THE GOSPEL OF NICODEMUS, FORMERLY CALLED THE ACTS OF PONTIUS PILATE.


The Gospel of NICODEMUS, the disciple, concerning the Sufferings and Resurrection
of our Master and Saviour, JESUS CHRIST.


CHAPTER 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 Caiphas, 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,
the 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?

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, O
Lord, save me; or, O 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.

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