare not speak to Him; but do thou
admonish Him, and say: Why hast Thou raised against us the hatred of
the people; and why must the troublesome hatred of men be borne by us?
And His mother having come to Him, asked Him, saying: My Lord, what was
it that he did to bring about his death? And He said: He deserved
death, because he scattered the works that I had made. Then His mother
asked Him, saying: Do not so, my Lord, because all men rise up against
us. But He, not wishing to grieve His mother, with His right foot
kicked the hinder parts of the dead boy, and said to him: Rise, thou
son of iniquity for thou art not worthy to enter into the rest of my
Father, because thou didst destroy the works which I had made. Then he
who had been dead rose up, and went away. And Jesus, by the word of His
power, brought water into the pools by the aqueduct.
CHAP. 27.--And it came to pass, after these
things, that in the sight of all Jesus took clay froth the pools which
He had made, and of it made twelve sparrows. And it was the Sabbath
when Jesus did this, and there were very many children with Him. When,
therefore, one of the Jews had seen Him doing this, he said to Joseph:
Joseph, dost thou not see the child
Jesus working on the Sabbath at what it is not lawful for him to do?
for he has made twelve sparrows of clay. And when Joseph heard this, he
reproved him, saying: Wherefore doest thou on the Sabbath such things
as are not lawful for us to do? And when Jesus heard Joseph, He struck
His hands together, and said to His sparrows: Fly! And at the voice of
His command they began to fly. And in the sight and hearing of all that
stood by, He said to the birds: Go and fly through the earth, and
through all the world, and live. And when those that were there saw
such miracles, they were filled with great astonishment. And some
praised and admired Him, but others reviled Him. And certain of them
went away to the chief priests and the heads of the Pharisees, and
reported to them that Jesus the son of Joseph had done great signs and
miracles in the sight of all the people of Israel. And this was
reported in the twelve tribes of Israel.
CHAP. 28.--And again the son of Annas, a priest of the temple, who had
come with Joseph, holding his rod in his hand in the sight of all, with
great fury broke down the dams which Jesus had made with His own hands,
and let out the water which He had collected in them from the torrent.
Moreover, he shut the aqueduct by which the water came in, and then
broke it down. And when Jesus saw this, He said to that boy who had
destroyed His dams: O most wicked seed of iniquity! O son of death! O
workshop of Satan! verily the fruit of thy seed shall be without
strength, and thy roots without moisture, and thy branches withered,
bearing no fruit. And immediately, in the sight of all, the boy
withered away, and died.
CHAP. 29.--Then Joseph trembled, and took hold of Jesus, and went with
Him to his own house, and His mother with Him. And, behold, suddenly
from the opposite direction a boy, also a worker of iniquity, ran up
and came against the shoulder of Jesus, wishing to make sport of Him,
or to hurt Him, if he could. And Jesus said to him: Thou shall not go
back safe and sound from the way that thou goest. And immediately he
fell down, and died. And the parents of the dead boy, who had seen what
happened, cried out, saying: Where does this child come from? It is
manifest that every word that he says is true; and it is often
accomplished before he speaks. And the parents of the dead boy came to
Joseph, and said to him: Take away that Jesus from this place, for he
cannot live with us in this town; or at least teach him to bless, and
not to curse. And Joseph came up to Jesus, and admonished Him, saying:
Why doest thou such things? For already many are in grief and against
thee, and hate us on thy account, and we endure the reproaches of men
because of thee. And Jesus answered and said unto Joseph: No one is a
wise son but he whom his father hath taught, according to the knowledge
of this time; and a father's curse can hurt none but evil-doers. Then
they came together against Jesus, and accused him to Joseph. When
Joseph saw this, he was in great terror, fearing the violence and
uproar of the people of Israel. And the same hour Jesus seized the dead
boy by the ear, and lifted him up from the earth in the sight of all:
and they saw Jesus speaking to him like a father to his son. And his
spirit came back to him, and he revived. And all of them wondered.
CHAP. 30.--Now a certain Jewish schoolmaster named Zachyas[1] heard
Jesus thus speaking; and seeing that He could not be overcome, from
knowing the power that was in Him,[2] he became angry, and began rudely
and foolishly, and without fear, to speak against Joseph. And he said:
Dost thou not wish to entrust me with thy son, that he may be
instructed in human learning and in reverence? But I see that Mary and
thyself have more regard for your son than for what the elders of the
people of Israel say against him. You should have given more honour to
us, the elders of the whole church of Israel, both that he might be on
terms of mutual affection with the children, and that among us he might
be instructed in Jewish learning. Joseph, on the other hand, said to
him: And is there any one who can keep this child, and teach him? But
if thou canst keep him and teach him, we by no means hinder him from
being taught by thee those things which are learned by all. And Jesus,
having heard what Zachyas had said, answered and said unto him: The
precepts of the law which thou hast just spoken of, and all the things
that thou hast named, must be kept by those who are instructed in human
learning; but I am a stranger to your law-courts, because I have no
father after the flesh. Thou who readest the law, and art learned in
it, abidest in the law; but I was before the law, But since thou
thinkest that no one is equal to thee in learning, thou shalt be taught
by me, that no other can teach anything but those things which thou
hast named. But he alone can who is worthy.[3] For when I shall be
exalted on earth, I will cause to cease all mention of your genealogy.
For thou knowest not when thou wast born: I alone know when you were
born, and how long your life on earth will be. Then all who heard these
words were struck with astonishment, and cried out: Oh! oh! oh! this
marvellously great and wonderful mystery. Never have we heard the like!
Never has it been heard from any one else, nor has it been said or at
any time heard by the prophets, or the Pharisees, or the scribes. We
know whence he is sprung, and he is scarcely five years old; and whence
does he speak these words? The Pharisees answered: We have never heard
such words spoken by any other child so young. And Jesus answered and
said unto them: At this do ye wonder, that such things are said by a
child? Why, then, do ye not believe me in those things which I have
said to you? And you all wonder because I said to you that I know when
you were born. I will tell you greater things, that you may wonder
more. I have seen Abraham, whom you call your father, and have spoken
with him; and he has seen me.[4] And when they heard this they held
their tongues, nor did any of them dare to speak. And Jesus said to
them: I have been among you with children, and you have not known me; I
have spoken to you as to wise men, and you have not understood my
words; because you are younger than I am,[5] and of little faith.
CHAP. 31--A second time the master Zachyas, doctor of the law, said to
Joseph and Mary: Give me the boy, and I shall hand him over to master
Levi, who shall teach him his letters and instruct him. Then Joseph and
Mary, soothing Jesus, took Him to the schools, that He might be taught
His letters by old Levi. And as soon as He went in He held His tongue.
And the master Levi said one letter to Jesus, and, beginning from the
first letter Aleph, said to Him: Answer. But Jesus was silent, and
answered nothing. Wherefore the preceptor Levi was angry, and seized
his storax-tree rod, and struck Him on the head. And Jesus said to the
teacher Levi: Why dost thou strike me? Thou shall know in truth, that
He who is struck can teach him who strikes Him more than He can be
taught by him. For I can teach you those very things that yon are
saying. But all these are blind who speak and hear, like sounding brass
or tinkling cymbal, in which there is no perception of those things
which are meant by their sound.[6] And Jesus in addition said to
Zachyas: Every letter from Aleph even to Thet[7] is known by its
arrangement. Say thou first, therefore, what Thet is, and I will tell
thee what Aleph is. And again Jesus said to them: Those who do not know
Aleph, how can they say Thet, the hypocrites? Tell me what the first
one, Aleph, is; and I shall then believe you when you have said Beth.
And Jesus began to ask the names of the letters one by one, and said:
Let the master of the law tell us what the first letter is, or why it
has many triangles, gradate, subacute, mediate, obduced, produced,
erect, prostrate, curvistrate.[1] And when Levi heard this, he was
thunderstruck at such an arrangement of the names of the letters. Then
he began in the heating of all to cry out, and say: Ought such a one to
live on the earth? Yea, he ought to be hung on the great cross. For he
can put out fire, and make sport of other modes of punishment. I think
that he lived before the flood, and was born before the deluge. For
what womb bore him? or what mother brought him forth? or what breasts
gave him suck? I flee before him; I am not able to withstand the words
from his mouth, but my heart is astounded to hear such words. I do not
think that any man can understand what he says, except God were with
him. Now I, unfortunate wretch, have given myself up to be a laughing-
stock to him. For when I thought I had a scholar, I, not knowing him,
have found my master. What shall I say? I cannot withstand the words of
this child: I shall now flee from this town, because I cannot
understand them. An old man like me has been beaten by a boy, because I
can find neither beginning nor end of what he says. For it is no easy
matter to find a beginning of himself.[2] I tell you of a certainty, I
am not lying, that to my eyes the proceedings of this boy, the
commencement of his conversation, and the upshot of his intention, seem
to have nothing in common with mortal man. Here then I do not know
whether he be a wizard or a god; or at least an angel of God speaks in
him. Whence he is, or where he comes from, or who he will turn out to
be, I know not. Then Jesus, smiling at him with a joyful countenance,
said in a commanding voice to all the sons of Israel standing by and
hearing: Let the unfruitful bring forth fruit, and the blind see, and
the lame walk right, and the poor enjoy the good things of this life,
and the dead live, that each may return to his original state, and
abide in Him who is the root of life and of perpetual sweetness. And
when the child Jesus had said this, forthwith all who had fallen under
malignant diseases were restored. And they did not dare to say anything
more to Him, or to hear anything from Him.
CHAP. 32.--After these things, Joseph and Mary departed thence with
Jesus into the city of Nazareth; and He remained there with His
parents. And on the first of the week, when Jesus was playing with the
children on the roof of a certain house, it happened that one of the
children pushed another down from the roof to the ground, and he was
killed. And the parents of the dead boy, who had not seen this, cried
out against Joseph and Mary, saying: Your son has thrown our son down
to the ground, and he is dead. But Jesus was silent, and answered them
nothing. And Joseph and Mary came in haste to Jesus.; and His mother
asked Him, saying: My lord, tell me if thou didst throw him down. And
immediately Jesus went down from the roof to the ground, and called the
boy by his name, Zeno. And he answered Him: My lord. And Jesus said to
him: Was it I that threw thee down from the roof to the ground? And he
said: No, my lord. And the parents of the boy who had been dead
wondered, and honoured Jesus for the miracle that had been wrought. And
Joseph and Mary departed thence with Jesus to Jericho.
CHAP. 33.--Now Jesus was six years old, and His mother sent Him with a
pitcher to the fountain to draw water with the children. And it came to
pass, after He had drawn the water, that one of the children came
against Him, and struck the pitcher, and broke it. But Jesus stretched
out the cloak which He had on, and took up in His cloak as much water
as there had been in the pitcher, and carried it to His mother. And
when she saw it she wondered, and reflected within herself, and laid up
all these things in her heart.[3]
CHAP. 34.--Again, on a certain day, He went forth into the field, and
took a little wheat from His mother's barn, and sowed it Himself. And
it sprang up, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly. And at last it came
to pass that He Himself reaped it, and gathered as the produce of it
three kors,[4] and gave it to His numerous acquaintances.[5]
CHAP. 35.--There is a road going out of Jericho and leading to the
river Jordan, to the place where the children of Israel crossed: and
there the ark of the covenant is said to have rested. And Jesus was
eight years old, and He went out of Jericho, and went towards the
Jordan. And there was beside the road, near the bank of the Jordan, a
cave where a lioness was nursing her cubs; and no one was safe to walk
that way. Jesus then, coming from Jericho, and knowing that in that
cave the lioness bad brought forth her young, went into it in the sight
of all. And when the lions saw Jesus, they ran to meet Him, and adored
Him. And Jesus was sitting in the cavern, and the lion's cubs ran
hither and thither round His feet, fawning upon Him, and sporting. And
the older lions, with their heads bowed down, stood at a distance, and
adored Him, and fawned upon Him with their tails. Then the people who
were standing afar off, not seeing Jesus, said: Unless he or his
parents had committed grievous sins, he would not of his own accord
have offered himself up to the lions. And when the people were thus
reflecting within themselves, and were lying under great sorrow,
behold, on a sudden, in the sight of the people, Jesus came out of the
cave, and the lions went before Him, and the lion's cubs played with
each other before His feet. And the parents of Jesus stood afar off,
with their heads bowed down, and watched; likewise also the people
stood at a distance, on account of the lions; for they did not dare to
come close to them. Then Jesus began to say to the people: How much
better are the beasts than you, seeing that they recognise their Lord,
and glorify Him; while you men, who have been made after the image and
likeness of God, do not know Him! Beasts know me, and are tame; men see
me, and do not acknowledge me.
CHAP. 36.--After these things Jesus crossed the Jordan, in the sight of
them all, with the lions; and the water of the Jordan was divided on
the right hand and on the left.[1] Then He said to the lions, in the
hearing of all: Go in peace, and hurt no one; but neither let man
injure you, until you return to the place whence you have come forth.
And they, bidding Him farewell, not only with their gestures but with
their voices, went to their own place. But Jesus returned to His
mother.
CHAP. 37.--Now Joseph[2] was a carpenter, and used to make nothing else
of wood but ox-yokes, and ploughs, and implements of husbandry, and
wooden beds. And it came to pass that a certain young man ordered him
to make for him a couch six cubits long. And Joseph commanded his
servant[3] to cut the wood with an iron saw, according to the measure
which he had sent. But he did not keep to the prescribed measure, but
made one piece of wood shorter than the other. And Joseph was in
perplexity, and began to consider what he was to do about this. And
when Jesus saw him in this state of cogitation, seeing that it was a
matter of impossibility to him, He addresses him with words of comfort,
saying: Come, let us take hold of the ends of the pieces of wood, and
let us put them together, end to end, and let us fit them exactly to
each other, and draw to us, for we shall be able to make them equal.
Then Joseph did what he was bid, for he knew that He could do whatever
He wished. And Joseph took hold of the ends of the pieces of wood, and
brought them together against the wall next himself, and Jesus took
hold of the other ends of the pieces of wood, and drew the shorter
piece to Him, and made it of the same length as the longer one. And He
said to Joseph: Go and work, and do what thou hast promised to do. And
Joseph did what he had promised.[4]
CHAP. 38.--And it came to pass a second time, that Joseph and Mary were
asked by the people that Jesus should be taught His letters in school.
They did not refuse to do so; and according to the commandment of the
elders, they took Him to a master to be instructed in human learning.
Then the master began to teach Him in an imperious tone, saying: Say
Alpha.[5] And Jesus said to him: Do thou tell me first what Betha is,
and I will tell thee what Alpha is. And upon this the master got angry
and struck Jesus; and no sooner had he struck Him, than he fell down
dead.
And Jesus went home again to His mother. And Joseph, being afraid,
called Mary to him, and said to her: Know of a surety that my soul is
sorrowful even unto death on account of this child. For it is very
likely that at some time or other some one will strike him in malice,
and he will die. But Mary answered and said: O man of God! do not
believe that this is possible. You may believe to a certainty that He
who has sent him to be born among men will Himself guard him from all
mischief, and will in His own name preserve him from evil.
CHAP. 39.--Again the Jews asked Mary and Joseph a third time to coax
Him to go to another master to learn. And Joseph and Mary, fearing the
people, and the overbearing of the princes, and the threats of the
priests, led Him again to school, knowing that He could learn nothing
from man, because He had perfect knowledge from God only. And when
Jesus had entered the school, led by the Holy Spirit, He took the book
out of the hand of the master who was teaching the law, and in the
sight and hearing of all the people began to read, not indeed what was
written in their book; but He spoke in the Spirit of the living God, as
if a stream of water were gushing forth from a living fountain, and the
fountain remained always full. And with such power He taught the people
the great things of the living God, that the master himself fell to the
ground and adored Him. And the heart of the people who sat and heard
Him saying such things was turned into astonishment. And when Joseph
heard of this, he came running to Jesus, fearing that the master
himself was dead. And when the master saw him, he said to him: Thou
hast given me not a scholar, but a master; and who can withstand his
words? Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by the Psalmist: The
river of God is full of water: Thou hast prepared them corn, for so is
the provision for it.[1]
CHAP. 40.--After these things Joseph departed thence with Mary and
Jesus to go into Capernaum by the sea-shore, on account of the malice
of his adversaries. And when Jesus was living in Capernaum, there was
in the city a man named Joseph, exceedingly rich. But he had wasted
away under his infirmity, and died, and was lying dead in his couch.
And when Jesus heard them in the city mourning, and weeping, and
lamenting over the dead man, He said to Joseph: Why dost thou not
afford the benefit of thy favour to this man, seeing that he is called
by thy name? And Joseph answered him: How have I any power or ability
to afford him a benefit? And Jesus said to him: Take the handkerchief
which is upon thy head, and go and put it on the face of the dead man,
and say to him: Christ heal thee; and immediately the dead man will be
healed, and will rise from his couch. And when Joseph heard this, he
went away at the command of Jesus, and ran, and entered the house of
the dead man, and put the handkerchief which he was wearing on his head
upon the face of him who was lying in the couch, and said: Jesus heal
thee. And forthwith the dead man rose from his bed, and asked who Jesus
was.[2]
CHAP. 41.--And they went away from Capernaum into the city which is
called Bethlehem; and Joseph lived with Mary in his own house, and
Jesus with them. And on a certain day Joseph called to him his
first-born son James,[3] and sent him into the vegetable garden to
gather vegetables for the purpose of making broth. And Jesus followed
His brother James into the garden; but Joseph and Mary did not know
this. And while James was collecting the vegetables, a viper suddenly
came out of a hole and struck his hand,[4] and he began to cry out from
excessive pain. And, becoming exhausted, he said, with a bitter cry:
Alas! alas! an accursed viper has struck my hand. And Jesus, who was
standing opposite to him, at the bitter cry ran up to James, and took
hold of his hand; and all that He did was to blow on the hand of James,
and cool it: and immediately James was healed, and the serpent died.
And Joseph and Mary did not know what had been done; but at the cry of
James, and the command of Jesus, they ran to the garden, and found the
serpent already dead, and James quite cured.
CHAP. 42.--And Joseph having come to a feast with his sons, James,
Joseph, and Judah, and Simeon and his two daughters, Jesus met them,
with Mary His mother, along with her sister Mary of Cleophas, whom the
Lord God had given to her father Cleophas and her mother Anna, because
they had offered Mary the mother of Jesus to the Lord. And she was
called by the same name, Mary, for the consolation of her parents.[5]
And when they had come together, Jesus sanctified and blessed them, and
He was the first to begin to eat and drink; for none of them dared to
eat or drink, or to sit at table, or to break bread, until He had
sanctified them, and first done so. And if He happened to be absent,
they used to wait until He should do this. And when He did not wish to
come for refreshment, neither Joseph nor Mary, nor the sons of Joseph,
His brothers, came. And, indeed, these brothers, keeping His life as a
lamp before their eyes, observed Him, and feared Him. And when Jesus
slept, whether by day or by night, the brightness of God shone upon
Him. To whom be all praise and glory for ever and ever. Amen, amen.
THE GOSPEL OF NICODEMUS, OR ACTS OF PILATE
MEMORIALS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST DONE IN THE TIME OF PONTIUS PILATE
I Ananias, the Protector, of praetorian rank, learned in the law, did
from the divine scriptures recognize our Lord Jesus Christ and came
near to him by faith and was accounted worthy of holy baptism: and I
sought out the memorials that were made at that season in the time of
our master Jesus Christ, which the Jews deposited with Pontius Pilate,
and found the memorials in Hebrew (letters), and by the good pleasure
of God I translated them into Greek (letters) for the informing of all
them that call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: in the reign of
our Lord Flavius Theodosius, in the seventeenth year, and of Flavius
Valentinianus the sixth, in the ninth indiction [corrupt: Lat. has the
eighteenth year of Theodosius, when Valentinian was proclaimed
Augustus. All ye therefore that read this and translate (or copy) it
into other books, remember me and pray for me that God will be gracious
unto me and be merciful unto my sins which I have sinned against him.
Peace be to them that read and that hear these things and to their
servants. Amen. In the fifteenth (al. nineteenth) year of the
governance of Tiberius Caesar, emperor of the Romans, and of Herod,
king of Galilee, in the nineteenth year of his rule, on the eighth of
the Calends of April, which is the 25th of March, in the consulate of
Rufus and Rubellio, in the fourth year of the two hundred and second
Olympiad, Joseph who is Caiaphas being high priest of the Jews: These
be the things which after the cross and passion of the Lord Nicodemus
recorded and delivered unto the high priest and the rest of the Jews:
and the same Nicodemus set them forth in Hebrew (letters). For the
chief priests and scribes assembled in council, even Annas and Caiaphas
and Somne (Senes,Summas) and Dothaim (Dothael, Dathaes, Datam) and
Gamaliel, Judas, Levi and Nepthalim, Alexander and Jairus and the rest
of the Jews, and came unto Pilate accusing Jesus for many deeds,
saying: We know this man, that he is the son of Joseph the carpenter,
begotten of Mary, and he saith that he is the Son of God and a king;
more-over he doth pollute the sabbaths and he would destroy the law of
our fathers. Pilate saith: And what things are they that he doeth, and
would destroy the law?
The Jews say: We have a law that we should not heal any man on the
sabbath: but this man of his evil deeds hath healed the lame and the
bent, the withered and the blind and the paralytic, the dumb and them
that were possessed, on the sabbath day! Pilate saith unto them: By
what evil deeds? They say unto him: He is a sorcerer, and by Beelzebub
the prince of the devils he casteth out devils, and they are all
subject unto him. Pilate saith unto them: This is not to cast out
devils by an unclean spirit, but by the god Asclepius. The Jews say
unto Pilate: We beseech thy majesty that he appear before thy
judgement-seat and be heard. And Pilate called them unto him and said:
Tell me, how can I that am a governor examine a king? They say unto
him: We say not that he is a king, but he saith it of himself. And
Pilate called the messenger (cursor) and said unto him: Let Jesus be
brought hither, but with gentleness. And the messenger went forth, and
when he perceived Jesus he worshipped him and took the kerchief that
was on his hand and spread it upon the earth and saith unto him: Lord,
walk hereon and enter in, for the governor calleth thee. And when the
Jews saw what the messenger had done, they cried out against Pilate
saying: Wherefore didst thou not summon him by an herald to enter in,
but by a messenger? for the messenger when he saw him worshipped him
and spread out his kerchief upon the ground and hath made him walk upon
it like a king! Then Pilate called for the messenger and said unto him:
Wherefore hast thou done this, and hast spread thy kerchief upon the
ground and made Jesus to walk upon it? The messenger saith unto him:
Lord governor, when thou sentest me to Jerusalem unto Alexander, I saw
Jesus sitting upon an ass, and the children of the Hebrews held
branches in their hands and cried out, and others spread their garments
beneath him, saying: Save now, thou that art in the highest: blessed is
he that cometh in the name of the Lord. The Jews cried out and said
unto the messenger: The children of the Hebrews cried out in Hebrew:
how then hast thou it in the Greek? The messenger saith to them: I did
ask one of the Jews and said: What is it that they cry out in Hebrew?
and he interpreted it unto me. Pilate saith unto them: And how cried
they in Hebrew? The Jews say unto him: Hosanna membrome barouchamma
adonai. Pilate saith unto them: And the Hosanna and the rest, how is it
interpreted? The Jews say unto him: Save now, thou that art in the
highest: blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Pilate
saith unto them: If you yourselves bear witness of the words which were
said of the children, wherein hath the messenger sinned? and they held
their peace. The governor saith unto the messenger: Go forth and bring
him in after what manner thou wilt. And the messenger went forth and
did after the former manner and said unto Jesus: Lord, enter in: the
governor calleth thee. Now when Jesus entered in, and the ensigns were
holding the standards, the images (busts) of the standards bowed and
did reverence to Jesus. And when the Jews saw the carriage of the
standards, how they bowed themselves and did reverence unto Jesus, they
cried out above measure against the ensigns. But Pilate said unto the
Jews: Marvel ye not that the images bowed themselves and did reverence
unto Jesus. The Jews say unto Pilate: We saw how the ensigns made them
to bow and did reverence to him. And the governor called for the
ensigns and saith unto them: Wherefore did ye so? They say unto Pilate:
We are Greeks and servers of temples, and how could we do him
reverence? for indeed, whilst we held the images they bowed of
themselves and did reverence unto him. Then saith Pilate unto the
rulers of the synagogue and the elders of the people: Choose you out
able and strong men and let them hold the standards, and let us see if
they bow of themselves. And the elders of the Jews took twelve men
strong and able and made them to hold the standards by sixes, and they
were set before the judgement-seat of the governor; and Pilate said to
the messenger: Take him out of the judgement hall (praetorium) and
bring him in again after what manner thou wilt. And Jesus went out of
the judgement hall, he and the messenger. And Pilate called unto him
them that before held the image and said unto them: I have sworn by the
safety of Caesar that if the standards bow not when Jesus entereth in,
I will cut off your heads. And the governor commanded Jesus to enter in
the second time. And the messenger did after the former manner and
besought Jesus much that he would walk upon his kerchief; and he walked
upon it and entered in. And when he had entered, the standards bowed
themselves again and did reverence unto Jesus. Now when Pilate saw it
he was afraid, and sought to rise up from the judgement-seat. And while
he yet thought to rise up, his wife sent unto him, saying: Have thou
nothing to do with this just man, for I have suffered many things
because of him by night. And Pilate called unto him all the Jews, and
said unto them: Ye know that my wife feareth God and favoureth rather
the customs of the Jews, with you? They say unto him: Yea, we know it.
Pilate saith unto them: Lo, my wife hath sent unto me, saying: Have
thou nothing to do with this just man: for I have suffered many things
because of him by night. But the Jews answered and said unto Pilate:
Said we not unto thee that he is a sorcerer? behold, he hath sent a
vision of a dream unto thy wife.
2 And Pilate called Jesus unto him and said to him: What is it that
these witness against thee? speakest thou nothing? But Jesus said: If
they had not had power they would have spoken nothing; for every man
hath power over his own mouth, to speak good or evil: they shall see to
it.
3 The elders of the Jews answered and said unto Jesus: What shall we
see? Firstly, that thou wast born of fornication; secondly, that thy
birth in Bethlehem was the cause of the slaying of children; thirdly,
that thy father Joseph and thy mother Mary fled into Egypt because they
had no confidence before the people.
4 Then said certain of them that stood by, devout men of the Jews: We
say not that he came of fornication; but we know that Joseph was
betrothed unto Mary, and he was not born of fornication. Pilate saith
unto those Jews which said that he came of fornication: This your
saying is not true for there were espousals, as these also say which
are of your nation. Annas and Caiaphas say unto Pilate: The whole
multitude of us cry out that he was born of fornication, and we are not
believed: but these are proselytes and disciples of his. And Pilate
called Annas and Caiaphas unto him and said to them: What be
proselytes? They say unto him: They were born children of Greeks, and
now are they become Jews. Then said they which said l that he was not
born of fornication, even Lazarus, Asterius, Antonius, Jacob, Amnes,
Zenas, Samuel, Isaac, Phinees, Crispus, Agrippa and Judas: We were not
born proselytes (are not Greeks, Copt.), but we are children of Jews
and we speak the truth; for verily we were present at the espousals of
Joseph and Mary.
5 And Pilate called unto him those twelve men which said that he was
not born of fornication, and saith unto them: I adjure you by the
safety of Caesar, are these things true which ye have said, that he was
not born of fornication? They say unto Pilate: We have a law that we
swear not, because it is sin: But let them swear by the safety of
Caesar that it is not as we have said, and we will be guilty of death.
Pilate saith to Annas and Caiaphas: Answer ye nothing to these things?
Annas and Caiaphas say unto Pilate: These twelve men are believed which
say that he was not born of fornication, but the whole multitude of us
cry out that he was born of fornication, and is a sorcerer, and saith
that he is the Son of God and a king, and we are not believed.
6 And Pilate commanded the whole multitude to go out, saving the twelve
men which said that he was not born of fornication and he commanded
Jesus to be set apart: and Pilate saith unto them: For what cause do
they desire to put him to death? They say unto Pilate: They have
jealousy, because he healeth on the sabbath day. Pilate saith: For a
good work do they desire to put him to death? They say unto him: Yea.
III
1 And Pilate was filled with indignation and went forth without the
judgement hall and saith unto them: I call the Sun to witness that I
find no fault in this man. The Jews answered and said to the governor:
If this man were not a malefactor we would not have delivered him unto
thee. And Pilate said: Take ye him and judge him according to your law.
The Jews said unto Pilate: It is not lawful for us to put any man to
death. Pilate said: Hath God forbidden you to slay, and allowed me?
2 And Pilate went in again into the judgement hall and called Jesus
apart and said unto him: Art thou the King of the Jews? Jesus answered
and said to Pilate: Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others
tell it thee of me? Pilate answered Jesus: Am I also a Jew? thine own
nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast
thou done? Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world; for if my
kingdom were of this world, my servants would have striven that I
should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from
hence. Pilate said unto him: Art thou a king, then? Jesus answered him:
Thou sayest that I am a king; for this cause was I born and am come,
that every one that is of the truth should hear my voice. Pilate saith
unto him: What is truth? Jesus saith unto him: Truth is of heaven.
Pilate saith: Is there not truth upon earth? Jesus saith unto Pilate:
Thou seest how that they which speak the truth are judged of them that
have authority upon earth.
IV
1 And Pilate left Jesus in the judgement hall and went forth to the
Jews and said unto them: I find no fault in him. The Jews say unto him:
This man said: I am able to destroy this temple and in three days to
build it up. Pilate saith: What temple? The Jews say: That which
Solomon built in forty and six years but which this man saith he will
destroy and build it in three days. Pilate saith unto them: I am
guiltless of the blood of this just man: see ye to it. The Jews say:
His blood be upon us and on our children.
2 And Pilate called the elders and the priests and Levites unto him and
said to them secretly: Do not so: for there is nothing worthy of death
whereof ye have accused him, for your accusation is concerning healing
and profaning of the sabbath. The elders and the priests and Levites
say: If a man blaspheme against Caesar, is he worthy of death or no?
Pilate saith: He is worthy of death. The Jews say unto Pilate: If a man
be worthy of death if he blaspheme against Caesar, this man hath
blasphemed against God.
3 Then the governor commanded all the Jews to go out from the judgement
hall, and he called Jesus to him and saith unto him: What shall I do
with thee? Jesus saith unto Pilate: Do as it hath been given thee.
Pilate saith: How hath it been given? Jesus saith: Moses and the
prophets did foretell concerning my death and rising again. Now the
Jews inquired by stealth and heard, and they say unto Pilate: What
needest thou to hear further of this blasphemy? Pilate saith unto the
Jews: If this word be of blasphemy, take ye him for his blasphemy, and
bring him into your synagogue and judge him according to your law. The
Jews say unto Pilate: It is contained in our law, that if a man sin
against a man, he is worthy to receive forty stripes save one: but he
that blasphemeth against God, that he should be stoned with stoning.
4 Pilate saith unto them: Take ye him and avenge yourselves of him in
what manner ye will. The Jews say unto Pilate: We will that he be
crucified. Pilate saith: He deserveth not to be crucified.
5 Now as the governor looked round about upon the multitude of the Jews
which stood by, he beheld many of the Jews weeping, and said: Not all
the multitude desire that he should be put to death. The elder of the
Jews said: To this end have the whole multitude of us come Hither, that
he should be put to death. Pilate saith to the Jews: Wherefore should
he die? The Jews said: Because he called himself the Son of God, and a
king.
V
1 But a certain man, Nicodemus, a Jew, came and stood before the
governor and said: I beseech thee, good (pious) lord, bid me speak a
few words. Pilate saith: Say on. Nicodemus saith: I said unto the
elders and the priests and Levites and unto all the multitude of the
Jews in the synagogue: Wherefore contend ye with this man? This man
doeth many and wonderful signs, which no man hath done, neither will
do: let him alone and contrive not any evil against him: if the signs
which he doeth are of God, they will stand, but if they be of men, they
will come to nought. For verily Moses, when he was sent of God into
Egypt did many signs, which God commanded him to do before Pharaoh,
king of Egypt; and there were there certain men servants of Pharaoh,
Jannes and Jambres, and they also did signs not a few, of them which
Moses did, and the Egyptians held them as gods, even Jannes and
Jambres: and whereas the signs which they did were not of God, they
perished and those also that believed on them. And now let this man go,
for he is not worthy of death.
2 The Jews say unto Nicodemus: Thou didst become his disciple and thou
speakest on his behalf. Nicodemus saith unto them: Is the governor also
become his disciple, that he speaketh on his behalf? did not Caesar
appoint him unto this dignity? And the Jews were raging and gnashing
their teeth against Nicodemus. Pilate saith unto them: Wherefore gnash
ye your teeth against him, wherens ye have heard the truth? The Jews
say unto Nicodemus: Mayest thou receive his truth and his portion.
Nicodemus saith: Amen, Amen: may I receive it as ye have said.
VI
1 Now one of the Jews came forward and besought the governor that he
might speak a word. The governor saith: If thou wilt say aught, speak
on. And the Jew said: Thirty and eight years lay I on a bed in
suffering of pains, and at the coming of Jesus many that were possessed
and laid with divers diseases were healed by him, and certain
(faithful) young men took pity on me and carried me with my bed and
brought me unto him; and when Jesus saw me he had compassion, and spake
a word unto me: Take up thy bed and walk. And I took up my bed and
walked. The Jews say unto Pilate: Ask of him what day it was whereon he
was healed? He that was healed saith: On the sabbath. The Jews say: Did
we not inform thee so, that upon the sabbath he healeth and casteth out
devils?
2 And another Jew came forward and said: I was born blind: I heard
words but I saw no man's face: and as Jesus passed by I cried with a
loud voice: Have mercy on me, O son of David. And he took pity on me
and put his hands upon mine eyes and I received sight immediately. And
another Jew came forward and said: I was bowed and he made me straight
with a word. And another said: I was a leper, and he healed me with a
word.
VII
And a certain woman named Bernice (Beronice Copt., Veronica Lat.)
crying out from afar off said: I had an issue of blood and touched the
hem of his garment, and the flowing of my blood was stayed which I had
twelve years. The Jews say: We have a law that a woman shall not come
to give testimony.
VIII
And certain others, even a multitude both of men and women cried out,
saying: This man is a prophet and the devils are subject unto him.
Pilate saith to them which said: The devils are subject unto him:
Wherefore were not your teachers also subject unto him? They say unto
Pilate: We know not. Others also said: He raised up Lazarus which was
dead out of his tomb after four days. And the governor was afraid and
said unto all the multitude of the Jews: Wherefore will ye shed
innocent blood?
IX
1 And he called unto him Nicodemus and those twelve men which said that
he was not born of fornication, and said unto them: What shall I do,
for there riseth sedition among the people? They say unto him: We know
not, let them see to it. Again Pilate called for all the multitude of
the Jews and saith: Ye know that ye have a custom that at the feast of
unleavened bread I should release unto you a prisoner. Now I have a
prisoner under condemnation in the prison, a murderer, Barabbas by
name, and this Jesus also which standeth before you, in whom I find no
fault: Whom will ye that I release unto you? But they cried out:
Barabbas. Pilate saith: What shall I do then with Jesus who is called
Christ? The Jews say: Let him be crucified. But certain of the Jews
answered: Thou art not a friend of Caesar's if thou let this man go;
for he called himself the Son of God and a king: thou wilt therefore
have him for king, and not Caesar.
2 And Pilate was wroth and said unto the Jews: Your nation is always
seditious and ye rebel against your benefactors. The Jews say: Against
what benefactors? Pilate saith: According as I have heard, your God
brought you out of Egypt out of hard bondage, and led you safe through
the sea as by dry land, and in the wilderness he nourished you with
manna and gave you quails, and gave you water to drink out of a rock,
and gave unto you a law. And in all these things ye provoked your God
to anger, and sought out a molten calf, and angered your God and he
sought to slay you: and Moses made supplication for you and ye were not
put to death. And now ye do accuse me that I hate the king (emperor).
3 And he rose up from the judgement-seat and sought to go forth. And
the Jews cried out, saying: We know our king, even Caesar and not
Jesus. For indeed the wise men brought gifts from the east unto him as
unto a king, and when Herod heard from the wise men that a king was
born, he sought to slay him, and when his father Joseph knew that, he
took him and his mother and they fled into Egypt. And when Herod heard
it he destroyed the children of the Hebrews that were born in
Bethlehem.
4 And when Pilate heard these words he was afraid. And Pilate silenced
the multitude, because they cried still, and said unto them: So, then,
this is he whom Herod sought? The Jews say: Yea, this is he. And Pilate
took water and washed his hands before the sun, saying: I am innocent
of the blood of this just man: see ye to it. Again the Jews cried out:
His blood be upon us and upon our children.
5 Then Pilate commanded the veil to be drawn before the judgement-seat
whereon he sat, and saith unto Jesus: Thy nation hath convicted thee
(accused thee) as being a king: therefore have I decreed that thou
shouldest first be scourged according to the law of the pious emperors,
and thereafter hanged upon the cross in the garden wherein thou wast
taken: and let Dysmas and Gestas the two malefactors be crucified with
thee.
X
1 And Jesus went forth of the judgement hall and the two malefactors
with him. And when they were come to the place they stripped him of his
garments and girt him with a linen cloth and put a crown of thorns
about his head: likewise also they hanged up the two malefactors. But
Jesus said: Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. And
the soldiers divided his garments among them.
And the people stood looking upon him, and the chief priests and the
rulers with them derided him, saying: He saved others let him save
himself: if he be the son of God [let him come down from the cross].
And the soldiers also mocked him, coming and offering him vinegar with
gall; and they said: If thou be the King of the Jews, save thyself.
And Pilate after the sentence commanded his accusation to be written
for a title in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew according to the
saying of the Jews: that he was the King of the Jews.
2 And one of the malefactors that were hanged [by name Gestas] spake
unto him, saying: If thou be the Christ, save thyself, and us. But
Dysmas answering rebuked him, saying: Dost thou not at all fear God,
seeing thou art in the same condemnation? and we indeed justly, for we
receive the due reward of our deeds; but this man hath done nothing
amiss. And he said unto Jesus: Remember me, Lord, in thy kingdom. And
Jesus said unto him: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, that today thou
shalt be (art) with me in paradise.
XI
1 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the land
until the ninth hour, for the sun was darkened: and the veil of the
temple was rent asunder in the midst. And Jesus called with a loud
voice and said: Father, baddach ephkid rouel, which is interpreted:
Into thy hands I commend my spirit. And having thus said he gave up the
ghost. And when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God,
saying: This man was righteous. And all the multitudes that had come to
the sight, when they beheld what was done smote their breasts and
returned.
2 But the centurion reported unto the governor the things that had come
to pass: and when the governor and his wife heard, they were sore
vexed, and neither ate nor drank that day. And Pilate sent for the Jews
and said unto them: Did ye see that which came to pass? But they said:
There was an eclipse of the sun after the accustomed sort.
3 And his acquaintance had stood afar off, and the women which came
with him from Galilee, beholding these things. But a certain man named
Joseph, being a counsellor, of the city of Arimathaea, who also himself
looked for the kingdom of God this man went to Pilate and begged the
body of Jesus. And he took it down and wrapped it in a clean linen
cloth and laid it in a hewn sepulchre wherein was never man yet laid.
XII
1 Now when the Jews heard that Joseph had begged the body of Jesus,
they sought for him and for the twelve men which said that Jesus was
not born of fornication, and for Nicodemus and many others which had
come forth before Pilate and declared his good works. But all they hid
themselves, and Nicodemus only was seen of them, for he was a ruler of
the Jews. And Nicodemus said unto them: How came ye into the synagogue?
The Jews say unto him: How didst thou come into the synagogue? for thou
art confederate with him, and his portion shall be with thee in the
life to come. Nicodemus saith: Amen, Amen. Likewise Joseph also came
forth and said unto them: Why is it that ye are vexed against me, for
that I begged the body of Jesus? behold I have laid it in my new tomb,
having wrapped it in clean linen, and I rolled a stone over the door of
the cave. And ye have not dealt well with the just one, for ye repented
not when ye had crucified him, but ye also pierced him with a spear.
But the Jews took hold on Joseph and commanded him to be put in
safeguard until the first day of the week: and they said unto him: Know
thou that the time alloweth us not to do anything against thee, because
the sabbath dawneth: but knew that thou shalt not obtain burial, but we
will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the heaven. Joseph saith unto
them: This is the word of Goliath the boastful which reproached the
living God and the holy David. For God said by the prophet: Vengeance
is mine, and I will recompense, saith the Lord. And now, lo, one that
was uncircumcised, but circumcised in heart, took water and washed his
hands before the sun, saying: I am Innocent of the blood of this just
person: see ye to it. And ye answered Pilate and said: His blood be
upon us and upon our children. And now I fear lest the wrath of the
Lord come upon you and upon your children, as ye have said. But when
the Jews heard these words they waxed bitter in soul, and caught hold
on Joseph and took him and shut him up in an house wherein was no
window, and guards were set at the door: and they sealed the door of
the place where Joseph was shut up.
2 And upon the sabbath day the rulers of the synagogue and the priests
and the Levites made an ordinance that all men should appear in the
synagogue on the first day of the week. And all the multitude rose up
early and took council in the synagogue by what death they should kill
him. And when the council was set they commanded him to be brought with
great dishonour. And when they had opened the door they found him not.
And all the people were beside themselves and amazed, because they
found the seals closed, and Caiaphas had the key. And they durst not
any more lay hands upon them that had spoken in the behalf of Jesus
before Pilate.
XIII
1 And while they yet sat in the synagogue and marvelled because of
Joseph, there came certain of the guard which the Jews had asked of
Pilate to keep the sepulchre of Jesus lest peradventure his disciples
should come and steal him away. And they spake and declared unto the
rulers of the synagogue and the priests and the Levites that which had
come to pass: how that there was a great earthquake, and we saw an
angel descend from heaven, and he rolled away the stone from the mouth
of the cave, and sat upon it. And he did shine like snow and like
lightning, and we were sore afraid and lay as dead men. And we heard
the voice of the angel speaking with the women which waited at the
sepulchre, saying: Fear ye not: for I know that ye seek Jesus which was
crucified. He is not here: he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place
where the Lord lay, and go quickly and say unto his disciples that he
is risen from the dead, and is in Galilee.
2 The Jews say: With what women spake he? They of the guard say: We
know not who they were. The Jews say: At what hour was it? They of the
guard say: At midnight. The Jews say: And wherefore did ye not take the
women? They of the guard say: We were become as dead me through fear,
and we looked not to see the light of the day; how then could we take
them? The Jews say: As the Lord liveth, we believe you not. They of the
guard say unto the Jews: So many signs saw ye in that man, and ye
believed not, how then should ye believe us? verily ye sware rightly
'as the Lord liveth', for he liveth indeed. Again they of the guard
say: We have heard that ye shut up him that begged the body of Jesus,
and that ye scaled the door; and when ye had opened it ye found him
not. Give ye therefore Joseph and we will give you Jesus. The Jews say:
Joseph is departed unto his own city. They of the guard say unto the
Jews: Jesus also is risen, as we have heard of the angel, and he is in
Galilee.
3 And when the Jews heard these words they were sore afraid, saying:
Take heed lest this report be heard and all men incline unto Jesus. And
the Jews took counsel and laid down much money and gave it to the
soldiers, saying: Say ye: While we slept his disciples came by night
and stole him away. And if this come to the governor's hearing we will
persuade him and secure you. And they took the money and did as they
were instructed. [And this their saying was published abroad among all
men. lat.]
XIV
1 Now a certain priest named Phinees and Addas a teacher and Aggaeus
(Ogias Copt., Egias lat.) a Levite came down from Galilee unto
Jerusalem and told the rulers of the synagogue and the priests and the
Levites, saying: We saw Jesus and his disciples sitting upon the
mountain which is called Mamilch (Mambre or Malech lat., Mabrech
Copt.), and he said unto his disciples: Go into all the world and
preach unto every creature (the whole creation): he that believeth and
is baptized shall be saved, but he that disbelieveth shall be
condemned. [And these signs shall follow upon them that believe: in my
name they shall cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues,
they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing it
shall not hurt them: they shall lay hands upon the sick and they shall
recover.] And while Jesus yet spake unto his disciples we saw him taken
up into heaven.
2 The elders and the priests and Levites say: Give glory to the God of
Israel and make confession unto him: did ye indeed (or that ye did)
hear and see those things which ye have told us? They that told them
say: As the Lord God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob liveth,
we did hear these things and we saw him taken up into heaven. The
elders and the priests and the Levites say unto them: Came ye for this
end, that ye might tell us, or came ye to pay your vows unto God? And
they say: To pay our vows unto God. The elders and the chief priests
and the Levites say unto them: If ye came to pay your vows unto God, to
what purpose is this idle tale which ye have babbled before all the
people? Phinees the priest and Addas the teacher and Aggaeus the Levite
say unto the rulers of the synagogue and priests and Levites: If these
words which ye have spoken and seen be sin, lo, we are before you: do
unto us as seemeth good in your eyes. And they took the book of the law
and adjured them that they should no more tell any man these words: and
they gave them to eat and to drink, and put them out of the city:
moreover they gave them money, and three men to go with them, and they
set them on their way as far as Galilee, and they departed in peace.
3 Now when these men were departed into Galilee, the chief priests and
the rulers of the synagogue and the elders gathered together in the
synagogue, and shut the gate, and lamented with a great lamentation,
saying: What is this sign which is come to pass in Israel? But Amlas
and Caiaphas said: Wherefore are ye troubled? why weep ye? Know ye not
that his disciples gave much gold unto them that kept the sepulchre and
taught them to say that an angel came down and rolled away the stone
from the door of the sepulchre? But the priests and the elders said: Be
it so, that his disciples did steal away his body; but how is his soul
entered into his body, and how abideth he in Galilee? But they could
not answer these things, and hardly in the end said: It is not lawful
for us to believe the uncircumcised. [Lat. (and Copt., and Arm.): Ought
we to believe the soldiers, that an angel came down from heaven and
rolled away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? but in truth his
disciples gave . . . sepulchre. Know ye not that it is not lawful for
Jews to believe any word of the uncircumcised, knowing that they who
received much good from us have spoken according as we taught them.]
XV
And Nicodemus rose up and stood before the council, saying: Ye say
well. Know ye not, O people of the Lord, the men that came down out of
Galilee, that they fear God and are men of substance, hating
covetousness (a lie, Lat.), men of peace? And they have told you with
an oath, saying: We saw Jesus upon the mount Mamilch with his disciples
and that he taught them all things that ye heard of them, and, say
they, we saw him taken up into heaven. And no man asked them in what
manner he was taken up. For like as the book of the holy scriptures
hath taught us that Elias also was taken up into heaven, and Eliseus
cried out with a loud voice, and Elias cast his hairy cloak upon
Eliseus, and Eliseus cast the cloak upon Jordan and passed over and
went unto Jericho. And the sons of the prophets met him and said:
Eliseus, where is thy lord Elias? and he said that he was taken up into
heaven. And they said unto Eliseus: Hath not a spirit caught him up and
cast him upon one of the mountains? but let us take our servants with
us and seek after him. And they persuaded Eliseus and he went with
them, and they sought him three days and found him not: and they knew
that he had been taken up. And now hearken unto me, and let us send
into all the coasts (al. mountains) of Israel and see whether the
Christ were not taken up by a spirit and cast upon one of the
mountains. And this saying pleased them all: and they sent into all the
coasts (mountains, Lat.) and sought Jesus and found him not. But they
found Joseph in Arimathaea, and no man durst lay hands upon him.
2 And they told the elders and the priests and the Levites, saying: We
went about throughout all the coasts of Israel, and we found not Jesus;
but Joseph we found in Arimathaea. And when they heard of Joseph they
rejoiced and gave glory to the God of Israel. And the rulers of the
synagogue and the priests and the Levites took counsel how they should
meet with Joseph, and they took a volume of paper and wrote unto Joseph
these words:
Peace be unto thee. We know that we have sinned against God and against
thee, and we have prayed unto the God of Israel that thou shouldest
vouchsafe to come unto thy fathers and unto thy children (Lat. But thou
didst pray unto the God of Israel, and he delivered thee out of our
hands. Now therefore vouchsafe, &c.) for we are all troubled, because
when we opened the door we found thee not: and we know that we devised
an evil counsel against thee, but the Lord helped thee. And the Lord
himself made of none effect (scattered) our counsel against thee, O
father Joseph, thou that art honourable among all the people.
3 And they chose out of all Israel seven men that were friends of
Joseph, whom Joseph also himself accounted his friends, and the rulers
of the synagogue and the priests and the Levites said unto them: See:
if he receive our epistle and read it, know that he will come with you
unto us: but if he read it not, know that he is vexed with us, and
salute ye him in peace and return unto us. And they blessed the men and
let them go.
And the men came unto Joseph and did him reverence, and said unto him:
Peace be unto thee. And he said: Peace be unto you and unto all the
people of Israel. And they gave him the book of the epistle, and Joseph
received it and read it and embraced (or kissed) the epistle and
blessed God and said: Blessed be the Lord God, which hath redeemed
Israel from shedding innocent blood; and blessed be the Lord, which
sent his angel and sheltered me under his wings. (And he kissed them)
and set a table before them, and they did eat and drink and lay there.
4 And they rose up early and prayed: and Joseph saddled his she-ass and
went with the men, and they came unto the holy city, even Jerusalem.
And all the people came to meet Joseph and cried: Peace be to thine
entering-in. And he said unto all the people: Peace be unto you, and
all the people kissed him. And the people prayed with Joseph, and they
were astonished at the sight of him.
And Nicodemus received him into his house and made a great feast, and
called Annas and Caiaphas and the elders and the priests and the
Levites unto his house. And they made merry eating and drinking with
Joseph. And when they had sung an hymn (or blessed God) every man went
unto his house. But Joseph abode in the house of Nicodemus.
5 And on the morrow, which was the preparation, the rulers of the
synagogue and the priests and the Levites rose up early and came to the
house of Nicodemus, and Nicodemus met them and said: Peace be unto you.
And they said: Peace be unto thee and to Joseph and unto all thy house
and to all the house of Joseph. And he brought them into his house. And
the whole council was set, and Joseph sat between Annas and Caiaphas
and no man durst speak unto him a word. And Joseph said: Why is it that
ye have called me? And they beckoned unto Nicodemus that he should
speak unto Joseph. And Nicodemus opened his mouth and said unto Joseph:
Father, thou knowest that the reverend doctors and the priests and the
Levites seek to learn a matter of thee. And Joseph said: Inquire ye.
And Annas and Caiaphas took the book of the law and adjured Joseph
saying: Give glory to the God of Israel and make confession unto him:
[for Achar, when he was adjured of the prophet Jesus(Joshua), foresware
not himself but declared unto him all things and hid not a word from
him: thou therefore also hide not from us so much as a word. And
Joseph: I will not hide one word from you.] And they said unto him: We
were greatly vexed because thou didst beg the body of Jesus and
wrappedst it in a clean linen cloth and didst lay him in a tomb. And
for this cause we put thee in safeguard in an house wherein was no
window, and we put keys and seals upon the doors, and guards did keep
the place wherein thou wast shut up. And on the first day of the week
we opened it and found thee not, and we were sore troubled, and
amazement fell upon all the people of the Lord until yesterday. Now,
therefore, declare unto us what befell thee.
6 And Joseph said: On the preparation day about the tenth hour ye did
shut me up, and I continued there the whole sabbath. And at midnight as
I stood and prayed the house wherein ye shut me up was taken up by the
four corners, and I saw as it were a flashing of light in mine eyes,
and being filled with fear I fell to the earth. And one took me by the
hand and removed me from the place whereon I had fallen; and moisture
of water was shed on me from my head unto my feet, and an odour of
ointment came about my nostrils. And he wiped my face and kissed me and
said unto me: Fear not, Joseph: open thine eyes and see who it is that
speaketh with thee. And I looked up and saw Jesus and I trembled, and
supposed that it was a spirit: and I said the commandments: and he said
them with me. And [as] ye are not ignorant that a spirit, if it meet
any man and hear the commandments, straightway fleeth. And when I
perceived that he said them with me, I said unto him: Rabbi Elias? And
he said unto me: I am not Elias. And I said unto him: Who art thou,
Lord? And he said unto me: I am Jesus, whose body thou didst beg of
Pilate, and didst clothe me in clean linen and cover my face with a
napkin, and lay me in thy new cave and roll a great stone upon the door
of the cave. And I said to him that spake with me: Show me the place
where I laid thee. And he brought me and showed me the place where I
laid him, and the linen cloth lay therein, and the napkin that was upon
his face. And I knew that it was Jesus. And he took me by the hand and
set me in the midst of mine house, the doors being shut, and laid me
upon my bed and said unto me: Peace be unto thee. And he kissed me and
said unto me: Until forty days be ended go not out of thine house: for
behold I go unto my brethren into Galilee.
XVI
1 And when the rulers of the synagogue and the priests and the Levites
heard these words of Joseph the became as dead men and fell to the
ground, and they fasted until the ninth hour. And Nicodemus with Joseph
comforted Annas and Caiaphas and the priests and the Levites, saying:
Rise up and stand on your feet and taste bread and strengthen your
souls, for tomorrow is the sabbath of the Lord. And they rose up and
prayed unto God and did eat and drink, and departed every man to his
house.
2 And on the sabbath the (al. our) teachers and the priests and Levites
sat and questioned one another and said: What is this wrath that is
come upon us? for we know his father and his mother. Levi the teacher
saith: I know that his parents feared God and kept not back their vows
and paid tithes three times a year. And when Jesus was born, his
parents brought him up unto this place and gave sacrifices and
burnt-offerings to God. And [when] the great teacher Symeon took him
into his arms and said: Now lettest thou thy servant, Lord, depart in
peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared
before the face of all peoples, a light to lighten the Gentiles and the
glory of thy people Israel. And Symeon blessed them and said unto Mary
his mother: I give thee good tidings concerning this child. And Mary
said: Good, my lord? And Symeon said to her : Good. Behold, he is set
for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign spoken
against: and a sword shall pierce through thine own heart also, that
the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
3 They say unto Levi the teacher: How knowest thou these things? Levi
saith unto them: Know ye not that from him I did learn the law? The
council say unto him: We would see thy father. And they sent after his
father, and asked of him, and he said to them: Why believed ye not my
son? the blessed and righteous Symeon, he did teach him the law. The
council saith: Rabbi Levi, is the word true which thou hast spoken? And
he said: It is true.
Then the rulers of the synagogue and the priests and the Levites said
among themselves: Come, let us send into Galilee unto the three men
which came and told us of his teaching and his taking-up, and let them
tell us how they saw him taken up. And this word pleased them all, and
they sent the three men which before had gone with them into Galilee
and said to them: Say unto Rabbi Addas and Rabbi Phinees and Rabbi
Aggaeus: peace be to you and to all that are with you. Inasmuch as
great questioning hath arisen in the council, we have sent unto you to
call you unto this holy place of Jerusalem.
4 And the men went into Galilee and found them sitting and meditating
upon the law, and saluted them in peace. And the men that were in
Galilee said unto them that were come to them: Peace be upon all
Israel. And they said: Peace be unto you. Again they said unto them:
Wherefore are ye come? And they that were sent said: The council
calleth you unto the holy city Jerusalem. And when the men heard that
they were bidden by the council, they prayed to God and sat down to
meat with the men and did eat and drink, and rose up and came in peace
unto Jerusalem.
5 And on the morrow the council was set in the synagogue, and they
examined them, saying: Did ye in very deed see Jesus sitting upon the
mount Mamilch, as he taught his eleven disciples, and saw ye him taken
up? And the men answered them and said: Even as we saw him taken up,
even so did we tell it unto you.
6 Annas saith: Set them apart from one another, and let us see if their
word agreeth. And they set them apart one from another, and they call
Addas first and say unto him: How sawest thou Jesus taken up? Addas
saith: While he yet sat upon the Mount Mamilch and taught his
disciples, we saw a cloud that overshadowed him and his disciples: and
the cloud carried him up into heaven, and his disciples lay (al.
prayed, lying) on their faces upon the earth. And they called Phinees
the priest, and questioned him also, saying: How sawest thou Jesus
taken up? And he spake in like manner. And again they asked Aggaeus,
and he also spake in like manner. And the council said: It is contained
in the law of Moses: At the mouth of two or three shall every word be
established.
Abuthem (Bouthem Gr., Abudem lat., Abuden, Abuthen Arm.,om. Copt.) the
teacher saith: It is written in the law: Enoch walked with God and is
not, because God took him. Jaeirus the teacher said: Also we have heard
of the death of the holy Moses and have not seen him; for it is written
in the law of the Lord: And Moses died at the mouth of the Lord, and no
man knew of his sepulchre unto this day. And Rabbi Levi said: Wherefore
was it that Rabbi Symeon said when he saw Jesus: Behold, this child is
set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel and for a sign
spoken against? And Rabbi Isaac said: It is written in the law: Behold
I send my messenger before thy face, which shall go before thee to keep
thee in every good way, for my name is named thereon.
7 Then said Annas and Caiaphas: Ye have well said those things which
are written in the law of Moses, that no man saw the death of Enoch,
and no man hath named the death of Moses. But Jesus spake before
Pilate, and we know that we saw him receive buffets and spittings upon
his face, and that the soldiers put on him a crown of thorns and that
he was scourged and received condemnation from Pilate, and that he was
crucified at the place of a skull and two thieves with him, and that
they gave him vinegar to drink with gall, and that Longinus the soldier
pierced his side with a spear, and that Joseph our honourable father
begged his body, and that, as he saith, he rose again, and that (lit.
as) the three teachers say: We saw him taken up into heaven, and that
Rabbi Levi spake and testified to the things which were spoken by Rabbi
Symeon, and that he said: Behold this child is set for the fall and
rising again of many in Israel and for a sign spoken against.
And all the teachers said unto all the people of the Lord: If this hath
come to pass from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes, ye shall
surely know, O house of Jacob, that it is written: Cursed is every one
that hangeth upon a tree. And another scripture teacheth: The gods
which made not the heaven and the earth shall perish.
And the priests and the Levites said one to another: If his memorial
endure until the Sommos (Copt. Soum) which is called Jobel (i. e. the
Jubilee), know ye that he will prevail for ever and raise up for
himself a new people.
Then the rulers of the synagogue and the priests and the Levites
admonished all Israel, saying: Cursed is that man who shall worship
that which man's hand hath made, and cursed is the man who shall
worship creatures beside the Creator. And all the people said: Amen,
Amen.
And all the people sang an hymn unto the Lord and said: Blessed be the
Lord who hath given rest unto the people of Israel according to all
that he spake. There hath not one word fallen to the ground of all his
good saying which he spake unto his servant Moses. The Lord our God be
with us as he was with our fathers: let him not forsake us. And let him
not destroy us from turning our heart unto him, from walking in all his
ways and keeping his statutes and his judgements which he commanded our
fathers. And the Lord shall be King over all the earth in that day. And
there shall be one Lord and his name one, even the Lord our King: he
shall save us.
There is none like unto thee, O Lord. Great art thou, O Lord, and great
is thy name.
Heal us, O Lord, by thy power, and we shall be healed: save us, Lord,
and we shall be saved: for we are thy portion and thine inheritance.
And the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's sake, for
the Lord hath begun to make us to be his people.
And when they had all sung this hymn they departed every man to his
house, glorifying God. [For his is the glory, world without end. Amen.]
ACTS OF PILATE
PART II. THE DESCENT INTO HELL
This writing, or the nucleus of it, the story of the Descent into Hell
was not originally part of the Acts of Pilate. It is -apart from its
setting- probably an older document. When it was first attached to the
Acts of Pilate is uncertain. The object of this prefatory note is to
say that we have the text in three forms, [however, only the Latin A
text will be given. For a complete listing of all three texts see M.R.
James apocryphal New Testament].
.[Part I, cap. xvi, ends with words of the rulers of the synagogue, &c.
All nations shall serve him, and kings shall come from afar worshipping
and magnifying him. Part II, cap. i, runs on from this.
I (XVII)
1 And Joseph arose and said unto Annas and Caiaphas: Truly and of right
do ye marvel because ye have heard that Jesus hath been seen alive
after death, and that he hath ascended into heaven. Nevertheless it is
more marvelous that he rose not alone from the dead, but did raise up
alive many other dead out of their sepulchres, and they have been seen
of many in Jerusalem. And now hearken unto me; for we all know the
blessed Simeon, the high priest which received the child Jesus in his
hands in the temple. And this Simeon had two sons, brothers in blood
and we all were at their falling asleep and at their burial. Go
therefore and look upon their sepulchres: for they are open, because
they have risen, and behold they are in the city of Arimathaea dwelling
together in prayer. And indeed men hear them crying out, yet they speak
with no man, but are silent as dead men. But come, let us go unto them
and with all honour and gentleness bring them unto us, and if we adjure
them, perchance they will tell us concerning the mystery of their
rising again.
2 When they heard these things, they all rejoiced. And Annas and
Caiaphas, Nicodemus and Joseph and Gamaliel went and found them not in
their sepulchre, but they went unto the city of Arimathaea, and found
them there, kneeling on their knees and giving themselves unto prayer.
And they kissed them, and with all reverence and in the fear of God
they brought them to Jerusalem into the synagogue. And they shut the
doors and took the law of the Lord and put it into their hands, and
adjured them by the God Adonai and the God of Israel which spake unto
our fathers by the prophets, saying: Believe ye that it is Jesus which
raised you from the dead? Tell us how ye have arisen from the dead.
3 And when Karinus and Leucius heard this adjuration, they trembled in
their body and groaned, being troubled in heart. And looking up
together unto heaven they made the seal of the cross with their fingers
upon their tongues, and forthwith they spake both of them, saying: Give
us each a volume of paper, and let us write that which we have seen and
heard. And they gave them unto them, and each of them sat down and
wrote, saying:
II (XVIII)
1 O Lord Jesu Christ, the life and resurrection of the dead (al.
resurrection of the dead and the life of the living), suffer us to
speak of the mysteries of thy majesty which thou didst perform after
thy death upon the cross, inasmuch as we have been adjured by thy Name.
For thou didst command us thy servants to tell no man the secrets of
thy divine majesty which thou wroughtest in hell.
Now when we were set together with all our fathers in the deep, in
obscurity of darkness, on a sudden there came a golden heat of the sun
and a purple and royal light shining upon us. And immediately the
father of the whole race of men, together with all the patriarchs and
prophets, rejoiced, saying: This light is the beginning (author) of
everlasting light which did promise to send unto us his co-eternal
light. And Esaias cried out and said: This is the light of the Father,
even the Son of God, according as I prophesied when I lived upon the
earth: The land of Zabulon and the land of Nephthalim beyond Jordan, of
Galilee of the Gentiles, the people that walked in darkness have seen a
great light, and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death,
upon them did the light shine. And now hath it come and shone upon us
that sit in death.
2 And as we all rejoiced in the light which shined upon us, there came
unto us our father Simeon, and he rejoicing said unto us: Glorify ye
the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God; for I received him in my hands
in the temple when he was born a child, and being moved of the Holy
Ghost I made confession and said unto him: Now have mine eyes seen thy
salvation which thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a
light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of thy people
Israel. And when they heard these things, the whole multitude of the
saints rejoiced yet more.
Page 125
3 And after that there came one as it were a dweller in the wilderness,
and he was inquired of by all: Who art thou? And he answered them and
said: I am John, the voice and the prophet of the most High, which came
before the face of his advent to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of
salvation unto his people, for the remission of their sins. And when I
saw him coming unto me, being moved of the Holy Ghost, I said: Behold
the Lamb of God, behold him that taketh away the sins of the world. And
I baptized him in the river of Jordan, and saw the Holy Ghost
descending upon him in the likeness of a dove, and heard a voice out of
heaven saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And
now have I come before his face, and come down to declare unto you that
he is at hand to visit us, even the day spring, the Son of God, coming
from on high unto us that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
III (XIX)
1 And when father Adam that was first created heard this, even that
Jesus was baptized in Jordan, he cried out to Seth his son, saying:
Declare unto thy sons the patriarchs and the prophets all that thou
didst hear from Michael the archangel, when I sent thee unto the gates
of paradise that thou mightest entreat God to send thee his angel to
give thee the oil of the tree of mercy to anoint my body when I was
sick. Then Seth drew near unto the holy patriarchs and prophets, and
said: When I, Seth, was praying at the gates of paradise, behold
Michael the angel of the Lord appeared unto me, saying: I am sent unto
thee from the Lord: it is I that am set over the body of man. And I say
unto thee, Seth, vex not thyself with tears, praying and entreating for
the oil of the tree of mercy, that thou mayest anoint thy father Adam
for the pain of his body: for thou wilt not be able to receive it save
in the last days and times, save when five thousand and five hundred
(al. 5,952) years are accomplished: then shall the most beloved Son of
God come upon the earth to raise up the body of Adam and the bodies of
the dead, and he shall come and be baptized in Jordan. And when he is
come forth of the water of Jordan, then shall he anoint with the oil of
mercy all that believe on him, and that oil of mercy shall be unto all
generations of them that shall be born of water and of the Holy Ghost,
unto life eternal. Then shall the most beloved Son of God, even Christ
Jesus, come down upon the earth and shall bring in our father Adam into
paradise unto the tree of mercy.
And when they heard all these things of Seth, all the patriarchs and
prophets rejoiced with a great rejoicing.
IV (XX)
1 And while all the saints were rejoicing, behold Satan the prince and
chief of death said unto Hell: Make thyself ready to receive Jesus who
boasteth himself that he is the Son of God, whereas he is a man that
feareth death, and sayeth: My soul is sorrowful even unto death. And he
hath been much mine enemy, doing me great hurt, and many that I had
made blind, lame, dumb, leprous, and possessed he hath healed with a
word: and some whom I have brought unto thee dead, them hath he taken
away from thee.
2 Hell answered and said unto Satan the prince: Who is he that is so
mighty, if he be a man that feareth death? for all the mighty ones of
the earth are held in subjection by my power, even they whom thou hast
brought me subdued by thy power. If, then, thou art mighty, what manner
of man is this Jesus who, though he fear death, resisteth thy power? If
he be so mighty in his manhood, verily I say unto thee he is almighty
in his god-head, and no man can withstand his power. And when he saith
that he feareth death, he would ensnare thee, and woe shall be unto
thee for everlasting ages. But Satan the prince of Tartarus said: Why
doubtest thou and fearest to receive this Jesus which is thine
adversary and mine? For I tempted him, and have stirred up mine ancient
people of the Jews with envy and wrath against him. I have sharpened a
spear to thrust him through, gall and vinegar have I mingled to give
him to drink, and I have prepared a cross to crucify him and nails to
pierce him: and his death is nigh at hand, that I may bring him unto
thee to be subject unto thee and me.
3 Hell answered and said: Thou hast told me that it is he that hath
taken away dead men from me. For there be many which while they lived
on the earth have taken dead men from me, yet not by their own power
but by prayer to God, and their almighty God hath taken them from me.
Who is this Jesus which by his own word without prayer hath drawn dead
men from me? Perchance it is he which by the word of his command did
restore to life Lazarus which was four days dead and stank and was
corrupt, whom I held here dead. Satan the prince of death answered and
said: It is that same Jesus. When Hell heard that he said unto him: I
adjure thee by thy strength and mine own that thou bring him not unto
me. For at that time I, when I heard the command of his word, did quake
and was overwhelmed with fear, and all my ministries with me were
troubled. Neither could we keep Lazarus, but he like an eagle shaking
himself leaped forth with all agility and swiftness, and departed from
us, and the earth also which held the dead body of Lazarus straightway
gave him up alive. Wherefore now I know that that man which was able to
do these things is a God strong in command and mighty in manhood, and
that he is the saviour of mankind. And if thou bring him unto me he
will set free all that are here shut up in the hard prison and bound in
the chains of their sins that cannot be broken, and will bring them
unto the life of his god head for ever.
V (XXI)
1 And as Satan the prince, and Hell, spoke this together, suddenly
there came a voice as of thunder and a spiritual cry: Remove, O
princes, your gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the
King of glory shall come in. When Hell heard that he said unto Satan
the prince: Depart from me and go out of mine abode: if thou be a
mighty man of war, fight thou against the King of glory. But what hast
thou to do with him? And Hell cast Satan forth out of his dwelling.
Then said Hell unto his wicked ministers: Shut ye the hard gates of
brass and put on them the bars of iron and withstand stoutly, lest we
that hold captivity be taken captive.
2 But when all the multitude of the saints heard it, they spake with a
voice of rebuking unto Hell: Open thy gates, that the King of glory may
come in. And David cried out, saying: Did I not when I was alive upon
earth, foretell unto you: Let them give thanks unto the Lord, even his
mercies and his wonders unto the children of men; who hath broken the
gates of brass and smitten the bars of iron in sunder? he hath taken
them out of the way of their iniquity. And thereafter in like manner
Esaias said: Did not I when I was alive upon earth foretell unto you:
The dead shall arise, and they that are in the tombs shall rise again,
and they that are in the earth shall rejoice, for the dew which cometh
of the Lord is their healing? And again I said: O death, where is thy
sting? O Hell, where is thy victory?
3 When they heard that of Esaias, all the saints said unto Hell: Open
thy gates: now shalt thou be overcome and weak and without strength.
And there came a great voice as of thunder, saying: Remove, O princes,
your gates, and be ye lift up ye doors of hell, and the King of glory
shall come in. And when Hell saw that they so cried out twice, he said,
as if he knew it not: Who is the King of glory? And David answered Hell
and said: The words of this cry do I know, for by his spirit I
prophesied the same; and now I say unto thee that which I said before:
The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle, he is the King
of glory. And: The Lord looked down from heaven that he might hear the
groanings of them that are in fetters and deliver the children of them
that have been slain. And now, O thou most foul and stinking Hell, open
thy gates, that the King of glory may come in. And as David spake thus
unto Hell, the Lord of majesty appeared in the form of a man and
lightened the eternal darkness and brake the bonds that could not be
loosed: and the succour of his everlasting might visited us that sat in
the deep darkness of our transgressions and in the shadow of death of
our sins.
VI (XXII)
1 When Hell and death and their wicked ministers saw that, they were
stricken with fear, they and their cruel officers, at the sight of the
brightness of so great light in their own realm, seeing Christ of a
sudden in their abode, and they cried out, saying: We are overcome by
thee. Who art thou that art sent by the Lord for our confusion? Who art
thou that without all damage of corruption, and with the signs (?) of
thy majesty unblemished, dost in wrath condemn our power? Who art thou
that art so great and so small, both humble and exalted, both soldier
and commander, a marvelous warrior in the shape of a bondsman, and a
King of glory dead and living, whom the cross bare slain upon it? Thou
that didst lie dead in the sepulchre hast come down unto us living and
at thy death all creation quaked and all the stars were shaken and thou
hast become free among the dead and dost rout our legions. Who art thou
that settest free the prisoners that are held bound by original sin and
restorest them into their former liberty? Who art thou that sheddest
thy divine and bright light upon them that were blinded with the
darkness of their sins? After the same manner all the legions of devils
were stricken with like fear and cried out all together in the terror
of their confusion, saying: Whence art thou, Jesus, a man so mighty and
bright in majesty, so excellent without spot and clean from sin? For
that world of earth which hath been always subject unto us until now,
and did pay tribute to our profit, hath never sent unto us a dead man
like thee, nor ever dispatched such a gift unto Hell. Who then art thou
that so fearlessly enterest our borders, and not only fearest not our
torments, but besides essayest to bear away all men out of our bonds?
Peradventure thou art that Jesus, of whom Satan our prince said that by
thy death of the cross thou shouldest receive the dominion of the whole
world.
2 Then did the King of glory in his majesty trample upon death, and
laid hold on Satan the prince and delivered him unto the power of Hell,
and drew Adam to him unto his own brightness.
VII (XXIII)
Then Hell, receiving Satan the prince, with sore reproach said unto
him: O prince of perdition and chief of destruction, Beelzebub, the
scorn of the angels and spitting of the righteous why wouldest thou do
this? Thou wouldest crucify the King of glory and at his decease didst
promise us great spoils of his death: like a fool thou knewest not what
thou didst. For behold now, this Jesus putteth to flight by the
brightness of his majesty all the darkness of death, and hath broken
the strong depths of the prisons, and let out the prisoners and loosed
them that were bound. And all that were sighing in our torments do
rejoice against us, and at their prayers our dominions are vanquished
and our realms conquered, and now no nation of men feareth us any more.
And beside this, the dead which were never wont to be proud triumph
over us, and the captives which never could be joyful do threaten us. O
prince Satan, father of all the wicked and ungodly and renegades
wherefore wouldest thou do this? They that from the beginning until now
have despaired of life and salvation-now is none of their wonted
roarings heard, neither doth any groan from them sound in our ears, nor
is there any sign of tears upon the face of any of them. O prince
Satan, holder of the keys of hell, those thy riches which thou hadst
gained by the tree of transgression and the losing of paradise, thou
hast lost by the tree of the cross, and all thy gladness hath perished.
When thou didst hang up Christ Jesus the King of glory thou wroughtest
against thyself and against me. Henceforth thou shalt know what eternal
torments and infinite pains thou art to suffer in my keeping for ever.
O prince Satan, author of death and head of all pride, thou oughtest
first to have sought out matter of evil in this Jesus: Wherefore didst
thou adventure without cause to crucify him unjustly against whom thou
foundest no blame, and to bring into our realm the innocent and
righteous one, and to lose the guilty and the ungodly and unrighteous
of the whole world? And when Hell had spoken thus unto Satan the
prince, then said the King of glory unto Hell: Satan the prince shall
be in thy power unto all ages in the stead of Adam and his children,
even those that are my righteous ones.
VIII (XXIV)
1 And the Lord stretching forth his hand, said: Come unto me, all ye my
saints which bear mine image and my likeness. Ye that by the tree and
the devil and death were condemned, behold now the devil and death
condemned by the tree. And forthwith all the saints were gathered in
one under the hand of the Lord. And the Lord holding the right hand of
Adam, said unto him: Peace be unto thee with all thy children that are
my righteous ones. But Adam, casting himself at the knees of the Lord
entreated him with tears and beseechings, and said with a loud voice: I
will magnify thee, O Lord, for thou hast set me up and not made my foes
to triumph over me: O Lord my God I cried unto thee and thou hast
healed me; Lord, thou hast brought my soul out of hell, thou hast
delivered me from them that go down to the pit. Sing praises unto the
Lord all ye saints of his, and give thanks unto him for the remembrance
of his holiness. For there is wrath in his indignation and life is in
his good pleasure. In like manner all the saints of God kneeled and
cast themselves at the feet of the Lord, saying with one accord: Thou
art come, O redeemer of the world: that which thou didst foretell by
the law and by thy prophets, that hast thou accomplished in deed. Thou
hast redeemed the living by thy cross, and by the death of the cross
thou hast come down unto us, that thou mightest save us out of hell and
death through thy majesty. O Lord, like as thou hast set the name of
thy glory in the heavens and set up thy cross for a token of redemption
upon the earth, so, Lord, set thou up the sign of the victory of thy
cross in hell, that death may have no more dominion.
2 And the Lord stretched forth his hand and made the sign of the cross
over Adam and over all his saints, and he took the right hand of Adam
and went up out of hell, and all the saints followed him. Then did holy
David cry aloud and say: Sing unto the Lord a new song, for he hath
done marvelous things. His right hand hath wrought salvation for him
and his holy arm. The Lord hath made known his saving health, before
the face of all nations hath he revealed his righteousness. And the
whole multitude of the saints answered, saying: Such honour have all
his saints. Amen, Alleluia.
3 And thereafter Habacuc the prophet cried out and said: Thou wentest
forth for the salvation of thy people to set free thy chosen. And all
the saints answered, saying: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of
the Lord. God is the Lord and hath showed us light. Amen, Alleluia.
Likewise after that the prophet Micheas also cried, saying: What God is
like thee, O Lord, taking away iniquity and removing sins? and now thou
withholdest thy wrath for a testimony that thou art merciful of free
will, and thou dost turn away and have mercy on us, thou forgivest all
our iniquities and hast sunk all our sins in the depths of the sea, as
thou swarest unto our fathers in the days of old. And all the saints
answered, saying: This is our God for ever and ever, he shall be our
guide, world without end. Amen, Alleluia. And so spake all the
prophets, making mention of holy words out of their praises, and all
the saints followed the Lord, crying Amen, Alleluia.
IX (XXV)
But the Lord holding the hand of Adam delivered him unto Michael the
archangel, and all the saints followed Michael the archangel, and he
brought them all into the glory and beauty (grace) of paradise. And
there met with them two men, ancients of days, and when they were asked
of the saints: Who are ye that have not yet been dead in hell with us
and are set in paradise in the body? then one of them answering, said:
I am Enoch which was translated hither by the word of the Lord, and
this that is with me is Elias the Thesbite which was taken up in a
chariot of fire: and up to this day we have not tasted death, but we
are received unto the coming of Antichrist to fight against him with
signs and wonders of God, and to be slain of him in Jerusalem, and
after three days and a half to be taken up again alive on the clouds.
X (XXVI)
And as Enoch and Elias spake thus with the saints, behold there came
another man of vile habit, bearing upon his shoulders the sign of the
cross; whom when they beheld, all the saints said unto him: Who art
thou? for thine appearance is as of a robber; and wherefore is it that
thou bearest a sign upon thy shoulders? And he answered them and said:
Ye have rightly said: for I was a robber, doing all manner of evil upon
the earth. And the Jews crucified me with Jesus, and I beheld the
wonders in the creation which came to pass through the cross of Jesus
when he was crucified, and I believed that he was the maker of all
creatures and the almighty king, and I besought him, saying: Remember
me, Lord, when thou comest into thy kingdom. And forthwith he received
my prayer, and said unto me: Verily I say unto thee, this day shalt
thou be with me in paradise: and he gave me the sign of the cross,
saying: Bear this and go unto paradise, and if the angel that keepeth
paradise suffer thee not to enter in, show him the sign of the cross;
and thou shalt say unto him: Jesus Christ the Son of God who now is
crucified hath sent me. And when I had so done, I spake all these
things unto the angel that keepeth paradise; and when he heard this of
me, forthwith he opened the door and brought me in and set me at the
right hand of paradise, saying: Lo now, tarry a little, and Adam the
father of all mankind will enter in with all his children that are holy
and righteous, after the triumph and glory of the ascending up of
Christ the Lord that is crucified. When they heard all these words of
the robber, all the holy patriarchs and prophets said with one voice:
Blessed be the Lord Almighty, the Father of eternal good things, the
Father of mercies, thou that hast given such grace unto thy sinners and
hast brought them again into the beauty of paradise and into thy good
pastures: for this is the most holy life of the spirit. Amen, Amen.
XI (XXVII)
These are the divine and holy mysteries which we saw and heard, even I,
Karinus, and Leucius: but we were not suffered to relate further the
rest of the mysteries of God, according as Michael the archangel
strictly charged us, saying: Ye shall go with your brethren unto
Jerusalem and remain in prayer, crying out and glorifying the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, who hath raised you from the
dead together with him: and ye shall not be speaking with any man, but
sit as dumb men, until the hour come when the Lord himself suffereth
you to declare the mysteries of his god head. But unto us Michael the
archangel gave commandment that we should go over Jordan unto a place
rich and fertile, where are many which rose again together with us for
a testimony of the resurrection of Christ the Lord. For three days only
were allowed unto us who rose from the dead, to keep the passover of
the Lord in Jerusalem with our kindred (parents) that are living for a
testimony of the resurrection of Christ the Lord: and we were baptized
in the holy river of Jordan and received white robes, every one of us.
And after the three days, when we had kept the passover of the Lord,
all they were caught up in the clouds which had risen again with us,
and were taken over Jordan and were no more seen of any man. But unto
us it was said that we should remain in the city of Arimathaea and
continue in prayer.
These be all things which the Lord bade us declare unto you: give
praise and thanksgiving (confession) unto him, and repent that he may
have mercy upon you. Peace be unto you from the same Lord Jesus Christ
which is the Saviour of us all. Amen.
And when they had finished writing all things in the several volumes of
paper they arose; and Karinus gave that which he had written into the
hands of Annas and Caiaphas and Gamaliel; likewise Leucius gave that
which he had written into the hands of Nicodemus and Joseph. And
suddenly they were transfigured and became white exceedingly and were
no more seen. But their writings were found to be the same (lit.
equal), neither more nor less by one letter.
And when all the synagogue of the Jews heard all these marvelous
sayings of Karinus and Leucius, they said one to another: Of a truth
all these things were wrought by the Lord, and blessed be the Lord,
world without end, Amen. And they went out all of them in great trouble
of mind, smiting their breasts with fear and trembling, and departed
every man unto his own home.
And all these things which were spoken by the Jews in their synagogue,
did Joseph and Nicodemus forthwith declare unto the governor. And
Pilate himself wrote all the things that were done and said concerning
Jesus by the Jews, and laid up all the words in the public books of his
judgement hall (praetorium).
XII (XXVIII)
This chapter is not found in the majority of copies.
After these things Pilate entered into the temple of the Jews and
gathered together all the chief of the priests, and the teachers
(grammaticos) and scribes and doctors of the law, and went in with them
into the holy place of the temple and commanded all the doors to be
shut, and said unto them: We have heard that ye have in this temple a
certain great Bible; wherefore I ask you that it be presented before
us. And when that great Bible adorned with gold and precious jewels was
brought by four ministers, Pilate said to them all: I adjure you by the
God of your fathers which commanded you to build this temple in the
place of his sanctuary, that ye hide not the truth from me. Ye know all
the things that are written in this Bible; but tell me now if ye have
found in the scriptures that this Jesus whom ye have crucified is the
Son of God which should come for the salvation of mankind, and in what
year of the times he must come. Declare unto me whether ye crucified
him in ignorance or knowingly.
And Annas and Caiaphas when they were thus adjured commanded all the
rest that were will them to go out of the temple; and they themselves
shut all the doors of the temple and of the sanctuary, and said unto
Pilate: Thou hast adjured us, O excellent judge, by the building of
this temple to make manifest unto thee the truth and reason (or a true
account). After that we had crucified Jesus, knowing not that he was
the Son of God, but supposing that by some chance he did his wondrous
works, we made a great assembly (synagogue) in this temple; and as we
conferred one with another concerning the signs of the mighty works
which Jesus had done, we found many witnesses of our own nation who
said that they had seen Jesus alive after his passion, and that he was
passed into the height of the heaven. Moreover, we saw two witnesses
whom Jesus raised from the dead, who declared unto us many marvelous
things which Jesus did among the dead, which things we have in writing
in our hands. Now our custom is that every year before our assembly we
open this holy Bible and inquire the testimony of God. And we have
found in the first book of the Seventy how that Michael the angel spake
unto the third son of Adam the first man concerning the five thousand
and five hundred years, wherein should come the most beloved Son of
God, even Christ: and furthermore we have thought that peradventure
this same was the God of Israel which said unto Moses: Make thee an ark
of the covenant in length two cubits and a half, and in breadth one
cubit and a half, and in height one cubit and a half. For by those five
cubits and a half we have understood and known the fashion of the ark
of the old covenant, for that in five thousand and a half thousand
years Jesus Christ should come in the ark of his body: and we have
found that he is the God of Israel, even the Son of God. For after his
passion, we the chief of the priests, because we marvelled at the signs
which came to pass on his account did open the Bible, and searched out
all the generations unto the generation of Joseph, and Mary the mother
of Christ, taking her to be the seed of David: and we found that from
the day when God made the heaven and the earth and the first man, from
that time unto the Flood are 2,212 years: and from the Flood unto the
building of the tower 531 years: and from the building of the tower
unto Abraham 606 years: and from Abraham unto the coming of the
children of Israel out of Egypt 470 years: and from the going of the
children of Israel out of Egypt unto the building of the temple 511
years: and from the building of the temple unto the destruction of the
same temple 464 years: so far found we in the Bible of Esdras: and
inquiring from the burning of the temple unto the coming of Christ and
his birth we found it to be 636 years, which together were five
thousand and five hundred years like as we found it written in the
Bible that Michael the archangel declared before unto Seth the third
son of Adam, that after five thousand and a half thousand years Christ
the Son of God hath (? should) come. Hitherto have we told no man, lest
there should be a schism in our synagogues; and now, O excellent judge,
thou hast adjured us by this holy Bible of the testimonies of God, and
we do declare it unto thee: and we also have adjured thee by thy life
and health that thou declare not these words unto any man in Jerusalem.
XIII (XXIX)
And Pilate, when he heard these words of Annas and Caiaphas, laid them
all up amongst the acts of the Lord and Saviour in the public books of
his judgement hall, and wrote a letter unto Claudius the king of the
city of Rome, saying:
[The following Epistle or Report of Pilate is inserted in Greek into
the late Acts of Peter and Paul (_ 40) and the Pseudo-Marcellus Passion
of Peter and Paul (_ 19). We thus have it in Greek and Latin, and the
Greek is used here as the basis of the version.]
Pontius Pilate unto Claudius, greeting.
There befell of late a matter which I myself brought to light (or made
trial of): for the Jews through envy have punished themselves and their
posterity with fearful judgements of their own fault; for whereas their
fathers had promises (al. had announced unto them) that their God would
send them out of heaven his holy one who should of right be called
their king, and did promise that he would send him upon earth by a
virgin; he, then (or this God of the Hebrews, then), came when I was
governor of Judaea, and they beheld him enlightening the blind,
cleansing lepers, healing the palsied, driving devils out of men,
raising the dead, rebuking the winds, walking upon the waves of the sea
dry-shod, and doing many other wonders, and all the people of the Jews
calling him the Son of God: the chief priests therefore, moved with
envy against him, took him and delivered him unto me and brought
against him one false accusation after another, saying that he was a
sorcerer and did things contrary to their law.
But I, believing that these things were so, having scourged him,
delivered him unto their will: and they crucified him, and when he was
buried they set guards upon him. But while my soldiers watched him he
rose again on the third day: yet so much was the malice of the Jews
kindled that they gave money to the soldiers, saying: Say ye that his
disciples stole away his body. But they, though they took the money,
were not able to keep silence concerning that which had come to pass,
for they also have testified that they saw him arisen and that they
received money from the Jews. And these things have I reported for this
cause, lest some other should lie unto thee (lat. lest any lie
otherwise) and thou shouldest deem right to believe the false tales of
the Jews.
e GOSPEL of NICODEMUS, formerly called
the ACTS of
PONTIUS PILATE.
[Although this Gospel is, by some among the learned, supposed to have
been really written by Nicodemus, who became a disciple of Jesus
Christ, and conversed with him; others conjecture that it was a forgery
towards the close of the third century by some zealous believer, who
observing that there had been appeals made by the Christians of the
former age, to the Acts of Pilate, but that such Acts could not be
produced, imagined it would be of service to Christianity to fabricate
and publish this Gospel; as it would both confirm the Christians under
persecution, and convince the Heathens of the truth of the Christian
religion. The Rev. Jeremiah Jones says, that such pious frauds were
very common among Christians even in the first three centuries; and
that a forgery of this nature, with the view above mentioned, seems
natural and probable.
The same author, in noticing that Eusebius, in his Ecclesiastical
history. charges the Pagans with having forged and published a book,
called "The Acts of Pilate," takes occasion to observe, that the
internal evidence of this Gospel shows it was not the work of any
Heathen; but that if in the latter end of the third century we find it
in use among Christians (as it was then certainly in some churches) and
about the same time find a forgery of the Heathens under the same
title, it seems exceedingly probable that some Christians, at that
time, should publish such a piece as this, in order partly to confront
the spurious one of the Pagans, and partly to support those appeals
which had been made by former Christians to the Acts of Pilate; and Mr.
Jones says, he thinks so more particularly as we have innumerable
instances of forgeries by the faithful in the primitive ages, grounded
on less plausible reasons. Whether it be canonical or not, it is of
very great antiquity, and is appealed to by several of the ancient
Christians. The present translation is made from the Gospel published
by Grynaeus in the Orthodoxographa, vol. i. tom. ii. p.643.]
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The Gospel of Nicodemus the disciple, concerning the sufferings and
Resurrection of our master and Saviour Jesus Christ.
CHAP. I
( 1 Christ accused to Pilate by the Jews of healing on the Sabbath,
9 summoned before Pilate by a messenger who does him honour,
20 worshipped by the standards bowing down to him.)
Annas and Caiaphas, and Summas, and Datam, Gamaliel, Judas, Levi,
Nepthalim, Alexander, Cyrus, and other
Jews, went to Pilate about Jesus, accusing him with many bad crimes.
2 And said, We are assured that Jesus is the son of Joseph the
carpenter, and born of Mary, and
that he declares himself the Son of God, and a king ; and not only so,
but attempts the dissolution of
the sabbath, and the laws of our fathers.
3 Pilate replied; What is it which he declares? and what is it which he
attempts dissolving?
4 The Jews told him, We have a law which forbids doing cures on the
Sabbath day; but he
cures both the lame and the deaf, those afflicted with the palsy, the
blind, and lepers, and demoniacs,
on that day by wicked methods.
5 Pilate replied, How can he do this by wicked methods? They answered,
He is a conjurer, and casts out devils by the prince of the devils ;
and so all things become subject to him.
6 Then said Pilate, Casting out devils seems not to be the work of an
unclean spirit,
but to proceed from the power of God.
7 The Jews replied to Pilate, We entreat your highness to summon him to
appear before your
tribunal, and hear him yourself.
8 Then Pilate called a messenger and said to him, By what means will
Christ be brought hither?
9 Then went the messenger forth, and knowing Christ, worshipped him;
and having spread
the cloak which he had in his hand upon the ground, he said, Lord, walk
upon this, and go in,
for the governor calls thee.
10 When the Jews perceived what the messenger had done they exclaimed
(against him) to
Pilate, and said, Why did you not give him his summons by a beadle, and
not by a messenger? -
For the messenger, when he saw him, worshipped him, and spread the
cloak which he had in his
hand upon the ground before him, and said to him, Lord, the governor
calls thee.
11 Then Pilate called the messenger, and said, Why hast thou done thus?
12 The messenger replied, When thou sentest me from Jerusalem to
Alexander, I saw Jesus
sitting in a mean figure upon a she-ass, and the children of the
Hebrews cried out, Hosannah,
holding boughs of trees in their hands.
13 Others spread their garments in the way, and said, Save us, thou who
art in heaven;
blessed is he who cometh in the name of the Lord.?
14 Then the Jews cried out, against the messenger, and said,
The children of the Hebrews made their acclamations in the Hebrew
language;
and how couldst thou, who art a Greek, understand the Hebrew?
MARY OFFERING IN THE TEMPLE.
From a Greek diptychon of the thirteenth or fourteenth century.
15 The messenger answered them and said, I asked one of the Jews and
said, What is this
which the children do cry out in the Hebrew language?
16 And he explained it to me, saying, they cry out Hosannah, which
being interpreted,
is, 0, Lord, save me; or, 0 Lord, save.
17 Pilate then said to them, Why do you yourselves testify to the words
spoken by the children,
namely, by your silence?
In what has the messenger done amiss? And they were silent.
18 Then the governor said unto the messenger, Go forth and endeavour by
any means to
bring him in.
19 But the messenger went forth, and did as before; and said, Lord,
come in, for the governor calleth thee.
20 And as Jesus was going in by the ensigns, who carried the standards,
the tops of them
bowed down and worshipped Jesus.
21 Whereupon the Jews exclaimed more vehemently against the ensigns.
22 But Pilate said to the Jews, I know it is not pleasing to you that
the tops of the standards
did of themselves bow and worship Jesus; but why do ye exclaim against
the ensigns,
as if they had bowed and worshipped?
23 They replied to Pilate, We saw the ensigns themselves bowing and
worshipping Jesus.
24 Then the governor called the ensigns and said unto them, Why did you
do thus?
25 The ensigns said to Pilate, We are all Pagans and worship the gods
in temples; and how
should we think anything about worshipping him?
We only held the standards in our hands and they bowed themselves and
worshipped him.
26 Then said Pilate to the rulers of the synagogue, Do ye yourselves
choose some strong men,
and let them hold the standards, and we shall see whether they will
then bend of themselves.
27 So the elders of the Jews sought out twelve of the most strong and
able old men,
and made them hold the standards and they stood in the presence of the
governor.
28 Then Pilate said to the messenger, Take Jesus out, and by some means
bring him in again.
And Jesus and the messenger went out of the hall.
29 And Pilate called the ensigns who before had borne the standards,
and swore to them,
that if they had not borne the standards in that manner when Jesus
before entered in,
he would cut off their heads.
30 Then the governor commanded Jesus to come in again.
31 And the messenger did as he had done before, and very much entreated
Jesus that he
would go upon his cloak, and walk on it, and he did walk upon it, and
went in.
32 And when Jesus went in, the standards bowed themselves as before,
and worshipped him.
CHAP. II
(2 Is compassionated by Pilate's wife,
7 charged with being born in fornication.
12 Testimony to the betrothing of his
parents. Hatred of the Jews to him.)
Now when Pilate saw this, he was afraid, and was about to rise from his
seat.
2 But while he thought to rise, his own wife who stood at a distance,
sent to him, saying,
Have thou nothing to do with that just man; for I have suffered much
concerning him in a
Vision this night.
3 When the Jews heard this they said to Pilate, Did we not say unto
thee,
He is a conjuror?
Behold, he hath caused thy wife to dream.
4 Pilate then calling Jesus, said, thou hast heard what they testify
against thee,
and makest no answer?
5 Jesus replied, If they had not a power of speaking, they could not
have spoke;
but because every one has the command of his own tongue, to speak both
good and bad,
let him look to it.
6 But the elders of the Jews answered, and said to Jesus,
What shall we look to?
7 In the first place, we know this concerning thee, that thou wast born
through fornication;
secondly, that upon the account of thy birth the infants were slain in
Bethlehem;
thirdly, that thy father and mother Mary fled into Egypt, because they
could
not trust their own people.
8 Some of the Jews who stood by spake more favourably, We cannot say
that he was born
through fornication ; but we know that his mother Mary was betrothed to
Joseph, and so he
was not born through fornication.
9 Then said Pilate to the Jews who affirmed him to be born through
fornication,
This your account is not true, seeing there was a betrothment, as they
testify
who are of your own nation.
10 Annas and Caiaphas spake to Pilate, All this multitude of people is
to be regarded,
who cry out, that he was born through fornication, and is a conjuror;
but they who deny him to be born through fornication, are his
proselytes and disciples.
11 Pilate answered Annas and Caiaphas, Who are the proselytes?
They answered, They are those who are the children of Pagans, and are
not become Jews, but
followers of him.
12 Then replied Eleazer, and Asterius, and Antonius, and James, Caras
and Samuel, Isaac
and Phinees, Crispus and Agrippa, Annas and Judas, We are not
proselytes, but children of
Jews, and speak the truth, and were present when Mary was betrothed.
13 Then Pilate addressing himself to the twelve men who spake this,
said to them, I conjure you
by the life of Caesar, that ye faithfully declare whether he was born
through fornication, and
those things be true which ye have related.
14 They answered Pilate, We have a law, where by we are forbid to
swear, it being a sin:
Let them swear by the life of Caesar that it is not as we have said,
and we
will be contented to be put to death.
15 Then said Annas and Caiaphas to Pilate, Those twelve men will not
believe that we know
him to be basely born, and to be a conjuror, although he pretends that
he is the son of God,
and a king :
which we are so far from believing, that we tremble to hear.
16 Then Pilate commanded every one to go out except the twelve men who
said he was not
born through fornication, and Jesus to withdraw to a distance, and said
to them,
Why have the Jews a mind to kill Jesus?
17 They answered him, They are angry because he wrought cures on the
Sabbath day.
Pilate said, Will they kill him for a good work ? They say unto him,
Yes, Sir.
CHAP. III.
(1 Is exonerated by Pilate.
11 Disputes with Pilate
concerning Truth.)
THEN Pilate, filled with anger, went out of the hall, and said to the
Jews,
I call the whole world to witness that I find no fault in that man.
2 The Jews replied to Pilate, If he had not been a wicked person, we
had not brought him before thee.
3 Pilate said to them, Do ye take him and try him by your law.
4 Then the Jews said, It is not lawful for us to put any one to death.
5 Pilate said to the Jews, The command, therefore thou shalt not kill,
belongs to you, but not
to me.
6 And he went again into the hall, and called Jesus by himself, and
said to him,
Art thou the king of the Jews?
7 And Jesus answering, said to Pilate,
Dost thou speak this of thyself, or did the Jews tell it thee
concerning me?
8 Pilate answering, said to Jesus, Am I a Jew?
The whole nation and rulers of the Jews have delivered thee up to me.
What hast thou done?
9 Jesus answering, said, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom
were of this world,
then would my servants fight, and I should not have been delivered to
the Jews; but now my
kingdom is not from hence.
10 Pilate said, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered,
Thou sayest that I am a king: to this end was I born, and for this end
came I into the world;
and for this purpose I came, that I should bear witness to the truth;
and
every one who is of the truth, heareth my voice.
11 Pilate saith to him, What is truth?
12 Jesus said, Truth is from heaven.
13 Pilate said, Therefore truth is not on earth.
14 Jesus said to Pilate, Believe that truth is on earth among those,
who when they have the power of judgment, are governed by truth, and
form right judgment.
CHAP. IV.
(1 Pilate finds no fault in Jesus.
16 The Jews demand his crucifixion.)
THEN Pilate left Jesus in the hall, and went out to the Jews, and said,
I find not any one fault in Jesus.
2 The Jews say unto him, But he said, I can destroy the temple of God,
and in three days
build it up again.
3 Pilate saith unto them, What sort of temple is that of which he
speaketh?
4 The Jews say unto him, That which Solomon was forty-six years in
building, he said he
would destroy, and in three days build up.
5 Pilate said to them again, I am innocent from the blood of that man;
do ye look to it.
6 The Jews say to him, His blood be upon us and our children.
Then Pilate calling together the elders and scribes, priests and
Levites, saith to them
privately, Do not act thus; I have found nothing in your charge
(against him) concerning
his curing sick persons, and breaking the Sabbath, worthy of death.
7 The Priests and Levites replied to Pilate, By the life of Caesar, if
any one be a blasphemer,
he is worthy of death , but this man hath blasphemed against the Lord.
8 Then the governor again commanded the Jews to depart out of the hall;
and calling Jesus,
said to him, What shall I do with thee?
9 Jesus answered him, Do according as it is written.
10 Pilate said to him, How is it written?
11 Jesus saith to him, Moses and the prophets have prophesied
concerning my suffering and resurrection.
12 The Jews hearing this, were provoked, and said to Pilate, Why wilt
thou any longer
hear the blasphemy of that man?
13 Pilate saith to them, If these words seem to you blasphemy, do ye
take him, bring
him to your court, and try him according to your law.
14 The Jews reply to Pilate, Our law saith, he shall be obliged to
receive nine and thirty stripes,
but if after this manner he shall blaspheme against the Lord, he shall
be stoned.
15 Pilate saith unto them, If that speech of his was blasphemy, do ye
try him according to your law.
16 The Jews say to Pilate, Our law commands us not to put any one to
death :
we desire that he may be crucified, because he deserves the death of
the cross.
17 Pilate saith to them, It is not fit he should be crucified:
let him be only whipped and sent away.
18 But when the governor looked upon the people that were
present and the Jews, he saw many of the Jews in tears, and said to the
chief priests of the
Jews, All the people do not desire his death.
19 The elders of the Jews answered to Pilate, We and all the people
came hither for this very
purpose, that he should die.
20 Pilate saith to them, Why should he die?
21 They said to him, Because he declares himself to be the Son of God,
and a King.
CHAP. V.
(1 Nicodemus speaks in defense of Christ,
and relates his miracles. 12 Another
Jew, 26 with veronica, 34 Centurio,
and others, testify of other miracles.)
BUT Nicodemus, a certain Jew, stood before the governor, and said, I
entreat thee,
O righteous judge, that thou wouldst favour me with the liberty of
speaking a few words.
2 Pilate said to him, Speak on.
3 Nicodemus said, I spake to the elders of the Jews, and the scribes,
and priests and Levites,
and all the multitude of the Jews, in their assembly; What is it ye
would do with this man?
4 He is a man who hath wrought many useful and glorious miracles, such
as no man
on earth ever wrought before, nor will ever work. Let him go, and do
him no harm; if he cometh from God, his miracles, (his miraculous
Cures) will continue; but if from men, they will Come to nought.
5 Thus Moses, when he was sent by God into Egypt, wrought the miracles
which God commanded him, before Pharaoh king of Egypt; and though the
magicians of that country, Jannes and Jambres,
wrought by their magic the same miracles which Moses did , yet they
could not work all which he did;
6 And the miracles which the magicians wrought, were not of God,
as ye know, 0 Scribes and Pharisees; but they who wrought them
perished, and all who believed them.
7 And now let this man go; because the very miracles for which ye
accuse him, are from God;
and he is not worthy of death.
8 The Jews then said to Nicodemus, Art thou become his disciple, and
making speeches in his favour?
9 Nicodemus said to them, Is the governor become his disciple also and
does he make speeches for him?
Did not Caesar place him in that high post?
10 When the Jews heard this they trembled, and gnashed their teeth at
Nicodemus, and said to him,
Mayest thou receive his doctrine for truth, and have thy lot with
Christ!
11 Nicodemus replied, Amen; I will receive his doctrine, and my lot
with him, as ye have said.
12 Then another certain Jew rose up, and desired leave of the governor
to hear him a few words.
13 And the governor said, Speak what thou hast a mind.
14 And he said, I lay for thirty - eight years by the sheep- pool at
Jerusalem, labouring
under a great infirmity, and waiting for a cure which should be wrought
by the coming of an
angel, who at a certain time troubled the water; and whosoever first
after the troubling of the
water stepped in, was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
15 And when Jesus saw me languishing there, he said to me, Wilt thou be
made whole? And
I answered, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me
into the pool.
16 And he said unto me, Rise, take up thy bed and walk. And I was
immediately made whole,
and took up my bed and walked.
17 The Jews then said to Pilate, Our Lord Governor, pray ask him what
day it was on which
he was cured of his infirmity.
18 The infirm person replied, It was on the Sabbath.
19 The Jews said to Pilate, Did we not say that he wrought his cures on
the Sabbath, and cast
out devils by the prince of devils?
20 Then another certain Jew came forth, and said, I was blind, could
hear sounds, but could not
see any one; and as Jesus was going along, I heard the multitude
passing by, and I asked
what was there?
21 They told me that Jesus was passing by: then I cried out, saying,
Jesus, Son of David,
have mercy on me. And he stood still, and commanded that I should be
brought to him, and
said to me, What wilt thou?
22 I said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.
23 He said to me, Receive thy sight: and presently I saw, and followed
him, rejoicing and
giving thanks.
24 Another Jew also came forth, and said, I was a leper, and he cured
me by his word only,
saying, I will, be thou clean; and presently I was cleansed from my
leprosy.
25 And another Jew came forth, and said, I was crooked, and he made me
straight by his word.
26 And a certain woman named Veronica, said, I was afflicted with an
issue of blood
twelve years, and I touched the hem of his garments, and presently the
issue of my blood stopped.
27 The Jews then said, We have a law, that a woman shall not be allowed
as an evidence.
28 And, after other things, another Jew said, I saw Jesus invited to a
wedding with his disciples,
and there was a want of wine in Cana of Galilee;
29 And when the wine was all drank, he commanded the servants that they
should fill six
pots which were there with water, and they filled them up to the brim,
and he blessed them,
and turned the water into wine, and all the people drank, being
surprised at this miracle.
30 And another Jew stood forth, and said, I saw Jesus teaching in the
synagogue at
Capernaum; and there was in the synagogue a certain man who had a
devil; and he cried
out, saying, let me alone; what have we to do with thee, Jesus of
Nazareth?
Art thou come to destroy us? I know that thou art the Holy One of God.
31 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, unclean spirit, and
come out of the man;
and presently he came out of him, and did not at all hurt him.
32 The following things were also said by a Pharisee; I saw that a
great company came to
Jesus from Galilee and Judaea, and the sea-coast, and many countries
about Jordan, and
many infirm persons came to him, and he healed them all.
33 And I heard the unclean spirits crying out, and saying, Thou art the
Son of God.
And Jesus strictly charged them, that they should not make him known.
34 After this another person, whose name was Centurio, said, I saw
Jesus in Capernaum,
and I entreated him, saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the
palsy.
35 And Jesus said to me, I will come and cure him.
36 But I said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my
roof;
but only speak the word, and my servant shall be healed.
37 And Jesus said unto me, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be
it done unto thee.
And my servant was healed from that same hour.
38 Then a certain nobleman said, I had a son in Capernaum, who lay at
the point of death;
and when I heard that Jesus was come into Galilee, I went and besought
him that he would come
down to my house, and heal my son, for he was at the point of death.
39 He said to me, Go thy way, thy son liveth.
40 And my son was cured from that hour.
41 Besides these, also many others of the Jews, both men and women,
cried out and said,
He is truly the Son of God, who cures all diseases only by his word,
and to whom
the devils are altogether subject.
42 Some of them farther said, This power can proceed from none but God.
43 Pilate said to the Jews, Why are not the devils subject to your
doctors?
44 Some of them said, The power of subjecting devils cannot proceed but
from God.
45 But others said to Pilate, That he had raised Lazarus from the dead,
after he had been
four days in his grave.
46 The governor hearing this, trembling said to the multitude of the
Jews,
What will it profit you to shed innocent blood?
CHAP. VI.
(1 Pilate dismayed by the turbulence of
the Jews, 5 who demand Barabbas to
be released, and Christ to be crucified,
9 Pilate warmly expostulates with
them, 20 washes his hands of Christ's
blood, 23 and sentences him to be
whipped and crucified.)
THEN Pilate having called together Nicodemus, and the fifteen men who
said that
Jesus was not born through fornication, said to them, What shall I do,
seeing there is like to
be a tumult among the people.
2 They said unto him, We know not; let them look to it who raise the
tumult.
3 Pilate then called the multitude again, and said to them, Ye know
that ye have a custom, that
I should release to you one prisoner at the feast of the Passover;
4 I have a noted prisoner, a murderer, who is called Barabbas, and
Jesus who is called
Christ, in whom I find nothing that deserves death; which of them
therefore have
you a mind that I should release to you?'
5 They all cry out, and say, Release to us Barabbas.
6 Pilate saith to them, What then shall I do with Jesus who is called
Christ?
7 They all answer, Let him be crucified.
8 Again they cry out and say to Pilate, You are not the friend of
Caesar, if you release this
man? for he hath declared that he is the Son of God, and a king.
But are you inclined that he should be king, and not Caesar?
9 Then Pilate filled with anger said to them, Your nation hath always
been seditious, and
you are always against those who have been serviceable to you?
10 The Jews replied, Who are those who have been serviceable to us?
11 Pilate answered them, Your God who delivered you from the hard
bondage of the Egyptians,
and brought you over the Red Sea as though it had been dry land, and
fed you in the wilderness
with manna and the flesh of quails, and brought water out of the rock,
and gave you a law
from heaven:
12 Ye provoked him all ways, and desired for yourselves a molten calf,
and worshipped it,
and sacrificed to it, and said, These are Thy Gods, 0 Israel, which
brought thee out of the
land of Egypt!
13 On account of which your God was inclined to destroy you;
but Moses interceded for you, and your God heard him, and forgave your
iniquity.
14 Afterwards ye were enraged against, and would have killed your
prophets, Moses and Aaron,
when they fled to the tabernacle, and ye were always murmuring against
God and his prophets.
15 And arising from his judgment seat, he would have gone out; but the
Jews all cried out,
We acknowledge Caesar to be king, and not Jesus.
16 Whereas this person, as soon as he was born, the wise men came and
offered gifts unto
him; which when Herod heard, he was exceedingly troubled, and would
have killed him.
17 When his father knew this, he fled with him and his mother Mary into
Egypt. Herod, when
he heard he was born, would have slain him; and accordingly sent and
slew all the children which
were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old
and under.
18 When Pilate heard this account, he was afraid; and commanding
silence among the people,
who made a noise, he said to Jesus, Art thou therefore a king?
19 All the Jews replied to Pilate, he is the very person whom Herod
sought to have slain.
20 Then Pilate taking water, washed his hands before the people and
said, I am innocent of
the blood of this just person; look ye to it.
21 The Jews answered and said, His blood be upon us and our children.
22 Then Pilate commanded Jesus to be brought before him, and spake to
him in the following words:
23 Thy own nation hath charged thee as making thyself a king; wherefore
I,
Pilate sentence thee to be whipped according to the laws of former
governors; and that thou be first
bound, then hanged upon a cross in that place where thou art now a
prisoner; and also two
criminals with thee, whose names are Dimas and Gestas.
CHAP. VII
(1 Manner of Christ's crucifixion with
the two thieves.)
THEN Jesus went out of the hall, and the two thieves with him.
2 And when they came to the place which is called Golgotha, they stript
him of his raiment,
and girt him about with a linen cloth, and put a crown of thorns upon
his head, and put a reed in
his hand.
3 And in like manner did they to the two thieves who were crucified
with him, Dimas on his
right hand and Gestas on his left.
4 But Jesus said, My Father, forgive them; For they know not
what they do.
5 And they divided his garments, and upon his vesture they
cast lots.
6 The people in the mean time stood by, and the chief priests and
elders of the Jews mocked
him, saying, he saved others, let him now save himself if he can;
if he be the son of God, let him now come down from the cross.
7 The soldiers also mocked him, and taking vinegar and gall
offered it to him to drink, and said to him, If thou art king of
the Jews deliver thyself.
8 Then Longinus, a certain soldier, taking a spear, pierced his
side, and presently there came forth blood and water.
9 And Pilate wrote the title upon the cross in Hebrew, Latin,
and Greek letters, viz. This is the king of the Jews.
10 But one of the two thieves who were crucified with Jesus,
whose name was Gestas, said to Jesus, If thou art the Christ, deliver
thyself and us.
11 But the thief who was crucified on his right hand, whose
name was Dimas, answering, rebuked him, and said, Dost not
thou fear God, who art condemned to this punishment? We indeed
receive rightly and justly the demerit of our actions; but this
Jesus, what evil bath he done?
12 After this groaning, he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me
when thou comest into thy kingdom.
13 Jesus answering, said to him, Verily I say unto thee, that
this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise.
CHAP. VIII.
(1 Miraculous appearance at his death.
10 The Jews say the eclipse was natural.
12 Joseph of Arimathaea embalms
Christ's body and buries it.)
AND it was about the sixth hour, and darkness was upon the face of the
whole earth until
the ninth hour.
2 And while the sun was eclipsed, behold the vail of the temple was
rent from the top to
the bottom; and the rocks also were rent, and the graves opened, and
many bodies of saints,
which slept, arose.
3 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice,
saying, Hely, Hely, lama zabacthani ?
which being interpreted, is, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?
4 And after these things, Jesus said, Father, into thy hands I
commend my spirit; and having said this, he gave up the ghost
5 But when the centurion saw that Jesus thus crying out gave
up the ghost, he glorified God, and said, Of a truth this was a just
man.
6 And all the people who stood by, were exceedingly troubled at
the sight; and reflecting upon what had passed, smote upon their
breasts, and then returned to the city of Jerusalem.
7 The centurion went to the governor, and related to him all that had
passed;
8 And when he had heard all these things, he was exceeding sorrowful ;
9 And calling the Jews together, said to them, Have ye seen the miracle
of the sun's eclipse,
and the other things which came to pass, while Jesus was dying?
10 Which when the Jews heard, they answered to the governor,
The eclipse of the sun happened according to its usual custom.
11 But all those who were the acquaintance of Christ, stood at a
distance,
as did the women who had followed Jesus from Galilee,
observing all these things.
THE BIRTH OF CHRIST . THE MURDER OF THE INNOCENTS.
FROM A PAINTING ON WOOD BY FRA FILIPPO LIPPI. FROM A PAINTING ON WOOD
BY
MATTEO DI GIOVANNI.
12 And behold a certain man of Arimathaea, named Joseph,
who also was a disciple of Jesus, but not openly so, for fear of the
Jews, came to the governor, and entreated the governor that he
would give him leave to take away the body of Jesus from the cross.
13 And the governor gave him leave.
14 And Nicodemus came, bringing with him a mixture of myrrh and aloes
about a hundred
pound weight; and they took down Jesus from the cross with tears, and
bound him with linen
cloths with spices, according to the custom of burying among the Jews,
15 And placed him in a new tomb, which Joseph had built, and caused to
be cut out of a rock,
in which never any man had been put; and they rolled a great stone to
the door of the sepulchre.
CHAP. IX.
( 1 The Jews angry with Nicodemus;
5 and with Joseph of Arimathaea,
7 whom they imprison.)
WHEN the unjust Jews heard that Joseph had begged and buried the body
of Jesus,
they sought after Nicodemus; and those fifteen men who had testified
before the Governor,
that Jesus was not born through fornication, and other good persons who
had shewn any good
actions towards him.
2 But when they all concealed themselves through fear of the Jews
Nicodemus alone shewed himself to them, and said, How can such persons
as these enter
into the synagogue?
3 The Jews answered him, But how durst thou enter into the synagogue
who
wast a confederate with Christ? Let thy lot be along with him in the
other world.
4 Nicodemus answered, Amen; so may it be, that I may have my lot with
him in his kingdom.
5 In like manner Joseph, when he came to the Jews, said to them
Why are ye angry with me for desiring the body of Jesus of Pilate?
Behold, I have put him in my tomb, and wrapped him up in clean linen,
and
put a stone at the door of the sepulchre:
6 I have acted rightly towards him; but ye acted unjustly towards
aginst that just person, In crucifying him, giving him vinegar to
drink,
crowning him with thorns, tearing his body with whips, and
prayed down the guilt of his blood upon you.
7 The Jews at the hearing of this were disquieted, and troubled;
and they seized Joseph, and commanded him to be put in custody before
the Sabbath,
and kept there till the Sabbath was over.
8 And they said to him, Make confession; for at this time it is
not lawful to do thee any harm, till the first day of the week come.
But we know that thou wilt not be thought worthy of a burial;
but we will give thy flesh to the birds of the air, and the beasts of
the earth.
9 Joseph answered, That speech is like the speech of proud Goliath,
who reproached the living God in speaking against David. But ye scribes
and doctors
know that God saith by the prophet, Vengeance is mine, and I
will repay to you evil equal to that which ye have threatened to me.
10 The God whom you have hanged upon the cross, is able to deliver me
out of your hands.
All your wickedness will return upon you.
11 For the governor, when he washed his hands, said, I am clear from
the
blood of this just person. But ye answered and cried out,
His blood be upon us and our children. According as ye have said,
may ye perish for ever.
12 The elders of the Jews hearing these words, were exceedingly
enraged;
and seizing Joseph, they put him into a chamber where there was no
window;
they fastened the door, and put a seal upon the lock;
13 And Annas and Caiaphas placed a guard upon it, and took counsel
with the priests and Levites, that they should all meet after the
Sabbath,
and they contrived to what death they should put Joseph.
14 When they had done this, the rulers, Annas and Caiaphas,
ordered Joseph to be brought forth.
In this place there is a portion of the Gospel lost or omitted, which
cannot be supplied.
CHAP. X.
(1 Joseph's escape. 2 The soldiers relate
Christ's resurrection. 18 Christ is seen
preaching in Galilee. 21 The Jews repent
of their cruelty to him.)
When all the assembly heard this, they admired and were astonished,
because they found the same seal upon the lock of the chamber, and
could
not find Joseph.
2 Then Annas and Caiaphas went forth, and while they were
all admiring at Joseph's being gone, behold one of the soldiers,
who kept the sepulchre of Jesus, spake in the assembly.
3 That while they were guarding the sepulchre of Jesus, there
was an earthquake; and we saw an angel of God roll away the
stone of the sepulchre and sit upon it;
4 And his countenance was like lightning and his garment
like snow; and we became through fear like persons dead.
5 And we heard an angel saying to the women at the sepulchre of Jesus,
Do not fear;
I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified; he is risen as he
foretold.
6 Come and see the place where he was laid; and go presently, and tell
his disciples that
he is risen from the dead, and he will go before you into Galilee;
there ye shall see him as he told you.
7 Then the Jews called together all the soldiers who kept the
sepulchre of Jesus, and said to them, Who are those women, to
whom the angel spoke? Why did ye not seize them?
8 The soldiers answered and said, We know not whom the women were;
besides we became as dead persons through fear, and
how could we seize those women?
9 The Jews said to them, As the Lord liveth we do not believe you.
10 The soldiers answering said to the Jews, when ye saw and
heard Jesus working so many miracles, and did not believe him,
how should ye believe us? Ye well said, As the Lord liveth, for
the Lord truly does live.
11 We have heard that ye shut up Joseph, who buried the body
of Jesus, in a chamber, under a lock which was sealed, and when
ye opened it, found him not there.
12 Do ye then produce Joseph whom ye put under guard in the
chamber, and we will produce Jesus whom we guarded in the sepulchre.
13 The Jews answered and said, We will produce Joseph, do ye produce
Jesus.
But Joseph is in his own city of Arimathaea.
14 The soldiers replied If Joseph be in Arimathaea, and Jesus in
Galilee,
we heard the angel inform the women.
15 The Jews hearing this, were afraid, and said among themselves,
If by any means these things should become public, then every body will
believe
in Jesus.
16 Then they gathered a large sum of money, and gave it to the
soldiers, saying, Do ye tell the
people that the disciples of Jesus came in the night when ye were
asleep and stole away the body
of Jesus; and if Pilate the governor should hear of this, we will
satisfy him and secure you
17 The soldiers accordingly took the money, and said as they were
instructed by the Jews,
and their report was spread abroad among all the people.
18 But a certain priest Phinees, Ada a schoolmaster, and a Levite,
named Ageus, they three
came from Galilee to Jerusalem, and told the chief priests and all
who were in the synagogues, saying,
19 We have seen Jesus, whom ye crucified, talking with his eleven
disciples,
and sitting in the midst of them in Mount Olivet, and saying to them,
20 Go forth into the whole world, preach the Gospel to all nations,
baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and the son, and the Holy Ghost; and whosoever
shall believe
and be baptized, shall be saved.
21 And when he had said these things to his disciples, we saw him
ascending up to heaven.
22 When the chief priests, and elders, and Levites heard these
things, they said to these three men, Give glory to the God of Israel,
and make confession to him, whether those things are true, which ye say
ye
have seen and heard.
23 They answering said, As the Lord of our fathers liveth, the God of
Abraham,
and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, according as we heard Jesus
talking
with his disciples, and according as we saw him ascending up to heaven,
so we have related the truth to you.
24 And the three men farther answered, and said, adding these words,
If we should not own the words which we heard Jesus speak, and that we
saw him
ascending into heaven, we should be guilty of sin.
25 Then the chief priests immediately rose up, and holding the book of
the law in their
hands, conjured these men, saying, Ye shall no more here after declare
those things
which ye have spoke concerning Jesus.
26 And they gave them a large sum of money, and sent
other persons along with them, who should conduct them to
their own country, that they might not by any means make any stay at
Jerusalem.
27 Then the Jews did assemble all together, and having expressed the
most lamentable
concern, said, What is this extraordinary thing which is come
to pass in Jerusalem?
28 But Annas and Caiaphas comforted them, saying, Why should we believe
the soldiers
who guarded the sepulchre of Jesus, in telling us, that an angel rolled
away the stone from the
door of the sepulchre?
29 Perhaps his own disciples told them this, and gave them money that
they should say so,
and they themselves took away the body of Jesus.
30 Besides, consider this, that there is no credit to be given to
foreigners, because they also
took a large sum of us, and they have declared to us according to the
instructions
which we gave them. They must either be faithful to us, or to the
disciples of Jesus.
CHAP. XI.
(1 Nicodemus counsels the Jews.
6 Joseph found. 11 invited by the
Jews to return. 19 Relates the
manner of his miraculous escape.)
THEN Nicodemus arose, and said, Ye say right, 0 sons of Israel, ye have
heard what
those three men have sworn by the Law of God, who said, We have seen
Jesus speaking with
his disciples upon Mount Olivet, and we saw him ascending up to heaven.
2 And the scripture teacheth us that the blessed prophet Elijah was
taken up to
heaven; and Elisha being asked by the sons of the prophets, Where is
our
father Elijah? He said to them, that he is taken up to heaven.
3 And the sons of the prophets said to him, Perhaps the spirit hath
carried him into one of the
mountains of Israel, there perhaps we shall find him. And they besought
Elisha,
and he walked about with them three days, and they could not find him.
4 And now hear me, 0 sons of Israel, and let us send men into the
mountains of Israel, lest
perhaps the spirit hath carried away Jesus, and there perhaps we shall
find him, and be satisfied.
5 And the counsel of Nicodemus pleased all the people; and they sent
forth men who sought
for Jesus, but could not find him:
and they returning, said, We went all about, but could not find Jesus,
but we have found
Joseph in his city of Arimathea.
6 The rulers hearing this, and all the people, were glad, and praised
the God of Israel, because
Joseph was found, whom they had shut up in a chamber, and could not
find.
7 And when they had formed a large assembly, the chief priests said,
By what means shall we bring Joseph to us to speak with him?
8 And taking a piece of paper, they wrote to him, and said, Peace be
with thee,
and all thy family. We know that we have offended against God and thee.
Be pleased to give a visit to us your fathers, for we were perfectly
surprised
at your escape from prison.
9 We know that it was malicious counsel which we took against thee, and
that the Lord
took care of thee, and the Lord himself delivered thee from our
designs.
Peace be unto thee, Joseph, who art honourable among all the people.
10 And they chose seven of Joseph's friends, and said them, When ye
come to Joseph,
salute him in peace, and give him this letter.
11 Accordingly, when the men came to Joseph, they did salute him in
peace, and gave him the
letter.
12 And when Joseph had read it, he said, Blessed be the Lord God, who
didst deliver me from
the Israelites, that they could not shed my blood. Blessed be God, who
has protected
me under thy wings.
13 And Joseph kissed them, and took them into his house.
And on the morrow, Joseph mounted his ass, and went along
with them to Jerusalem.
14 And when all the Jews heard these things, they went out to meet him,
and cried out
saying, Peace attend thy coming hither, father Joseph.
15 To which he answered, Prosperity from the Lord attend all the
people.
16 And they all kissed him;
and Nicodemus took him to his house, having prepared a large
entertainment.
17 But on the morrow, being a preparation-day, Annas, and Caiaphas, and
Nicodemus, said
to Joseph, Make confession to the God of Israel, and answer to us all
those questions
which we shall ask thee;
18 For we have been very much troubled, that thou didst bury the body
of Jesus;
and that when we had locked thee in a chamber, we could not find thee;
and we have been afraid ever since, till this time of thy appearing
among us.
Tell us therefore before God, all that came to pass.
19 Then Joseph answering, said, Ye did indeed put me under confinement,
on the day of
preparation, till the morning.
20 But while I was standing at prayer in the middle of the night, the
house was surrounded
with four angels; and I saw Jesus as the brightness of the sun, and
fell down upon the
earth for fear.
21 But Jesus laying hold on my hand, lifted me from the ground, and the
dew was then
sprinkled upon me; but he, wiping my face, kissed me, and said unto me,
Fear not, Joseph; look upon me, for it is I.
22 Then I looked upon him, and said, Rabboni Elias! He answered me, I
am not Elias,
but Jesus of Nazareth, whose body thou didst bury.
23 I said to him, Shew me the tomb in which I laid thee.
24 Then Jesus, taking me by the hand, led me unto the place
where I laid him, and shewed me the linen clothes, and napkin which I
put round his head.
Then I knew that it was Jesus, and worshipped him, and said,
Blessed be he who cometh in the name of the Lord.
25 Jesus again taking me by the hand, led me to Arimathaea to my own
house, and said to me,
Peace be to thee; but go not out of thy house till the fortieth day;
but I must go to my disciples.
CHAP. XII
(1 The Jews astonished and confounded.
17 Simeon's two sons, Charinus and
Lenthius, rise from the dead at Christ's
crucifixion. 19 Joseph proposes to get
them to relate the mysteries of their resurrection.
21 They are sought and found,
22 brought to the synagogue,
23 privately sworn to secrecy,
25 and undertake to write what they had seen.)
WHEN the chief priests and Levites heard all these things, they were
astonished,
and fell down with their faces on the ground as dead men, and crying
out
to one another said, What is this extraordinary sign which is come to
pass in Jerusalem?
We know the father and mother of Jesus.
2 And a certain Levite said, I know many of his relations, religious
persons,
who are wont to offer sacrifices and burnt - offerings to the God of
Israel, in the temple, with prayers.
3 And when the high priest Simeon took him up in his arms he said to
him,
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy
word; for mine
eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face
of all people:
a light to enlighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
4 Simeon in like manner blessed Mary the mother of Jesus, and said to
her,
I declare to thee concerning that child; He is appointed for the fall
and rising again
of many, and for a sign which shall be spoken against.
5 Yea, a sword shall pierce through thine own soul also, and the
thoughts
of many hearts shall be revealed.
6 Then said all the Jews, Let us send to those three men, who said they
saw him talking with
his disciples in Mount Olivet.
7 After this, they asked them what they had seen; who answered with one
accord,
In the presence of the God of Israel we affirm, that we plainly saw
Jesus
talking with his disciples in Mount Olivet, and ascending up
to heaven.
8 Then Annas and Caiaphas took them into separate places,
and examined them separately; who unanimously confessed the
truth, and said, they had seen Jesus.
9 Then Annas and Caiaphas said "Our law saith,
By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be
established."
10 But what have we said?
The blessed Enoch pleased God,
and was translated by the word of God; and the burying - place of
the blessed Moses is known.
11 But Jesus was delivered to Pilate, whipped, crowned with thorns,
spit upon, pierced with a spear, crucified, died upon the cross, and
was buried,
and his body the honorable Joseph buried in a new sepulchre, and he
testifies that he saw him alive
12 And besides these men have declared, that they saw him
talking with his disciples in Mount Olivet, and ascending up
to heaven.
13 Then Joseph rising up, said to Annas and Caiaphas, Ye
may be justly under a great surprise, that you have been told,
that Jesus is alive, and gone up to heaven.
14 It is indeed a thing really surprising, that he should not
only himself arise from the dead, but also raise others from their
graves,
who have been seen by many in Jerusalem.
15 And now hear me a little:
We all knew the blessed Simeon, the high - priest, who took Jesus
when an infant into his arms in the temple.
16 This same Simeon had two sons of his own, and we were all present at
their death and funeral.
17 Go therefore and see their tombs, for these are open, and they are
risen:
and behold, they are in the city of Arimathaea, spending their time
together in
offices of devotion.
18 Some, indeed, have heard the sound of their voices in prayer, but
they will not discourse
with any one, but they continue as mute as dead men.
19 But come, let us go to them, and behave ourselves towards
them with all due respect and caution. And if we can bring
them to swear, perhaps they will tell us some of the mysteries of their
resurrection.
20 When the Jews heard this, they were exceedingly rejoiced.
21 Then Annas and Caiaphas, Nicodemus, Joseph, and Gamaliel, went to
Arimathaea,
but did not find them in their graves; but walking about the city, they
found them on their
bended knees at their devotions:
22 Then saluting them with all respect and deference to God, they
brought them to the
synagogue at Jerusalem: and having shut the gates, they took the book
of the law of the Lord,
23 And putting it in their hands, swore them by God Adonai, and the God
of Israel,
who spake to our fathers by the law and the prophets, saying,
If ye believe him who raised you from the dead, to be Jesus, tell
us what ye have seen, and how ye were raised from the dead.
24 Charinus and Lenthius, the two sons of Simeon, trembled when they
heard these things,
and were disturbed, and groaned; and at the same time looking up to
heaven,
they made the sign of the cross with their fingers on their tongues,
25 And immediately they spake, and said, Give each of us some paper,
and we will write
down for you all those things which we have seen.
And they each sat down and wrote, saying,
CHAP. XIII.
(1 The narrative of Charinus and Lenthius
commences. 3 A great light in hell.
7 Simeon arrives, and announces
the coming of Christ.)
O LORD Jesus and Father, who art God, also the resurrection and life of
the dead,
give us leave to declare thy mysteries,
which we saw after death, belonging to thy cross; for we are sworn by
thy name.
2 For thou hast forbid thy servants to declare the secret things, which
were wrought by
by divine power in hell.
3 When we were placed with our fathers in the depth of hell,
in the blackness of darkness, on a sudden there appeared the colour of
the sun like gold,
and a substantial purple - coloured light enlightening the place.
4 Presently upon this, Adam, the father of all mankind, with all the
patriarchs and prophets,
rejoiced and said, That light is the author of everlasting light, who
hath promised to translate
us to everlasting light.
5 Then Isaiah the prophet cried out, and said, This is the light of the
Father,
and the Son of God, according to my prophecy, when I was alive upon
earth.
6 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim beyond Jordan,
a people who walked in darkness, saw a great light; and to them who
dwelled in the
region of the shadow of death, light is arisen. And now he is come, and
hath enlightened us
who sat in death.
7 And while we were all rejoicing in the light which shone upon us, our
father Simeon came
among us, and congratulating all the company, said, Glorify the
Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God.
8 Whom I took up in my arms when an infant in the temple, and being
moved by the
Holy Ghost, said to him, and acknowledged, That now mine eyes have seen
thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people,
a light to
enlighten the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel.
9 All the saints who were in the depth of hell, hearing this, rejoiced
the more.
10 Afterwards there came forth one like a little hermit, and was asked
by every one,
Who art thou?
11 To which he replied, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness,
John the Baptist, and the prophet of the Most High, who went before his
coming to
prepare his way, to give the knowledge of salvation to his people for
the forgiveness of sins.
12 And I John, when I saw Jesus coming to me, being moved by the Holy
Ghost, I said,
Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the
world.
13 And I baptized him in the river Jordan, and saw the Holy Ghost
descending upon him in
the form of a dove, and heard a voice from heaven, saying, This is my
beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased.
14 And now while I was going before him, I came down hither to acquaint
you, that
the son of God will next visit us, and, as the day - spring from on
high,
will come to us, who are in darkness and the shadow of death.
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST.
From a Triptychon by an Italian painter of the
thirteenth or fourteenth century.
CHAP. XIV.
( 1 Adam causes Seth to relate what he
heard from Michael the archangel,
when he sent him to Paradise to entreat
God to anoint his head in his sickness.)
BUT when the first man our father Adam heard these things, that Jesus
was baptized in Jordan,
he called out to his son, Seth, and said,
2 Declare to your sons, the patriarchs and prophets, all those things,
which thou didst hear
from Michael, the archangel, when I sent thee to the gates of Paradise,
to entreat God that he
would anoint my head when I was sick.
3 Then Seth, coming near to the patriarchs and prophets, said, I Seth,
when I was
praying to God at the gates of Paradise, beheld the angel of the Lord,
Michael appear unto me
saying, I am sent unto thee from the Lord; I am appointed to preside
over human bodies.
4 I tell thee Seth, do not pray to God in tears, and entreat him for
the oil of the tree of mercy
wherewith to anoint thy father Adam for his head - ache;
5 Because thou canst not by any means obtain it till the last day and
times, namely,
till five thousand and five hundred years be past.
6 Then will Christ, the most merciful Son of God, come on earth to
raise again the human
body of Adam, and at the same time to raise the bodies of the dead,
and when he cometh he will be baptized in Jordan:
7 Then with the oil of his mercy he will anoint all those who believe
on him;
and the oil of his mercy will continue to future generations, for those
who
shall be born of the water and the Holy Ghost unto eternal life.
8 And when at that time the most merciful Son of God, Christ Jesus,
shall come down on earth, he will introduce our father Adam into
Paradise, to the tree
of mercy.
9 When all the patriarchs and prophets heard all these things from
Seth, they rejoiced more.
CHAP. XV,
(1 Quarrel between Satan and
the prince of hell concerning
the expected arrival
of Christ in hell.)
WHILE all the saints were rejoicing, behold Satan, the prince and
captain of death,
said to the prince of hell,
2 Prepare to receive Jesus of Nazareth himself, who boasted that he was
the Son of God,
and yet was a man afraid of death, and said, My soul is sorrowful even
to death.
3 Besides he did many injuries to me and to many others; for those whom
I made blind
and lame and those also whom I tormented with several devils, he cured
by his word;
yea, and those whom I brought dead to thee, he by force takes away from
thee.
4 To this the prince of hell replied to Satan, Who is that so -
powerful prince, and yet a man
who is afraid of death?
5 For all the potentates of the earth are subject to my power, whom
thou broughtest to
subjection by thy power.
6 But if he be so powerful in his human nature, I affirm to thee for
truth, that he is almighty
in his divine nature, and no man can resist his power.
7 When therefore he said he was afraid of death, he designed to ensnare
thee,
and unhappy it will be to thee for everlasting ages.
8 Then Satan replying, said to the prince of hell, Why didst thou
express a doubt,
and wast afraid to receive that Jesus of Nazareth, both thy adversary
and mine?
9 As for me, I tempted him and stirred up my old people the Jews with
zeal and anger
against him?
10 I sharpened the spear for his suffering; I mixed the gall and
vinegar, and commanded
that he should drink it; I prepared the cross to crucify him,
and the nails to pierce through his hands and feet; and now his
death is near at hand, I will bring him hither, subject both to thee
and me.
11 Then the prince of hell answering, said, Thou saidst to me just now,
that he took
away the dead from me by force.
12 They who have been kept here till they should live again upon earth,
were taken away
hence, not by their own power, but by prayers made to God, and their
almighty
God took them from me.
13 Who then is that Jesus of Nazareth that by his word bath taken away
the dead
from me without prayer to God?
14 Perhaps it is the same who took away from me Lazarus, after
he had been four days dead, and did both stink and was rotten, and
of whom I had possession as a dead person, yet he brought him
to life again by his power.
15 Satan answering, replied to the prince of hell, It is the very same
person,
Jesus of Nazareth.
16 Which when the prince of hell heard, he said to him, I adjure thee
by the powers which
belong to thee and me, that thou bring him not to me.
17 For when I heard of the power of his word, I trembled for fear,
and all my impious company were at the same time disturbed;
18 And we were not able to detain Lazarus, but he gave himself a shake,
and with all the signs of malice, he immediately went away from us;
and the very earth, in which the dead body of Lazarus was lodged,
presently turned him out alive.
19 And I know now that he is Almighty God who could perform such
things,
who is mighty in his dominion, and mighty in his human nature, who is
the
Saviour of mankind.
20 Bring not therefore this person hither, for he will set at liberty
all those whom I hold in
prison under unbelief, and bound with the fetters of their sins, and
will conduct
them to everlasting life.
CHAP. XVI
(1 Christ's arrival at hell - gates;
the confusion thereupon.
10 He descends into hell.)
AND while Satan and the prince of hell were discoursing thus to each
other,
on a sudden there was a voice as of thunder and the rushing of winds,
saying, Lift up your gates, O ye princes; and be ye lift up, 0
everlasting gates,
and the King of Glory shall come in.
2 When the prince of hell heard this, he said to Satan, Depart from me,
and begone out of
my habitations; if thou art a powerful warrior, fight with the King of
Glory.
But what hast thou to do with him?
3 And he cast him forth from his habitations.
4 And the prince said to his impious officers, Shut the brass gates of
cruelty,
and make them fast with iron bars, and fight courageously, lest we be
taken
captives.
5 But when all the company of the saints heard this they spake
with a loud voice of anger to the prince of hell:
6 Open thy gates that the King of Glory may come in.
7 And the divine prophet David, cried out saying, Did not I when on
earth truly prophesy
and say, 0 that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his
wonderful works to the children of men.
8 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in
sunder.
He hath taken them because of their iniquity, and because of their
unrighteousness
they are afflicted.
9 After this another prophet, namely, holy Isaiah, spake in like
manner to all the saints, did not I rightly prophesy to you when I
was alive on earth?
10 The dead men shall live, and they shall rise again who are
in their graves, an they shall rejoice who are in earth; for the
dew which is from the Lord shall bring deliverance to them.
11 And I said in another place, O death, where is thy victory?
O death, where is thy sting?
12 When all the saints heard these things spoken by Isaiah,
they said to the prince of hell, Open now thy gates, and take
away thine iron bars; for thou wilt now he bound, and have no
power.
13 Then there was a great voice, as of the sound of thunder saying,
Lift up your gates, 0 princes; and be ye lifted up, ye
gates of hell, and the King of Glory will enter in.
14 The prince of hell perceiving the same voice repeated,
cried out as though he had been ignorant,
Who is that King of Glory?
15 David replied to the prince of hell, and said, I understand the
words of that voice,
because I spake them by his spirit. And now, as I have above said, I
say
unto thee, the Lord strong and powerful, the Lord mighty in battle:
he is the King of Glory, and he is the Lord in heaven and in earth;
16 He hath looked down to hear the groans of the prisoners,
and to set loose those that are appointed to death.
17 And now, thou filthy and stinking prince of hell, open thy gates,
that the King of Glory may enter in;
for he is the Lord of heaven and earth.
18 While David was saying this, the mighty Lord appeared in the form of
a man,
and enlightened those places which had ever before been in darkness,
19 And broke asunder the fetters which before could not be broken;
and with his invincible power visited those who sate in the deep
darkness by iniquity, and the shadow of death by sin.
CHAP XVII.
( 1 Death and the devils in great horror at Christ's coming.
13 He tramples on death, seizes the prince of hell, and
takes Adam with him to heaven.)
IMPIOUS Death and her cruel officers hearing these things,
were seized with fear in their several kingdoms, when they saw
the clearness of the light,
2 And Christ himself on a sudden appearing in their habitations;
they cried out therefore, and said, We are bound by thee;
thou seemest to intend our confusion before the Lord.
3 Who art thou, who hast no sign of corruption, but that bright
appearance
which is a full proof of thy greatness, of which yet thou seemest to
take no
notice?
4 Who art thou, so powerful and so weak, so great and so little,
a mean and yet a soldier of the first rank, who can command in the form
of a servant
as a common soldier?
5 The King of Glory, dead and alive, though once slain upon the cross?
6 Who layest dead in the grave, and art come down alive to us, and in
thy death all the
creatures trembled, and all the stars were moved, and now hast thou thy
liberty
among the dead, and givest disturbance to our legions?
7 Who art thou, who dost release the captives that were held in chains
by original sin,
and bringest them into their former liberty?
8 Who art thou, who dost spread so glorious and divine a light over
those who were made blind by the darkness of sin?
9 In like manner all the legions of devils were seized with the like
horror, and with the
most submissive fear cried out, and said,
10 Whence comes it, 0 thou Jesus Christ, that thou art a man so
powerful and
glorious in majesty, so bright as to have no spot, and so pure as to
have no crime?
For that lower world of earth, which was ever till now subject to us,
and from whence we received tribute, never sent us such a dead man
before, never sent such presents as these to the princes of hell.
11 Who therefore art thou, who with such courage enterest among our
abodes,
and art not only not afraid to threaten us with the greatest
punishments,
but also endeavourest to rescue all others from the chains in
which we hold them?
12 Perhaps thou art that Jesus, of whom Satan just now spoke to our
prince, that by the
death of the cross thou wert about to receive the power of death.
13 Then the King of Glory trampling upon death, seized the prince of
hell, deprived him
of all his power, and took our earthly father Adam with him to his
glory.
CHAP. XVIII.
( 1 Beelzebub, prince of hell, vehemently
upbraids Satan for persecuting Christ and
bringing him to hell. 4 Christ gives
Beelzebub dominion over Satan for ever,
as a recompense for taking away Adam
and his sons.)
THEN the prince of hell took Satan, and with great indignation said to
him, 0 thou
prince of destruction, author of Beelzebub's defeat and banishment,
the scorn of God's angels and loathed by all righteous persons!
What inclined thee to act thus?
2 Thou wouldst crucify the King of Glory, and by his destruction,
hast made us promises of very large advantages, but as a fool wert
ignorant of what thou wast about.
3 For behold now that Jesus of Nazareth, with the brightness of his
glorious
divinity, puts to flight all the horrid powers of darkness and death;
4 He has broke down our prisons from top to bottom, dismissed all the
captives, released
all who were bound, and all who were wont formerly to groan under the
weight
of their torments have now insulted us, and we are like to be defeated
by their
prayers.
5 Our impious dominions are subdued, and no part of mankind is now left
in our
subjection, but on the other hand, they all boldly defy us;
6 Though, before, the dead never durst behave themselves insolently
towards us,
nor, being prisoners, could ever on any occasion be merry.
7 0 Satan, thou prince of all the wicked, father of the impious and
abandoned,
why wouldest thou attempt this exploit, seeing our prisoners were
hitherto
always without the least hopes of salvation and life?
8 But now there is not one of them does ever groan, nor is there the
least
appearance of a tear in any of their faces.
9 0 prince Satan, thou great keeper of the infernal regions, all thy
advantages
which thou didst acquire by the forbidden tree, and the loss of
Paradise,
thou hast now lost by the wood of the cross;
10 And thy happiness all then expired, when thou didst
crucify Jesus Christ the King of Glory.
11 Thou hast acted against thine own interest and mine,
as thou wilt presently perceive by those large torments and
infinite punishments which thou art about to suffer.
12 0 Satan, prince of all evil, author of death, and source of all
pride,
thou shouldest first have inquired into the evil crimes of Jesus of
Nazareth,
and then thou wouldest have found that he was guilty of no fault worthy
of death.
13 Why didst thou venture, without either reason or justice to crucify
him,
and hast brought down to our regions a person innocent and righteous,
and thereby
hast lost all the sinners, impious and unrighteous persons in the whole
world?
14 While the prince of hell was thus speaking to Satan, the King of
Glory
said to Beelzebub, the prince of hell, Satan, the prince shall he
subject to
thy dominion for ever, in the room of Adam and his righteous sons, who
are mine.
CHAP. XIX
(1 Christ takes Adam by the hand, the
rest of the saints join hands, and they
all ascend with him to Paradise.)
THEN Jesus stretched forth his hand, and said, Come to me, all ye my
saints,
who were created in my image, who were condemned by the
tree of forbidden fruit, and by the devil and death;
2 Live now by the wood of my cross; the devil, the prince of this
world, is overcome,
and death is conquered.
3 Then presently all the saints were joined together under the hand of
the most high God;
and the Lord Jesus laid hold on Adam's hand and said to him,
Peace be to thee, and all thy righteous posterity, which is mine.
4 Then Adam, casting himself at the feet of Jesus, addressed himself to
him,
with tears, in humble language, and a loud voice, saying,
5 I will extol thee, 0 Lord, for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not
made my foes to rejoice
over me. 0 Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
6 0 Lord thou hast brought up my soul from the grave;
thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
7 Sing unto the Lord, all ye saints of his, and give thanks at the
remembrance of his holiness.
For his anger endureth but for a moment; in his favour is life.
8 In like manner all the saints, prostrate at the feet of Jesus,
said with one voice, Thou art come, 0 Redeemer of the world,
and hast actually accomplished all things, which thou didst foretell by
the law
and thy holy prophets.
9 Thou hast redeemed the living by thy cross, and art come
down to us, that by the death of the cross thou mightest deliver us
from hell,
and by thy power from death.
10 0, Lord, as thou hast put the ensigns of thy glory in heaven,
and hast set up the sign of thy redemption, even thy cross on earth!
so, Lord, set the sign of the victory of thy cross in hell,
that death may have dominion no longer.
11 Then the Lord stretching forth his hand, made the sign of
the cross upon Adam, and upon all his saints.
12 And taking hold of Adam by his right hand, he ascended
from hell, and all the saints of God followed him.
13 Then the royal prophet David boldly cried, and said,
O sing unto the Lord a new song, for he hath done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm have gotten him the victory.
14 The Lord hath made known his salvation, his righteousness hath he
openly shewn
in the sight of the heathen.
15 And the whole multitude of saints answered, saying,
This honour have all his saints, Amen, Praise ye the Lord.
16 Afterwards, the prophet Habakkuk cried out, and said,
Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for
the salvation of thy people.
17 And all the saints said, Blessed is he who cometh in the
name of the Lord; for the Lord hath enlightened us. This is
our God for ever and ever; he shall reign over us to everlasting
ages, Amen.
18 In like manner all the prophets spake the sacred things
of his praise, and followed the Lord.
CHAP. XX.
( 1 Christ delivers Adam to Michael
the archangel. 3 They meet Enoch
and Elijah in heaven, 5 and also the
blessed thief, who relates how he
came to Paradise.)
THEN the Lord holding Adam by the hand, delivered him to Michael the
archangel;
and he led them into Paradise, filled with mercy and glory;
2 And two very ancient men met them, and were asked by the saints,
Who are ye, who have not yet been with us in hell, and
have had your bodies placed in Paradise?
3 One of them answering, said, I am Enoch, who was translated by the
word of God :
and this man who is with me, is Elijah the Tishbite, who was
translated in a fiery chariot.
4 Here we have hitherto been and have not tasted death, but
are now about to return at the coming of Antichrist, being
armed with divine signs and miracles, to engage with him in battle,
and to be slain by him at Jerusalem, and to be taken up
alive again into the clouds, after three days and a half.
5 And while the holy Enoch and Elias were relating this,
behold there came another man in a miserable figure carrying
the sign of the cross upon his shoulders.
6 And when all the saints saw him, they said to him, Who art thou?
For thy countenance is like a thief's;
and why dost thou carry a cross upon thy shoulders?
7 To which he answering, said, Ye say right, for I was a thief,
who committed all sorts of wickedness upon earth.
8 And the Jews crucified me with Jesus; and I observed the surprising
things which happened in the creation at the crucifixion of the Lord
Jesus.
9 And I believed him to be the Creator of all things, and the
Almighty King; and I prayed to him, saying, Lord, remember me,
when thou comest into thy kingdom.
10 He presently regarded my supplication, and said to me,
Verily I say unto thee, this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise.
11 And he gave me this sign of the cross saying,
Carry this, and go to Paradise; and if the angel who is the guard of
Paradise
will not admit thee, shew him the sign of the cross, and
say unto him:
Jesus Christ who is now crucified, hath sent me hither to thee.
12 When I did this, and told the angel who is the guard of
Paradise all these things, and he heard them, he presently opened the
gates,
introduced me, and placed me on the right - hand In Paradise,
13 Saying, Stay here a little time, till Adam, the father of all
mankind, shall enter in,
with all his sons, who are the holy and righteous servants of
Jesus Christ, who was crucified.
14 When they heard all this account from the thief, all the patriarchs
said with one voice,
Blessed be thou, 0 Almighty God, the Father of everlasting goodness,
and the Father of mercies, who hast shewn such favour to those who were
sinners
against him, and hast brought them to the mercy of Paradise, and hast
placed them amidst thy large and spiritual provisions, in a spiritual
and holy life.
Amen.
CHAP. XXI
( 1 Charinus and Lenthius being only
allowed three days to remain on earth,
7 deliver in their narratives, which
miraculously correspond; they vanish,
13 and Pilate records these transactions.)
THESE are the divine and sacred mysteries which we saw and heard.
I, Charinus and Lenthius are not allowed to declare the other mysteries
of God,
as the archangel Michael ordered us,
2 Saying, ye shall go with my brethren to Jerusalem, and shall
continue in prayers, declaring and glorifying the resurrection
of Jesus Christ, seeing he hath raised you from the dead at the
same time with himself.
3 And ye shall not talk with any man, but sit as dumb persons
till the time come when the Lord will allow you to relate the mysteries
of his divinity.
4 The archangel Michael farther commanded us to go beyond
Jordan, to an excellent and fat country, where there are many
who rose from the dead along with us for the proof of the resurrection
of Christ
5 For we have only three days allowed us from the dead, who
arose to celebrate the Passover of our Lord with our parents, and
to bear our testimony for Christ the Lord, and we have been
baptized in the holy river of Jordan. And now they are not
seen by any one.
6 This is as much as God allowed us to relate to you; give ye
therefore praise and honour to him, and repent, and he will have
mercy upon you. Peace be to you from the Lord God Jesus Christ,
and the Saviour of us all.
Amen, Amen, Amen.
7 And after they had made an end of writing and had wrote in
two distinct pieces of paper, Charinus gave what he wrote into the
hands of Annas, and Caiaphas, and Gamaliel.
8 Lenthius likewise gave what he wrote into the hands of Nicodemus and
Joseph;
and immediately they were changed into exceeding white forms and were
seen no more.
9 But what they had wrote was found perfectly to agree, the one
not containing one letter more or less than the other.
10 When all the assembly of the Jews heard all these surprising
relations of
Charinus and Lenthius, they said to each other,
Truly all these things were wrought by God, and blessed be
the Lord Jesus for ever and ever, Amen.
11 And they went about with great concern, and fear, and trembling,
and smote upon their breasts and went away every one
to his home.
12 But immediately all these things which were related by the
Jews in their synagogues concerning Jesus, were presently
told by Joseph and Nicodemus to the governor.
13 And Pilate wrote down all these transactions, and placed all
these accounts in the public records of his hall.
THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST IN THE JORDAN.
From a "Book of the Evangelists" Greek manuscript of the twelfth
century.
CHAP XXII.
(1Pilate goes to the temple; calls together
the rulers, and scribes, and doctors.
2 Commands the gates to be shut; orders
the book of the Scripture; and causes
the Jews to relate what they really
knew concerning Christ. 14 They
declare that they crucified Christ in
ignorance, and that they now know
him to be the Son of God, according
to the testimony of the Scriptures;
which, after they put him to death,
they are examined.)
AFTER these things Pilate went to the temple of the
Jews, and called together all the rulers and scribes, and doctors of
the law, and went with them into a chapel of the temple.
2 And commanding that all the gates should be shut, said to them,
I have heard that ye have a certain large book in this temple;
I desire you therefore, that it may be brought before me.
3 And when the great book, carried by four ministers of the
temple, and adorned with gold and precious stones, was brought,
Pilate said to them all, I adjure you by the God of your Fathers,
who made and commanded this temple to be built, that ye conceal
not the truth from me.
4 Ye know all the things which are written in that book; tell me
therefore now, if ye in the Scriptures have found any thing of
that Jesus whom ye crucified, and at what time of the world
he ought to have come: Shew it me.
5 Then having sworn Annas and Caiaphas, they commanded
all the rest who were with them to go out of the chapel.
6 And they shut the gates of the temple and of the chapel, and
said to Pilate, Thou hast made us to swear, 0 judge, by the
building of this temple, to declare to thee that which is true and
right.
7 After we had crucified Jesus, not knowing that he was the Son of God,
but supposing he wrought his miracles by some magical arts,
we summoned a large assembly in this temple.
8 And when we were deliberating among one another about the miracles
which Jesus had wrought, we found many witnesses of our own country,
who declared that they had seen him alive after his death, and that
they heard him discoursing with his disciples, and saw him ascending
unto the height of the heavens, and entering into them;
9 And we saw two witnesses, whose bodies Jesus raised from the dead,
who told us of many strange things which Jesus did among the dead,
of which we have a written account in our hands.
10 And it is our custom annually to open this holy hook
before an assembly, and to search there for the counsel of God.
11 And we found in the first of the seventy books,
where Michael the archangel is speaking to the third son of Adam
the first man, an account that after
five thousand five hundred years,
Christ the most beloved Son of God was come on earth,
12 And we further considered, that perhaps he was the very
God of Israel who spoke to Moses, Thou shallot make the ark
of the testimony; two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof,
and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof; and
a cubit and a half the height thereof.
13 By these five cubits and a half for the building of the ark
of the Old Testament, we perceived and knew that in
five thousand years and a half (one thousand) years,
Jesus Christ was to come in the ark or tabernacle of a body;
14 And so our scriptures testify that he is the son of God,
and the Lord and King of Israel.
15 And because after his suffering, our chief priests were surprised at
the
signs which were wrought by his means, we opened that book to search
all the generations down to the generation of Joseph and Mary the
mother of Jesus,
supposing him to be of the seed of David;
16 And we found the account of the creation, and at what
time he made the heaven and the earth and the first man Adam,
and that from thence to the flood, were
two thousand, two hundred and twelve years.
l7 And from the flood to Abraham, nine hundred and twelve.
And from Abraham to Moses, four hundred and thirty.
And from Moses to David the king, five hundred and ten.
18 And from David to the Babylonish captivity, five hundred years.
And from the Babylonish captivity to the incarnation of Christ,
four hundred years.
19 The sum of all which amounts to five thousand and half (a thousand).
20 And so it appears, that Jesus whom we crucified, is Jesus Christ the
Son of God,
and true and Almighty God. Amen.
In the name of the Holy Trinity, thus end the Acts of our Saviour Jesus
Christ,
which the Emperor Theodosius the Great found at Jerusalem, in the hall
of Pontius Pilate
among the public records; the things were acted in the nineteenth year
of Tiberius Caesar,
Emperor of the Romans, and in the seventeenth year of the government of
Herod the son
of Herod king of Galilee, on the eighth of the calends of April, which
is the twenty-third
day of the month of March, in the CCIId Olympiad, when Joseph and
Caiaphas
were Rulers of the Jews; being a History written in Hebrew by
Nicodemus,
of what happened after our Saviour's crucifixion.
TERS OF HEROD AND PILATE,
CONNECTING ROMAN HISTORY with THE Death OF CHRIST AT
JERUSALEM.
[ These letters occur in a Syriac MS., of the sixth or seventh century,
in the British Maseum. Dr. Tischendorf states in his Apoca1ypses
Apocryphae (Prolegg. p. 56) that he has a copy of the same in Greek
from a Paris MS., of which he says
"scriptura satis differt, non item argumentum." The letters are
followed by a few extracts which seem to have been added by some
copyist, although they are followed by the subscription to Pilate's
letter. We suppose that by Justinus,
we are to understand Justus of Tiberias of whom Josephus speaks as a
historian of his time. We cannot venture an opinion favorable to the
genuineness of this extract, because Photius says Justus did not
mention Christ.
By Theodorus, we understand the Emperor Tiberius. The question and
answer agree in sense with what is read in the "Anaphora," or response
of Pilate. ]
LETTER OF HEROD TO PILATE THE GOVERNOR.
HEROD TO PONTIUS PILATE THE GOVERNOR OF JERUSALEM:
PEACE.
I AM in great anxiety. I write these things unto thee,
I AM in great anxiety. I write these things unto thee, that when thou
hast heard
them thou mayest be grieved for me. For as my daughter Herodias, who is
dear to me,
was playing upon a pool of water which had ice upon it, it broke under
her, and all her
body went down, and her head was cut off and remained on the surface of
the ice.
And behold, her mother is holding her head upon her knees in her lap,
and my whole house
is in great sorrow. For I, when I heard of the man Jesus, wished to
come to thee,
that I might see him alone, and hear his word, whether it was like that
of the sons of men.
And it is certain that because of the many evil things which were done
by me to
John the Baptist, and because I mocked the Christ, behold I receive the
reward of
righteousness, for I have shed much blood of others' children upon the
earth. Therefore the
judgments of God are righteous; for every man receives according to his
thought.
But since thou wast worthy to see that God-man, therefore it becometh
you to pray for me.
My son Azbonius also is in the agony of the hour of death.
And I too am in affliction and great trial, because I have the dropsy;
and am in great distress, because I persecuted the introducer of
baptism by water, which was John. Therefore, my brother, the judgments
of God are righteous.
And my wife, again, through all her grief for her daughter, is become
blind in her left eye, because we desired to blind the Eye of
righteousness. There is no peace to the doers of evil, saith the Lord.
For already great affliction cometh upon the priests and upon the
writers of the law; because they delivered unto thee the Just One. For
this is the consummation of the world, that they consented that the
Gentiles should become heirs. For the children of light shall be cast
out, for they have not observed the things which were preached
concerning the Lord, and concerning his Son.
Therefore gird up thy loins, and receive righteousness, thou with thy
wife remembering Jesus night and day; and the kingdom shall belong to
you Gentiles, for we the (chosen) people have mocked the Righteous One.
Now if there is place for our request, 0 Pilate, because we were at one
time in power, bury my household carefully; for it is right that we
should be buried by thee, rather than by the priests, whom, after a
little time, as the Scriptures say, at the coming of Jesus Christ,
vengeance shall overtake.
Fare thee well, with Procla thy wife.
I send thee the earrings of my daughter and my own ring, that they may
be unto thee a memorial of my decease. For already do worms begin to
issue from my body, and lo, I am receiving temporal judgment, and I am
afraid of the judgment to come. For in both we stand before the works
of the living God; but this judgment, which is tempora1, is for a time,
while that to come is judgment for ever.
End of the Letter to Pilate the Governor.
===================================================
LETTER OF PILATE TO HEROD.
PILATE TO HEROD THE TETRARCH: PEACE.
KNOW and see, that in the day when thou didst deliver Jesus unto me, I
took pity on myself, and testified by washing my hands (that I was
innocent), concerning him who rose from the grave after three days,
and had performed thy pleasure in him, for thou didst desire me to be
associated
with thee in his crucifixion. But I now learn from the executioners and
from the soldiers
who watched his sepulchre that he rose from the dead.
And I have especially confirmed what was told me, that he appeared
bodily in Galilee,
in the same form, and with the same voice, and with the same doctrine,
and with the same disciples, not having changed in anything, but
preaching with boldness his resurrection, and an everlasting kingdom.
And behold, heaven and earth rejoice; and behold, Procla my wife is
believing in the visions which appeared unto her, when thou sentest
that I should deliver Jesus to the people of Israel, because of the
ill-will they had.
Now when Procla, my wife, heard that Jesus was risen, and had appeared
in Galilee, she took with her Longinus the centurion and twelve
soldiers, the same that had watched at the sepulchre, and went to greet
the face of Christ, as if to a great spectacle, and saw him with his
disciples.
Now while they were standing, and wondering, and gazing at him, he
looked at them, and said to them, What is it? Do ye believe in me?
Procla, know that in the covenant which God gave to the fathers, it is
said that every body which had perished should live by means of my
death, which ye have seen. And now, ye see that I live, whom ye
crucified. And I suffered many things, till that I was laid in the
sepulchre. But now, hear me, and believe in my Father - God who is in
me. For I loosed the cords of death, and brake the gates of Sheol; and
my coming shall be hereafter.
And when Procla my wife and the Romans heard these things, they came
and told me, weeping; for they also were against him, when they devised
the evils which they had done unto him. So that, I also was on the
couch of my bed in affliction, and put on a garment of mourning, and
took unto me fifty Romans with my wife and went into Galilee.
And when I was going in the way I testified these things; that Herod
did these things by me, that he took counsel with me, and constrained
me to arm my hands against him, and to judge him that judgeth all, and
to scourge the Just One, Lord of the just. And when we drew nigh to
him, 0 Herod, a great voice was heard from heaven, and dreadful
thunder, and the earth trembled, and gave forth a sweet smell, like
unto which was never perceived even in the temple of Jerusalem. Now
while I stood in the way, our Lord saw me as he stood and talked with
his disciples. But I prayed in my heart, for I knew that it was he whom
ye delivered unto me, that he was Lord of created things and Creator of
all. But we, when we saw him, all of us fell upon our faces before his
feet. And I said with a loud voice, I have sinned, 0 Lord, in that I
sat and judged thee, who avengest all in truth. And lo, I know that
thou art God, the Son of God, and I beheld thy humanity and not thy
divinity. But Herod, with the children of Israel, constrained me to do
evil unto thee. Have pity, therefore, upon me, 0 God of Israel !
And my wife, in great anguish, said, God of heaven and of earth, God of
Israel, reward me not according to the deeds of Pontius Pilate, nor
according to the will of the children of Israel, nor according to the
thought of the sons of the priests; but remember my husband in thy
glory!
Now our Lord drew near and raised up me and my wife, and the Romans;
and I looked at him and saw there were on him the scars of his cross.
And be said, That which all the righteous fathers hoped to receive, and
saw not - in thy time the Lord of Time, the Son of Man, the Son of the
Most High, who is for ever, arose from the dead, and is glorified on
high by all that he created, and established for ever and ever.
1. Justinus, one of the writers that were in the days of Augustus and
Tiberius and Gaius, wrote in his third discourse: Now Mary the
Gali1aean, who bare the Christ that was crucified in Jerusalem, had not
been with a husband. And Joseph did not abandon her; but Joseph
continued in sanctity without a wife, he and his five sons by a former
wife; and Mary continued without a husband.
2. Theodorus wrote to Pilate the Governor: Who was the man, against
whom there was a complaint before thee, that he was crucified by the
men of Palestine? If the many demanded this righteously, why didst thou
not consent to their righteousness? And if they demanded this
unrighteously, how didst thou transgress the law and command what was
far from righteousness?
Pilate sent to him: - Because he wrought signs I did not wish to
crucify him: and since his accusers said, He calleth himself a king, I
crucified him.
3. Josephus saith: Agrippa, the king, was clothed in a robe woven with
silver, and saw the spectacle in the theatre of Caesarea. When the
people saw that his raiment flashed, they said to him,
Hitherto we feared thee as a man: henceforth thou art exalted above the
nature of mortals. And he saw an angel standing over him, and he smote
him as unto death.
End of the Letter of Pilate to Herod.
THE EPISTLE OF PONTIUS PILATE,
WHICH HE WROTE TO THE ROMAN EMPEROR CONCERNING OUR
LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Pontius Pilate to Tiberius Caesar the Emperor - Greeting:
UPON Jesus Christ, whom I fully made known to thee in my last, a bitter
punishment hath at length been inflicted by the will of the people
although I was unwilling and apprehensive. In good truth, no age ever
had or will have a man so good and strict.
But the people made a wonderful effort, and all their scribes, chiefs
and elders agreed to crucify this ambassador of truth, their own
prophets, like the Sibyls with us, advising the contrary; and when he
was hanged super- natural signs appeared, and in the judgment of
philosophers menaced the whole world with ruin.
His disciples flourish, not belying their master by their behavior and
continence of life; nay, in his name they are most beneficent. Had I
not feared a sedition might arise among the people, who were almost
furious, perhaps this man would have yet been living with us. Although,
being rather compelled by fidelity to thy dignity, than led by my own
inclination, I did not strive with all my might to prevent the sale and
suffering of righteous blood, guiltless of every accusation, unjustly,
indeed,
through the maliciouness of men, and yet, as the Scriptures interpret,
to their own destruction.
Farewell. The 5th of the Calends of April.
THE REPORT OF PILATE THE GOVERNOR,
CONCERNING OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST; WHICH WAS SENT To
AUGUSTUS CAESAR, IN ROME.
IN those days, when our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified under Pontius
Pilate, the governor of Palestine and Phoenicia, the things here
recorded came to pass in Jerusalem, and were done by the Jews against
the Lord. Pilate therefore sent the same to Caesar in Rome, along with
his private report, writing thus:
To the most potent, august, divine and awful Augustus Caesar, Pilate,
the administrator
of the Eastern Province:
I have received information, most excellent one, in consequence of
which I am seized
with fear and trembling. For in this province which I administer, one
of whose cities is
called Jerusalem, the whole multitude of Jews delivered unto me a
certain man called Jesus, and brought many accusations against him,
which they were unable to establish
by consistent evidence. But they charged him with one heresy in
particular, namely,
That Jesus said the Sabbath was not a rest, nor to be observed by them.
For he performed
many cures on that day, and made the blind see, and the lame walk,
raised the dead,
cleansed lepers, healed the paralytic who were wholly unable to move
their body or
brace their nerves, but could only speak and discourse, and he gave
them power to walk
and run, removing their infirmity by his word alone.
There is another very mighty deed which is strange to the gods we have:
he raised up a man who had been four days dead, summoning him by his
word alone,
when the dead man had begun to decay, and his body was corrupted by the
worms which had been bred, and had the stench of a dog; but, seeing him
lying in the tomb be commanded him to run, nor did the dead man at all
delay, but as a bridegroom out of his chamber, so did he go forth from
his tomb, filled with abundant perfume. Moreover, even such as were
strangers, and clearly demoniacs, who had their dwelling in deserts,
and devoured their own flesh, and wandered about like cattle and
creeping things, he turned into inhabiters of cities and by a word
rendered them rational, and prepared them to become wise and powerful,
and illustrious, taking their food with all the enemies of the unclean
spirits which were destructive in them, and which he cast into the
depth of the sea.
And, again, there was another who had a withered hand, and not only the
hand
but rather the half of the body of the man was like a stone, and be had
neither the shape
of a man nor the symmetry of a body: even him He healed with a word and
rendered whole.
And a woman also, who had an issue of blood for a long time, and whose
veins and arteries were exhausted, and who did not bear a human body,
being like one dead, and daily speechless, so that all the physicians
of the district were unable to cure her, for there remained unto her
not a hope of life; but as Jesus passed by she mysteriously received
strength by his shadow falling on her, from behind she touched the hem
of his garment, and immediately, in that very hour, strength filled her
exhausted limbs, and as if she had never suffered anything, she began
to run along towards Capernaum, her own city, so that she reached it in
a six days' journey.
And I have made known these things which I have recently been informed
of,
and which Jesus did on the Sabbath. And he did other miracles greater
than these, so that I have observed greater works of wonder done by him
than by the gods whom we worship.
But Herod and Archelaus and Philip, Annas and Caiaphas, with all the
people,
deivered him to me, making a great tumult against me in order that I
might try him.
Therefore, I commanded him to be crucified, when I had first scourged
him, though I
found no cause in him for evil accusations or dealings.
Now when he was crucified, there was darkness over all the world and
the sun was
obscured for half a day, and the stars appeared, but no lustre was seen
in them;
and the moon lost its brightness, as though tinged with blood; and the
world of the departed was swallowed up;so that the very sanctuary of
the temple, as they call it, did not appear to the Jews themselves at
their fall, but they perceived a chasm in the earth, and the rolling of
successive thunders.
And amid this terror the dead appeared rising again, as the Jews
themselves bore witness,
and said that it was Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the twelve
patriarchs, and Moses,
and Job, who had died before, as they say, some three thousand five
hundred years.
And there were very many whom I myself saw appearing in the body,
and they made lamentation over the Jews, because of the transgression
which was
committed by them, and because of the destruction of the Jews and of
their law.
And the terror of the earthquake continued from the sixth hour of the
preparation until
the ninth hour; and when it was evening on the first day of the week,
there came a
sound from heaven, and the heaven became seven times more luminous than
on all other days.
And at the third hour of the night the sun appeared more luminous than
it had ever shone, lighting up the whole hemisphere. And as lightning -
flashes suddenly come forth in a storm, so there were seen men, lofty
in stature, and surpassing in glory, a countless host, crying out, and
their voice was heard as that of exceedingly loud thunder, Jesus that
was crucified is risen again: come up from Hades ye that were enslaved
in the subterraneous recesses of Hades.
And the chasm in the earth was as if it had no bottom; but it was so
that the very foundations of the eaith appeared, with those that
shouted in heaven, and walked in the body among the dead that were
raised. And He that raised up all the dead and bound Hades said, Say to
my disciples,
He goeth before you into Galilee, there shall ye see Him.
And all that night the light ceased not shining. And many of the Jews
died in the chasm of the earth, being swallowed up, so that on the
morrow most of those who had been against Jesus were not to be found.
Others saw the apparition of men rising again whom none of us had ever
seen. One synagogue of the Jews was alone left in Jerusalem itself, for
they all disappeared in that ruin.
Therefore being astounded by that terror, and being possessed with the
most dreadful
trembling, I have written what I saw at that time and sent it to thine
excellency; and I
have inserted what was done against Jesus by the Jews, and sent it to
thy divinity,
my lord.
===============================================================
The REPORT OF PONTIUS PILATE.
GOVERNOR OF JUDEA;
Which was sent to Tiberius Caesar in Rome.
To the most potent, august, dreadful, and divine Augustus, Pontius
Pilate, administrator of the Eastern Province.
I HAVE undertaken to communicate to thy goodness by this my writing,
though possessed with much fear and trembling, most excellent king, the
present state of affairs, as the result hath shown. For as I
administered this province, my lord, according to the command of thy
serenity, which is one of the eastern cities called Jerusalem, wherein
the temple of the nation of the Jews is erected, all the multitude of
the Jews, being assembled, delivered up to me a certain man called
Jesus, bringing many and endless accusations against him; but they
could not convict him in anything.
But they had one heresy against him, that he said the sabbath was not
their proper rest.
Now that man wrought many cures and good works:
he caused the blind to see, he cleansed lepers, he raised the dead, he
healed paralytics,
who could not move at all, but had only voice, and all their bones in
their places;
and he gave them strength to walk and run, enjoining it by his word
alone.
And he did another yet more mighty work, which had been strange even
among our gods,
he raised from the dead one Lazarus, who had been dead four
days,commanding by a word alone that the dead man should be raised,
when his body was already corrupted by worms which bred in his wounds.
And he commanded the fetid body, which lay in the grave, to run, and as
bridegroom from his chamber so he went forth from his grave, full of
sweet perfume.
And some that were grievously afflicted by demons, and had their
dwellings in desert places, and devoured the flesh of their own limbs,
and went up and down among creeping things and wild beasts, he caused
to dwell in cities in their own houses, and by a word made them
reasonable, and caused to become wise and honorable those that were
vexed by unclean spirits, and the demons that were in them he sent out
into a herd of swine into the sea and drowned them. Again, another who
had a withered hand, and lived in suffering, and had not even the half
of his body sound, he made whole
by a word alone. And a woman who had an issue of blood for a long time,
so that because of the discharge all the joints of her bones were seen
and shone through like glass, for all the physicians had dismissed her
without hope, and had not cleansed her, for there was in her no hope of
health at all; but once, as Jesus was passing by she touched from
behind the hem of his garments, and in that very hour the strength of
her body was restored, and she was made whole, as if she had no
affliction, and began to run fast towards her own city of Paneas. And
these things happened thus: but the Jews reported that Jesus did these
things on the sabbath. And I saw that greater marvels had been wrought
by him than by the gods whom we worship.
Him then Herod and Archelaus and Philip, and Annas and Caiaphas, with
all the people,
delivered up to me, to put him on his trial. And because many raised a
tumult against me,
I commanded that he should be crucified.
Now when he was crucified darkness came over all the world;
the sun was altogether hidden, and the sky appeared dark while it was
yet day ,
so that the stars were seen, though still they had their lustre
obscured, wherefore, I suppose your excellency is not unaware that in
all the world they lighted their lamps from the sixth hour until
evening. And the moon, which was like blood, did not shine all night
long, although it was at the full, and the stars and Orion made
lamentation over the Jews,
because of the transgression committed by them.
And on the first day of the week, about the third hour of the night,
the sun appeared as it never shone before, and the whole heaven became
bright.
And as lightnings come in a storm, so certain men of lofty stature, in
beautiful array, and of indescribable glory, appeared in the air, and a
countless host of angels, crying out and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men:
Come up from Hades, ye who are in bondage in the depths of Hades.
And at their voice all the mountains and hills were moved, and the
rocks were rent,
and great chasms were made in the earth, so that the very places of the
abyss were visible.
And amid the terror dead men were seen rising again, so that the Jews
who saw it said,
We beheld Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob, and the twelve patriarchs, who
died some
two thousand five hundred years before, and we beheld Noah clearly in
the body.
And all the multitude walked about and sang hymns to God with a loud
voice, saying,
The Lord our God, who hath risen from the dead, hath made alive all the
dead,
and Hades he hath spoiled and slain.
Therefore, my lord king, all that night the light ceased not. But many
of the Jews died, and were sunk and swallowed up in the chasms that
night, so that not even their bodies were to be seen. Now I mean, that
those of the Jews suffered who spake against Jesus. And but one
synagogue remained in Jerusalem, for all the synagogues which had been
against Jesus were overwhelmed.
Through that terror, therefore, being amazed and being seized with
great trembling,
in that very hour, I ordered what had been done by them all to be
written,
and I have sent it to thy mightiness.
===============================================================
THE TRIAL AND CONDEMNATION OF PILATE.
NOW when the letters came to the city of the Romans, and were read to
Caesar with no few standing there, they were all terrified, because,
through the transgression of Pilate, the darkness and the earthquake
had happened to all the world. And Caesar, being filled with anger,
sent soldiers and commanded that Pilate should be brought as a
prisoner.
And when he was brought to the city of the Romans, and Caesar heard
that he was come, he sat in the temple of the gods, above all the
senate, and with all the army, and with all the multitude of his power,
and commanded that Pilate should stand in the entrance. And Caesar said
to him, Most impious one, when thou sawest so great signs done by that
man, why didst thou dare to do thus?
By daring to do an evil deed thou hast ruined all the world.
And Pilate said, King and Autocrat, I am not guilty of these things,
but it is the multitude of the Jews who are precipitate and guilty. And
Caesar said, And who are they? Pilate saith, Herod, Archelaus, Philip,
Annas and Caiaphas, and all the multitude of the Jews.
Caesar saith, For what cause didst thou execute their purpose?
And Pilate said, Their nation is seditious and insubordinate, and not
submissive to thy power.
And Caesar said, When they delivered him to thee thou oughtest to have
made him secure
and sent him to me, and not consented to them to crucify such a man,
who was just and wrought such great and good miracles, as thou saidst
in thy report. For by such miracles Jesus was manifested to be the
Christ, the King of the Jews.
And when Caesar said this and himself named the name of Christ, all the
multitude of the gods fell down together, and became like dust where
Caesar sat with the senate.
And all the people that stood near Caesar were filled with trembling
because of the utterance of the word and the fall of their gods, and
being seized with fear they all went away, every man to his house,
wondering at what had happened.
And Caesar commanded Pilate to be safely kept, that he might know the
truth about Jesus.
And on the morrow when Caesar sat in the capitol with all the senate,
he undertook to
question Pilate again. And Caesar said, Say the truth, most impious
one, for through thy
impious deed which thou didst commit against Jesus, even here the doing
of thy evil
works were manifested, in that the gods were brought to ruin.
Say then, who is he that was crucified, for his name hath destroyed all
the gods?
Pilate said, And verily his records are true; for even I myself was
convinced by his works that he was greater than all the gods whom we
venerate.
And Caesar said, For what cause then didst thou perpetrate against him
such daring and doing, not being ignorant of him, or assuredly
designing some mischief to my government?
And Pilate said, I did it because of the transgression and sedition of
the lawless and ungodly
Jews.
And Caesar was filled with anger, and held a council with all his
senate and officers,
and ordered a decree to be written against the Jews thus:-
To Licianus who holdeth the first place in the East Country. Greeting:
I have been informed of the audacity perpetrated very recently by the
Jews inhabiting
Jerusalem and the cities round about, and their lawless doing, how they
compelled Pilate to crucify a certain god called Jesus, through which
great transgression of theirs the world was darkened and drawn into
ruin. Determine therefore, with a body of soldiers, to
go to them there at once and proclaim their subjection to bondage by
this decree.
By obeying and proceeding against them, and scattering them abroad in
all nations, enslave them, and by driving their nation from all Judea
as soon as possible show, wherever this hath not yet appeared, that
they are full of evil.
And when this decree came into the East Country, Licianus obeyed,
through fear of the decree, and laid waste all the nation of the Jews,
and caused those that were left in Judea to go into slavery with them
that were scattered among the Gentiles, that it might be known by
Caesar that these things had been done by Licianus against the Jews in
the East Country, and to please him.
And again Caesar resolved to have Pilate questioned, and commanded a
captain, Albius by name, to cut off Pilate's head, saying,
As he laid hands upon the just man, that is called Christ, he also
shall fall in like manner, and find no deliverance.
And when Pilate came to the place he prayed in silence saying,
0 Lord, destroy not me with the wicked Hebrews, for I should not have
laid hands upon thee, but for the nation of lawless Jews, because they
provoked sedition gainst me: but thou knowest that I did it in
ignorance. Destroy me not, therefore, for this my sin, nor be mindful
of the evil that is in me, 0 Lord, and in thy servant Procla who
standeth with me in this the hour of my death, whom thou taughtest to
prophecy that thou must be nailed to the cross. Do not punish her too
in my sin, but forgive us, and number us in the portion of thy just
ones. And behold, when Pilate had finished his prayer, there came a
voice from heaven, saying, All generations and the families of the
Gentiles shall call thee blessed, because under thee were fulfilled all
these things that were spoken by the prophets concerning me;
and thou thyself must appear as my witness at my second coming, when I
shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel, and them that have not
confessed my name. And the Prefect cut off the head of Pilate, and
behold an angel of the Lord received it. And when his wife Procla saw
the angel coming and receiving his head, she also, being filled with
joy, forthwith gave up the ghost, and was buried with her husband.
[ The Synaxaria of the Greeks, under Oct. 28th, intimate the
commemoration of Procla, the wife of Pilate. The AEthiopic calendar
inserts 'Pilate and his wife Procla' under June 25th. The reason for
putting these names among the saints is, that Pilate by washing his
hands attested the innocence of Jesus,
while Procla sought to dissuade her hushand from complying with the
Jews.
The above story makes of Pilate almost a martyr; and Tertullian makes
him almost a saint
in Apol. c. Gentes, cap. 21. ]
==============================================================
THE DEATH OF PILATE,
WHO CONDEMNED JESUS.
NOW whereas Tiberius Caesar emperor of the Romans was suffering from a
grievous sickness, and hearing that there was at Jerusalem a certain
physician, Jesus by name, who healed all diseases by his word alone;
not knowing that the Jews and Pilate had put him to death, he thus bade
one of his attendants, Volusianus by name, saying, Go as quickly as
thou canst across the sea, and tell Pilate, my servant and friend, to
send me this physician to restore me to my original health. And
Volusianus, having heard the order of the emperor, immediately
departed, and came to Pilate, as it was commanded him.
And he told the same Pilate what had been committed to him by Tiberius
Caesar, saying, Tiberius Caesar, emperor of the Romans, thy Lord,
having heard that in this city there is a physician who healeth
diseases by his word alone, earnestly entreateth thee to send him to
him to heal his disease. And Pilate was greatly terrified on hearing
this, knowing that through envy he had caused him to be slain. Pilate
answered the messenger, saying thus, This man was a malefactor, and a
man who drew after himself all the people; so, after counsel taken of
the wise men of the city, I caused him to be crucified. And as the
messenger returned to his lodgings he met a certain woman named
Veronica, who had been acquainted with Jesus, and he said, 0 woman,
there was a certain physician in this city, who healed the sick by his
word alone, why have the Jews slain him? And she began to weep, saying,
Ah, me, my lord, it was my God and my Lord whom Pilate through envy
delivered up, condemned, and commanded to be crucified. Then he,
grieving greatly, said, I am exceedingly sorry that I cannot fulfil
that for which my lord hath sent me.
Veronica said to him, When my Lord went about preaching, and I was very
unwillingly deprived of his presence, I desired to have his picture
painted for me, that while I was deprived of his presence, at least the
figure of his likeness might give me consolation. And when I was taking
the canvas to the painter to be painted, my Lord met me and asked
whither I was going. And when I had made known to him the cause of my
journey, He asked me for the canvas, and gave it back to me printed
with the likeness of his venerable face. Therefore, if thy lord will
devoutly look upon the sight of this, he will straightway enjoy the
benefit of health.
Is a likeness of this kind to be procured with gold or silver? he
asked. No, said she, but with a pious sentiment of devotion. Therefore,
I will go with thee, and carry the likeness to Caesar to look upon, and
will return.
So Volusianus came with Veronica to Rome, and said to Tiberius the
emperor, Jesus, whom thou hast long desired, Pilate and the Jews have
surrendered to an unjust death, and through envy fastened to the wood
of the cross. Therefore, a certain matron hath come with me bringing
the likeness of the same Jesus, and if thou wilt devoutly gaze upon it,
thou wilt presently obtain the benefit of thy health. So Caesar caused
the way to be spread with cloths of silk, and ordered the portrait to
be presented to him; and as soon as he had looked upon it he regained
his original health.
Then Pontius Pilate was apprehended by command of Caesar and brought to
Rome.
Caesar, hearing that Pilate had come to Rome, was filled with exceeding
wrath against him, and caused him to be brought to him. Now Pilate
brought with him the seamless coat of Jesus, and wore it when before
the emperor. As soon as the emperor saw him he laid aside all his
wrath, and forthwith rose to him, and was unable to speak harshly to
him in anything:
and he who in his absence seemed so terrible and fierce now in his
presence is
found comparatively gentle.
And when he had dismissed him, he soon became terribly inflamed against
him, declaring himself wretched, because he had not expressed to him
the anger of his bosom.
And immediately he had him recalled, swearing and protesting that he
was a child of death, and unfitted to live upon earth. And when he saw
him he instantly greeted him, and laid aside all the fury of his mind.
All were astonished, and he was astonished himself, that he was so
enraged against Pilate while absent, and could say nothing to him
sharply while he was present. At length, by Divine suggestion, or
perhaps by the persuasion of some Christian, he had him stripped of the
coat, and soon resumed against him his original fury of mind.
And when the emperor was wondering very much about this, they told him
it had been the coat of the Lord Jesus. Then the emperor commanded him
to be kept in prison till he should take counsel with the wise men what
ought to be done with him.
And after a few days sentence was given against Pilate that he should
be condemned to the most ignominious death. When Pilate heard this he
slew himself with his own dagger, and by such a death put an end to his
life.
When Pilate's death was made known Caesar said, Truly he has died a
most ignominious death, whose own hand has not spared him. He was
therefore fastened to a great block of stone and sunk in the river
Tiber. But wicked and unclean spirits, rejoicing in his wicked and
unclean body, all moved about in the water, and caused in the air
dreadful lightning and tempests, thunder and hail, so that all were
seized with horrible fear. On which account the Romans dragged him out
of the river Tiber, bore him away in derision to Vienne, and sunk him
in the river Rhone. For Vienne means, as it were, Way of Gehenna,
because it was then a place of cursing. And evil spirits were there and
did the same things.
Those men, therefore, not enduring to be so harassed by demons, removed
the vessel of cursing from them and sent it to be buried in the
territory of Losania. But when they were troubled exceedingly by the
aforesaid vexations, they put it away from them and sunk it in a
certain pool surrounded by mountains, where even yet, according to the
account of some, sundry diabolical contrivances are said to Issue
forth.
GOSPEL OF BARTHOLOMEW
Introduction
Jerome, in the prologue to his Commentary on Matthew, mentions a number
of apocryphal Gospels -those according to the Egyptians, Thomas,
Matthias, Bartholomew, the Twelve, Basilides, and Apelles: probably he
depends upon Origen, for he himself disliked and avoided apocryphal
books, with few exceptions; the Gospel according to the Hebrews, for
instance, he hardly reckoned as apocryphal. Of this Gospel of
Bartholomew we have no sort of description: we find it condemned in the
Gelasian Decree, which may mean either that the compiler of the Decree
knew a book of that name, or that he took it on trust from Jerome. In
the pseudo-Dionysian writings two sentences are quoted from 'the divine
Bartholomew,' and a third has just been brought to light from the
kindred 'book of Hierotheus'. But one cannot be sure that these writers
are quoting real books.
We have, however, a writing attributed to Bartholomew which attained
some popularity; the manuscripts do not call it a Gospel, but the
Questions of Bartholomew. It contains ancient elements, and I think
that MM. Wilmart and Tisserant have made out their claim that it at
least represents the old Gospel. I therefore give a translation of it
here.
It exists in three languages, and not, apparently, in a very original
form in any of them: Greek is the original language, of which we have
two manuscripts, at Vienna and Jerusalem; Latin 1, consisting of two
leaves of extracts, of the ninth century; Latin 2, complete: see below;
Slavonic (i-iv. 15). The Greek text may be as old as the fifth century;
the Latin 2 of the sixth or seventh.
In the Revue Biblique for 1913 the Latin fragments and a fresh Greek
text were published by MM. Wilmart and Tisserant, with the variants of
the other authorities and in 1921-2 yet another text, a complete Latin
one, appeared in the same periodical, edited by Professor Moricca from
a manuscript in the Casanatensian library at Rome in which the text is,
in parts, tremendously expanded. This copy is of the eleventh century
and came from the monastery of Monte Amiata. The Latin is exceedingly
incorrect, and there are many corruptions, and interpolations which
extend to whole pages of closely printed text. I cite it as Lat. 2.
I take the Greek and Slavonic, where they exist, as the basis of my
version, and add some passages from the Latin. The main topics, common
to two or more of the texts, are:
i. The descent into Hell: the number of souls saved and lost.
ii. The Virgin's account of the Annunciation.
iii. The apostles see the bottomless pit.
iv. The devil is summoned and gives an account of his doings.
v. Questions about the deadly sins. Commission of the apostles to
preach. Departure of Christ. (This reads like a late addition.)
GOSPEL (QUESTIONS) OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW
(the opening 3 verses are given from each of the three texts)
Greek. 1 After the resurrection from the dead of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Bartholomew came unto the Lord and questioned him, saying: Lord, reveal
unto me the mysteries of the heavens.
2 Jesus answered and said unto him: If I put off the body of the flesh,
I shall not be able to tell them unto thee.
3 Om.
Slavonic. 1 Before the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the
dead, the apostles said: Let us question the Lord: Lord, reveal unto us
the wonders.
2 And Jesus said unto them: If I put off the body of the flesh, I
cannot tell them unto you.
3 But when he was buried and risen again, they all durst not question
him, because it was not to look upon him, but the fullness of his
Godhead was seen.
4 But Bartholomew, &c.
Latin 2. l At that time, before the Lord Jesus Christ suffered, all the
disciples were gathered together, questioning him and saying: Lord,
show us the mystery in the heavens.
2 But Jesus answered and said unto them: If I put not off the body of
flesh I cannot tell you.
3 But after that he had suffered and risen again, all the apostles,
looking upon him, durst not question him, because his countenance was
not as it had been aforetime, but showed forth the fullness of power.
Greek. 4 Bartholomew therefore drew near unto the Lord and said: I have
a word to speak unto thee, Lord.
5 And Jesus said to him: I know what thou art about to say; say then
what thou wilt, and I will answer thee.
6 And Bartholomew said: Lord, when thou wentest to be hanged upon the
cross, I followed thee afar off and saw thee hung upon the cross, and
the angels coming down from heaven and worshipping thee. And when there
came darkness, 7 I beheld, and I saw thee that thou wast vanished away
from the cross and I heard only a voice in the parts under the earth,
and great wailing and gnashing of teeth on a sudden. Tell me, Lord,
whither wentest thou from the cross?
8 And Jesus answered and said: Blessed art thou, Bartholomew, my
beloved, because thou sawest this mystery, and now will I tell thee all
things whatsoever thou askest me. 9 For when I vanished away from the
cross, then went I down into Hades that I might bring up Adam and all
them that were with him, according to the supplication of Michael the
archangel.
10 Then said Bartholomew: Lord, what was the voice which was heard?
11 Jesus saith unto him: Hades said unto Beliar: As I perceive, a God
cometh hither. [Slavonic and latin 2 continue: And the angels cried
unto the powers, saying: Remove your gates, ye princes, remove the
everlasting doors, for behold the King of glory cometh down.
12 Hades said: Who is the King of glory, that cometh down from heaven
unto us?
13 And when I had descended five hundred steps, Hades was troubled,
saying: I hear the breathing of the Most High, and I cannot endure it.
(latin 2. He cometh with great fragrance and I cannot bear it.) 14 But
the devil answered and said: Submit not thyself, O Hades, but be
strong: for God himself hath not descended upon the earth. 15 But when
I had descended yet five hundred steps, the angels and the powers cried
out: Take hold, remove the doors, for behold the King of glory cometh
down. And Hades said: O, woe unto me, for I hear the breath of God.]
Greek. 16-17 And Beliar said unto Hades: Look carefully who it is that
, for it is Elias, or Enoch, or one of the prophets that this man
seemeth to me to be. But Hades answered Death and said: Not yet are six
thousand years accomplished. And whence are these, O Beliar; for the
sum of the number is in mine hands.
[Slavonic. 16 And the devil said unto Hades: Why affrightest thou me,
Hades? it is a prophet, and he hath made himself like unto God: this
prophet will we take and bring him hither unto those that think to
ascend into heaven. 17 And Hades said: Which of the prophets is it?
Show me: Is it Enoch the scribe of righteousness? But God hath not
suffered him to come down upon the earth before the end of the six
thousand years. Sayest thou that it is Elias, the avenger? But before
he cometh not down. What shall I do, whereas the destruction is of God:
for surely our end is at hand? For I have the number (of the years) in
mine hands.]
Greek. 18 : Be not troubled, make safe thy gates and strengthen thy
bars: consider, God cometh not down upon the earth.
19 Hades saith unto him: These be no good words that I hear from thee:
my belly is rent, and mine inward parts are pained: it cannot be but
that God cometh hither. Alas, whither shall I flee before the face of
the power of the great king? Suffer me to enter into myself (thyself,
Latin): for before (of, latin) thee was I formed.
20 Then did I enter in and scourged him and bound him with chains that
cannot be loosed, and brought forth thence all the patriarchs and came
again unto the cross.
21 Bartholomew saith unto him: [latin 2, I saw thee again, hanging upon
the cross, and all the dead arising and worshipping thee, and going up
again into their sepulchres.] Tell me, Lord, who was he whom the angels
bare up in their hands, even that man that was very great of stature?
[Slav., Latin. 2, And what spakest thou unto him that he sighed so
sore?]
22 Jesus answered and said unto him: It was Adam the first-formed, for
whose sake I came down from heaven upon earth. And I said unto him: I
was hung upon the cross for thee and for thy children's sake. And he,
when he heard it, groaned and said: So was thy good pleasure, O Lord.
23 Again Bartholomew said: Lord, I saw the angels ascending before Adam
and singing praises.
24 But one of the angels which was very great, above the rest, would
not ascend up with them: and there was in his hand a sword of fire, and
he was looking steadfastly upon thee only.
[Slav. 25 And all the angels besought him that he would go up with
them, but he would not. But when thou didst command him to go up, I
beheld a flame of fire issuing out of his hands and going even unto the
city of Jerusalem. 26 And Jesus said unto him: Blessed art thou,
Bartholomew my beloved because thou sawest these mysteries. This was
one of the angels of vengeance which stand before my Father's throne:
and this angel sent he unto me. 27 And for this cause he would not
ascend up, because he desired to destroy all the powers of the world.
But when I commanded him to ascend up, there went a flame out of his
hand and rent asunder the veil of the temple, and parted it in two
pieces for a witness unto the children of Israel for my passion because
they crucified me. (Lat. 1. But the flame which thou sawest issuing out
of his hands smote the house of the synagogue of the Jews, for a
testimony of me wherein they crucified me.)].
Greek. 28 And when he had thus spoken, he said unto the apostles: Tarry
for me in this place, for today a sacrifice is offered in paradise. 29
And Bartholomew answered and said unto Jesus: Lord, what is the
sacrifice which is offered in paradise? And Jesus said: There be souls
of the righteous which to-day have departed out of the body and go unto
paradise, and unless I be present they cannot enter into paradise.
30 And Bartholomew said: Lord, how many souls depart out of the world
daily? Jesus saith unto him: Thirty thousand.
31 Bartholomew saith unto him: Lord, when thou wast with us teaching
the word, didst thou receive the sacrifices in paradise? Jesus answered
and said unto him: Verily I say unto thee, my beloved, that I both
taught the word with you and continually sat with my Father, and
received the sacrifices in paradise everyday. 32 Bartholomew answered
and said unto him: Lord, if thirty thousand souls depart out of the
world every day, how many souls out of them are found righteous? Jesus
saith unto him: Hardly fifty [three] my beloved. 33 Again Bartholomew
saith: And how do three only enter into paradise? Jesus saith unto him:
The [fifty] three enter into paradise or are laid up in Abraham's
bosom: but the others go into the place of the resurrection, for the
three are not like unto the fifty.
34 Bartholomew saith unto him: Lord, how many souls above the number
are born into the world daily? Jesus saith unto him: One soul only is
born above the number of them that depart.[30, &c., Latin 1.
Bartholomew said: How many are the souls which depart out of the body
every day? Jesus said: Verily I say unto thee, twelve (thousand) eight
hundred, four score and three souls depart out of the body every day.]
35 And when he had said this he gave them the peace, and vanished away
from them.
II
1 ow the apostles were in the place [Cherubim, Cheltoura, Chritir] with
Mary. 2 And Bartholomew came and said unto Peter and Andrew and John:
Let us ask her that is highly favoured how she conceived the
incomprehensible, or how she bare him that cannot be carried, or how
she brought forth so much greatness. But they doubted to ask her. 3
Bartholomew therefore said unto Peter: Thou that art the chief, and my
teacher, draw near and ask her. But Peter said to John: Thou art a
virgin and undefiled (and beloved) and thou must ask her.
4 And as they all doubted and disputed, Bartholomew came near unto her
with a cheerful countenance and said to her: Thou that art highly
favoured, the tabernacle of the Most High, unblemished we, even all the
apostles, ask thee (or All the apostles have sent me to ask thee) to
tell us how thou didst conceive the incomprehensible, or how thou didst
bear him that cannot be carried, or how thou didst bring forth so much
greatness.
5 But Mary said unto them: Ask me not (or Do ye indeed ask me)
concerning this mystery. If I should begin to tell you, fire will issue
forth out of my mouth and consume all the world.
6 But they continued yet the more to ask her. And she, for she could
not refuse to hear the apostles, said: Let us stand up in prayer. 7 And
the apostles stood behind Mary: but she said unto Peter: Peter, thou
chief, thou great pillar, standest thou behind us? Said not our Lord:
the head of the man is Christ ? now therefore stand ye before me and
pray. 8 But they said unto her: In thee did the Lord set his
tabernacle, and it was his good pleasure that thou shouldest contain
him, and thou oughtest to be the leader in the prayer (al. to go with
us to). 9 But she said unto them: Ye are shining stars, and as the
prophet said, 'I did lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence
shall come mine help'; ye, therefore, are the hills, and it behoveth
you to pray.
10 The apostles say unto her: Thou oughtest to pray, thou art the
mother of the heavenly king. 11 Mary saith unto them: In your likeness
did God form the sparrows, and sent them forth into the four corners of
the world. 12 But they say unto her: He that is scarce contained by the
seven heavens was pleased to be contained in thee.
13 Then Mary stood up before them and spread out her hands toward the
heaven and began to speak thus: Elphue Zarethra Charboum Nemioth
Melitho Thraboutha Mephnounos Chemiath Aroura Maridon Elison Marmiadon
Seption Hesaboutha Ennouna Saktinos Athoor Belelam Opheoth Abo Chrasar
(this is the reading of one Greek copy: the others and the Slavonic
have many differences as in all such cases: but as the original
words-assuming them to have once had a meaning-are hopelessly
corrupted, the matter is not of importance), which is in the Greek
tongue(Hebrew, Slav.): O God the exceeding great and all-wise and king
of the worlds (ages), that art not to be described, the ineffable, that
didst establish the greatness of the heavens and all things by a word,
that out of darkness (or the unknown) didst constitute and fasten
together the poles of heaven in harmony, didst bring into shape the
matter that was in confusion, didst bring into order the things that
were without order, didst part the misty darkness from the light, didst
establish in one place the foundations of the waters, thou that makest
the beings of the air to tremble, and art the fear of them that are on
(or under) the earth, that didst settle the earth and not suffer it to
perish, and filledst it, which is the nourisher of all things, with
showers of blessing: (Son of) the Father, thou whom the seven heavens
hardly contained, but who wast well-pleased to be contained without
pain in me, thou that art thyself the full word of the Father in whom
all things came to be: give glory to thine exceeding great name, and
bid me to speak before thy holy apostles .
14 And when she had ended the prayer she began to say unto them: Let us
sit down upon the ground; and come thou, Peter the chief, and sit on my
right hand and put thy left hand beneath mine armpit; and thou, Andrew,
do so on my left hand; and thou, John, the virgin, hold together my
bosom; and thou, Bartholomew, set thy knees against my back and hold my
shoulders, lest when I begin to speak my bones be loosed one from
another.
15 And when they had so done she began to say: When I abode in the
temple of God and received my food from an angel, on a certain day
there appeared unto me one in the likeness of an angel, but his face
was incomprehensible, and he had not in his hand bread or a cup, as did
the angel which came to me aforetime.
16 And straightway the robe (veil) of the temple was rent and there was
a very great earthquake, and I fell upon the earth, for I was not able
to endure the sight of him. 17 But he put his hand beneath me and
raised me up, and I looked up into heaven and there came a cloud of dew
and sprinkled me from the head to the feet, and he wiped me with his
robe. 18 And said unto me: Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the
chosen vessel, grace inexhaustible. And he smote his garment upon the
right hand and there came a very great loaf, and he set it upon the
altar of the temple and did eat of it first himself, and gave unto me
also. 19 And again he smote his garment upon the left hand and there
came a very great cup full of wine: and he set it upon the altar of the
temple and did drink of it first himself, and gave also unto me. And I
beheld and saw the bread and the cup whole as they were.
20 And he said unto me: Yet three years, and I will send my word unto
thee and then shalt conceive my (or a) son, and through him shall the
whole creation be saved. Peace be unto thee, my beloved, and my peace
shall be with thee continually.
21 And when he had so said he vanished away from mine eyes, and the
temple was restored as it had been before.
22 And as she was saying this, fire issued out of her mouth; and the
world was at the point to come to an end: but Jesus appeared quickly
(lat. 2, and laid his hand upon her mouth) and said unto Mary: Utter
not this mystery, or this day my whole creation will come to an end
(Lat. 2, and the flame from her mouth ceased). And the apostles were
taken with fear lest haply the Lord should be wroth with them.
III
1 And he departed with them unto the mount Mauria (Lat. 2, Mambre), and
sat in the midst of them. 2 But they doubted to question him, being
afraid. 3 And Jesus answered and said unto them: Ask me what ye will
that I should teach you, and I will show it you. For yet seven days,
and I ascend unto my Father, and I shall no more be seen of you in this
likeness. 4 But they, yet doubting, said unto him: Lord, show us the
deep (abyss) according unto thy promise. 5 And Jesus said unto them: It
is not good (Lat. 2, is good) for you to see the deep: notwithstanding,
if ye desire it, according to my promise, come, follow me and behold. 6
And he led them away into a place that is called Cherubim (Cherukt
Slav., Chairoudee Gr., Lat. 2 omits), that is the place of truth. 7 And
he beckoned unto the angels of the West and the earth was rolled up
like a volume of a book and the deep was revealed unto them. 8 And when
the apostles saw it they fell on their faces upon the earth. 9 But
Jesus raised them up, saying: Said I not unto you, 'It is not good for
you to see the deep'. And again he beckoned unto the angels, and the
deep was covered up.
IV
1 And he took them and brought them again unto the Mount of olives.
2 And Peter said unto Mary: Thou that art highly favoured, entreat the
Lord that he would reveal unto us the things that are in the heavens.
3 And Mary said unto Peter: O stone hewn out of the rock, did not the
Lord build his church upon thee? Go thou therefore first and ask him.
4 Peter saith again: O tabernacle that art spread abroad . 5 Mary
saith: Thou art the image of Adam: was not he first formed and then
Eve? Look upon the sun, that according to the likeness of Adam it is
bright. and upon the moon, that because of the transgression of Eve it
is full of clay. For God did place Adam in the east and Eve in the
west, and appointed the lights that the sun should shine on the earth
unto Adam in the east in his fiery chariots, and the moon in the west
should give light unto Eve with a countenance like milk. And she
defiled the commandment of the Lord. Therefore was the moon stained
with clay (Lat. 2, is cloudy) and her light is not bright. Thou
therefore, since thou art the likeness of Adam, oughtest to ask him:
but in me was he contained that I might recover the strength of the
female.
6 Now when they came up to the top of the mount, and the Master was
withdrawn from them a little space, Peter saith unto Mary: Thou art she
that hast brought to nought the transgression of Eve, changing it from
shame into joy; it is lawful, therefore, for thee to ask.
7 When Jesus appeared again, Bartholomew saith unto him: Lord, show us
the adversary of men that we may behold him, of what fashion he is, and
what is his work, and whence he cometh forth, and what power he hath
that he spared not even thee, but caused thee to be hanged upon the
tree. 8 But Jesus looked upon him and said: Thou bold heart! thou
askest for that which thou art not able to look upon. 9 But Bartholomew
was troubled and fell at Jesus' feet and began to speak thus: O lamp
that cannot be quenched, Lord Jesu Christ, maker of the eternal light
that hast given unto them that love thee the grace that beautifieth
all, and hast given us the eternal light by thy coming into the world,
that hast accomplished the work of the Father, hast turned the
shame-facedness of Adam into mirth, hast done away the sorrow of Eve
with a cheerful countenance by thy birth from a virgin: remember not
evil against me but grant me the word of mine asking. (Lat. 2, who
didst come down into the world, who hast confirmed the eternal word of
the Father, who hast called the sadness of joy, who hast made the shame
of Eve glad, and restored her by vouchsafing to be contained in the
womb.)
10 And as he thus spake, Jesus raised him up and said unto him:
Bartholomew, wilt thou see the adversary of men? I tell thee that when
thou beholdest him, not thou only but the rest of the apostles and Mary
will fall on your faces and become as dead corpses.
11 But they all said unto him: Lord, let us behold him.
12 And he led them down from the Mount of Olives and looked wrathfully
upon the angels that keep hell (Tartarus), and beckoned unto Michael to
sound the trumpet in the height of the heavens. And Michael sounded,
and the earth shook, and Beliar came up, being held by 660 (560 Gr.,
6,064 Lat. 1, 6,060 Lat. 2) angels and bound with fiery chains. 12 And
the length of him was 1,600 cubits and his breadth 40 (Lat. 1, 300,
Slav. 17) cubits (Lat. 2, his length 1,900 cubits, his breadth 700, one
wing of him 80), and his face was like a lightning of fire and his eyes
full of darkness (like sparks, Slav.). And out of his nostrils came a
stinking smoke; and his mouth was as the gulf of a precipice, and the
one of his wings was four-score cubits. 14 And straightway when the
apostles saw him, they fell to the earth on their faces and became as
dead. 15 But Jesus came near and raised the apostles and gave them a
spirit of power, and he saith unto Bartholomew: Come near, Bartholomew,
and trample with thy feet on his neck, and he will tell thee his work,
what it is, and how he deceiveth men. 16 And Jesus stood afar off with
the rest of the apostles. 17 And Barthololmew feared, and raised his
voice and said: Blessed be the name of thine immortal kingdom from
henceforth even for ever. And when he had spoken, Jesus permitted him,
saying: Go and tread upon the neck of Beliar: and Bartholomew ran
quickly upon him and trode upon his neck: and Beliar trembled. (For
this verse the Vienna MS. has: And Bartholomew raised his voice and
said thus: O womb more spacious than a city, wider than the spreading
of the heavens, that contained him whom the seven heavens contain not,
but thou without pain didst contain sanctified in thy bosom, &c.:
evidently out of place. Latin 1 has only: Then did Antichrist tremble
and was filled with fury.)
18 And Bartholomew was afraid, and fled, and said unto Jesus: Lord,
give me an hem of thy garments (Lat. 2, the kerchief (?) from thy
shoulders) that I may have courage to draw near unto him. 19 But Jesus
said unto him: Thou canst not take an hem of my garments, for these are
not my garments which I wore before I was crucified. 20 And Bartholomew
said: Lord, I fear Iest, like as he spared not thine angels, he swallow
me up also. 21 Jesus saith unto him: Were not all things made by my
word, and by the will of my Father the spirits were made subject unto
Solomon? thou, therefore, being commanded by my word, go in my name and
ask him what thou wilt. (lat. 2 omits 20.) 22 [And Bartholomew made the
sign of the cross and prayed unto Jesus and went behind him. And Jesus
said to him: Draw near. And as Bartholomew drew near, fire was kindled
on every side, so that his garments appeared fiery. Jesus saith to
Bartholomew: As I said unto thee, tread upon his neck and ask him what
is his power.] And Bartholomew went and trode upon his neck, and
pressed down his face into the earth as far as his ears. 23 And
Bartholomew saith unto him: Tell me who thou art and what is thy name.
And he said to him: Lighten me a little, and I will tell thee who I am
and how I came hither, and what my work is and what my power is. 24 And
he lightened him and saith to him: Say all that thou hast done and all
that thou doest. 25 And Beliar answered and said: If thou wilt know my
name, at the first I was called Satanael, which is interpreted a
messenger of God, but when I rejected the image of God my name was
called Satanas, that is, an angel that keepeth hell (Tartarus). 26 And
again Bartholomew saith unto him: Reveal unto me all things and hide
nothing from me. 27 And he said unto him: I swear unto thee by the
power of the glory of God that even if I would hide aught I cannot, for
he is near that would convict me. For if I were able I would have
destroyed you like one of them that were before you. 28 For, indeed, I
was formed (al. called) the first angel: for when God made the heavens,
he took a handful of fire and formed me first, Michael second [Vienna
MS. here has these sentences: for he had his Son before the heavens and
the earth and we were formed (for when he took thought to create all
things, his Son spake a word), so that we also were created by the will
of the Son and the consent of the Father. He formed, I say, first me,
next Michael the chief captain of the hosts that are above], Gabriel
third, Uriel fourth, Raphael fifth, Nathanael sixth, and other angels
of whom I cannot tell the names. [Jerusalem MS., Michael, Gabriel,
Raphael, Uriel, Xathanael, and other 6,000 angels. Lat. I, Michael the
honour of power, third Raphael, fourth Gabriel, and other seven. Lat.
2, Raphael third, Gabriel fourth, Uriel fifth, Zathael sixth, and other
six.] For they are the rod-bearers (lictors) of God, and they smite me
with their rods and pursue me seven times in the night and seven times
in the day, and leave me not at all and break in pieces all my power.
These are the (twelve, lat. 2) angels of vengeance which stand before
the throne of God: these are the angels that were first formed. 30 And
after them were formed all the angels. In the first heaven are an
hundred myriads, and in the second an hundred myriads, and in the third
an hundred myriads, and in the fourth an hundred myriads, and in the
fifth an hundred myriads, and in the sixth an hundred myriads, and in
the seventh (an hundred myriads, and outside the seven heavens,
Jerusalem MS.) is the first firmament (flat surface) wherein are the
powers which work upon men. 31 For there are four other angels set over
the winds. The first angel is over the north, and he is called Chairoum
(. . . broil, Jerusalem MS.; lat. 2, angel of the north, Mauch), and
hath in his hand a rod of fire, and restraineth the super-fluity of
moisture that the earth be not overmuch wet. 32 And the angel that is
over the north is called Oertha (Lat. 2, Alfatha): he hath a torch of
fire and putteth it to his sides, and they warm the great coldness of
him that he freeze not the world. 33 And the angel that is over the
south is called Kerkoutha (Lat. 2, Cedar) and they break his fierceness
that he shake not the earth. 34 And the angel that is over the
south-west is called Naoutha, and he hath a rod of snow in his hand and
putteth it into his mouth, and quencheth the fire that cometh out of
his mouth. And if the angel quenched it not at his mouth it would set
all the world on fire. 35 And there is another angel over the sea which
maketh it rough with the waves thereof. 36 But the rest I will not tell
thee, for he that standeth by suffereth me not.
37 Bartholomew saith unto him: Flow chastisest thou the souls of men?
38 Beliar saith unto him: Wilt thou that I declare unto thee the
punishment of the hypocrites, of the back-biters, of the jesters, of
the idolaters, and the covetous, and the adulterers, and the wizards,
and the diviners, and of them that believe in us, and of all whom I
look upon (deceive?)? (38 Lat. 2: When I will show any illusion by
them. But they that do these things, and they that consent unto them or
follow them, do perish with me. 39 Bartholomew said unto him: Declare
quickly how thou persuadest men not to follow God and thine evil arts,
that are slippery and dark, that they should leave the straight and
shining paths of the Lord.) 39 Bartholomew saith unto him: I will that
thou declare it in few words. 40 And he smote his teeth together,
gnashing them, and there came up out of the bottomless pit a wheel
having a sword flashing with fire, and in the sword were pipes. 41 And
I (he) asked him, saying: What is this sword? 42 And he said: This
sword is the sword of the gluttonous: for into this pipe are sent they
that through their gluttony devise all manner of sin; into the second
pipe are sent the backbiters which backbite their neighbour secretly;
into the third pipe are sent the hypocrites and the rest whom I
overthrow by my contrivance. (Lat. 2:40 And Antichrist said: I will
tell thee. And a wheel came up out of the abyss, having seven fiery
knives. The first knife hath twelve pipes (canales).. . . 42 Antichrist
answered: The pipe of fire in the first knife, in it are put the
casters of lots and diviners and enchanters, and they that believe in
them or have sought them, because in the iniquity of their heart they
have invented false divinations. In the second pipe of fire are first
the blasphemers ... suicides ... idolaters.... In the rest are first
perjurers . . . (long enumeration).) 43 And Bartholomew said: Dost thou
then do these things by thyself alone? 44 And Satan said: If I were
able to go forth by myself, I would have destroyed the whole world in
three days: but neither I nor any of the six hundred go forth. For we
have other swift ministers whom we command, and we furnish them with an
hook of many points and send them forth to hunt, and they catch for us
souls of men, enticing them with sweetness of divers baits, that is by
drunkenness and laughter, by backbiting, hypocrisy, pleasures,
fornication, and the rest of the trifles that come out of their
treasures. (Lat. 2 amplifies enormously.)
45 And I will tell thee also the rest of the names of the angels. The
angel of the hail is called Mermeoth, and he holdeth the hail upon his
head, and my ministers do adjure him and send him whither they will.
And other angels are there over the snow, and other over the thunder,
and other over the lightning, and when any spirit of us would go forth
either by land or by sea, these angels send forth fiery stones and set
our limbs on fire. (Lat. 2 enumerates all the transgressions of Israel
and all possible sins in two whole pages.)
46 Bartholomew saith: Be still (be muzzled) thou dragon of the pit. 47
And Beliar said: Many things will I tell thee of the angels. They that
run together throughout the heavenly places and the earthly are these:
Mermeoth, Onomatath, Douth, Melioth, Charouth, Graphathas, Oethra,
Nephonos, Chalkatoura. With them do fly (are administered?) the things
that are in heaven and on earth and under the earth.
48 Bartholomew saith unto him: Be still (be muzzled) and be faint, that
I may entreat my Lord. 49 And Bartholomew fell upon his face and cast
earth upon his head and began to say: O Lord Jesu Christ, the great and
glorious name. All the choirs of the angels praise thee, O Master, and
I that am unworthy with my lips . . . do praise thee, O Master. Hearken
unto me thy servant, and as thou didst choose me from the receipt of
custom and didst not suffer me to have my conversation unto the end in
my former deeds, O Lord Jesu Christ, hearken unto me and have mercy
upon the sinners. 50 And when he had so said, the Lord saith unto him:
Rise up, suffer him that groaneth to arise: I will declare the rest
unto thee. 51 And Bartholomew raised up Satan and said unto him: Go
unto thy place, with thine angels, but the Lord hath mercy upon all his
world. (50, 51, again enormously amplified in lat. 2. Satan complains
that he has been tricked into telling his secrets before the time. The
interpolation is to some extent dated by this sentence: ' Simon Magus
and Zaroes and Arfaxir and Jannes and Mambres are my brothers.' Zaroes
and Arfaxatare wizards who figure in the Latin Acts of Matthew and of
Simon and Jude (see below). 49 follows 51 in this text.)
52 But the devil said: Suffer me, and I will tell thee how I was cast
down into this place and how the Lord did make man. 53 I was going to
and fro in the world, and God said unto Michael: Bring me a clod from
the four corners of the earth, and water out of the four rivers of
paradise. And when Michael brought them God formed Adam in the regions
of the east, and shaped the clod which was shapeless, and stretched
sinews and veins upon it and established it with Joints; and he
worshipped him, himself for his own sake first, because he was the
image of God, therefore he worshipped him. 54 And when I came from the
ends of the earth Michael said: Worship thou the image of God, which he
hath made according to his likeness. But I said: I am fire of fire, I
was the first angel formed, and shall worship clay and matter? 55 And
Michael saith to me: Worship, lest God be wroth with thee. But I said
to him: God will not be wroth with me; but I will set my throne over
against his throne, and I will be as he is. Then was God wroth with me
and cast me down, having commanded the windows of heaven to be opened.
56 And when I was cast down, he asked also the six hundred that were
under me, if they would worship: but they said: Like as we have seen
the first angel do, neither will we worship him that is less than
ourselves. Then were the six hundred also cast down by him with me. 57
And when we were cast down upon the earth we were senseless for forty
years, and when the sun shone forth seven times brighter than fire,
suddenly I awaked; and I looked about and saw the six hundred that were
under me senseless. 58 And I awaked my son Salpsan and took him to
counsel how I might deceive the man on whose account I was cast out of
the heavens. 59 And thus did I contrive it. I took a vial in mine hand
and scraped the sweat from off my breast and the hair of mine armpits,
and washed myself (Lat. 2, I took fig leaves in my hands and wiped the
sweat from my bosom and below mine arms and cast it down beside the
streams of waters. 69 is greatly prolonged in this text) in the springs
of the waters whence the four rivers flow out, and Eve drank of it and
desire came upon her: for if she had not drunk of that water I should
not have been able to deceive her. 60 Then Bartholomew commanded him to
go into hell.
61 And Bartholomew came and fell at Jesus' feet and began with tears to
say thus: Abba, Father, that art past finding out by us, Word of the
Father, whom the seven heavens hardly contained, but who wast pleased
to be contained easily and without pain within the body of the Virgin:
whom the Virgin knew not that she bare: thou by thy thought hast
ordained all things to be: thou givest us that which we need before
thou art entreated. 62 Thou that didst wear a crown of thorns that thou
mightest prepare for us that repent the precious crown from heaven;
that didst hang upon the tree, that (a clause gone): (lat. 2, that thou
mightest turn from us the tree of lust and concupiscence (etc., etc.).
The verse is prolonged for over 40 lines) (that didst drink wine
mingled with gall) that thou mightest give us to drink of the wine of
compunction, and wast pierced n the side with a spear that thou
mightest fill us with thy body and thy blood: 63 Thou that gavest names
unto the four rivers: to the first Phison, because of the faith
(pistis) which thou didst appear in the world to preach; to the second
Geon, for that man was made of earth (ge); to the third Tigris, because
by thee was revealed unto us the consubstantial Trinity in the heavens
(to make anything of this we must read Trigis); to the fourth
Euphrates, because by thy presence in the world thou madest every soul
to rejoice (euphranai) through the word of immortality. 64 My God, and
Father, the greatest, my King: save, Lord, the sinners. 65 When he had
thus prayed Jesus said unto him: Bartholomew, my Father did name me
Christ, that I might come down upon earth and anoint every man that
cometh unto me with the oil of life: and he did call me Jesus that I
might heal every sin of them that know not . . . and give unto men
(several corrupt words: the Latin has) the truth of God.
66 And again Bartholomew saith unto him: Lord, is it lawful for me to
reveal these mysteries unto every man? Jesus saith unto him:
Bartholomew, my beloved, as many as are faithful and are able to keep
them unto themselves, to them mayest thou entrust these things. For
some there are that be worthy of them, but there are also other some
unto whom it is not fit to entrust them: for they are vain
(swaggerers), drunkards, proud, unmerciful, partakers in idolatry,
authors of fornication, slanderers, teachers of foolishness, and doing
all works that are of the devil, and therefore are they not worthy that
these should be entrusted to them. 68 And also they are secret, because
of those that cannot contain them; for as many as can contain them
shall have a part in them. Herein ( Hitherto?) therefore, my beloved,
have I spoken unto thee, for blessed art thou and all thy kindred which
of their choice have this word entrusted unto them; for all they that
can contain it shall receive whatsoever they will in the of my
judgement.
69 Then I, Bartholomew, which wrote these things in mine heart, took
hold on the hand of the lord the lover of men and began to rejoice and
to speak thus:
Glory be to thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, that givest unto all thy grace
which all we have perceived. Alleluia.
Glory be to thee, O Lord, the life of sinners.
Glory be to thee, O Lord, death is put to shame.
Glory be to thee, O Lord, the treasure of righteousness.
For unto God do we sing.
70 And as Bartholomew thus spake again, Jesus put off his mantle and
took a kerchief from the neck of Bartholomew and began to rejoice and
say (70 lat. 2, Then Jesus took a kerchief (?) I and said: I am good:
mild and gracious and merciful, strong and righteous, wonderful and
holy): I am good. Alleluia. I am meek and gentle. Alleluia. Glory be to
thee, O Lord: for I give gifts unto all them that desire me. Alleluia.
Glory be to thee, O Lord, world without end. Amen. Alleluia.
71 And when he had ceased, the apostles kissed him, and he gave them
the peace of love.
Vl
1 Bartholomew saith unto him: Declare unto us, Lord what sin is heavier
than all sins? 2 Jesus saith unto him: Verily I say unto thee that
hypocrisy and backbiting is heavier than all sins: for because of them,
the prophet said in the psalm, that 'the ungodly shall not rise in the
judgement, neither sinners in the council of the righteous', neither
the ungodly in the judgement of my Father. Verily, verily, I say unto
you, that every sin shall be forgiven unto every man, but the sin
against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven. 3 And Bartholomew saith
unto him: What is the sin against the Holy Ghost? 4 Jesus saith unto
him: Whosoever shall decree against any man that hath served my holy
Father hath blasphemed against the Holy Ghost: For every man that
serveth God worshipfully is worthy of the Holy Ghost, and he that
speaketh anything evil against him shall not be forgiven.
5 Woe unto him that sweareth by the head of God, yea woe (?) to him
that sweareth falsely by him truly. For there are twelve heads of God
the most high: for he is the truth, and in him is no lie, neither
forswearing. 6 Ye, therefore, go ye and preach unto all the world the
word of truth, and thou, Bartholomew, preach this word unto every one
that desireth it; and as many as believe thereon shall have eternal
life.
7 Bartholomew saith: O Lord, and if any sin with sin of the body, what
is their reward? 8 And Jesus said: It is good if he that is baptized
present his baptism blameless: but the pleasure of the flesh will
become a lover. For a single marriage belongeth to sobriety: for verily
I say unto thee, he that sinneth after the third marriage (wife) is
unworthy of God. (8 Lat. 2 is to this effect: . . . But if the lust of
the flesh come upon him, he ought to be the husband of one wife. The
married, if they are good and pay tithes, will receive a hundredfold. A
second marriage is lawful, on condition of the diligent performance of
good works, and due payment of tithes: but a third marriage is
reprobated: and virginity is best.) 9 But ye, preach ye unto every man
that they keep themselves from such things: for I depart not from you
and I do supply you with the Holy Ghost. (lat. 2, At the end of 9,
Jesus ascends in the clouds, and two angels appear and say: 'Ye men of
Galilee', and the rest ) 10 And Bartholomew worshipped him with the
apostles, and glorified God earnestly, saying: Glory be to thee, Holy
Father, Sun unquenchable, incomprehensible, full of light. Unto thee be
glory, unto thee honour and adoration, world without end. Amen. (Lat.
2, End of the questioning of the most blessed Bartholomew and (or) the
other apostles with the Lord Jesus Christ.)
THE BOOK OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST BY BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE
This exists in Coptic only. There are several recensions of it: the
most complete is in a manuscript recently acquired by the British
Museum (Or. 6804), and translated first by W. E. Crum (Rustafjaell's
light of Egypt, 1910) and then edited and translated by Sir E. A.
Wallis Budge (Coptic Apocrypha in the dialect of Upper Egypt, 1913).
Other fragments are in the publications of Lacau and Revillout. No full
translation, but only a