1 I, Aemeus, an Israelite by nation, a doctor of the law in Palestine, an interpreter of the Divine Scriptures, full of faith in the greatness of Our Lord Jesus Christ, clothed with the sacredness of holy baptism, and an investigator of the things that happened and were done by the Jews under the government of Gnaeus Pontius Pilate, bringing to mind the account of those events written by Nicodemus in Hebrew, I translated it into Greek, to make it known to all who worship the name of the Savior of the world.
2 And I did it under the empire of Flavius Theodosius, in the eighteenth year of his reign and under Valentinian.
3 And I beseech all of you who read such things, in Greek or Latin books, to pray for me, a poor sinner, that God may be favorable to me and forgive me for all the sins I have committed. With which, and wishing peace to the readers, and health to those who understand, I conclude my preface.
4 What I am about to relate took place in the eighteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, emperor of the Romans, and of Herod, son of Herod, king of Galilee, the eighteenth year of their dominion, the eighth of the Kalends of April, which is the twenty-fifth day of the month of March, under the consulship of Rufinus and Rubelion, in the fourth year of the 202 Olympiad, when Josephus and Caiaphas were high priests of the Jews. Then Nicodemus wrote down in Hebrew all that had happened at the passion and crucifixion of Jesus.
5 Now several of the Jews, Annas, Caiaphas, Sommas, Dathan, Gamaliel, Judas, Levi, Naphtalim, Alexander, Syrus, and other rulers, came to Pilate and accused Jesus of many evil things, saying, “We know him to be the son of Joseph the carpenter, and born of Mary. Yet he claims to be the Son of God and King of all men; and not only by words but by deeds he profanes the Sabbath and violates the law of our fathers.”
6 Pilate asked: What is he saying, and what is he trying to dissolve in your people?
7 And the Jews answered, The law, confirmed by our customs, commands to keep holy the Sabbath and forbids to cure on it. But Jesus, on it, cures the blind, the deaf, the lame, the paralyzed, the lepers, the possessed, without seeing that he performs evil deeds.
8 Pilate replied: How can these actions be evil?
9 And they answered, He is a magician, for by Beelzebub the prince of the demons he casts out demons, and by him also all things are subject to him.
10 Pilate said: It is not an unclean spirit that can cast out demons, but the power of God.
11 But one of the Jews answered for them all: We beseech you, send for Jesus to your tribunal, that you may see him and hear him.
12 And Pilate called a messenger and ordered him: Bring Jesus before me and treat him gently.
13 And the messenger went out, and having seen Jesus, whom he well knew, he spread his mantle before him and fell at his feet, saying to him: Lord, walk in this mantle of your servant, for the governor calls you.
14 When the Jews saw this, they were very angry and complained to Pilate, saying, “You should have sent for him, not by a messenger, but by the voice of your herald.” For the messenger, when he saw him, worshipped him and spread his garment before Jesus and begged him to walk upon it.
15 And Pilate called the messenger and asked him: Why did you do this?
16 The messenger answered and said, When you sent me to Jerusalem near Alexander, I saw Jesus riding on a donkey, and the children of the Hebrews holding branches of trees in their hands, crying, “Hail, Son of David!” And others spreading their garments on the road said, “Hail to him who is in heaven! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
17 But the Jews answered the messenger, exclaiming, Those Hebrew children spoke Hebrew. How is it that you, a Greek, understood words spoken in a language not your own?
18 And the messenger answered: I questioned one of the Jews about what was meant by what they were saying in Hebrew and he explained it to me.
19 Then Pilate intervened, asking: What was the cry they were uttering in Hebrew? And the Jews answered: Hosanna. And Pilate said: What is the meaning of this word? And the Jews answered: Lord, greeting! And Pilate said: You yourselves confirm that the children spoke in this way. In what, then, is the guilt of the messenger?
20 And the Jews kept silent. But the governor said to the messenger, Go out, and bring him in.
21 And the messenger came to Jesus and said to him, “Sir, come in, for the governor is calling for you.”
22 And when Jesus entered the Praetorium, the images which the standard-bearers carried above their banners bowed down and worshiped him. And when the Jews saw that the images bowed down to worship Jesus, they raised a great shout against the standard-bearers.
23 Then Pilate said to the Jews, “I notice that you do not pay homage to Jesus, although the images have bowed down to him in salute, and yet you rail against the standard-bearers, as though they themselves had bowed down their banners and worshipped Jesus.” And the Jews answered, “We have seen them proceed just as you describe.”
24 And the governor brought forward the standard-bearers and asked them why they had done this. But the standard-bearers answered Pilate: We are pagans and slaves of the temples. Do you even conceive that we could have worshipped this Jew? The banners we held have inclined themselves to worship him.
25 In view of this reply, Pilate said to the leaders of the Synagogue and the elders of the people: Choose strong and robust men for yourselves, who will take up the banners, and we will see if they will incline of their own accord.
26 And the elders of the Jews chose twelve very strong men of their race, in whose hands they put the standards, and they lined them up before the governor. And Pilate said to the messenger, Lead Jesus out of the Praetorium, and bring him in at once. And Jesus went out of the Praetorium with the messenger.
27 And Pilate, addressing those who held the standards, admonished them, swearing by Caesar’s health: If the standards bow down when he enters, I will have your heads cut off.
28 And the governor commanded that Jesus should come in a second time. And the messenger begged Jesus again to come in, passing over the mantle which he had spread on the ground. And Jesus did so, and when he came in, the banners bowed down and worshiped him.
1 Seeing this, Pilate was overcome with terror and began to stir in his seat. And as he was thinking of rising, his wife, named Claudia Procula, sent a messenger to him, saying, “Do nothing to that just man, for I have suffered greatly in a dream last night because of him.”
2 Pilate, hearing this, said to all the Jews, “You know that my wife is a pagan, yet she has built many synagogues for you. Now she has just sent me word that Jesus is a righteous man, and that he suffered greatly in a dream last night because of him.”
3 But the Jews answered Pilate, “Did we not tell you that he was a sorcerer? Behold, he sent a dream to your wife.”
4 And Pilate called Jesus and asked him, “Do you not hear what these people are saying against you? Do you have no answer?”
5 Jesus replied: If they did not have the power of speech, they would not speak. But each one can open his mouth and say things, whether good or bad, in his own power.
6 The Jewish elders answered Jesus, “What are we saying? First, that you were born of fornication; second, that your birthplace was Bethlehem, and because of you all the boys your age were slaughtered; and third, that your father and mother fled with you to Egypt because they had no faith in the people.”
7 But some of the Jews who were present, who were less wicked than the others, said, “We will not say that this is the result of sexual immorality, because we know that Mary was married to Joseph, and therefore Jesus is not an illegitimate child.”
8 And Pilate said to the Jews who maintained that Jesus was the product of fornication: Your speech is false, since there was a marriage, as witnessed by persons of your class.
9 But Annas and Caiaphas insisted with Pilate, saying, “The whole multitude cries out that he was born of fornication and that he is a sorcerer. And those who testify against him are his proselytes and disciples.”
10 Pilate asked, “What do you mean by ‘proselytes’?” And they answered, “They are children of pagans who have now become Jews.”
11 But Lazarus, Asterius, Anthony, James, Zarus, Samuel, Isaac, Phineus, Crispus, Agrippa, Amenius, and Judas then said, We are not proselytes, but children of Jews, and we speak the truth, for we were present at the marriage of Mary.
12 And Pilate, turning to the twelve men who had spoken thus, said to them: I command you, by Caesar’s health, to declare whether you are speaking the truth, and whether Jesus was not born of fornication.
13 And they answered Pilate, “Our law forbids us to swear, for it is a sin. Command those who swear, by Caesar’s health, that what we say is false, and we will have deserved death.”
14 Annas and Caiaphas said to Pilate: Will you believe these twelve men, who claim that he was not born of fornication, and will you not believe us, who assure us that he is a magician, and that he calls himself the son of God and king of men?
15 Then Pilate ordered all the people to go out and take Jesus aside. He asked those who had asserted that he was not a child of fornication, “Why do the Jews want to destroy Jesus?” They answered, “They are angry with him because he performs cures on the Sabbath.” Pilate exclaimed, “Do you want to destroy him for a good work?” They confirmed it.
1 Filled with anger, Pilate left the Praetorium and said to the Jews: I call the sun to witness that I have found nothing reprehensible in this man.
2 But the Jews answered the governor, If he were not a sorcerer, we would not have handed him over to you. Pilate said, Take him and judge him according to your own law. But the Jews answered, It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death. Pilate rebuked him, saying, It is you, and not me, that God hath commanded, Thou shalt not kill.
3 And when he had returned to the Praetorium, Pilate called Jesus privately and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Are you saying this of yourself, or did others tell you about me?”
4 Pilate replied, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”
5 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have fought, so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this world.”
6 Pilate exclaimed, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Whoever hears my word hears the truth.”
7 Pilate said, “What is truth?” And Jesus answered, “The truth comes from heaven.” Pilate asked him, “Is there no truth on this earth?” And Jesus said, “See how those who speak the truth on earth are judged by those who have authority on earth.”
1 Leaving Jesus inside the Praetorium, Pilate went out and went to the Jews, to whom he said: I find no fault in him.
2 But the Jews answered, He said that he was able to destroy the temple, and rebuild it in three days.
3 Pilate asked them, “What is the temple?” The Jews answered, “The one that Solomon spent forty-six years building, and which he claims he can destroy and rebuild in just three days.”
4 And Pilate affirmed again: I am innocent of this man’s blood. See what you must do to him.
5 And the Jews cried out, “His blood be on us and on our children!”
6 Then Pilate called the elders, the priests, and the Levites and spoke to them secretly, “Do not do this, for I find nothing worthy of death in your charge against him: Sabbath breaking.” But they said, “He who blasphemed Caesar deserves to die.” And he has done more, for he has blasphemed God.
7 Seeing this persistence in the accusation, Pilate ordered the Jews to leave the Praetorium and, calling Jesus, he said to him: What shall I do for you? Jesus said: Do what you must. And Pilate asked the Jews: How should I act? Jesus answered: Moses and the prophets have foretold this passion and my resurrection.
8 When the Jews heard this, they said to Pilate, “Do you want to listen to their blasphemies any longer? Our law states that if a man sins against his neighbor, he shall receive forty lashes less one, and the blasphemer shall be put to death.”
9 And Pilate said, If his speech is blasphemous, take him, bring him to your synagogue, and judge him according to your law. But the Jews said, We want him to be crucified. Pilate said to them, This is not right. And looking into the assembly, he saw several Jews weeping, and he exclaimed, It is not the will of all the multitude that he die.
10 But the elders said to Pilate, We have all come here to die. Then Pilate asked the Jews, What did he do to deserve death? And they answered, He said that he was a king and the Son of God.
1 Then a Jew named Nicodemus approached the governor and said, “Please, in your mercy, allow me to say a few words.” Pilate said to him, “Speak.”
2 And Nicodemus said, I have asked the elders, the priests, the Levites, the scribes, and all the multitude of the Jews in the synagogue: What complaint or grievance have you against this man? He performs many and extraordinary miracles, such as no one has ever performed or will ever perform. Let him alone, and do him no harm, for if these miracles are from God, they will be established; but if they are from men, they will perish. Moses, whom God sent to Egypt, performed the miracles that the Lord had commanded him to perform in the presence of Pharaoh. And there were magicians there, Hamnnes and Mamrez, whom the Egyptians regarded as gods, and they wanted to perform the same miracles as Moses, but they could not imitate them all. And since the miracles they performed were not from God, they perished, as did those who believed in them. Now therefore, I repeat, let this man alone, for he does not deserve to die.
3 But the Jews said to Nicodemus, You have become his disciple, and therefore you raise your voice in his favor.
4 Nicodemus replied, “Is the governor, who also speaks in his favor, his disciple? Has not Caesar made him his executioner?”
5 But the Jews, shaken with anger, gnashed their teeth at Nicodemus, and said to him, “If you believe in him, you will share the same fate as he.”
6 And Nicodemus answered, So be it. Let me share the same fate as he, according to your word.
1 And another of the Jews came forward, asking the governor for permission to speak. And Pilate answered: Whatever you want to say, say it.
2 And the Jew spoke thus: For thirty years I lay on my bed, and was constantly a prey to great sufferings, and was in danger of losing my life. Jesus came, and many demoniacs and people afflicted with various diseases were cured by him. And some devout young men brought me to him on my bed. And Jesus, when he saw me, had compassion on me and said to me, Arise, take up your bed, and go. And immediately I was completely cured, took up my bed, and went.
3 But the Jews said to Pilate, Ask him on what day he was cured. And he answered, On the Sabbath day. And the Jews exclaimed, Did we not say that on the Sabbath day he cured diseases and cast out demons?
4 Then another Jew came forward and said, "I was blind from birth, I could hear speaking, but I could see no one. And Jesus passed by, and I went to him, crying out with a loud voice, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ And he had mercy on me and laid his hand on my eyes, and immediately I received my sight.
5 And another came forward and said, I was a leper, and he healed me with a single word.
1 And a woman named Veronica said, “I had been afflicted with a flow of blood for twelve years, and when I touched the hem of his garment, the flow stopped immediately.”
2 And the Jews exclaimed: According to our law, a woman cannot come to testify as a witness.
1 And some others from the multitude of the Jews, both men and women, began to cry out, “This man is a prophet, and the demons are subject to him!” Then Pilate asked Jesus’ accusers, “Why are the demons not subject to your teachers?” And they answered, “We do not know.”
2 And others said to Pilate, He has raised Lazarus, who had been dead four days, and has taken him from the tomb.
3 When the governor heard this, he was terrified and said to the Jews, “What good will it do us to shed innocent blood?”
1 And Pilate called Nicodemus and the twelve men who said that Jesus was not born of fornication, and said to them, What should I do about this insurrection that has broken out among the people? They answered, We do not know. Let them see for themselves.
2 Pilate called the crowd together again and said to the Jews, “You know that, according to custom, I grant you the release of a prisoner on the Day of Unleavened Bread. I have a notorious murderer in prison named Barabbas, and I find nothing in Jesus worthy of death. Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” And they all shouted back, “Release Barabbas for us!”
3 Pilate answered, What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ? And they all cried out, Let him be crucified!
4 And the Jews also said, You will prove yourself no friend of Caesar if you release him who calls himself king and son of God. And perhaps you even wish him to be king in Caesar’s place.
5 Then Pilate became furious and said to them, "You have always been a seditious race, and you have opposed those who were for you.
6 And the Jews asked: Who are those who were for us?
7 And Pilate answered, Your God, who delivered you from the hard slavery of the Egyptians, and who led you on foot through the dry sea, and who gave you, in the wilderness, manna and quails for your food, and who brought water out of a rock to quench your thirst, and against whom, in spite of so many favors, you have not ceased to rebel, so that it was his will to destroy you. And Moses prayed for you, that you should not perish. And now you say that I hate the king.
8 But the Jews cried out, “We know that Caesar is our king, and not Jesus!” For the wise men brought him gifts as if he were a king. Now Herod, learning from the wise men that a king had been born, sought to kill him. When his father Joseph heard of this, he took him and his mother, and the three of them fled to Egypt. Then Herod put to death all the Jewish children who were born at that time in Bethlehem.
9 When Pilate heard these words, he was terrified, and when calm had been restored among the shouting crowd, he said, “Is this the one Herod was looking for who is here?” And they answered him, “It is the same one.”
10 Then Pilate took water and washed his hands before the people, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just man. Consider carefully what you are about to do.” And the Jews said again, “His blood be on us and on our children!”
11 Then Pilate ordered Jesus to be brought to the tribunal where he was sitting, and he continued in passing sentence on him as follows: Your race does not want you as a king. Therefore I order that you be flogged, according to the statutes of the ancient rulers.
12 And he immediately ordered him to be crucified in the place where he had been arrested, with two criminals, whose names were Dimas and Gestas.
1 And Jesus went out of the Praetorium, and the two robbers with him. And when he came to the place called Golgotha, the soldiers stripped him of his garments and wrapped a linen cloth around him, and put a crown of thorns on his head and placed a reed in his hands. And they crucified the two robbers on his sides, Dimas on his right hand and Gestas on his left.
2 And Jesus said, Father, forgive them, and let them go unpunished, for they know not what they do. And they divided his garments among themselves.
3 And the people stood by, and the rulers, the elders, and the judges mocked Jesus, saying, “Since he saved others, let him save himself. And if he is the Son of God, let him come down from the cross.”
4 And the soldiers mocked him, and offered him vinegar mixed with gall, exclaiming, If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.
5 And a certain soldier named Longinus took a spear and pierced his side, from which came out blood and water.
6 And the governor ordered that, according to the accusation of the Jews, it should be inscribed on a label, in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin letters: This is the king of the Jews.
7 And one of the robbers who were crucified, Gestas, said to Jesus, If you are the Christ, free yourself and free us. But Dismas rebuked him, saying, Do you not fear God, you who are of those upon whom condemnation has fallen? We are receiving a just punishment for what we have committed, but he has done no wrong. And when he had reproved his fellow soldier, he cried out to Jesus, Remember me, O lord in your kingdom. And Jesus answered him, Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.
1 It was then about the sixth hour of the day, and great darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour. The sun was darkened, and behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
2 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Hely, Hely, lama zabathani, which means, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
3 And immediately he murmured, My Father, I commend my spirit into thy hands. And when he had said this, he gave up his ghost.
4 And the centurion, seeing what had happened, glorified God, saying, This man was righteous. And all the spectators, troubled by what they had seen, returned to their homes, beating their breasts.
5 And the centurion reported what had happened to the governor, who was filled with extreme affliction and neither the one nor the other ate nor drank that day.
6 And Pilate summoned the Jews and asked them, “Have you witnessed what has happened?” And they answered the governor, “The sun has been eclipsed in the usual way.”
7 And all who loved Jesus stood at a distance, as did the women who had followed him from Galilee.
8 And behold, a man named Joseph, a good and just man who had not shared in the accusations and wickedness of the Jews, and who was from Arimathea, a city in Judea, and waiting for the kingdom of God, asked Pilate for the body of Jesus.
9 And taking him down from the cross, he wrapped him in a very white linen cloth and laid him in a new tomb, which he had made for himself, and in which no one had ever been laid.
1 Now when the Jews knew that Joseph had asked for Jesus’ body, they sought him out, along with the twelve men who had declared that Jesus had not been born of fornication, and Nicodemus, and the others who had appeared before Pilate and had testified to the Savior’s good works.
2 Everyone was hiding, and only Nicodemus, because he was a ruler of the Jews, showed himself to them and asked, “How did you get into the synagogue?”
3 And they answered him, And you, how did you enter the synagogue, when you were a follower of Christ? May you have your portion with him in the ages to come. And Nicodemus answered, So be it.
4 Then Joseph came to them likewise and said, “Why are you angry with me, because I asked Pilate for the body of Jesus? Behold, I have laid it in my own tomb, and wrapped it in a very white linen cloth, and placed a great stone beside the grotto. You have dealt wickedly with the righteous one, and have crucified him and pierced him with spears.”
5 When the Jews heard this, they seized Joseph and locked him up until the Sabbath day was over. And they said to him, “At this time, since it is such a day, we can do nothing against you. Nevertheless, we know that you are not worthy of burial, and we will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.”
6 And Joseph answered, These words of yours are like the words of proud Goliath, who rose up against the living God, whom David smote. God has said by the voice of the prophet, I will reserve vengeance for myself. And Pilate, his heart hardened, washed his hands in the broad daylight, and said, I am innocent of the blood of that righteous man. And you have answered, His blood be on us and on our children! And I greatly fear that the wrath of God will be on you and on your children, as you have proclaimed.
7 When the Jews heard Joseph speak thus, they were filled with rage, and seizing him, they shut him up in a dungeon without a bar that let in the least ray of light. And Annas and Caiaphas placed guards at the door and put their seal on the key.
8 And they held a council with the priests and the Levites, so that they might all meet after the Sabbath day, and counsel together as to what kind of death they should inflict on Joseph.
9 And when they were assembled, Annas and Caiaphas ordered that Joseph be brought to them. And they removed the seal and opened the door, and they did not find Joseph in the dungeon in which they had confined him. And the whole assembly was plunged into the greatest amazement, because they had found the door sealed. And Annas and Caiaphas withdrew.
1 While they were still wondering, one of the soldiers who had been put in charge of the tomb entered the synagogue and said, “While we were watching at the tomb of Jesus, the earth shook, and we saw an angel of God roll back the stone from the tomb and sit on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. We were as if terrified. We heard the angel say to the women who had come to the tomb of Jesus, ‘Do not be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified, that he has risen just as he predicted. Come and see the place where he lay, and hurry and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee, where you will see him.’”
2 And the Jews, summoning all the soldiers who had been appointed to guard Jesus, asked them, “Whose women were these to whom the angel spoke? Why did you not seize them?”
3 The soldiers replied: We do not know who these women were, and we are as good as dead, for we were so terrified by the angel. How, in this condition, could we have seized these women?
4 The Jews exclaimed, “As surely as the Lord lives, we do not believe you!” And the soldiers answered the Jews, “You have seen Jesus perform miracles, and you have not believed in him. How can you believe our words? You rightly swear by the life of the Lord, for as the Lord lives, whom you have shut up in the tomb. We have learned that you have imprisoned in a dungeon and sealed the door, this Joseph who embalmed the body of Jesus, and that when you went to look for him, you did not find him. Give us back Joseph, whom you imprisoned, and we will give you back Jesus, whose tomb we have guarded.”
5 The Jews said, “Give us Jesus back, and we will give you Joseph back, for he is in the city of Arimathea.” But the soldiers answered, “If Joseph is in Arimathea, then Jesus is in Galilee, for so the angel told the women.”
6 When the Jews heard this, they were overcome with fear and said to one another, “When the people hear these words, they will all believe in Jesus.”
7 And they gathered a large sum of money, which they gave to the soldiers, warning them: Say that, while you were sleeping, the disciples of Jesus came to the tomb and stole his body. And, if the governor Pilate finds out about it, we will appease him in your favor and you will not be disturbed.
8 And the soldiers, taking the money, said what the Jews had recommended to them.
1 Now a certain priest named Phineus, Addas the schoolmaster, and Haggai the Levite, three of them, came from Galilee to Jerusalem, and said to all who were in the synagogue, "We saw Jesus, who was crucified for you, on the Mount of Olives, sitting among his disciples, talking with them, and saying to them, ‘Go into the world, preach to all nations, and baptize the Gentiles in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.’ And no sooner had he said these things to his disciples than we saw him ascend into heaven.
2 When the chief priests, the elders of the people, and the Levites heard this, they said to those three men, “Glorify the God of Israel and take him as a witness that what you have seen and heard is true.”
3 And they answered, “As surely as the Lord of our fathers lives, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we declare that we speak the truth. We have heard Jesus speak with his disciples, and we have seen him ascend into heaven. If we were to remain silent about both of these things, we would be committing a sin.”
4 And the chief priests stood up immediately, and said, Tell no man whatsoever what ye have said concerning Jesus. And they gave them a great sum of money.
5 And they had three men accompany them, so that they might return to their own country, and not stay in Jerusalem.
6 And when all the Jews were gathered together, they began to think among themselves, and said: What is this thing that has happened to Israel?
7 Annas and Caiaphas, comforting them, replied, “Are we to believe the soldiers who guarded Jesus’ tomb and who said that an angel had opened its stone? Was it not his disciples who gave them so much gold that they might speak thus, and let them steal Jesus’ body? Know that we cannot give any faith to the words of these foreigners, because, having received a large sum from us, they have everywhere said what we commanded them to say. They may be unfaithful to Jesus’ disciples as well as to us.”
1 And Nicodemus stood up and said, You speak correctly, children of Israel. You have heard what those three men said, who swore by the law of the Lord that they heard Jesus speak with his disciples on the Mount of Olives, and that they saw him ascend into heaven. And the Scripture teaches us that blessed Elijah was transported to heaven, and that Elisha, when questioned by the sons of the prophets as to where his brother Elijah had gone, answered that he had been taken up from them. And the sons of the prophets said to him, Perhaps the spirit has taken him up from us and deposited him on the mountains of Israel. But let us choose men to go with us, and go through those mountains, where perhaps we may find him. And they entreated Elisha, and he went with them three days, and they did not find Elijah. And now, listen to me, children of Israel. Let us send men to the mountains, for perhaps the spirit has taken Jesus, and perhaps we shall find him, and do penance.
2 And the opinion of Nicodemus was liked by all the people, and they sent men, who looked for Jesus, but did not find him, and who, on their return, said: We have not found Jesus in any of the places we have searched, but we have found Joseph in the city of Arimathea.
3 And when the princes and all the people heard this, they rejoiced, and glorified the God of Israel that they had found Joseph, whom they had put in a dungeon, and whom they had not been able to find.
4 And the chief priests gathered together in a great assembly, and said among themselves, How shall we bring Joseph among us, and make him speak?
5 And they took paper and wrote to Joseph, saying, Peace be to you and to all who are with you. We know that we have sinned against God and against you. Please come to your parents and your children, for your departure from the dungeon has surprised us. We know that we had conceived a wicked plan against you, and the Lord has protected you by delivering you from our evil thoughts. Peace be to you, Joseph, a man honorable among all the people.
6 And they chose seven men, friends of Joseph, and said to them: When you arrive at Joseph’s house, give him greetings of peace, and give him the letter.
7 And the men came to Joseph’s house, and greeted him, and gave him the letter. And when Joseph had read it, he cried out, Blessed be the Lord God, who has preserved Israel from the shedding of my blood! Blessed are you, my God, who has protected me with your wings!
8 And Joseph embraced the ambassadors, and welcomed them and entertained them in his home.
9 And the next day he mounted a donkey and set out with them, and they came to Jerusalem.
10 And when the Jews heard of his coming, they all ran before him, shouting and crying out, “Peace on your coming, father Joseph!” And he said, “Peace of the Lord on all the people!”
11 And they all embraced him. And Nicodemus received him into his house, welcoming him with great honor and great pleasure.
12 And on the next day, which was the Feast of Preparation, Annas, Caiaphas, and Nicodemus said to Joseph, “Obeisance to the God of Israel, and answer whatever we ask you. We were angry with you because you had buried the body of Jesus. So we shut you up in a cell, and when we searched for you, we did not find you. We were amazed and terrified until we saw you again. Tell us therefore in the presence of God what has happened to you.”
13 And Joseph answered, When you shut me up on the Passover day, while I was praying at midnight, the house was as if suspended in the air. And I saw Jesus, bright as lightning, and I was seized with terror and fell to the ground. And Jesus took me by the hand and lifted me up high from the earth, and cold sweat broke upon my forehead. And he wiped my face and said to me, Fear nothing, Joseph. Look upon me and know me, for it is I.
14 And I looked at him and marveled, saying, “Lord Elijah!” And he said to me, “I am not Elijah, but Jesus of Nazareth, whose body you have buried.”
15 And I answered him, Show me the tomb wherein I laid thee. And Jesus took me by the hand again, and led me unto the place where he had laid him, and shewed me the burial-cloth, and the cloth wherein he had wrapped his head.
16 Then I recognized that it was Jesus, and I worshiped him, saying, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
17 Then Jesus took me by the hand again and led me to my house in Arimathea. He said to me, “Peace be with you, and do not leave your house for forty days. I am now returning to my disciples.”
1 When the priests and the Levites heard these things, they were astonished and as if dead. When they came to their senses, they exclaimed, “What wonder has appeared in Jerusalem? For we know Jesus’ father and mother.”
2 And a certain Levite explained: I know that his father and his mother were people who feared the Most High, and that they were always in the temple, praying, and offering sacrifices and burnt offerings to the God of Israel. And when Simeon, the high priest, received him, he said, taking him in his arms, “Lord, now send your servant away in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen the Savior you have prepared for all peoples, a light for the glory of your offspring Israel.” And that same Simeon also blessed Mary, the mother of Jesus, and said to her, “I declare to you concerning this child: This is born for the downfall and rising again of many, and as a sign that will be spoken against.”
3 Then the Jews proposed: Let us send for the three men who claim to have seen him with his disciples on the Mount of Olives.
4 And when this was done, and those three men arrived and were questioned, they answered with one voice: As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, we have clearly seen Jesus with his disciples on the Mount of Olives, and have been present at the sight of his going up to heaven.
5 Seeing this, Annas and Caiaphas took each of the witnesses aside and examined them separately. And they continued to confess the truth and assert that they had seen Jesus.
6 And Annas and Caiaphas thought to themselves, Our law prescribes that every word is valid in the mouth of two or three witnesses. But we know that blessed Enoch, pleasing to God, was transported to heaven by His word, and that the tomb of blessed Moses was never found, and that the death of the prophet Elijah is not known. Jesus, on the other hand, was handed over to Pilate, scourged, slapped, crowned with thorns, pierced with a lance, crucified, died on the tree, and buried. And the honorable Father Joseph, who laid his body in a new tomb, testifies that he saw him alive. And these three men certify that they met him with his disciples on the Mount of Olives, and that they witnessed the spectacle of his ascending to heaven.