In the days of the Emperor Tiberius Caesar, when Herod was tetrarch, under Pontius Pilate, Christ was betrayed by the Jews and declared innocent by Tiberius. In those days Titus was regulus under Tiberius in the region of Equitania [Aquitaine], in a city of Libya called Burgidalla [Bordeaux]. It is known that Titus had a sore on the right side of his nose, caused by cancer, and his face was
At that time, a man named Nathan son of Naum left Judea. He was an Ishmaelite who traveled from country to country, from sea to sea, to all the ends of the earth. Nathan had been sent from Judea to the Emperor Tiberius, bearing a treaty they had made with the city of Rome. It is noteworthy that Tiberius was sick, covered with boils and malignant fevers, and had nine kinds of leprosy.
Nathan intended to sail to Rome. But a north wind blew and impeded his voyage, forcing him to land in a port in Libya. Titus, who saw the ship coming, realized it was from Judea. And they were all filled with wonder and agreed that they had never seen a raft come from there in such condition.
Titus then summoned the ship’s captain and asked him who he was. He replied, “I am Nathan son of Naum, an Ishmaelite by birth, living in Judea under Pontius Pilate. I have come to Tiberius, the Roman emperor, to give him a treaty on behalf of Judea. But a strong wind blew across the sea, and here I am in a land I have not seen before.”
And Titus said, “If you could ever find any medicine, whether of potions or herbs, suitable for curing the wound which, as you see, I have on my face, so that it may heal and restore me to my former health, I would shower you with favors.”
Nathan answered, “I, my lord, do not know, nor do I know of such things as you tell me about. However, if you had been in Jerusalem some time ago, you would have found there a chosen prophet, whose name was Emmanuel (for he is to save the people from their sins). He performed his first miracle at Cana in Galilee, turning water into wine; and with his word he cleansed lepers, casts out demons, raises three dead men, and frees a woman caught in adultery, condemned by the Jews to be stoned. Another woman named Veronica, who had been suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years, came to him from behind and touched the hem of his garment; and he healed her also. With five loaves and two fishes he fed five thousand men, besides women and children, leaving twelve baskets of fragments. All these and many other things took place before his passion. After his resurrection we saw him with the same body he had before.
Then Titus said to him, “How is it that he rose from the dead, seeing he was dead?” Nathan answered, “He died indeed; he was hung upon a cross, and taken down again; he lay in the tomb for three days; then he rose from the dead, and descended into Hades, where he freed the patriarchs, the prophets, and all mankind; then he appeared to his disciples, and ate with them; and they saw him ascend into heaven. So all that I have told you is true. I myself saw him with my own eyes, and so did the whole house of Israel.” Then Titus cried out, “Woe to you, Emperor Tiberius, covered with boils, and surrounded by leprosy, because such a scandal has been committed during your reign! “for having promulgated some in Judea, the native land of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which served to arrest the king and put to death the governor of the people, without making him come to us so that he could cleanse you of your leprosy and cure me of my disease. Therefore, if this had happened before my eyes, I would kill the bodies of those Jews with my own hands and hang them on a rough tree for having put an end to my Lord, without my eyes being worthy to see his face.”
And as soon as he had said this, the wound on Titus’s face disappeared, and his flesh and face were healed again. And all the sick people who were there recovered their health at that moment. And Titus cried out in unison with them all, saying with a loud voice: “My King and my God, since you have healed me before I ever saw you, command me to sail across the waters to the land of your birth, that I may take vengeance on your enemies. Help me, Lord, that I may blot them out and avenge your death; you, Lord, will deliver them into my hand.”
And having said this, he ordered that he be baptized. To this end, he called Nathan and said to him: “How did you see those who believed in Christ baptized? Come to me and baptize me in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. For I firmly believe in Our Lord Jesus Christ with all my heart and with all my soul, because there is no one else anywhere on the globe who has created me and healed me.”
And having said this, he sent legates to Vespasian to warn him to come as quickly as possible with the most courageous individuals, ready for war.
Then Vespasian took five thousand armed men with him and went to Titus. When he arrived at the city of Libya, he said to him: “Why have you brought me here?” He replied: “You must know that Jesus came into this world and was born in Judea, in a place called Bethlehem; that the Jews handed him over, and he was scourged and crucified on Mount Calvary; and that finally, he appeared to his disciples, and they believed in him. We, for our part, want to become his disciples. Now then, let us go and wipe out his enemies from the face of the globe, so that they may realize that there is no one like Our Lord on the face of the earth.”
So, having made this decision, they left the city of Libya called Burgidalla and embarked for Jerusalem.
When they arrived there, they besieged the kingdom of the Jews and began to bring about its ruin. When the kings of the Jews heard what they were doing and how the land was being devastated, they were seized with fear and dismay. And Archelaus, overcome by his confusion, spoke thus to his son: “See, son, take charge of my kingdom and its administration; and also consult with the other kings who are in the land of Judah, so that you may escape from our enemies.” And when he had said this, he drew his sword and fell upon it; then he bent the sharpest sword he had, thrust it into his body, and died.
His son then made common cause with the other kings under his command. And, after conferring among themselves, they all withdrew to Jerusalem, accompanied by the nobles who had attended their council, and remained there for seven years.
Titus and Vespasian, for their part, decided to besiege the city. And so they did. After seven years, the famine became much worse, and, forced by the scarcity of bread, they began to eat dirt.
Then all the soldiers belonging to the four kings took counsel among themselves and said, “We must die anyway. What will God do to us? And what good will it be for us to live on, since the Romans have come to seize our land and nation? It would be better for us to kill ourselves than for the Romans to say that it was they who killed us and defeated us.” And with that, they drew their swords and struck each other down, so that twelve thousand men perished among them.
And so, because of the corpses of those slain, a great stench arose in the city. The kings were seized with a deadly panic and could not bear the stench of those slain, nor bury them, nor cast them out of the city. And they said to one another: “What shall we do? We indeed killed Christ, but we have already been, in our turn, delivered over to death. Let us lay down our heads and give the Romans the keys of the city, for God has already cast us into the hands of death.” And immediately they went up to the city walls and all began to shout, saying with a loud voice: “Titus and Vespasian, take the keys of the city that the Messiah, who is called Christ, has just delivered to you.”
And when they had said this, they gave themselves up to Titus and Vespasian, saying, “Judge us, for we must die, since we judge Christ and deliver him up without a cause.” Then Titus and Vespasian arrested them. Then they stoned some and hanged others on the cross, feet up and head down, and beat them with spears. But some they sold, and some they divided among themselves, dividing them four ways, just as they had the Lord’s garments. And they said, “They sold Christ for thirty pieces of silver; let us also sell thirty of them for one denarius.” And they did so. Afterward they seized all the lands of Judea and Jerusalem.
Then they made an inquiry into the face of the Lord, how they might find it. And they found it in the power of a woman named Veronica. Then they arrested Pilate and put him in prison, where he was to be guarded by four platoons of soldiers, four abreast, at the prison gate.
Then they sent their legates to Tiberius, emperor of Rome, to ask him to send them Velosianus. The emperor said to him: “Take with you all that is necessary, that you may put to sea and go down to Judea in search of a disciple of him who was called Christ and Lord, so that he may come to me and in the name of God cure me of the leprosy and of the diseases that sorely afflict me, and of my sores, for I am sorely laid down. Also, send against the kings of Judah, who are under my rule, your hooks and terrible instruments of torture, because they killed Jesus Christ our Lord, and condemn them to death. And if you find a man who can save me from this disease, I will believe in Christ, the Son of God, and will be baptized in his name also.” Velosianus said: “My Lord Emperor, if I find a man who can help us and save us, what reward should I promise him?” “Tiberius said: ‘He will undoubtedly have half the empire in his hands.’”
Velosianus then set out at once, boarded the ship, weighed anchor, and put to sea. The voyage lasted a year and seven days, during which time he arrived at Jerusalem. He immediately summoned some of the Jews to present themselves before him and ordered a diligent investigation into what had been done to Jesus Christ.
Then Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus came simultaneously. The latter said, “I had a chance to see him, and I am convinced that he is the Savior of the world.” Joseph, for his part, said, “I in turn took him down from the cross and placed him in a new tomb, hewn out of rock. For this reason, the Jews took me prisoner on Friday evening. And while I was praying on the following Saturday, the house was suspended from its four corners, and I saw Our Lord Jesus Christ like a flash of light, and, dismayed, I fell to the ground. And I heard a voice saying to me, “Look at me, for I am Jesus, whose body you buried in your own tomb.” I said to him, “Show me the tomb where I laid you.” Then Jesus took me by the hand in his right hand and led me to the place where I had buried him.”
A woman named Veronica also came and said to him, “I touched the hem of his garment in the crowd, for I had been suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years, and he healed me immediately.”
Then Velosian said to Pilate, “And you, impious and cruel, why did you put the Son of God to death?” But he answered, “His people and the high priests Annas and Caiaphas handed him over to me.” And Velosian replied, “Impious and cruel, you deserve a cruel punishment.” And so he sent him back to prison.
Finally, Velosianus began to search for the face or effigy of the Lord. All those present said to him, “A certain woman named Veronica has the face of the Lord in her house.” He immediately ordered her to be brought before him and asked her, “Do you have the face of the Lord in your house?” But she said no. Then Velosianus ordered that she be tortured until she showed the face of the Lord. At last, having no other remedy, she said, “I have it, my lord, wrapped in a clean linen cloth, and I worship it every day.” Velosianus said, “Show it to me.” Then she showed the face of the Lord. As soon as Velosianus saw it, he fell prostrate on the ground; then he took it with a quick heart and upright faith and wrapped it in a linen cloth of gold. He also placed it in a case, which he sealed with his finger. He then swore an oath in these terms: “As the Lord God lives, and by the health of Caesar, no man will see her again on the surface of the globe until I see the face of my lord Tiberius.”
After he had said this, the leading nobles of Jerusalem seized Pilate and took him to the harbor. Velosianus, for his part, took the face of the Lord with all his disciples and all his tributes, and on the same day they all set out to sea.
Then Veronica left all her possessions for the love of Christ and followed Velosianus. He said to her: “Woman, what do you want or what are you seeking?” Nias replied: “I seek the face of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who enlightened me, not because of my merits, but because of his holy piety. Give me back the face of my Lord Jesus Christ, for I am dying with this pious longing. And if you do not give it back to me, I will not lose sight of it until I see where you put it; and know that I, miserable as none, will serve it all the days of my life, for I am persuaded that my Redeemer himself lives forever.”
Velosian then ordered that Veronica be taken with him onto the ship. And, weighing anchor, they set sail in the name of the Lord and put to sea. But Titus and Vespasian went up to Judea to take vengeance on all the nations of that land. And when the year was over, Velosian arrived at Rome and left his ship on the river called Tiberis, or Tiber, and then entered the city. Then he sent his messenger to Tiberius, the Lateran emperor, to give him an account of their safe arrival.
When the emperor heard Velosianus’s messenger, he was overjoyed and commanded him to come before him. When Velosianus arrived, he spoke to him thus: “Velosianus, how was your journey, and what have you learned in the land of Judea concerning Christ and his disciples? Please point out to me the one who will cure me of my illness, so that I may be cleansed at once of this leprosy that is on my body, and I will hand over my entire empire to you and to him.”
And Velosianus said: "My lord emperor, I have found your servants Titus and Vespasian in Judea, God-fearing servants, cleansed of all their sores and diseases. I have also learned that Titus has hanged all the kings and chieftains of Judea; Annas and Caiaphas have been stoned to death, Archelaus has thrust himself through the spear, and Pilate I have imprisoned at Damascus, shut up in prison under guard. I have also made inquiries about Jesus, whom the Jews barbarously attacked with swords and clubs and then crucified; this was the one who should have come to deliver us and enlighten us, and they hanged him on a cross. Then Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds’ worth, to anoint the body of Christ; and they took him down from the cross and placed him in a new tomb. But on the third day he rose again from the dead with certainty and was seen by his disciples in the same body in which he had been born. Finally, after forty days, they saw him ascend into heaven. Jesus performed many other miracles both before and after his passion. The first was to change water into wine; then he raised the dead, cleansed lepers, gave sight to the blind, cured the crippled, drove out demons, gave hearing to the deaf and speech to the mute. He raised Lazarus, who had been dead four days, from the grave; and Veronica, who had been suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years, he healed when she touched the hem of his garment.
«Then it pleased the Lord in heaven that the Son of God, who, having been sent into this world to become the firstborn of the dead, should in turn send an angel. And he sent Titus and Vespasian, whom I met in this very place where your throne sits. It also pleased the Almighty Lord that they should go to Judea and Jerusalem and seize your subjects and subject them to a trial similar to that to which they subjected Jesus when they seized him and bound him.»
«And Vespasian then said: What shall we do with those who remain? Titus answered: They hanged Our Lord on a green tree and wounded Him with a spear; let us hang them likewise on a dry tree and pierce their bodies with a spear. And so they did. Vespasian then said: And what shall we do with these who remain? Titus answered: They took the tunic of Our Lord Jesus Christ and made it into four parts; let us also take them and divide them into four parts: one for you, one for me, one for your men, and one for my servants. And so they did. Afterwards they arrested Pilate and handed him over to me; I put him in a prison at Damascus to be guarded by four platoons of soldiers abreast.»
«Then they made diligent inquiries to find the face of the Lord, and they found a woman named Veronica who had the aforementioned effigy.»
Then the Emperor Tiberius said to Velosianus, “How do you keep it?” Velosianus replied, “I have it wrapped in my cloak and enclosed in a linen cloth of gold.” Tiberius said, “Bring it to me and uncover it before my eyes, so that I may worship it on the ground, falling on my knees and bowing down.” Then Velosianus spread out his cloak and the linen cloth of gold on which the face of the Lord was engraved, and the Emperor Tiberius saw it. At once he worshipped the likeness of the Lord with a pure heart, and his flesh became clean like that of a little child. And all the blind, lepers, lame, mute, deaf, and those afflicted with various diseases who were present there began to recover their health and were made whole and clean.
But the Emperor Tiberius, kneeling and bowing his head, considered this sentence: “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts at which you sucked,” groaned to the Lord and said with tears: “God of heaven and earth, do not allow me to sin, but strengthen my soul and my body and place them in your kingdom, for I trust always in your name; deliver me from all evils just as you delivered the three children from the burning fiery furnace.”
Then the Emperor Tiberius said to Velosianus, “Velosianus, have you seen any of those men who might have beheld Christ?” Velosianus answered, “Yes, I have.” The emperor added, “And did you ask how they baptized those who believed in Christ?” Velosianus then said, “Here, my lord, is one of the disciples of Christ himself.” So he commanded that Nathan be summoned to him. And Nathan came and baptized him in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Then the Emperor Tiberius, now recovered from all his ailments, ascended the throne and said, “Blessed are you, Lord almighty and most praiseworthy, who has delivered me from the snare of death and cleansed me from all my iniquities. For, O Lord, I have committed many sins before you, and I am not worthy to look upon your face.” Then the emperor was fully instructed in all the articles of faith.
May the almighty God himself, who is King of kings and Lord of those who rule, protect us in his faith, defend us, deliver us from all evil and danger, and finally, deign to bring us to eternal life once the temporal life has ended. May he be blessed forever and ever. Amen.