1 But none of the Jews washed their hands, neither Herod nor any of the other judges. 2 And because they would not wash their hands, Pilate rose from the judgment seat. 3 Then King Herod commanded the Jews to seize the Lord, saying to them, “Do everything I have commanded you to do.”
1 But Joseph, the friend of Pilate and of the Lord, remained there. And knowing that he was about to be crucified, he went to Pilate and asked for the Lord’s body, that he might bury it. 2 So Pilate sent to Herod to ask for the Lord’s body. 3 But Herod said, Brother Pilate, even if no one asked for it, we would bury him, and we would not wait until the Sabbath day dawn, for it is written in the Law that the sun shall not set on a man under torture. 4 And he gave it to the people on the day before the Feast of Unleavened Bread, their feast.
1 And they, having seized the Lord, pushed him with all haste, and said, Let us drag away the Son of God, since we have him. 2 And they clothed him in a purple robe, and made him sit upon the judgment seat, saying, Judge fairly, O king of Israel. 3 And one of them, having brought a crown of thorns, set it upon the head of the Lord. 4 And others stood before him, and spit in his face, and others beat him on the cheeks, and others beat him with a reed, and some scourged him with a whip, saying, Let us pay these honors to the Son of God.
1 Then they took two criminals and crucified the Lord between them. But he remained silent, as one who does not grieve. 2 When they had set up the cross, they wrote on it, ‘This is the King of Israel.’ 3 Then they laid his garments before him and divided them by lot. 4 Now one of the criminals rebuked them, saying, ‘We have suffered so much for what we have done. But this man who has become the Savior of mankind, what harm has he done to you?’ 5 And, having become angry with him, they ordered that his legs be broken, so that he might die in terrible torments.
1 And it was midday, and darkness came over all Judea, and they were troubled, and they wondered with anxiety whether the sun had set yet, considering that he was still alive, and that it is written for them that the sun should not set on a man put to death. 2 And one of them said, Give him gall and vinegar to drink. And they mixed it and gave it to him to drink. 3 And they finished all things, and they accumulated their sins on their own heads. 4 Many were going around with lighted lamps, thinking it was already night, and were reclining at the table. 5 And the Lord cried out, saying, “My power, my power, you have forsaken me.” And having spoken these words, he ceased to live. 6 And at that very hour the veil of the temple in Jerusalem was rent in two.
1 Then the Jews pulled the nails out of the Lord’s hands and laid him on the ground. The whole earth shook, and great fear fell among the people. 2 Then the sun shone again, and it was the ninth hour. 3 The Jews rejoiced at this and gave the Lord’s body to Joseph to bury, for Joseph had seen all the good things the Lord had done. 4 So he took the Lord and washed him, wrapped him in linen, and carried him to his own tomb, which is called the garden of Joseph. 5 And the Jews, the elders, and the priests realized the evil they had done to themselves, and they began to mourn and to cry out, “Abominable be our sins! Judgment and the end of Jerusalem are at hand.”
1 As for me, I was distressed with my companions and, being wounded in spirit, we hid, because we knew that the Jews were seeking us, as evildoers and as those accused of wanting to burn the temple. 2 Because of all this, we fasted, and we remained in sad mourning, weeping, night and day, until the Sabbath.
1 Now the elders, the scribes, and the Pharisees had gathered together in a council. When they heard that all the people were murmuring and beating their breasts and saying, “If such signs have taken place at his death, it proves that he was righteous,” they were greatly terrified. 2 And they came to Pilate and begged him, saying, 3 Give us soldiers to guard his tomb for three days. Then we will not let his disciples steal his body away, and then let the people think that he has been raised from the dead and harm us."
1 Pilate then gave them Petronius the centurion and his soldiers to guard the tomb. The elders, the scribes, and the Pharisees went with them. 2 Then they dragged a huge stone to the place, and with the help of the centurion and the soldiers, all who were there placed it at the door of the tomb, blocking the entrance. 3 They sealed it with seven seals and set up a tent and guarded it. 4 And early in the morning, as the Sabbath began to dawn, a great multitude of people came from Jerusalem and the surrounding area to see the sealed tomb. Wonders happened in the tomb
1 Now on the night that dawned, while the soldiers were standing guard in groups of two, a loud voice was heard on high. 2 And they saw the heavens opened, and two men shining with light approaching the tomb. 3 And the huge stone that had been placed at the door of the tomb moved by itself and stood aside, and the tomb was opened. And the two men went into the tomb. 4 And as soon as they saw this, the soldiers woke up the centurion and the elders, for they also were keeping watch. 5 And as soon as the soldiers told what they had seen, they saw three men come out of the tomb again, two of them supporting one man, and a cross following them. 6 And the heads of those who supported reached to heaven, but the head of the one they were carrying passed beyond all the heavens. 7 And they heard a voice in heaven above asking, “Have you preached to those who are asleep?” 8 And this answer was heard coming from the cross: Yes. 9 Those standing by were asking one another whether it would be necessary to leave there and tell Pilate these things. 10 And while they were still considering, the heavens appeared opened again, and a man descended from them and entered the tomb. Fear of those who were keeping watch at the tomb
1 When the centurion and his fellow guards saw this, they hurried to Pilate by night, leaving the tomb behind, which they had been guarding. They recounted everything they had seen, greatly disturbed, and saying, “Truly he was the Son of God.” 2 But Pilate answered and said, “I am pure in the blood of the Son of God, and you have decided this.” 3 Then they all humbly begged him to order the centurion and the soldiers not to tell what they had seen. 4 Because (they argued), being guilty of the greatest sin before God, it is important for us not to fall into the hands of the Jewish people, and not to be stoned. 5 And Pilate ordered the centurion and the soldiers to say nothing.
1 At daybreak, Mary Magdalene, the Lord’s disciple, took with her some of her friends and went with them to the tomb where the Lord had been laid. 2 She chose that hour for fear of the Jews, who were infuriated, and she had not done at the Lord’s tomb what women do to the dead and their loved ones. 3 The visitors were afraid that the Jews would see them, and they said, “Even though we could not weep and lament on the day he was crucified, yet let us weep and lament now over his tomb.” Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb, so that we may go in and sit by it and anoint it? 4 For the stone is so great that we are afraid that someone will see us. And if we cannot roll it away, at least we will lay down what we have brought in memory of him at the entrance. And we will weep and wail until we return to our homes.
1 And when they were come to the tomb, they found it open. And when they came near, they stooped down and looked, and saw, sitting in the midst of the tomb a beautiful young man clothed in a very bright garment. He said to them, 2 Why have you come? Whom do you seek? Him who was crucified? He has risen and departed. And if you do not believe, look, and see; he is not there now where he was laid. For he has risen from the dead and gone to the house from whence he was sent to her. 3 Then the women were terrified and fled.
1 Now it was the last day of Unleavened Bread, and many were leaving the city and returning to their homes, because the feast had ended. 2 We, the twelve disciples of the Lord, wept and were distressed. And each of us, distressed by what had happened, went to his home. 3 As for Simon Peter, I and my brother Andrew, we took our nets and went to the sea. And Levi son of Alphaeus was with us when the Lord…
1 For we, brothers, received both Peter and the other apostles as Christ himself, but we knowingly reject counterfeit works bearing their names, knowing that such writings have not been received by tradition. When I was among you, I supposed that you all held to the true faith. And so, rather than skimming the gospel attributed to Peter, which they themselves brought to me, I said that if that was all that distressed them, they might read it. But now, having learned that their true minds were mixed up with some heresy, judging by what has been reported to me, I hastened to appear among you again. Therefore, brothers, expect me soon. For our part, brothers, after having become fully aware of the heresy to which Marcian adhered, who went so far as to contradict himself, not understanding what he was saying (as you will be able to learn from my letter), it has been possible for us, then, through those who handled this same gospel, that is, through the successors of those who enthroned him (whom we will call Docetists, since the greater part of their doctrines are imbued with the teachings of these heretics), we have been able, I say, through them to handle the book in question, to skim through it, and to verify that the greater part of its contents is in conformity with the correct doctrine of the Savior, although there are some new recommendations that we have submitted for your consideration. And this is what Serapion wrote. (quoted by Eusebius, Eccl. History VI 12,2-6)
2 Some, following the tradition contained in the Gospel of Peter or in the Book of James, say that Jesus’ brothers are sons of Joseph, born through a first wife who lived with him before Mary. (Comm. in Mt. 10:17)
3 And as for what is called his Acts [of Peter], the Gospel that bears his name, and what they call his Preaching and his Apocalypse, we know that they have in no way been included by tradition among the Catholic [canonical books], since no ancient or contemporary ecclesiastical writer has made use of testimonies from such works. (Hist. Eccl. III 3,2)
4 On the other hand, the style contradicts apostolic manners; moreover, the sentences and principles of the content, in total disagreement with true orthodoxy, clearly demonstrate that these are, in fact, theories invented by heretics. Such works should not even be classified among the apocryphal, but rejected as absurd and irreverent. (Hist. Eccl. III 25,6-7)
5 The Nazarenes are Jews who venerate Christ as a just man and who use the gospel called according to Peter. (Haeret. fabularum. comp. II 2)