1 I am Joseph of Arimathea, who demanded the body of the Lord Jesus from Pilate for burial, and who for this reason is now in chains and oppressed by the Jews, murderers and resisters of God, who, moreover, having the law in their power, caused tribulation to Moses himself, and, after angering the lawgiver and not acknowledging God, crucified the Son of God, which was clearly evident to those who knew the condition of the Crucified One. Seven days before Christ’s passion, two robbers were brought from Jericho to the governor Pilate, whose charges were these:
2 The first, named Gestas, used to kill some wayfarers with the sword, while he left others naked and hung women upside down by their ankles and then cut off their breasts; he had a predilection for drinking the blood of children; he never knew God; he did not obey the laws and, violent as he was, he carried out these actions,from the beginning of his life.
The second, on the other hand, was listed as follows. His name was Dimas; he was of Galilean origin and owned an inn. He robbed the rich, but he favored the poor. Although he was a thief, he resembled Tobit [Tobias], for he was a frequent buryer of the dead. He plundered the Jewish people; he stole the Books of the Law in Jerusalem, stripped the daughter of Caiaphas, who was then a priestess at the sanctuary, and even stole the secret treasury placed there by Solomon. Such were his misdeeds.
3 Jesus was arrested on the evening of the fourth day before Passover. Now there was no holiday for Caiaphas or for the Jewish people, but great distress was caused by the robbery that the thief had committed in the sanctuary. Then they called Judas Iscariot and spoke to him. It is known that this man was the nephew of Caiaphas. He was not a sincere disciple of Jesus, but had been deceitfully instigated by the whole crowd of Jews to follow him; not in order that he would be convinced by the miracles He performed, nor that he would recognize Him, but in order that he would hand Him over, with the idea of catching some lie in him. And for this glorious enterprise they gave him gifts and a didrachma of gold every day. And at that time he had been in Jesus’ company for two years, as one of the disciples named John says.
4 And three days before Jesus was arrested, Judas said to the Jews: “Come on! Let us pretend that it was not the thief who stole the books of the law, but Jesus himself; I myself undertake to act as the accuser.” While this was being said, Nicodemus, who had the keys of the sanctuary, came into our company and spoke to them all, saying, “Do not do this thing.” Now Nicodemus was more truthful than all the Jews put together. But the daughter of Caiaphas, named Sarah, cried out, “For he has spoken against this holy place before them all: ‘I am able to destroy this temple and raise it up in three days.’” The Jews answered, “We all give you our vote of confidence,” for they considered her a prophetess. And when the council had been held, Jesus was arrested.
1 The next day, being a Wednesday, they brought him to Caiaphas at the ninth hour. Annas and Caiaphas said to him, “Listen, why have you stolen our law and put the promises of Moses and the prophets up for auction?” But Jesus made no reply. And before the whole assembly they said to him, “Why do you intend to destroy in a single moment the sanctuary that Solomon built in forty-six years?” Jesus made no reply to this.It is known that the sanctuary of the synagogue had been looted by the thief.
2 But on Wednesday, at nightfall, the mob was preparing to burn the daughter of Caiaphas because she had lost the books of the Law, for they did not know how to celebrate the Passover. But she said to them, “Wait, children, we will put this Jesus to death and find the Law, and the holy feast will be celebrated with all solemnity.” Then Annas and Caiaphas secretly gave Judas Iscariot a large sum of gold with this order: “Say, as you told us: I know that the Law has been taken away by Jesus, so that the blame will fall on him and not on this blameless maiden.” And when they had agreed about the matter, Judas said to them, “Do not let the people know that you have instructed me to do this to Jesus. Instead, release this man, and I will see to it that the people understand this.” And cunningly they released Jesus.
3 So on Thursday morning, Judas entered the sanctuary and said to all the people, “What are you willing to give me if I hand over to you him who had destroyed the Law and stolen the Prophets?” The Jews answered, “If you hand him over to us, we will give you thirty gold coins.” But the people did not realize that Judas was referring to Jesus, for many confessed that he was the Son of God. So Judas kept the thirty gold coins for himself.
4 And going out at the fourth hour and at the fifth hour, he found Jesus walking in the courtyard. And when evening had come, he said to the Jews, “Give me a group of soldiers armed with swords and clubs, and I will deliver him into your hands.” And they gave him strength to seize him. And as they were walking, Judas said to them, “Lay hold on the one I kiss, for he is the one who has stolen the Law and the Prophets.” Then he came to Jesus and kissed him, saying, “Greetings, Teacher.” It was Thursday evening. And when they had been arrested, they handed him over to Caiaphas and the chief priests. Judas said to them, “This is the one who has stolen the Law and the Prophets.” And the Jews subjected Jesus to unjust questioning, saying, “Why have you done this?” But he made no answer.
Then Nicodemus and I, Joseph, seeing the chair of the pestilence, separated ourselves from them, not being willing to perish with the counsel of the wicked.
1 And after they had done other terrible things to Jesus that night, early on Friday morning they went to deliver him to the governor Pilate to have him crucified; and for this purpose they all came. And the governor Pilate, after questioning him, ordered that he be crucified with two robbers.And they were crucified with Jesus, Gestas on the left and Dimas on the right.
2 And the one on the left began to cry out, saying to Jesus, “See how many evil things I have done on earth! Even if I had known that you were a king, I would have been put to death with you. Why do you call yourself the Son of God, if you cannot help yourself in time of need? How then can you help another who asks you? If you are the Christ, come down from the cross so that I may believe in you. But for now, I do not consider you as a man, but as a wild beast that is perishing with me.” And he began to say many other things against Jesus, blaspheming and gnashing his teeth at him, because the thief had fallen into the devil’s trap.
3 But the one on the right, whose name was Dismas, seeing the divine grace of Jesus, cried out thus: “I know you, O Jesus Christ, and I know that you are the Son of God; I see you as Christ adored by myriads of angels. Forgive me for the sins I have committed; do not bring down the stars against me at the time of my judgment, or the moon when you go to judge the whole earth, since it was by night that I carried out my evil purposes. Do not move the sun, which is now being darkened by you, so that it may reveal the evils of my heart. You know that I can offer you no gift for the remission of my sins. Death is already upon me because of my iniquities, but you have power to atone for them; deliver me, Universal Lord, from your terrible judgment; Do not grant the enemy power to devour me and become heir to my soul, as he is to that of him who is hanged on the left; for I see how the devil collects his soul, while his flesh disappears. Do not command me either to pass over to the portion of the Jews, for I see Moses and the prophets immersed in great weeping, while the devil laughs at them. Before, then, O Lord, my soul departs, command that my sins be blotted out, and remember me, a sinner, in your kingdom, when you go to judge the twelve tribes on the great and high throne, for great torment you have prepared for your world for your own sake.
4 And when the thief had finished saying this, Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, Dismas, this very day you will be with me in Paradise. But the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses will be cast out into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. But you alone will dwell in Paradise until I come again to judge those who have not confessed my name.” And he said, “Go now and tell the cherubim and the powers who wield the fiery sword and guard Paradise from which Adam, the firstborn, was cast out after he had lived there because he acted treacherously and did not keep my commandments: None of the firstborn will see Paradise until I come again to judge the living and the dead.” Having written it thus, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who descended from the highest heavens, who inseparably came forth from the bosom of the invisible Father and came down into the world to be incarnated and crucified to save Adam, whom he formed, for the knowledge of the squadrons of archangels, guardians of paradise and ministers of my Father. I will and I command that he who is being crucified with me enter into this world and receive through me the remission of his sins, and that he enter into paradise with an incorruptible and adorned body, and that he dwell there where no one else can dwell." And behold, when he had said this, Jesus gave up his spirit. This took place on a Friday at the ninth hour. In the meantime, darkness covered the whole earth, and a great earthquake occurred and the sanctuary and the pinnacle of the temple fell.
1 Then I, Joseph, requested the body of Jesus and laid it in a new tomb, unused. But the body of the one on the right could not be found, while the one on the left was in appearance like a dragon.
And because I had requested the body of Jesus for burial, the Jews, in a fit of rage, put me in the prison where criminals were usually held. This happened to me on the Sabbath evening when our nation was transgressing. And see how much this same nation of ours suffered terrible afflictions on the Sabbath.
2 On the evening of the first day of the week, at the fifth hour, while I was in prison, Jesus came to me, accompanied by the one who had been crucified on his right side, whom he had sent into paradise. And a great light was in the house. Suddenly the house was suspended from its four corners; the interior space was clear, and I was able to go out. Then I recognized Jesus first, and then the thief, who had a letter for Jesus. And as we were going to Galilee, such a light shone forth that all creation could not endure it; and the thief, in turn, gave off a great fragrance from paradise.
3 Then Jesus sat down in a place and read thus: We, the cherubim and the exapterigos, who have been commanded by your deity to guard the garden of paradise, make this known through the thief who was crucified with you at your command: When we saw the mark of the nails on him and the glow of the letters of your deity, the fire was extinguished, unable to endure the flaming mark; and we, seized with great fear, were terrified, for we heard the author of heaven and earth and of all creation coming down from on high to the lowest parts of the earth for the sake of the first of those created, Adam. For when we saw the immaculate cross shining through the thief, radiating a splendor seven times greater than that of the sun, a great trembling seized us, seized by the turmoil of hell. And the ministers of hell joined us in chorus and cried out with a loud voice: Holy, Holy, Holy is He who Rules on High. And the powers cried out: Lord, you have appeared in heaven and on earth, giving joy forever, having saved even this creature from death.
1 While I was on the way to Galilee, seeing this, with Jesus and the thief, he was transfigured; he was no longer what he had been before he was crucified, but was light throughout. And the angels were continually ministering to him, and Jesus was conversing with them. And I spent three days with him, and none of his disciples accompanied him, only the thief.
2 When the Feast of Unleavened Bread was over, his disciple John came, and we had not yet seen the thief, nor did we know what had become of him. Then John asked Jesus, “Who is this, since you did not allow me to be seen by him?” But Jesus did not answer him. Then he fell at his feet and said to him, “Lord, I know that you loved me from the beginning; why do you not show me this man?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you go searching for secrets? Are you dull of understanding? Do you not perceive the fragrance of paradise that has filled the place? Do you not realize who it was? The thief who hung on the cross has become an heir of paradise; truly, truly, I say to you, his is only until the great Day.” And John said, “Make me worthy to see him.”
3 While John was still speaking, the thief suddenly appeared. He fell to the ground in amazement. The thief was no longer the same figure he had had before John came, but was like a majestic king, adorned with the cross. And a voice came from a great crowd, saying, “You have come to Paradise, which was prepared for you. We have been chosen by him who sent you to serve you until the great Day comes.” At that voice, the thief and I became invisible. Then I found myself in my own house, and I saw Jesus no more.
4 And I have been an eyewitness of these things and written them down so that all may believe in Jesus Christ crucified, our Lord, and may no longer be slaves of the law of Moses, but may give credit to the wonders and miracles performed by Him, so that by believing they may inherit eternal life and may all meet in the kingdom of heaven, for to Him belongs glory and power and praise and majesty forever and ever. Amen.