Bernhard Pick - The Extra-Canonical Life of Christ, 1903 by gnosisclassics

THE EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST

EXTRATHE CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST Being a Record of ings

A6ls and Say-

the

of Jesus of Nazareth

from Uninspired

Drawn

Sources

•

O Q c

•

»»',»'

Berni^ard Pick, Ph.D.,

^LrS_^^^»,

•

I).D.;

„•"='>

FUNK

WAGNALI^ COMPANY

NEJW YORK

— —-

AND U)NDON

u-„ 'i::=^-±r-'*-T, o.^

^>.Xss.

THE

^:e\v

yovk

PUBLIC LIBRARY ASTOR, LENOX AND TlLDtN FOONDAl IONS

1916

IÂ«UNK

1903,

COMPANY United Shafts of J tnerica]

WAGNJ^XT^S

[Printed in the

Published January, 1903

232 3

13395

PREFACE MAKE no apology

I this

work of fills a gap

for bringing a

kind before the public, because

The number of the lives of and each has its own peculiarity.

in Jesus-Literature.

Jesus

One

legion,

written from a positive, another from a

negative standpoint destructive;

one

;

There are those who

constructive, another

popular, another

scientific.

find the evangelical history

in Buddhistic sources like

R. Seydel

{etas

I^vim^

gelium von Jesu in seineiniyerhdlinis' zur>BUdr

dha-Sage und Lehre,

L^eip/ig,

Jesu,

Stuttgart,

i^die

1882; die Bud-

dha-Legende und das Lehen Jesu, 1884 1897), and N. Notow^tsch

2d ed. LucJce im Lehen ;

1894), and those who

havti â&#x20AC;˘..

treated the life of Jesus for socialistic-atheistic

propaganda

D. Nieuweiihuis, G. Lommcl. E. Wurm, F. Engels, ^^. al. (on whjch comptire Hlike

Kohler, Sozialistische Irrlehren iiccr die Entste^

hung

des Christ entums, Leipzig, 1889).

These

writers do not concern us here, because, whatever

PREFACE their standpoint, the canonical gospels were their

source. like

also are not concerned with a

that of E.

Mahomet

work

Sayous, Jesus-Christ d*apres

(Leipzig, 1880), because whatever we

Koran and Mohammedan writers is mainly derived from those acanonical records which form the basis of the first two parts of the following pages. Our aim is to present the life, work and sayings of Jesus as we find them in find in the

works which the church never recognized as her own, and which by way of contrast are called acanonical and apocryphal. find in these works,

certainly " meant Chiisr't

â&#x20AC;&#x17E;to

Besides what

whose authors in most cases

weave around the brows of

a garland^of honor," we have also drawn

from non-Christian material, as

will

be seen in

the sequel.

From

the introduction the reader will see

large the acanonical material

is.

how

For the sake

cf system we have arrafxged the whole into four parts. Ciirist^

The from

first

two, comprising the

hio birth to the resurrection

cension, are mainly based

apocryplial gospels.

The

upon

the

life

and

as-

so-called

third part comprises

and the newly discovered fragment of

miscellaneous records pertaining to Jesus,

contains also

PREFACE the gospel of Peter.

The fourth part

the " Sayings of Jesus,"

contains

from lost gospels, patristic literature, the Talmud, and includes also the newly discovered Logia, edited by The " Sayings " Grenfell and Hunt in 1897. derived

have been arranged according to a certain plan,

which has also been adopted in section xii., entitled " Scattered Sayings." This part, which

number of " sayings," is so arranged, that " sayings " found in one and the same author, or in one and the same work, contains the largest

are put together.

The bibliography

will

not only prove a wel-

come help to the students of religious science, but will also show the importance of the records which are presented in only wish

is: tolle,

this book.

The

author's

lege,

B. Pick.

Albany, N. Y., November, 1902.

CONTENTS PAGE

INTRODUCTION

PART

COMPRISING NARRATIVES REFERRING TO THE LIFE OF MARY, AND THE BIRTH, CHILDHOOD, AND BOYHOOD OF JESUS

Section

The

parents^ birth^ childhood of

Mary. When three years old, she is BROUGHT TO THE TeMPLE, WHERE SHE IS MINISTERED TO BY ANGELS TILL SHE IS FOURTEEN YEARS. OF AGE AND GIVEN TO JOSEPH .

Section

—Mary to

his

The Annunciation

visits

Elizabeth

home—^Journey

—Joseph to

Mary

returns

Bethlehem

—

........

Birth of Jesus in the cave before Beth-

lehem

Section hi. CmcuMasioN of Christ— Presentation IN the Temple Visit of the

— — Magi Massacre of the Innocents

—

Section rv. The flight into Egypt Miracles performed by Jesus on the way to Egypt and in Egypt 1. The wild beasts worship Jesus .

Jesus

commands

the trees

and the spring

58 58 60

— CONTENTS PAGi; 3.

Jesus shortens the way to Egypt idols fall

— The

down

Jesus heals the demoniac son of the priest Idols fall and are broken

—

Robbers run away Healing of a demoniac

Healing of the demoniac

dumb

woman and

of a

bride

woman and

the

leprous girl 7.

The unfortunate

princess and the heal-

... —

ing of the leprous prince 8.

Jesus heals a newly married man The brother, being changed into a mule, passes again into his

66 ^ 68

The magnanimity

human form

of the robber

...

deeds of Jesus in Egypt

—Last 79

(Supplement) a.

Jesus makes a dried fish live

Jesus makes merry over twelve spar-

rows which

fell

into the

bosom of a

schoolmaster

— ....

Section v. The boyhood of Jesus His several DEEDS AND MIRACLES 1. Healing of the child'-en having diseases of the eye

The wondrous

Healing of a sick boy through the bed

Healing of the leprous

cloak and the rival

of Jesus

83 83

leprous

woman and

the

princess

Demoniacs whom Satan persecutes in the form of a huge dragon are healed .

— CONTENTS PAGE 6. 7.

Healing of the savage Judas Jesus molds sparrows from clay and causes them to fly Pools dry up at His behest Two boys die at His word Jesus causes His accusers to become .

—

blind 8. 9.

10.

Jesus and

His schoolmaster Jesus restores to life a boy who fell down from the housetop, also a boy who died when cleaving wood, also a child which had died, and a workingman lying dead .

Several miraculous deeds of Jesus: carries water in

IDS

His garment; makes dyes cloths;

clay-figures alive;

His pbymates

turns

into kids; causes a rich

harvest

11.

Jesus in the den of the lion through the Jordan

12.

Boys crown Jesus as King Simeon of a serpent's bite brother James

107

— Passes .

.111

— He heals —Also His

Section

vi.

.114

Jesus in the house of Joseph

him in making a throne and LENGTHENS A SHORT PIECE OF WOOD He IS . honored and respected by the family assists

Section vil Jesus in the Feast of Passover

—The

Temple

Section viii. Jesus in the house of His parents Joseph's death and speeches of Jesus on that occasion Burial of Joseph

—

11/

121

125

CONTENTS PAGE Jesus' address to His disciples universal NECESSITY OF DEATH AND

Section

ix.

ON THE ON THE FUTURE

129

LIFE

PART

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS .

Section

I35

Judas Iscariot; his betrayal and

END

137

Section ii. The Jews accuse Jesus before Pilate Pilate sends a runner to fetch Jesus When the runner meets Jesus, the standards are bent down

— —

140

Procla Jesus is charged by some with being born of fornication, which is denied by twelve men

145

Section

hi.

Dream

—

Pilate

Section iv. Jesus before charges against Jesus

—New 149

v. Nicodemus and several others speak in favor of Jesus

Section

....

153

Section vi. Barabbas is released and Jesus sentenced to be crucified . .157 .

Section vii. The crucifixion, BURIAL OF Jesus

Section vin.

News

and

death

i6o

of Jesus' resurrection

i66

Section ix. Testimony to the resurrection OF Jesus and to His work in Hades .175 .

CONTENTS Section Jesus

mony

— PAGE

Report of Jesus' ascension Testiis sought but not found to the ascension x.

—

PART

198

III

MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS PERTAINING TO JESUS Testimonies to Jesus

205

207 207 208

Section ii. The personal appearance of Jesus 1. According to Lentulus 2. According to Epiphanius Monachus

210 210

Section

Josephus' testimony

The testimony

Section

hi.

Section

iv.

Jesus

The

Mara

.... .... .

baptized by

•

John

choice of the apostles

211

213

—^Lisx

of the seventy disciples

Section Jesus

215

Correspondence of Abgar with 221

vi. Protocol of the council held at Jerusalem to put Jesus to death

Section

223

Section vil Sentence pronounced by Pontius Pilate, governor of Lower Galilee^ that Jesus of Nazareth is to suffer the

DEATH ON the CROSS Section viii. The crucifixion, resurrection AND ascension OF JeSUS (ACCORDING TO THE ' Gospel of Peter) .

226

230

CONTENTS Section

ix.

Section

PAGE 238

Letters of Pilate to Claudius

...««.,.

Report

Cesar

Pilate

Tiberius

241

PART IV

......

SAYINGS OF JESUS

Introductory remarks

From the Gospel

249

.251

of the Egyptians

267

ii. From the Gospel according to THE Hebrews >,

268

Section

Section ITES

..:

•,

.........

274

275

-..

276

277

From the Gospel of the Ebion-

hi.

Section

iv.

From the Gospel of Matthias

Section

From the Gospel of Philip

Section

vi.

From the Gospel of Thomas

—Frag-

Section vn. From the Fayoom Gospel

ment

277

Section vhi.

From the Gospel of Eve

Section Paris

From the Gospel of John at

ix.

278

Section

xi.

Section

From the Preaching of Peter

The Oxyrhynchus

xii.

Logia

Scattered Sayings

Mohammedan Sayings

279

280

283

312

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION The

first

two parts being mainly based upon

the apocryphal gospels,

will

be necessary to

New

acquaint the reader with the

Testament

but more especially with the apocryphal gospels, CTnder the term " apocrypha " we now understand such w/ilines as

apocrypha

in general,

were not received

New

the canon of the

i'ljito-

Testament, so that "apocryphal " stands in opposition to " canonical."

New

the

canonical.

Testament, the apocryphal comprises

<lif-

ferent classes of books: 1, gospels; 2, ac^^/'S, epistles; 4, apocGlt^pits,

THE

APOCf3YP33:lL GOSPELS''/

There can be no doubt, that in all probability the

at- the

canonical

time when

gospels were

composed, there was in existence an enormous

mass of contemporary evidence by which their statements could have been corroborated, or if

need had been, corrected.

There were many and

INTRODUCTION independent sources of the Christian tradition, for the career of Jesus was not " done in a corner," but in the face of the world, and the witnesses to the facts were

accordingly

" Every believer who had seen

Him

heard

had

discourse

of what he had heard

Every such

rill

Him

many.

minister or

his testimony to bear

Him

say or seen

Him

do.

of personal reminiscences must

have trickled into the great reservoir of the

mind of th^ Chureh ^nd counted for what

was

worth, iri/tj^; gradu,«,l> fo-rpation of a complete

But very speedily

body.dfl&i&torical.t^ch'ing.".

mucK

''64 'tliis

corroboi'a^tiiig'

rupted/ into legend more or thug,

testimony was corless

became untrustworthy for

The

poses. •

fanciful, liistorical

pur-

representatives or the survivals of

that*nmss of cotemporaj'y testimony

apocryphal

and

writings— -pki'jtly

known .'frbm*^

f ifarglij*§n.ts'*.pi'

are n^v-er^teTess "

of,

•

the

are

extant,

partly

quotations

—which

^rtat value and interest as

confirming the» s^bstd^nce of the gospels, and also as

showing by contrast what the Evangelical nar-

rative

would

had been

in all probability

left to

human

the Spirit of God." Gospelsy

Luke

ii,

have been

if it

by (Wordsworth, The Four annalists, unassisted

28.)

INTRODUCTION The

first

comprehensive

New

collection

Testament Apocrypha was published by J. A. Fabricius in his Codex Apocryphus Novi Testamenti;

Hamburg, 1703, 2

and enlarged by a third critical cast is the

opera et studio

—

1743.

vol.

1719,

ed.

a more

Codex apocryhus Novi C. Thilo, vol.

1832, (incomplete). dorf's Evangelia

vols.;

far the best

I., is

Test.,

Lipsiae

Tischen-

Apocrypha, Lipsiae, 1853; 2d

1876; Acta Apostol, Apocrypha,. 1851; 2d ed. by Lipsius and B.oiyi^t, 181? 1;; ,Apocalyps, Apocryph., 1866.-:— Tte most recent contribued.

tion to the apocryphal gospels

Zahn's History of the

New

contained in

Test. Canon,, vol. II.

621-797 (1892).

The

apocryphal, gospels were translated .

sldes into

j3e-

Germa^i and French, also into Eng-

by B. H. Cov^pj^T '{Tke.ApocryphahGrO^pels, translated, London 1.867),. and Ale^. Waiker (in

lish

Roberts vol.

use.

Donaldson's " Ante-Niceixe Library,"

XVI., Edinb. 1870). Of these we have made We must also mention W. Wright, Con-

tributions to the Apocr. Literature of the

New

from Syrian MSS. in the British Museura, London 1865 Tischendorf De Evang. apocr, origine et usu, Leipzig, 1851 R. Hofmann: das Test,

;

INTRODUCTION Lehen Jesu nach den Apokryphen, G. Brunet,

1863; M.

Les

Etudes sur

les

1851 Paris,

apocrypJies,

evangiles

Nicolas,

ibid.

evangiles

apocryphesy Paris, 1866; Variot, Les evangiles apocryphes, Paris, 1878; Lipsius, die PilatusActeny Kiel, 1871; 2d ed. 1886; die edessenische

Ah gar-Sage,

1880.

The apocryphal

gospels are very

numerous,

some of them only known by name, others in fragments, arid date fi:om the second and later centuries,

and'

Tfeey are partly heretical (Gnostic

I^^bi(>ilLte)

perVersidns Or mutilations of the

real hiStbry, partly

compositions

iriR06erÂŁt

fancy, or religious novelc intended to link togtflrher

the

disconnected

biography, to satisfy the hi^ r(%tions, his childhood,

periods (5Uxiosity

and

Christ's

concerning

his last days,

to'prOTDQte the glorification-pf the Virgin

and

Mary.

As fal^as'tbe texts* ^^f th-ese gospels are extant, we divide'them into -three classes: 1, gospels of the Infancy; 2, gospels of

the

Childhood; S,

gospels of the Passion and Resurrection,

To 1.

the FIRST class belong

The Protevangelium of James. In twenty-

five chapters.

comprises the time from the

annunciation of the birth to

Mary

to the mas-

INTRODUCTION sacre of the innocents.

very old and be-

longs perhaps to the second century.

ex-

tant in Greek and Latin. 2.

The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew.

two chapters.

Its original

was Latin, and

already known to Jerome. of

Mary and 3.

The Gospel of

the Nativity of

Extant

SECOND

The Gospel

The

Extant iu Arabic and Latin. class

belong:

of'^T'hcmas.

twelfth year of Jesus. is

to the

the Carpenter.

It*"

nineteen chapte?r>& -the time from

Latin, and

Mary

It probably belongs to the

thirty-two chapters.

fourth century.

Mary. This

in Latin.

The History of Joseph

the

was

the boyhood of Jesus.

birth of Jesus.

It treats of the birth

gives in ten chapters the history of

In forty-

comprises in

the' {if th to

the

extant in Greek and

also,Very old.

Ar<ihi€ Gospel of the Infancy.

This

speaks in fifty ^^e chapters of the time of Jesus

from

his birth to .his sitting in the

the rabbis.

To 7. a.

Extant

teMpk among

end Latin. v belongs

in Arabic

the THIRD class

•

The Gospel of Nicodemds, comprising The Acts of Pilate (Gesta or Acta Pilati)^

chaps, i-xv;

INTRODUCTION b.

The Descent

{^Descensus

of Jesus into the

Christi

ad Inferos),

World Below

chs.

many

In connection with the latter

x\i-xx\m.

codices con-

tain besides; c.

A Letter of Pilate

Report of Pilate to Emperor Tiberius of

Christ's Passion e.

{Epistola Pilati).

(Anaphora

Pilati).

The Giving up of Pilate (Paradosis Pilati). The Death of Pilate (Mors Pilati). The Narrative of Joseph of Arimathaea

(Narratio Josephi Arimathiensis) h.

The Avenging of

Savior (Vindicta

the

Salvatoris).

" These apocryr^hal productions," says Schaff

"have no

histbri'cal^

but considerable apologetic

Value; 'for tl>ey furnish by

tSr-eir

contrast with

the g'enuine Gospels

a very

strong

negative

testiiliony to the historical truthfulness

of the

Evangelists, as a shadow presujipcses the light,

cou-nrterfeit the real coin,

and a caricature the

original pietilre.

They have

to medigeval' art,

and

f/oqtributed largely

to the ^traditional Mari-

ology and' Mariclatry of

tlie

churches, and have supplied

Greek and

Mohammed

scanty knowledge of Jesus and Mary."

Roman with his

INTRODUCTION But

these

Evangelia

mentioned

a'pocrypha

above only form the smallest part of apocryphal gospels

Of most of

which were once current.

these

we have only small fragments; of some we

only

know

the names, of others not even these.

Following the order of Fabricius,

1. c.

p. 355if.

we mention the following, adding to some sucK literature

dent

will

be of interest to the stu-

The

" Gospel according to the Egyptians "

mentioned by Clemens.

465

Alex. Strom. Ill, 452,

Origen in Luc. II;

;

Comm.

Jerome, Praef. in

Epiphan. Haeres,

in Matt.;

Ixii, S.

For

the literature see:

Emmerich, De Evang. atque Justini mart.

sec.

Argentor. 1807.

Harnack, Altchristliche I,

seq.

Ehraeos, Aegypt.

Litter aturgescJiichte

(1889).

Resch, Zeitschrift fuer Kirchliche chaft

und Kirchliches Leben, 1888,

Schneckenburger,

Ueber

das

Wissens-

232 seq. Evang. der p.

Aegypter, Ber. 1834.

Zahn, Geschichte des neutest Kanons (1892), p. 628 2.

seq.

The Everlasting Gospel published

13th century (a,

II,

in the

1254), probably written by

;

INTRODUCTION The

the Franciscan Gerhardus. *'

new

idea of a

everlasting gospel " was one of the peculiar

who atchurch and pre-

notions of Joachim of Floris( died 1202)

tacked the corruptions of the

dicted an approaching renovation.

was con-

demned by Pope Alexander IV., in 1255. See Renan, Jo. de Flore et Vevangile eternel in " Revue de Deux Mondes" 1866, p. 94-142; almost verbatim repeated in the " Nouv. Etudes d'hist. rel." p. 217fF.

Rousselot, Hist, de

(1884). I'ev. eternel,

republished under the new

title

Paris,

Etude de

1861 Vhist.

religieusey 1867.

Evangelium aeternum and the commission at Anagni in Archiv fuer Litteratur u. Kirchengeschichte des Mittelalters I, 49-141 Denifle,

the

(1885). Tocco, Vevang, eterno in Archivio

stor. ital.

1886, Ser. IV, Tom. 17, 243-261.

Deutsch

cyklopadie ed.

227 3.

Joachim von Flore in RealenHauck, 3d ed. vol. IX (1901) p.

art.

seq.

The Gospel of Andrew.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Gelasius in " De-

creto de libris apocryphis " mentions

among

the books to be condemned. 4.

The Gospel of

Apelles,

mentioned

;

INTRODUCTION Jerome

Perhaps

this

gospel like that of Marcion.

only a mutilated

Comp. Hamack,

de Apellis gnosi monarchiay 1874, p. 75. 5.

The Gospel

of the Twelve Apostles, men-

on Luke. " Gospel according Jerome identifies it with the " " to the Hebrews and the Gospel of the Naz-

tioned

by Origen

in the first homily

arenes." 6.

The Gospel of Barnabas, mentioned by

Gelasius

According to Casaubon. exerc. 15,

Matthew was translated by Barnabas from the Hebrew into the Greek comp. Fabricius 1. c. I, p. 341 contra Baron. 12, p. 343, the gospel of

;

III, pp. 373, 528.

The Gospel of Bartholomew mentioned by Gelasius, 1. c. On the tradition that Bartholomew brought the Hebrew Gospel of Matthew to 7.

fedia, where Pantaenus

ered

it,

The Gospel of

Origen,

Zahn, 9.

see Fabricius,

Ambrose,

said to have discov-

c. I,

p. 341.

Basilides,

Jerome,

mentioned by

Eusebius;

comp.

p. 770.

The Gospel of Cermthus, mentioned

Epiphanius Haeres. 10.

The Gospel

li,

of the Ebionites.

Fragments

of this gospel which the Ebionites called the

INTRODUCTION ^Evangelium Hehraicum are found in Epiphan. Haeres. xxx, 13. 16. 21.

That

it is

not identical with the Evangelium

Nazaraeorum, comp. Fabricius, II, p.

11.

532; Zahn,

very

I, p.

literature

;

Epi-

2. 3. 5.

The Gospel according often

367

seq.

The Gospel of Eve mentioned

phanius Haeres. xxvi, 12.

II,

the Hebrews,

For the

mentioned and quoted.

compare:

Credner, Beitrdge zur Emleitung in die

hibli-

schen Schriften, I (1832), p. 379 seq. Delitzsch,

1850

Zeitschrift fuer

luth,

Theologie

p. 456fF.

Neue

Delitzsch,

Entstehung der

Untersuchungen

Kan. Evv,

ilher

die

I (1853), p. 17

seq.

Emmerich, see under " Gospel according to the Egyptians." Frank, Studien und Kritiken, 1848, 369fF. Gla, Originals pr ache des Matthdus, 1887. Handmann, das Hehr der evangelium (Texte u. Unters. v, 3).

Harnack,

1888. p. 280fF.

Hilgenfeld, Zeitschrift fuer wissensch. ologie, 1863, 34)5 seq.

;

1884, p. 188 seq.

The-

INTRODUCTION Hilgenfeld, Einleitung in das

(1875), p. 463

Test,

seq.

Novum

Hilgenfeld,

Neue

Canonem

extra

Test,

receptum, IV (1884), p. 5 seq.

Keim, Geschichte Jesu von Nazara, I (1867), p. 29fF.

Nestle,

Supplementum Novi

Test.,

1896

seq.

Nicholson,

The gospel according

to the

He-

brews, London, 1879.

Nosgen, Zeitschrift fuer u. Kirchl.

Resch,

hirchl.

Wissenschaft

Lehen, 1889, p. 499 seq. 561 seq.

Agrapha (Texte

1889), 40

Unters.

seq.

Schwegler,

Nachapost-Zeitalter

(1846),

197fF.

Weizsacker, Untersuch. ilber die evang. Ges^ chichte (1864), 223iT. 13.

Zahn,

The Gospel of James

II, 642if.

the Elder, said to

have been found in 1595 in Spain, whose apostle

James was condemned by Innocent XI. in 1682. 14. The Gospel of Judas Iscariot, mentioned ;

in Irenaeus adv. Haeres. I, 35. 15.

16.

The Gospel of Leucius. The false " Gospels " published by Lu-

cianus.

INTRODUCTION The

17.

Gospels

the

ManichaeanSy

which four are mentioned: a.

The Gospel

nack,

This gospel

of Thomas, on which see Har-

15ff

and Zahn,

;

different

mentioned above under b.

The Living

II, p. 768ff.

from that which

Gospel, mentioned

contra Manich. Hb.

;

Epiphan.

Photius

Haeres. Ixvi,

2; Cyrill. Hieros. catech. 6. c.

The Gospel

of Philip, comp. Zahn,

II, 761ff.

The Gospel of Ahdas, 18. The Gospel of Marcion, edited by A. Hahn, Das Evangelium Marcion^s m seiner d.

ursprilnglichen Gestalt (Konigsberg, 1823), and

reprinted by Thilo,

Becker,

Examen

401

critique

seq.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Compare:

Vevangile

Marcion, Strasburg, 1837.

Evangelium Marcion^s und das Evang. des Lukas, Tubingen, 1846. Simond, Vevangile de Marcion comparS h Ritschl, das

celui de

Luc.

Toulouse, 1850.

Volkmar, das Evangelium Marcion'' s, Leipsic, 1852.

Heim, Marcion, sa doctrine Strasb. 1862.

son evangile,

INTRODUCTION De Marcione

Harting,

lucani evang. ut fertur

adulteratore, Utrecht, 1849.

Sanday, The Gospels in the Second Century,

London, 1876. Zahn,

c. II.

p. 449.

The Gospel Origen, HomiL I 19.

Eccles.

iii,

Matthias, mentioned by

Lucam,

Eusebius,

Hist.

25; Jerome, Praef, in Comment, in

Matthaeum, 20.

The Gospel of

Perfection, used

by the

Basihdians and other gnostics, mentioned Epi-

phanius Haeres. xxvi, 21. in

The Gospel

Matth.

viii,

Hist. Eccles. script, eccl.

of Peter, mentioned by Origen

17 (tom.

iii,

xi, p.

25;

vi,

223)

;

Eusebius

12; Jerome, catal,

de Petro and de Serapione.

It was

used toward the end of the second century in the

congregation at Rhossus in Cihcia, where Serapion, bishop it,

of Antioch

and after examining

(since

its

wrote a writing concerning tion at Rhossus.

191) found

heretical character, it

to the congrega-

few fragments of

this writ-

ing are preserved by Eusebius Hist. Eccles. 12.

fragment of

this

vi,

Gospel of Peter was

discovered by the French Archaeological Mission, Cairo, in

a grave (supposed to be a monk's)

INTRODUCTION an ancient cemetery at Akhmim (Panopolis), It was published in in Upper Egypt, in 1886. in

1892 under the care of M. Bouriant in vol. ix., fasc. i, of the Memoirs of the French Archae-

The

ological Mission at Cairo.

new

find

may

be seen from the following edi-

tions besides that of Bouriant:

1896)

;

Funk

interest in this

Theol.

Baljon (Utrecht, 1893,

Quartalschrift

1893); Harnack (Texte and Untersuch. ix, 2, 1893); Kunze, das Petrus-Evangeliuniy 1893; Lods von Gebhardt (Leipsic,

278fF.;

MS.

(facsimile of the

with introduction Paris,

1893); Robinson and James (London, 1892); von Schubert, die Komposition des Pseudo Berlin, Fragments Petrinischen Evangelien

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

1893; Zahn, das Evangelium des PetruSy 1893. Besides see also: Baljon in Theolog. Studi'en, 1894, Iff; Harnack, Altchristl. Litteraturgeschichte

1894,

lOff

9fF.

;

Theolog.

Hilgenfeld,

Litteraturzeitung,

Zeitschrift

sensch. Theologicy 1893, 220ff.

Monatsschrifty 1896, 31 Iff. selon

New

PierrCy

Paris,

;

fuer wis-

Koch, Kirchliche

Meunier, Uevangile

1893; Robinson, The

Worldy 1894, 690ff.; Sabatier, VEvangile

de S. Pierrey Paris, 1893; von Soden, Zeitschrift fuer Theologie und Kirche, 1893, 52ff.

;

Stan-

INTRODUCTION ton, Journal of Theol. Studies, 1900, 5 (Oct.), p. Iff.

terevangelmm? neutest.

23.

1893

Kanons,

Peter's Gospel

22.

;

Zahn,

Part III of

this work.

The Gospel of the Simonites, The Gospel according to the

The Gospel of

Diatessaron.

See,

des

The English of

II, 810ff.

found

Geschichte

mentioned by Eusebius Hist. Eccles. 24.

Aegyp-

Volter, Petrus-Evangelium oder

;

Syrians, 22.

iv,

Tatian, also called

Tatiani,

Diatessaron,

unum

quissimum N. T. evangeliorum in

torum specimen, by Semisch,

Breslau,

the anti-

diges-

1856;

Zahn, Tatian'' s Diatessaron, 1881. 25.

The Gospel

of Thaddaeus mentioned by

Gelasius in Decret. 26.

The Gospel of

TertuUian de praescript haeret,

Zahn, Gesch, des neutest. Kanons 27.

The Gospel of John

archives of the

Valentinus mentioned

49;

II, p.

preserved

Templars at Paris

;

comp. 748. in

the

comp. Thilo,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

817 seq. This work was first noticed (in 1828) by the Danish bishop Muenter, as well as by Abbe Gregoire, ex-bishop of Blois. It is a

vellum manuscript in large 4to, said by persons skilled in

palaeography to have been executed in

the 13th or 14th century, and to have been

INTRODUCTION Mount Athos MS.

copied from a

The

writing

in gold letters.

of the 12th. is

divided into

nineteen sections, which are called gospelsy and is

this

supposed to have been de-

account

signed for liturgical use.

The

twentieth and

twenty-first chapters are omitted, but there are

many

interpolations.

Whether we have exhausted the list of apocryphal gospels, or not, we know not. Fabricius mentions

fifty,

but there can be no doubt that

number

after a very careful examination this

can be reduced, since different names are some-

But what

times given for one and the same writing.

whatever the number, the question arises:

was the motive for these compositions. say

was twofold.

In the

first

place

We may it

was the

pious wish of too curious Christians to

something more of those events in the Christ, of which the

say

or nothing

little

desire, authors

know

life

New Testament writings at all. To satisfy this

put together what tradition of-

fered and supplemented the gaps by their inventions.

Thus

Pseudo-Matthew taking

fecimus "

own

the author of the Gospel of

states as motive for his under-

" amor (i. e.

ergo

it is

Christi

esty

cui

satis-

the love of Christ there^

INTRODUCTION fore,

which we fulfil"); as the author of the

legend of Paul and Thecla declared to have composed his fiction " out of love to Paul " {id se

amove Pauli

In order to give the com-

fecisse).

position authority, the author inscribed his book

with the name of some apostle or disciple, thus vindicating for

a high antiquity.

In the

second place these compositions emanated from

dogmatic, mostly heretic motives, to give some historical

support for the religious views of the

authors.

tliis

account the heretical gnostics

were especially fruitful in apocryphal productions

(comp. Epiphanius Haeres. xxvi,

8, 12),

but other heretics of the oldest church contributed their share

This

also.

will in part ex-

plain the great uncertainty of most apocryphal texts,

which exist not only in different recensions

but according to necessity were manifoldly interpolated and mutilated.

But whatever

the motive of the author

have been, whatever value we quasi-Gospels, certain

and there

side-lights

it is

may

attach to these

that they throw here

this or that

passage of

the Gospels, and furnish a class of evidence to the Gospels, considered as narrations of historical facts,

such as

obtainable in no other way.

INTRODUCTION " Partly they presuppose the truth of the separate facts, because they use them as

points

d'appui (so to speak) around which to arrange their webs of prismatic fiction; partly, strange

as the

remark

may

appear, they imply that the

facts of our Savior's Life

narrated, because they

had

already

make no attempt

been

to nar-

rate them, but undertake separate departments

and

incidents of the Ministry of Christ for their

own treatment."

(Church Quarterly Review,

1881, p. 113.) 2.

APOCEYPHAL ACTS

The numerous Apocryphal

Acts, Epistles and

Apocalypses were prompted by the same mo-

and dogmatic apocryphal Gospels, and have a tives of curiosity

getic,

though very

heretical

marked.

character

The

interest as the

similar apolo-

little historical,

value.

The

however, more strongly

is,

best edition of

Apocryphal

acts

2d ed. of Tischendorf's Acta Apostolorum Apocrypha denuo ed.. Lipsius et Bonnet, 1891, with which must be compared Die apokryphen Apostelgeschichten und Apostellegenden hy is

the

Lipsius,

1883-1890, 4

vols.

Acts of Peter and Paul, made use of in the 15th century by Lascaris (1490) to prove 1.

INTRODUCTION the abode of Paul in Messina, and

by Abela

the 17th century (161*7) to prove that Paul

was shipwrecked by the Sicihan

The Acts 2.

isle

of Melita.

are of Ebionite origin.

Acts of Paul and Thecla, mentioned

al-

ready by Tertullian and ascribed to an Asiatic presbyter.

In Syriac the acts were published

by Wright Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles, London, 1871.

See also Lipsius in Jahrhucher

filr protest,

The-

ologie, 1891, pp. 459-73.

Acts of Philip in Hellas, later than the preceding. The Syriac is published by Wright, 5.

I.e.

Acts of Andrew, mentioned already at a very early date as used among the Manichaeans 6.

and other

heretics.

Acts of Andrew and Matthias mentioned as being used by the Gnostics, Manichaeans, and 7.

other heretics.

Epiphanius the monk, who lived 35

INTRODUCTION from these 1840 an old

in the tenth century, gives extracts

Jacob Grimm published in

Acts.

Anglo-Saxon poem, entitled Andrew and Helene, the argument of which in great part coincides with that of the Acts of Andrew and IMatthias.

Syriac translation

Wright,

of the Acts

found in

p. 93ff.

Acts and Martyrdom of Matthew, These seem to be a continuation of the former and were 8.

the source for most traditions concerning Mat-

thew, at least for Nicephorus's Hist. Eccl.

The Greek

41.

text was

first

edited

ii,

by Tischen-

dorf.

Acts of Thomas. These belong to a very early time and like the Acts of Andrew were used 9.

by the 10.

heretics.

Syriac by Wright,

Consummation of Thomas.

This

doubt closely connected with the former. published by Tischendorf from a to the 11.

xi.

century.

also

Syriac by Wright,

Lemm

xiiith

century

Melanges Asiatiques,

burg, 1890, tom.

First

MS. belonging

Martyrdom of Bartholomew^

Tischendorf from a

by Comp.

edited

MS. etc.,

Peters-

pp. 103-105.

Thaddaeus (Syriac Addaeus). The mission of Thaddaeus to King Abgar of 12. Acts of

Edessa, the correspondence between Christ and

INTRODUCTION Abgar,

etc. is

a very old tradition.

The Acts

were edited by Tischendorf after a Paris codex of the eleventh century, and are based on the socalled Doctrine of Addai.

McClintock and Strong,

See Pick, v.

art.

Addaei Doctrina

(vol. xi p. 41.)

of John, mentioned already very early and used by certain Gnostics and Mani13. Acts

chaeans. Photius and Innocent thority to Leucius.

ascribe the au-

Tischendorf published two

fragments ; new fragments were edited by Zahn,

Acta Joannisy 1880.

For other

Acts, mostly fragments, see Lipsius-

Bonnet. 3.

APOCRYPHAL EPISTLES

Mention has already been made of the correspondence between Christ and Abgar. tion

knows

other writings

also of

TradiChrist,

which are given by Fabricius Cod. Apocr. Novi Test. I, pp. 303-324 III, pp. 439, 511 seq. Tra;

dition also mentions epistles of

Mary,

epistles

of Peter to James, a third Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, the correspondence between

by Paul and eight by Seneca), mentioned by Jerome and Augus-

Paul and Seneca (six

letters

37,

INTRODUCTION See Zahii, Gescli. des neutest,Kanons, II,

tine.

612

seq. 4.

APOCRYPHAL APOCALYPSES

Altho the names of apocryphal apocalypare numerous, of a few only the text or

ses

fragments are extant.

Tischendorf published

1866 Apocalypses apocryphae. 1. The Apocalypse of JoliUy which is different from the canonical book known under the same

name.

Before Tischendorf three

MSS.

of the

apocryphal apocalypses of John were known,

by Birch (Auctarium 1804). Tischendorf discovered five other MSS., which essentially differ from each other. On which

were

published

the basis of these

MSS.

he published

liis

text,

For another apocalypse of John, said to have been found in Spain in 1595, and translated into Spanish by Caecilius (a disciple of the older James), see Fabricius, I, p. 961 seq. I.

70-94.

The Apocalypse

Peter, mentioned al-

ready in the Muratorian Canon, and by Eusebius, Jerome;, et

al.,

has recently

been discov-

ered in part, together with the Gospel of Peter.

See Dietrich, Beitrdge zur Erkld/rung der neuentdeckten Petrus

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Apohalypse, Leipzig, 1893

Harnack, die Petrusapokalypse 38

der

;

alien

INTRODUCTION dbendldnd'ischen

Kirche,

1895

;

Robinson and

James, The Gospel according to Peter and the Revelation of Peter, 1892;

baring

There

another and later apocalypse of Peter

The book

by Clement,

MSS.

the book

exist in

Rome and

said to have been written

whom

Peter had communicated

The

the secrets revealed to him. calls

De Open-

Petrus (Theol. Studien, 1894, 35fF.).

in Arabic, of which

Oxford.

Baljon,

writer himself

Librum Perfectionis or Librum

Completum. S. is

The Apocalypse of Paul

{avapdrLKov

IlavXov)

based on the report of his rapture into Para-

dise,

2 Cor.

2-4.

xii,

Syriac text with an

English translation was published by Cowper,

London, 1866.

Greek text with a reprint of

Cowper's English translation was published by Tischendorf

1. c.

pp. 34-69.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;For another Apoc-

943 seq. The Revelation of Bartholomew is extant

alypse of Paul, see Fabricius, 4.

I, p.

in fragments in a Coptic text preserved at Paris,

which Dulaurier edited with a French translation, Paris,

1835

;

the latter

reprinted

by Tis-

where p. xxvii fragments of an Apocalypse of Mary from very re-

chendorf,

p. xxiv seq.,

cent codices are also given.

INTRODUCTION 5.

Apocalypse of

Gelasius, 6.

who

Thomas

mentioned

also mentions

Apocalypse of Stephen.

Sixtus Senen-

Bihl. Sacr. lib. ^, p. 142, also mentions

sis

apocalypse of Stephen and refers to Serapion adv. Manich.

who

stated that this apocalypse

was highly esteemed among the Manichaeans.

But Fabricius

(I,

966)

states that

he no-

where found such a reference in Serapion. Apocrj^phal Acts and Revelations have been translated into English

Roberts

1870).

by Alex. Walker (in

Donaldson's " Ante-Nicene Library,"

Other translations have already been

mentioned.

From

the above

will

be seen that the intro-

we perused the art. of R. Hoffmann in Herzog's R. E. 3d ed. vol. I (1896) s. V. Apo'kryphendesNeuenTest.) only treats of the New Test. Apocrypha, and not of duction, (in preparing which

the " Sayings of Jesus." to these will be

special introduction

found at the beginning of Part

IV.

PARTI COMPRISING NARRATIVES REFERRING TO THE LIFE OF MARY, AND THE BIRTH, CHILDHOOD, AND BOYHOOD OF JESUS

SECTION The

parents,

When

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

birth, childhood of Mary years old, she is brought to

three THE Temple, where she is ministered to BY angels till SHE IS FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE AND GIVEN TO JoSEPH (Gospel of the Nativity of Mary, chs. i-8; Hist, of the .Nativity of Mary, chs. i-8; Protevang., chs. i-io.)

Mary

was a daughter of Joachim and Anna, both of Davidic descent. The former Hved at Nazareth; the latter passed her early years at Bethlehem.

They

lived piously in the sight of

God, and faultlessly before man, dividing their substance into three portions, one of which they devoted to the service of the Temple, another to the poor, and the third to their

twenty years of their

But

lives

own wants.

passed silently away.

at the end of this period

Joachim went to

Jerusalem with some others of his tribe to make his usual offering at the tion.

Feast of the Dedica-

It chanced that Issachar (or

Reuben, ac-

cording to another reading,) was high priest.

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST He

scorned Joachim, and drove him roughly

away, asking how he dared to present himself in

company with those who had children, while he had none; and he refused to accept his offerings until he should have begotten a child, for the Scripture said

" Cursed

does not beget a child in Israel."

every one ^

who

Joachim was

and neighbors, and retired into the wilderness and fixed his tent there, and fasted forty days and forty nights. At the end of this period an angel appeared to ashamed before

his friends

him, and told him that his wife should conceive

and bring forth a daughter, and he should call her name Mary. Anna meantime was much distressed at her husband's absence, and being reproached by her maid Judith with her barrenness, she was overcome with grief of spirit. In her sadness she went into the garden to walk, dressed in her wedding dress. She there sat

down

and looked up and spied among the branches a sparrow's nest, and she bemoaned herself as more miserable than the very birds, for they were fruitful and she was under a

laurel-tree,

barren; and she prayed that she might have a child, even as Sarai *

There

was blessed with Isaac.

no such passage

in the

Old Testament.

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD this

moment two angels appeared

promised her that she should have a child should be spoken of in

all

and

to her,

the world.

who

Joachim

and when the time was accomplished Anna brought forth a daughter, and they called her name Mary.^ returned joyfully to his

When

the

hom.e,

was three years

child

old,

the

parents brought her to the Temple, to dedicate her to the Lord.*

There were

fifteen steps

when her parents were changing their dress, she walked up them without help and the high-priest placed her upon the third step of the altar, and she danced with her feet, and all the house of Israel loved her. Then Mary remained at the Temple until she was fourteen years old,^ ministered to by the angels,^ and advancing in perfection as in years. At this time the high-priest commanded all the virgins that were in the Temple to return the Temple, and,

;

The

festival of

Mary's conception

celebrated on the

8th of December. ^

The

nativity of

Mary

commemorated on

the 8th of

September. *

Mary's presentation in the Temple

the 21 st of " ^

celebrated on

November^

According to the Protevang. twelve years. Even the Koran, Sura III, 37, knows of this heavenly :

ministration.

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST But Mary

homes and to be married.

to their

refused, for she said that she

ginity to the Lord.

Thus

had vowed

vir-

the high-priest was

brought into a perplexity, and he had recourse

God

what he should do. Then a voice from the ark answered him and they to

to inquire

;

gathered together

all

the widowers in Israel,^

and desired them to bring each his rod. Among them came Joseph and brought his rod, but he shunned to present it, because he was an old man and had children.^ Therefore the other and no sign occurred. Then it was found that Joseph had not presented his rod and behold, as soon as he had presented it, a dove came forth from the rod and flew upon rods

were

presented

;

the head of Joseph.^ ^ ^

So Joseph,

According to the Protevangel.

in spite of his

an angel spake unto

him. ^

all

According

to the

the marriageable

Gospel of the Nativity of of the house of David.

Mary

men

'According to the Hist, of Joseph, ch. 2, Joseph had Judas, Justus, James, Simon, and two daughters Assia and Lydia. Three of the sons (excepting Justus) are also mentioned in Mark vi, 3, but none of the daughters. According to Nicephorus (Hist, eccles. four sons

the name of Joseph's first wife was Salome, who was related to the family of John the Baptist. "According to the Gospel of the Nativity of Mary: a dove came from heaven and pitched on the rod. II, 3),

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD reluctance, was compelled to betroth himself to

Mary, and he returned preparations for

his

Bethlehem to make

marriage,^ ^ while

Went back to her parents' house in " According

the

Protevang.

Mary

Galilee.^

he betook himself

to his occupation of building houses.

" Her espousals the church commemorates January

'A7

23.

SECTION

to Maey — Maey — home Joseph returns to Elizabeth — The journey to Bethlehem —Birth of

The Annunciation

visits

his

Jesus in the cave before

Bethlehem

(Hist, of the Nativity of Mary, chs. 9-13

Nativity of Mary, chs.

Then new

2, 3.)

chanced that the priests needed a

veil for the

lots to

Gospel of the

Arabic Gospel of the In-

Hist, of Joseph, chs. 5-7;

fancy, chs.

;

Protevang., chs. 11-20;

10;

make

Temple, and seven virgins cast

different parts of it;

to spin the true purple fell to

and the

Mary.

lot

she

went out with a pitcher to draw water, she heard a voice saying to her, " Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord art

with thee.

Blessed

And

looked

thou among women " !

round with trembling to

see

she

whence the voice

came; and she laid down the pitcher and went into the house

down

work

;

and took the purple and at

it.

But behold 4S

the

sat

angel

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD Gabriel stood by her and

with prodigious

light,

filled

and

the chamber

said,

" Fear

not,

Mary, thou a virgin shalt conceive without sin, and shalt bring forth a son, and he shall be called the son of the Most High; the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end." When Mary had finished the purple, she took it to the high-priest and having received his blessing, went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, and returned back again. Then Joseph returned to his home from building houses to marry the virgin to whom he was betrothed, and finding her with child, he was resolved to put her away privately; but being warned in a dream, he relinquished his purpose and took her to liis house. Then came Annas the scribe to visit Joseph, and he went back and told the priest that Joseph had committed a great crime, for he had privately married the virgin whom he had received out of the Temple, and had not made it known to the children of Israel. So the priest sent his servants, and they found that she was with child; and he called them to him, and ;

The Annunciation

commemorated March

25.

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST 11 â&#x20AC;&#x201D;!

^"w-

II-

â&#x20AC;&#x17E;

Joseph denied that the child was

,i,

II.

and the

his,

made Joseph drink the bitter water of trial,^ and sent him to a mountainous place to see what would follow. But Joseph returned in perfect health, so the priest sent them away to priest

their home.

Then on an

after three montlis Joseph put

ass to

Mary

to Bethlehem to be taxed;

as they were going,

Mary besought him

and

to take

her down, and Joseph took her down and carried her into a cave, and, leaving her there with his sons, he

went to seek a midwife.

As he went he

looked up, and he saw the clouds astonished and all

The

creatures amazed.

their flight

;

fowls stopped in

the working people sat at their food,

but did not eat; the sheep stood

still;

the shep-

herds' lifted hands became fixed; the kids were

touching the water with their mouths, but did not drink.

midwife came

down from the

mountains, and Joseph took her with him to the

and a bright cloud overshadowed the cloud, and the cloud became a great light, and when the bright light faded there appeared an infant at the breast of Mary. Then the midwife went cave,

out and told Salome that a virgin had brought '

Comp. Numb,

v, i8.

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD forth,

and Salome would not

came back again into the

and they and Salome re-

believe;

cave,

ceived satisfaction, but her ha.nd withered away,

nor was

by the com.mand of an angel, she touched the child, whereupon she was straightway cured. Shepherds also came; and when they had Hghted a fire, and were rejoicing greatly, there appeared to them the hosts of heaven praising and celebrating God Most High. Moreover, a great star, larger than any that had been seen since the beginning of the world, shone over the cave from the evening till the morning. And the prophets who were in it

restored until,

Jerusalem said that birth of Christ,

this

star pointed out the

who should

not only to Israel, but to

restore the promise

all nations.

SECTION

III

Christ —Presentation in — Temple Visit of the Magi—Mas-

CiucuMCisioN

THE

sacre OF the Innocents. (Hist, of the Nativity of Mary, chs. 14-17; Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, chs, 5-8;

Protevang., chs. 21-24.)

the third day after the birth,

Mary

left

the cave, and entered a stable, placed the child

manger, and the ox and

in a

Having spent

ass

adored him.

three days in that place, Joseph

and Mary entered Bethlehem

in the sixth day,

where they circumcised the child on the eighth day, and called his name Jesus.

day after the self

the fortieth

nativity, the virgin presented her-

with her babe for their purification

Temple

at Jerusalem,

according to the

and offered the

command

of Moses.

was in the Temple a just and devout called Simeon,

113 years

divine intimation

^The ary

old.

He had

in the

sacrifice

There Israelite,

received

that his death would not take

purification of

Mary

commemorated Febru-

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD place

till

he had seen the Messiah. And, having

made haste and adored Him. he took Him up into his cloak, and said Lord, now lettest Thou

seen the child, he

And

after

tliis

kissed His feet,

Thy

servant depart in peace, according to

word; for mine eyes have seen Thy

Thy

salvation,

which Thou hast prepared before the face of

all

peoples, to be a light to lighten the Gentiles,

With and the glory of Thy people Israel.^ Simeon there was also in the Temple the prophetess Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, aged 84 years. She likewise adored the child and said in Him is the redemp:

tion of the world.

After two days were past. Magi

came from

the east to Jerusalem as Zoroaster had predicted, 'According to Nicephorus

(I,

12)

Simeon once read

the Scriptures and stumbled at the verse, " Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son."(Isa. vii. 14.) Ho

then received the intimation that he should not die he had seen it fulfilled.

'From

the triple gifts, the

number of

the

Magi

till

generally given as three. The Venerable Bede (Works, III, 649) even gives us their names, their country, and Melchior was an old man their personal appearance. with white hair and long beard; Caspar, a ruddy and beardless youth; Balthasar, swarthy and in the prime

life.

The

skulls of these three kings, each circled

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST bringing large

And

gifts.

they made

quiry of the Jews, saying: where

strict in-,

the

King

we have seen His star in the east, and have come to worship Him. When Herod heard this, he was alarmed and in-

who has been born

to us? for

quired where Christ should be born according to the prophets.

Herod then

And

he was told: at Bethlehem.

Magi and inquired what the King that is born. And

called the

sign they did see of

they said we have seen a very great star shining :

among

the stars and dazzling them, so that the

And

we know that a King was born to Israel and came to worship Plim. Then sending them to Bethlehem, Herod said: go and ask diligently about the child, and when you have found Him, report it to me, that I too may come and worship Him. And the Magi stars were not seen.

departed.

And

thus

behold, the star which they saw

in the east was going before them, until they

came where the child was. And entering into the house they found the infant Jesus sitting in the lap of Mary, and adored Him. And they opened with

its

crown of jeweled

gold, are

still

the relics in the cathedral at Cologne. to

among They were said

exhibited

have been found by Bishop Reginald of Cologne

the twelfth century.

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD their treasures

and bestowed large presents upon

Mary and Joseph

;

but to the infant each offered

a present; one offered gold, another frankincense, the third

Then Mary took one of

myrrh.

His swaddling-bands and gave little rev/ard,

and they received

them for a from her as

When

the most praiseworthy present.

about to return to King Herod,

warned by an angel

in a

they were

they

dream not

were

to return to

Herod, and they went to their country by another way. And the same hour there appeared unto them an angel in the form of the star which

had been the guide of

their

lowing the leading of

its

way

before

;

and

fol-

light they departed,

own country. And their kings and chief men came together to them, asking what they had seen or done, how they had gone and come back, what they had until they reached their

And they showed them which Mary had given them.

brought with them. that swathing-cloth

Wherefore they celebrated a

feast,

ing to their custom, hghted a

ped

it,

fire

and accordand worship-

and threw that swathing-cloth into

it,

and the fire laid hold of it, and enveloped it. But when the fire had gone out, they took out the swathing-cloth exactly as it had been before, 55

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST had not touched it. Wherefore they began to kiss it, and to put it on their

just as if the

fire

heads and their eyes, saying: This verily

Assuredly

truth without doubt.

thing that the

fire

the

a great

was not able to burn or destroy

Then they took it, and with great honor laid it up among their treasures. When Herod saw that he had been deceived by the Magi, he sent through all the it.

them and put them to death. But when he could not find them at all, he sent to Bethlehem and all its borders, and slew all the male children whom he found of two years old and under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the Magi. And Elizaroads, wishing to seize

beth having heard that they were searching for

John, took him and went up into the hill-country,

and kept looking where

her prayer the mountain was her with the child.

And

to conceal him. cleft,

and

received

a light shone about

them, for an angel of the Lord was with them,

watching over them. John, and sent

And Herod

officers

searched for

to Zacharias,

saying:

Where hast thou hid thy son ? Zacharias replied I know not. Herod, enraged at the reply, had Zacharias murdered about daybreak. sons of Israel did not

And

the

know that he had been S6

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD sons of Israel did not

know that he had been

But when the Zacharias to salute him at murdered.

still

waited

priests

for

the prayer, and he

delayed, one ventured to go in,

and he saw

and heard a voice saying: Zacharias has been murdered, and his clotted blood beside the altar

blood shall not be wip^d come.

Hearing

who reported

this

until his avenger

he went out to the priests

to the people that Zacharias

And

been murdered.

all

the tribes of the people

heard, and mourned, and lamented for

days and three nights. days, the priests

And

consulted

the til

For

him three

after the three

whom

they

upon was he who had been warned by

should put in his place; and the lot

Simeon.

had

Holy Ghost that he should not

he should see the Christ in the

fell

see death un-

flesh.

SECTION IV

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

The

flight into Egypt Miracles peuroRMED BY Jesus on the way to Egypt and

Egypt

The

wild beasts worship Jesus

(Hist, of the Nativity of Mary, chs. 27-29; Arabic GosHist, of Joseph, ch. 8.)

pel of the Infancy, ch. 9;

The day

before

Herod

issued his order to kill

the children at Bethlehem, Joseph was admonished

by an angel

Arise, take

Egypt by

in a

Mary and

the

way

dream who

said to him:

the child, and go into

of the desert.

Therefore he

arose at cock-crowing and departed.

Having come to rest in

and

it,

and wishing Mary dismounted from her beast, to a certain cave,

down with

sat

the child Jesus in her bosom.

And there were with Joseph Mary a girl, going on the them.

And,

the cave

lo,

three boys,

and with

journey along with

suddenly there came forth from

many dragons and when ;

them, they cried out in great terror.

the boys saw

Then Jesus

;

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD went down from the bosom of His mother, and stood on His feet before the dragons

adored Jesus, and thereafter

retired.

;

and they Then was

that which was said by the prophet:

fulfilled

" Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons."

And

young child Jesus, walking before them, commanded them to hurt no man. But Mary and Joseph were very much afraid lest the child should be hurt by the dragons. And Jesus said to

the

them

;

for I

not consider

a perfect man, and

to be a little child all

the beasts of the

must needs be tame before me. Lions and panthers adored Him likewise, and

forest

Wherever Mary and Joseph went, they went before them showing them the way, and bowing their heads; and showing their submission by wagging their accompanied them in the

tails,

Now

Him

they adored at

first,

desert.

with

great

when Mary saw the

reverence.

lions

and the

various kinds of wild beasts, she was very afraid.

But

much

the infant Jesus looked into her

face with a joyful countenance, and said:

not afraid mother

;

for they come not to do thee

harm, but they make haste to serve both thee

and me.

Thus He drove *

all

Ps. cxlviii,

fear

from her

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST And

heart.

the lions kept walking with them,

and with the oxen, and the asses, and the beasts of burden which carried their baggage, and did not hurt a single one of them, though they kept beside them; but they were tame among the sheep and the rams which they had brought with them from Judea, and which they had with

They walked among

and feared nothing; and no one of them was hurt by another. Then was fulfilled that wliich was spoken by the prophet: wolves shall feed with lambs; the lion and the ox shall eat straw together.^ There were together two oxen drawing a wagon

them.

wolves,

with provision for the journey.

Jesus commands the trees and the spring (Hist, of the Nativity of

Mary,

chs. 20, 21.)

the third day of the journey,

Mary was

fatigued by the excessive heat of the sun in the desert.

Let us

And

seeing a tree, she said to Joseph:

under the shade of

rest a little

tliis

tree.

Joseph therefore made haste, and led her to the palm, and made her come down from her beast.

And

Mary was

sitting there, she looked *

Isa. Ixv, 25.

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD the foliage of the palm, and saw

and said to Joseph I wish :

some of the fruit of to her: I

thou seest

this

it full

of fruit,

were possible to get

And

palm.

Joseph said

wonder that thou sayest how high the palm tree

when

this,

is.

thinking more of the want of water, because the

now empty, and we have none whererefresh ourselves and our cattle. Then

skins are

with to

the child Jesus, reposing with a joyful counte-

nance, in the bosom of His mother, said to the

palm: O tree, bend thy branches, and refresh my mother with thy fruit. And immediately at these words the

palm bent

very feet of the blessed

from

And

fruit,

its

top down to the

Mary and

they gathered

;

with which they were

had gathered

after they

all

refreshed.

all its fruit, it re-

mained bent down, waiting the order to

Him who had commanded Jesus said to

Raise thyself,

O palm

be strong, and be the companion of

from

Then

to stoop.

which are in the paradise of

rise

tree,

and

trees,

Father; and

open from thy roots a vein of water which has been hid in the earth, and that

we may be

satisfied

up immediately, and

let

from its

the waters flow, so thee.

And

root there began to

come forth a spring of water exceedingly 6l

rose

clear

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST and

cool

And when

and sparkling.

they saw

the spring of water, they rejoiced with great

joy, and were satisfied, themselves and cattle

and

all their

Wherefore they gave

their beasts.

thanks to God.

And, on the day after, when they were setting out thence, and in the hour in which they began their journey, Jesus turned to the palm, and said: This privilege I give thee, O palm tree, that one of thy branches be carried away by my angels,

Father.

and planted

And

paradise

the

this blessing I will confer

upon

who conquer in You have attained the palm of

thee, that it shall be said of all

any

contest:

victory.

hold,

And

while

was thus speaking, be-

an angel of the Lord appeared, and stood

upon the palm

tree;

and taking

off

one of

its

branches, flew to heaven with the branch in his

hand.

And when

their faces

they saw this

and became

Jesus said to them: sessed with fear?

Why

they

fell

were dead.

And

are your hearts pos-

Do you

not

know

that this

palm, which I have caused to be transferred to paradise, shall be prepared for all the saints in

the place of delights, as

has been prepared

for us in this place of the wilderness.?

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD way to Egypt fall down

3. Jesus shortens the

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;The

(Hist, of the Nativity of Mary, chs. 22-24;

idols

Arabic Gos-

pel of the Infancy, ch. 10.)

As they were going on said to Jesus: Lord,

please Thee, let us

we may be But Jesus shorten the

Joseph

their journey,

a boihng heat;

go by the

if it

sea-shore, that

able to rest in the cities on the coast. said to him:

way

Fear not Joseph, I

will

you would you shall ac-

for you, so that what

have taken thirty days to go over,

And

complish in this one day.

while

was

thus speaking, behold, they began to see the

mountains and

cities

of Egypt.

And

rejoicing

and exulting, they came into a city, called Sotinen, in which there was an idol, to which the other idols and gods of the Egyptians offered gifts

and vows.

And

there stood before this idol

a priest ministering to him, who, as often as

Satan spoke from that inhabitants of

to the

its territories.

This

idol,

Egypt and

reported

by several demons; and he made many speeches and utterances; and when the demons seized him, he tore his clothes, and remained naked, and threw priest

had a

son, three years old, beset

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST stones at the people.

And

there was a hospital

And when

in that city dedicated to that idoL

Joseph and

Mary had come

to the city,

and had

turned aside into that hospital, the citizens were very

much

priests

and is

and all the chief men and the of the idols came together to that idol, afraid

said to it:

;

What

agitation and commotion

answered them:

who

God

The

our land?

this that has arisen in

idol

has come here in secret,

indeed; nor

any god

worthy of divine worship, because

besides

Him

truly the

Son of God. And when this land became aware of His presence, it trembled at His arrival, and was moved and shaken; and we are exceedingly afraid from the greatness of His power. And it came to pass, when Mary went into the temple with the

child, that all the idols

little

prostrated themselves on the ground, so that aU

of ^hem were lying on their faces shattered and

broken to pieces; and thus they plainly showed that they were nothing.

Then was

fulfilled that

which was said by the prophet Isaiah: Behold,

Lord will come upon a swift cloud, and will enter Egypt, and all the handiwork of the Egyptians shall be moved at His presence.^

the

^Isa.xix,

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD Then

Affrodosius, that governor of the city,

news of

vv'hen

this

was brought to him, went to

And

the temple with aU his army.

the priests

of the temple, when they saw Affrodosius with

army coming into the temple, thought that he was making haste only to see vengeance taken on those on whose account the gods had But when he came into the temple, fallen down. all his

and saw faces, he

Lord

all

the gods lying prostrate on their

went up to Mary, who was carrying the

in her

bosom, and adored Him, and said to

army and all his friends Unless this were God of our gods, our gods would not have

all his

the

fallen

on their faces before

Him

;

nor would they

be lying prostrate in His presence: wherefore

they silently confess that

their Lord.

Un-

we take care to do what we have seen our gods doing, we may run the risk of His anger, and all come to destruction, even as it happened to Pharaoh king of the Egyptians, less,

therefore,

who, not believing in powers so mighty, was

drowned *

in the sea, with all his army.*

According to tradition Affrodosius and all inhabitants became Christians, and Petrus de Natal. 28, even makes Affrodosius Bishop of Bourges in

of that city iii,

France.

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST Jesus heals the demoniac son of the priest

Idols fall

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Robbers run away

and are broken

](Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, chs. II-I3-)

And

came to pass that the son of the

his usual disease

priest,

having come upon him, entered

the hospital and found Joseph and Mary, from

whom

all

had fled. Mary having washed of the Lord Christ, had spread them

others

the clothes

over some wood.

That demoniac boy,

came and took one of the

Then

head.

cloths,

therefore,

and put

his

the demons, fleeing in the shape of

ravens and serpents, began to go forth out of his

The command

mouth.

boy, being immediately healed

Lord

began to praise God, and then to give thanks to the Lord who had healed him. And when his father saw him restored to health. My son, said he, what has happened to thee? and by what means hast thou at the

of the

Christ,

The son answered: When demons had thrown me on the ground, I went

been

the

healed.'^

hospital,

woman

and there I

the into

found an august

with a boy, whose newly washed clothes

she had thrown

upon some wood: one of these I took up and put upon my head, and the demons 66

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD left

me and

fled.

this the father rejoiced

and said My son, it is possible that this boy is the Son of the living God who created the heavens and the earth for when he came over to us, the idol was broken, and all the gods fell, and greatly,

perished by the power of his magnificence.

And when Joseph and Mary

heard that that

down and perished, trembled, and were afraid. Then they said: When we were in the land of Israel, Herod thought to put Jesus

idol

had

fallen

and on that account slew all the children of Bethlehem and its confines; and there

to death,

no doubt that the Egyptians, as soon as they

have heard that

burn us with

Going out

this idol has

been broken, wiU

fiire.

thence, they

came to a place where

who had plundered several men of their baggage and clothes, and had bound them. Then the robbers heard a great

there were robbers

noise, like the noise of

a magnificent king going

out of his city with his army, and his chariots

and

his

rified,

drums

and

;

and at

left all

this the robbers

their

plunder.

were ter-

And

their

captives rose up, loosed each other's bonds, re-

covered their baggage, and went away.

And

when they saw Joseph and Mary coming up to 67

EXTRA-CANONICAL IJFE OF CHRIST the place, they said to them:

Where

that

king, at the hearing of the magnificent sound

of whose approach the robbers have left us, so

we have escaped

that

them 5.

will

safe?

come behind

Joseph answered

us.

Healing of a demoniac woman and of a dumb bride (Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, chs.

And

14,

15.)

they came into a city where there was a

demoniac woman rebellious,

had

whom

beset,

Satan,

accursed

when on one occasion she

had gone out by night for water.

She could

neither bear clothes, nor live in a house; as

and

up with chains or broke them, and fled naked into

often as they tied her

thongs, she

waste places; and, standing in cross-roads and cemeteries

she

kept

throwing stones at peo-

and brought very heavy calamities upon her friends. And when Mary saw her, she pitied ple,

upon this Satan immediately left her, and fled away in the form of a young man, saying: Woe to me^from thee, Mary, and from thy son So that woman was cured of her torment, and being restored to her senses, she blushed on

her; and

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD account of her nakedness of men, went

home

;

and shunning the sight

And

to her friends.

after

she put on her clothes, she gave an account of the matter to her father and her friends

and as

men

of the city, they re-

Mary and Joseph

with great honor and

they were the chief ceived

;

hospitality.

Being supplied by them with provision for their journey, they went away on the following day, and on the evening of that day they came to another city, where a marriage was celebrated.

But, by the arts of accursed Satan and the work of enchanters, the bride had become dumb, and could not speak a word.

And

after

Mary

en-

tered the town, carrying Christ in her arms, the

dumb

bride saw her, and stretched out her hands

Him to her, and held Him close

toward the Lord Christ, and drew

and took Him into her arms, and kissed Him, and leaned over Him, moving His body back and forwards. Immediately the knot of her tongue was loosened, and her ears were opened; and she gave thanks and praise to God, because

And

He had

restored her to health.

that night the inhabitants of that

exulted with joy, and thought that

angels had come

down

to them.

town

God and His

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST 6.

Healing of

demoniac woman and

the

leprous girl (Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, chs.

i6,

17.)

There they remained three days, being held

and

in great honor,

living splendidly.

There-

by them with provision for journey, they went to another city, in

after, being supplied

their

which, because

was populous, they thought of

passing the night.

And

there was in that city

an excellent woman; and once, when she had gone to the river to bathe, lo, accursed Satan,

form of a serpent, had leapt upon her, and twisted himself round her belly; and as often as night came on, he tyrannically tormented her. This woman, seeing the mistress the Lady Mary, and the child, the Lord Christ,

in the

in her bosom,

Him, and

was struck with a longing for

Lady Mary: that I may carry

said to the mistress the

mistress, give

this child,

Him, and kiss Him. She therefore gave Him to the woman; and when He was brought to her,

Satan

did the

let

her go, and fled and left her, nor

woman

Wherefore

all

ever see

him after that day.

who were present praised God 70

BIRTH AND CHnLDHOOD Most High, and that woman bestowed on them liberal gifts.

day

the

same woman

the

after,

took

Lord Jesus and after

scented water to wash the

;

had washed Him, she took the water which she had done it, and poured part upon a girl who was living there, whose was white with leprosy, and washed her she

it.

And

as soon as this

was done, the

And

cleansed from her leprosy.^

people said: There

Mary and

that

Boy

with of

body

girl

with

was

the towns-

no doubt that Joseph and are gods, not men.

And

when they were getting ready to go into another city, the girl who had labored under the leprosy came up to them, and asked them to let her go with them. "The

disease mentioned here

the white leprosy, as

and the healing-power is ascribed to the water with which Jesus was washed. This water described in Levit.

xiii,

plays a great part in the apocryphal miracle-narratives,

comp. the Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, chs. i8, 27, 28, 3i> 3^) 33Why the water with which Jesus was washed played that part, we get an interesting hint in the next narrative, est

those

where

who

it is

said of Jesus

" thus

Thou

cleans-

share the same nature with Thee with the

water in which

Thy body has been washed."

symbolic reference to baptism.

It is

;

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST 7.

The unfortunate

and the healing of

'princess

the leprous prince (Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, ch.

When

they had

And

went with them. a

city, in

given her

i8.)

she

permission,

afterwards they came to

which was the

most

castle of a

illus-

who kept a house for the entertainment of strangers. They turned into this place; and the girl went away to the prince's trious prince,

wife; and she found her weeping and sorrowful,

not

for I

and she asked why she was weeping.

be surprised, said she, at

overwhelmed by a great I have not endured to said the girl, if

me, I

tell

any

with him, but by

and

as soon as he

this

tell it

who

cities,

and

I lived long

me he had no

son.

And when

at length I produced

loathing,

Hide

I was married to this prince,

king and ruler over many

and

disclose it to

it.

secret, then, replied the princess,

no one.

Perhaps,

one.

and

a remedy for

;

which as yet

affliction,

you reveal

may have

tears

him a

son, he

was leprous

saw him, he turned away with

and said to me: Either

kill

give him to the nurse to be brought

him, or in

some

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD place from which

more. thee,

After

and

this I

can have nothing to do with

On this am over-

I will never see thee more.

account I know not what to do, and I

whelmed with

grief.

Did

husband.

Alas

I not say

so.^^

Alas

son.

it thee.

For

said the girl.

have found a cure for thy disease, and I teU

him

shall never hear of

my I

shall

was a leper; but I was

I too

by God,^ who is Jesus, the son of the Lady Mary. And the woman asking her where this God was whom she had spoken of. Here, with thee, said the girl He is living in the same house. But how is this possible said she. cleansed

;

.f^

Where is he.^^ There, said the girl, are Joseph and Mary; and the child who is with them ia called Jesus; and He it is who cured me of my But by what means, disease and my torment. said she, wast thou cured of thy leprosy.?

thou not

tell

that?

Why

Wilt

not.? said the girl.

I got from His mother the water in which

had been washed, and poured it over myself; and so I was cleansed from my leprosy. Then the princess rose up, and invited them to avail themselves of her hospitality.

And

she prepared

a splendid banquet for Joseph in a great assem"

The

girl here calls

Jesus " God."

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST bly of the

men

And

of the place.

on the follow-

ing day she took scented water with which to

wash the Lord Jesus, and thereafter poured the same water over her son, whom she had taken with her; and immediately her son was cleansed

from the leprosy. Therefore, singing thanks and praises to God, she said Blessed is the :

mother who bore Thee, cleanse those

who

Jesus

Thou

which

Thy body

sent her

heals

his

upon

away with great honor. newly

married

brother being changed into a

again into

has been

Besides, she bestowed great gifts

Mary, and 8.

Jesus; dost

share the same nature with

Thee with the water washed?

man-

mule,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;The

passes

human form

(Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, chs. 19-22.)

Having come

to another city, they

They turned aside, therehouse of a man newly married, but

spend the night in fore, to the

meant

it.

who, under the influence of witchcraft was not

and when they had spent that night with him, his bond was loosed. And able to enjoy his wife;

at daybreak,

when they were girding themselves

for their journey, the bridegroom would not

;

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD them go, and prepared for them a

let

great

banquet.

They

set out, therefore,

on the following day

came near another city, they saw three women weeping as they came out of a cemetery. And when Mary beheld them, she said to the girl who accompanied her: Ask them what is the matter with them, or what calamity

and

as they

has befallen them.

And

to the girl's questions

they made no reply, but asked in their turn:

Whence

are you, and whither are you going?

already past, and night

for the day

on apace.

coming

are travelers, said the girl, and

are seeking a house of entertainment in which

we may pass the night. They said: Go with us, and spend the night with us. They followed them, therefore, and were brought into a new house with splendid decorations and furniture. Now it was winter; and the girl, going into the chamber of these women, found them again There stood beside weeping and lamenting. them a mule, covered with housings of cloth of gold, and sesame was put before him; and the women were kissing him, and giving him food.

And

the girl said:

ladies,

What

about this mule.?

the ado,

They answered

her

all

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST with tears, and said: This mule, which

thou

was our brother, born of the same mother with ourselves. And when our father died, and seest,

and this only brother, we did our best to get him married, and were preparing his nuptials for him, after the manner of men. But some women, moved by mutual jealleft us great wealth,

ousy, bewitched him night, a

little

unknown

to us

;

and one

before daybreak, when the door

of our house was shut, we saw that this our brother had been turned into a mule, as thou

now

beholdest him.

thou

seest,

there

And we

are sorrowful, as

having no father to

comfort

us:

no wise man, or magician, or enchanter

we have omitted to send for; but nothing has done us any good. And as

in the world that

often as our hearts are overwhelmed with grief,

we rise and go away with our mother here, and weep at the father's grave, and come back again. And when the girl heard these things, she said: Be of good courage and weep not; for the cure of your calamity is nea,r; 3'^ca, it is beside you, and in the middle of your own house. For I also was a leper; but v/hen I saw that woman, and along with her that young child, whose name is Jesus, I sprinkled my body with the 76

;

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD water with which His mother had washed Him,

and

know that He can But rise, go to Mary

And

I was cured.

cure your affliction also.

mistress

;

bring her into 3^our house, and

tell

her your secret; and entreat and supplicate her

heard the

After the women had

upon you.

to have pity

girl's

words, they went in haste to the

Lady Mary, and brought her into their chamber, and sat down before her weeping, and saying O :

on thy

our mistress, INIary, have pity

hand-

maidens; for no one older than ourselves, and

no head of the family, nor brother

which thou

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

to live with

seest

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

left

us;

us.

but

this

mule

was our brother, and women

have made him such as thou

neither father

seest

witchcraft.

upon Mary took up

beseech thee, therefore, to have pity

Then, grieving at their

lot,

Lord Jesus, and put Him on the mule's back and she wept as well as the women, and said to Jesus Christ Alas my son, heal this mule by Thy mighty power, and make him a man enthe

And dowed with reason as he was before. when these words were uttered by Mary, his form was changed, and the mule became a young man, free from every defect. Then he and his mother and his sisters adored Mary, and lifted 17

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST the boy above their heads, and

Him, saying: Blessed Jesus,

began to

kiss

she that bore Thee,

Saviour of the world; blessed are the

eyes which enjoy the felicity of seeing Thee.

Moreover, both the

Our brother Jesus

Clirist,

indeed,

sisters said to their

mother

Lord

by the aid of the

and by the salutary intervention

who pointed out to us Mary and her has been raised to human form. Now, in-

of this girl, son,

deed, since our brother

unmarried,

do very well for us to give him as

And having

girl, their servant.

would

his wife this

Lady they made a

asked the

Mary, and obtained her consent, splendid wedding for the girl; and their sorrow being changed into joy, and the beating of their breasts into dancing, they began to be glad, to rejoice, to exult, and sing adorned, on account of their great joy, in most splendid and gorgeous attire. Then they began to recite songs and praises, and to say O Jesus, son of David, who turnest sorrow into gladness, and lamentations into joy And Joseph and Mary remained there

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

ten days.

Thereafter they

great honors farewell,

set out, treated

these people,

with

who bade them

and from bidding them farewell

turned weeping, especially the

girl.

re-

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD -

The magnanimity of

the robber

of Jesus in

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Last deeds

Egypt

(Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, chs.

23,

24,

25; Hist,

of Joseph, ch. 8.)

And

turning away from this place, they came

and hearing that it was infested by robbers, Joseph and Mary resolved to cross this region by night. But as they go along, behold, they see two robbers lying in the way, and along to a desert;

with them a great number of robbers, who were their

associates,

sleeping.

Now

those

two

had

fallen,

were

robbers, into whose hands they

Titus and Dumachus.

Titus therefore said to

Dumachus: I beseech thee to let these persons go freely, and so that our comrades may not see them. And as Dumachus refused, Titus said to liim again: Take to thyself forty drachmas from me, and hold this as a pledge. At the same time he held out to him the belt which he had had about his waist, to keep him from opening And the Lady Mary, his mouth or speaking. seeing that the robber had done them a kindness, said to him: The Lord God will sustain thee by His right hand, and will grant thee remission of thy sins. And the Lord Jcsu3 answered, and said 79

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST to His mother

Thirty years hence,

the Jews will crucify

O my

at Jerusalem,

mother,

and these

upon the cross along with me, Titus on my right hand and Dumachus on my left; and after that day Titus shall go before me into Paradise J And she said: God keep this from Thee, my son. And they went two robbers

will be raised

thence toward a city of idols, which as they

came near

was changed into

sandhills.

Hence they turned aside to that sycamore which is now called Matarea,^ and the Lord Jesus brought forth in Matarea a fountain in which Mary washed His shirt. And from the sweat of the Lord Jesus which she sprinkled there,

balsam

was

produced

that

region.

Thence they came down to Memphis, and saw '

According to the Gospel of Nicodemus,

ch.

the

names of the two robbers are Dismas and Gestas. In Bedae Collectan, their names are given as Matha and Joca. In the Greek church the good robber is commemorated on the 23d of March, in the Latin church, on the 25th. ^

This town

sometimes identified with On, or Heli-

where lived Asenath, the wife of Joseph, and where, under the name of O'sarsiph, Moses had been a Onias, at the head of a large colony of Jewish priest. refugees, fleeing from the rage of Antiochus, had founded a temple here and was thus believed to have fulfilled opolis,

the prophecy of Isa. xix,

19.

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD Pharaoh, and remained three years in Egypt

Herod passed away. And Jesus wrought yet many more miracles in Egypt, until the hatred of

which are recorded neither in the Gospel of the Infancy nor in the complete Gospel.^ The " complete gospel " means no doubt the canonical gospels. The close of the 2Sth chapter of the Gos"

reminds of the close of the Gospel Since the author of the Arabic Gospel of the Infancy speaks of other miracles which are not re-

pel of the Infancy,

of John.

corded in his Gospel, we w^ill add here those miracles which are recorded in other narratives Jesus makes a dried fish live

(Latin Gospel of Thomas, ch.

And

Jesus was in His third year. playing, He began to play with them. dried fish and put about.

And

into a basin,

began

again to the fish

Throw

move

And seeing boys And He took a

and ordered about.

came

And

in v/hose

house Alary His mother

as soon as she heard

said

it,

And

to pass.

the neighbors seeing v/hat had been done, told

widow woman

move

And He

out thy salt which thou hast,

And

and walk into the water.

i.)

to the lived.

she thrust them out of her

house with great haste. b.

Jesus makes merry over twelve sparrows which into the bosom of a schoolmaster

fell

(Ibid., ch. 2.)

And

was walking with Mary through the city market-place. He looked and saw a

as Jesus

middle of the

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST schoolmaster teaching his scholars. And behold twelve sparrows that were quarreling fell over the wall into

bosom of the schoolmaster, who was teaching the When Jesus saw it, He was very much amused, and stood still. And when that teacher saw Him makthe

boys.

ing merry, he said to his scholars with great fury: Go and bring Him to me. And when they had carried Him to the master, he seized

didst

Thou

Him

by the

amuse Thee Master, see my hand see to

said. What And He said

and

ear,

much?

I showed full of wheat. and scattered the wheat among them, and they carry it out of the middle of the street where they are in danger; and on this account they fought among

him

to them,

themselves to divide the wheat.

from the place

until

And

Jesus did not pass

was accomplished.

being done, the master began to thrust city,

Him

And

this

out of the

along with His mother.

SECTION V The boyhood

of Jesus

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;His

seveeal deeds

AND miracles

the end of three years the angel said to

Joseph: Return to the land of Judah, for they are dead

who sought

the life of the child. Joseph

returned to Nazareth and from thence went to

Bethlehem. Here at Bethlehem Jesus performed

many 1.

miracles.

Healing of the children having

diseases of

the eye (Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, chs,

2y, 28.)

There was a woman there with a

sick son,

whom, now very near death, she brought to Mary, who saw him as she was washing Jesus. Then said the woman to her O my Lady Mary, look upon this son of mine, who is laboring under :

a grievous disease.

and

said:

Take a

And Mary

little

listened to her,

of that water in which I

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST my

have washed

The woman ing a

little,

son,

and sprinkle him with

did as she was told, and after sleep-

he rose up from sleep safe and sound.

His mother rejoiced at

Mary.

this,

And she said to her He hath healed this :

because

it.

There was

also another

again took him to Give thanks to God,

thy son.

woman, a neighbor

of her whose son had lately been restored to health.

And

as her son

was laboring under the

and his eyes were now almost And the blinded, she wept night and day. mother of the child that had been cured said to her: Why dost thou not take thy son to Mary, same

disease,

mine when he was nearly dead? And he got well with that water with which the as I did with

body of her son Jesus had been washed. And when the woman heard this from her, she too went and got some of the same water, and washed her son with instantly

it,

made

and

body and his eyes were Her also, when she had

his

well.

brought her son to Mary, and disclosed to her all

that had happened,

thanks to

and

God

to tell

Mary

ordered to give

for her son's restoration to health,

nobody of

this matter.

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD 2.

The wondrous

cloak and the rival

(Arabic Gospel of the Infancy,

There were two women

ch. 29.)

same

city, wives

of one man, each having a sick son.

The one

in the

name was Cleopas. She rose and took up her son, and went to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and offering her a beautiful mantle, said: O my Lady Mary, accept this mantle, and for it give me one small bandage. Mary did so, and the mother of Cleopas went away, and made a shirt of it, and put it on her son. So he was cured of his disHence ease; but the son of her rival died. there sprung up hatred between them; and as they did the house-work alternately and it was called Mary, and her

was the turn of

Mary

son's

the mother of Cleopas,

she heated the oven to bake bread;

away

to bring the

lump that

she

and going

had kneaded,

she left her son Cleopas beside the oven. rival seeing

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;and

him alone

hot with the

fire

Her

the oven was very

blazing under

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

seized

him

and threw him into the oven, and took herself off, Mary coming back, and seeing her son Cleopas lying in the oven laughing, and the 85

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST had ever come near it, knew that her rival had thrown him into the fire. She drew him out, therefore, and took him to the Lady Mary, and told her of what had happened to him. And she said: Keep silence, oven quite cold, as

fire

nobody of the affair; for I am afraid for you if you divulge it. After this her rival went to the well to draw water; and seeing Cleopas playing beside the well, and nobody near, she seized him and threw him into the well, and went home herself. And some men who had

and

tell

gone to the well for water saw the boy sitting on the surface of the water; and so they went

down and drew him

out.

And

they were seized

with a great admiration for that boy, and praised

Then came

and took him up, and went weeping to the Lady Mary, and said: O my lady, see what my rival has done to my son, and how she has thrown him into the well; she will be sure to destroy him some day or other. God.

The Lady Mary thee

upon

her.

to the well to

his mother,

said to her:

God

will

avenge

Thereafter, when her rival went

draw water, her

feet got entangled

and she fell into the well. Some men came to draw her out, but they found her in the rope,

skuU fractured and her bones broken.

Thus

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD and in her came to pass that saying They have digged a well deep, but have fallen into the pit which they had preshe died a miserable death, :

pared. 3.

Healing of a

sick

hoy through the bed of

Jesus (Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, ch. 30.)

Another woman there had twin sons who had fallen into disease,

and one of them

the other was at his last breath.

And

died,

his

and

mother,

Weeping, lifted him up, and took him to Mary,

and

said:

For

O my

had two

lady, aid

sons,

me and

succor me.

and I have just buried the

and the other is at the point of death. See how I am going to entreat and pray to God. And she began to say: O Lord, Thou art com-

one,

and merciful, and full of affection. Thou gavest me two sons, of whom Thou hast taken away the one: this one at least leave to me. Wherefore Mary, seeing the fervor of her weeping, had compassion on her, and said: Put thy son in my son's bed, and cover him with His clothes. And when she had put him in the bed in which Christ was lying, he had al-

passionate,

ready closed

his eyes in death;

but as soon as

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST Lord Jesus Christ

the smell of the clothes of the

reached the boy, he opened his eyes, and,

ing upon

Ills

mother with a loud

for bread, and took

mother said

God

voice, he asked

and sucked

O Mary, now

it.

Then

his

know that the power

dwelleth in thee, so that thy son heals

those that partake of the same nature with self, as

call-

Him-

soon as they have touched His clothes.

This boy that was healed

he who in the Gospel

Bartholomew.

called

Healing of the leprous woman and the leprous princess (Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, chs.

31, 32.)

There was there a leprous woman, and she came to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and said:

Lady, help me.

help dost thou seek? that thy body be

And And

that the

Is it

made

answered

What

gold or silver? or

clean

is it

from the leprosy?

woman asked Who can grant me this ? Lady Mary said to her: Wait a little,

until I shall have

Him

And Mary

washed

son Jesus, and put

The woman waited, as Mary had told her; and when she had put Jesus to bed, she held out to the woman the water in which to bed.

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD had washed His body, and sa-id: Take a little of this water, and pour it over thy body. And as soon as she had done so, she was cleansed, and gave praise and thanks to God. she

After having stayed with her three days, she

went away and came to a chief

city

where she saw a

man, who had married the daughter of

But when he saw the woman, he beheld between her eyes the mark of leprosy another chief man.

and so the marriage was dissolved, and became null and void. And when that woman saw them in this condition, weeping

in the shape of a star

;

and overwhelmed with sorrow, she asked the cause of their grief. But they said: Inquire not into our condition, for to no one living can we teU our grief, and to none but ourselves can we disclose

it.

She urged them, however, and en-

treated them to entrust

to her, saying that

she would perhaps be able to

remedy.

And when

tell

them of a

they showed her the

girl,

and the sign of leprosy which appeared between her eyes, as soon as she saw it, the woman said: I also,

same

whom you

disease,

under the

when, upon some business which

happened to come hem.

see here, labored

way, I went to Bethle-

There going into a cave, I saw a woman

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST named Mary, whose son was He who was named Jesus and when she saw that I was a leper, she took pity on me, and handed me the water with which she had washed her son's body. With it I sprinkled my body, and came out clean. Then ;

the

woman

said to her:

Wilt thou not,

lady,

and show us the Lady Mary ? And she assented; and they rose and went to Mary, carrying with them splendid gifts. And when they had gone in, and presented to her rise

and go with

us,

the gifts, they showed her the leprous girl

they had brought.

Mary

therefore said:

whom

May

Lord Jesus Christ descend upon you; and handing to them also a little of the water in which she had washed the body of the compassion of the

Jesus Christ, she ordered the wretched to be bathed in

it.

And when

this

woman

had been done,

she was immediately cured; and they, and all

standing by praised God.

Joyfully therefore

they returned to their own city, praising the

Lord for what

He had

done.

And when

the chief

heard that his wife had been cured, he took her

home, and made a second marriage, and gave thanks to

God

for the recovery of his wife's

health.

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD 5.

Demoniacs^

whom Satan

persecutes

the

form of a huge dragon, are healed (Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, chs.

There was

also there a

33, 34.)

young woman

afflicted

by Satan; for that accursed wretch repeatedly appeared to her in the form of a huge dragon, and prepared to swallow her. He also sucked out

her blood, so that she was left like a

all

corpse.

often as he came near her, she, with

her hands clasped over her head, cried out, and

Woe,

said:

me from

woe's me, for

near to free

And

that accursed dragon.

her father

who were about her or saw bewailed her lot; and men stood round her

and mother, and her,

nobody

in a crowd,

when

and

all

wept and lamented, especially

she wept, and said: Oh,

friends,

murderer

.f*

there no one to free

And

brethren and

me from

that

the daughter of the chief

who

had been healed of her leprosy, hearing the girl's voice, went up to the roof of her castle, and saw her with her hands clasped over her head weeping,

all

the crowds standing round her weep-

well.

She therefore asked the demoniac's

and

ing as

husband whether

his wife's

mother were

alive.

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST And when

he answered that both her parents

were living, she said: Send for her mother to

come to me. sent for her,

And when

she saw that he had

and she had come, she

distracted girl thy daughter?

Yes,

said

Is that

lady, said

that sorrowful and weeping woman, she

daughter.

The

chief's

daughter answered Keep :

was for-

secret, for I confess to thee that I

merly a leper; but now the Lady Mary, the

But

mother of Jesus Christ, has healed me.

thou wishest thy daughter to be healed, take her to Bethlehem, and seek

and

Jesus,

healed

;

Mary

the mother of

thy daughter

believe that

I indeed believe that thou wilt come back

with joy, with thy daughter healed. the

will

woman heard

words

the

As soon the

chief's

daughter, she led away her daughter in haste;

and going to the place indicated, she went to the Lady Mary, and revealed to her the state of her daughter.

And

the

words, gave her a

Lady Mary hearing

her

of the water in which

little

had washed the body of her son Jesus, and ordered her to pour it on the body of her daughter. She gave her also from the clothes

she

of the Lord Jesus a

Take

this cloth,

swathing-cloth, saying:

and show 92

to thine

enemy

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD often as thou shalt see him.

them, and

When,

sent

And

she saluted

them away.

had gone away from her, and returned to their own district, and the time was at hand at which Satan was wont to therefore, they

attack her, at this very time that accursed one

appeared to her in the shape of a huge dragon,

and the girl was afraid at the sight of him. And her mother said to her: Fear not, my daughter; allow him to come near thee, and then show him the cloth which the

and

let

Lady Mary hath

us see what will happen.

given us,

Satan, there-

fore,

having come near in the likeness of a

rible

dragon, the body of the girl shuddered for

ter-

fear of him; but as soon as she took out the cloth,

and placed

her eyes with

it,

dart forth from

dragon.

on her head, and covered

and live and to be

flames it,

began to cast upon the

coals

the great miracle which was done

dragon saw the cloth of the Lord Jesus, from which the fire darted, and was cast

as soon as the

upon

his

head and eyes

cried out with a

loud voice: Wliat have I to do with Thee, Jesus, son of

Thee?

And

Mary?

Whither

shall I fly

from

with great fear he turned his back

and departed from the 93

girl,

and never

after-

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST And

wards appeared to her. rest

the girl no^v had

from him, and gave praise and thanks to

God, and along with her

all

who were

present

at that miracle.

Healing of the savage Judas

(Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, ch. 35.)

Another woman was living

in the

whose son was tormented by Satan.

same place,

He, Judas

by name, as often as Satan seized him used to bite all who came near him; and if he found no one near him, he used to bite his own hands and other limbs.

The mother

ture, then, hearing the

of this wretched crea-

fame of the Lady Mary

and her son Jesus, rose up and brought her son Judas v/ith her to the Lady Mary. In the meantime, James and Joses had taken the child the Lord Jesus with them to play with the other

and they had gone out of the house and sat down, and the Lord Jesus with them. And the demoniac Judas came up, and sat down at Jesus' right hand: then, children;

being attacked by Satan in the same manner as

usual,

he wished to bite the Lord Jesus,

but was not able

;

nevertheless he struck Jesus

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD on the right side, whereupon He began to weep. And immediately Satan went forth out of that boy, fleeing like a

mad

And this whom Satan

dog.

boy who struck Jesus, and out of went forth in the shape of a dog, was Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him to the Jews; and that same side on which Judas struck

Jews transfixed with a

Him, the

lance.^

Jesus molds sparrows from clay and causes

them

Two

to fly

—Fools

dry up at His behest

hoys die at His word

—Jesus

—

causes His

accusers to become blind (Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, chs.

Thomas,

And

Jesus being

46, 47;

Gospel of

chs. 2, 3.)

five

years old^ was playing

with other boys at the crossing of a stream, and

collected the

running waters into pools, and

immediately made them pure alone

He commanded

them.

and by His word And having made

;

^Jacobus, a Voragine, Legenda Aurea, ch. 45 (ed. 1846, p. 184 seq.), tells us that Judas was a

Grasse,

foundling,

who was bad

already

acquainted with Pilate, and

when

a boy;

became and

finally killed his father

married his mother. ''According to the Arabic Gospel of the Infancy,

was seven years

old.

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST some soft

clay,

fashioned out of

twelve

And it was the Sabbath when He did these things. And there were also many other children playing with Him. And a certain Jew,

sparrows.

seeing what Jesus was doing, playing on the

Sabbath, went off immediately, and said to His father Joseph

Behold, thy son

at the stream,

and has taken clay, and made of it twelve birds, and has profaned the Sabbath. And Joseph, coming to the place and seeing, cried out to

Him, saying Wherefore :

bath what

it is

doest

Thou on

the Sab-

And

not lawful to do ?

Jesus

clapped His hands, and cried out to the spar-

And And

rows, and said to them: Off you go!

sparrows

flew,

Jews seeing

and reported

and went

men what they had And the son of Annas the

to their chief

was standing there with Joseph; and he

took a willow branch, and

which Jesus had w^hat

the

were amazed, and went away

this

seen Jesus doing. scribe

off crying.^

the

let

out

And

collected.

the waters

Jesus, seeing

was done, was angry, and said to him:

wicked, impious, and foolish

what harm did the

pools and the waters do to thee?

now thou

shalt be dried '

Comp.

also,

Koran, Sura

Behold, even

a tree, and thou III, 48.

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION shalt not bring forth either leaves, or root, or fruit.

up.

And straightway that boy was quite dried And Jesus departed, and went to Joseph's

But the parents of the boy that had been dried up took him up, bewaiHng his youth, and brought him to Joseph, and reproached liim because he had a child doing such things. At another time, when Jesus was returning home with Joseph in the evening. He met a boy, who ran up against Him with so much force that He fell. And Jesus said to him As thou hast thrown me down, so thou shalt fall, and not rise again. house.

And

the same hour the boy fell down, and ex-

And some who saw what had

fp)

pired.

said

word of His

Whence was

taken place,

this child begotten, that every

And

certainly accomplished ?

away

parents of the dead boy went

the

to Joseph,

and blamed him saying: Since thou hast such a child, it is impossible for thee to live

in the village

;

or else teach

to curse; for

And Joseph monished things,

Him

called the child apart,

saying:

And

and not

to bless,

killing our children.

and these people

persecute us ?

Him

with U3

Why

doest

suffer,

Thou

and hate

Jesus said I :

and ad-

know

us,

such

and

that these

words of thine are not thine own; nevertheless

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST for thy sake I will be silent

And

their punishment.

Him

accused

plexity,

and

but they shall bear

straightway those that

struck

blind.

And

those

were much afraid and in great per-

who saw which

were

;

said

Him: Every word

about

spoke, whether good or bad, was an

and became a wonder. And when they saw that Jesus had done such a thing, Joseph rose act,

and took hold of His

And It

find;

and pulled it hard. the child was very angr}^, and said to him: enough for thee that they seek and do not and most certainly thou hast not done ear,

Thou knowest not, who I am; if thou know it, thou wouldst not grieve Me. And

wisely.

didst

although I

with thee, yet I have been be-

gotten before thee, 8.

Jesus and His schoolmasters

(Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, chs.

Thomas,

48, 49;

Gospel of

chs. 6, 7, 8, 14, 15.)

by name, was and heard Him

certain teacher, Zacch^eus

standing in a certain place,

speaking to His father and he wondered exceed;

ingl}^, that,

such a way. to Joseph,

being a child.

And

should speak in

a few days thereafter he came

and said to him Thou hast a :

sensible

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD child,

then,

teach

He has some mind. Give Him to me, that He may learn letters; and I shall Him along with the letters all knowledge, and

both how to address

them

as forefathers

those of His

own

all

and

the elders, and to honor

and how to love Joseph gave him his

fathers,

age.

consent and reported this to Mary.

brought

Him

to the master,

So they

and as soon

as he

Him he wrote the Alphabet for Him, and told Him all the letters from Alpha to Omega with much distinctness and clearly. And he bade Him say aleph; and when He had said aleph, the master ordered Him to say beth. And Jesus said saw

to him: Tell

first

the meaning of the letter

aleph and I will say beth.

And when

the master

threatened to whip Him,^ Jesus looked at the teacher,

and said

him Thou that knowest not :

Longfellow, in the second part of his Christus, entitled The Golden Legend, thus speaks of Jesus at *

school " Rabbi.

Jesus. Rabbi.

Now

little

Jesus, the carpenter's son,

Let us see how Thy task is done; Canst Thou Thy letters say? Aleph. What next? Do not stop yet! Go on with all the alphabet. Come, Aleph, Beth; dost Thou forget? Cock's soul!

Thou'dst rather play!

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST aleph naturally, others?

Hypocrite,

dost thou teach beth to

thou knowest,

then we

the A, and the B.

how

Then He began

about the

letter,

first

And

answer Him.

has

lines,

teach

about

to question the teacher

and he was not able to the hearing of many, the Hear,

child says to Zacchseus:

order of the

thee

believe

shall

first

first letter,

and

teacher, the

notice here

how

and a middle stroke crossing those

which thou

seest

common;

(lines)

brought

to-

gether; the highest part supporting them, and

again bringing them under one head

;

with three

points of intersection; of the same kind; princi-

pal and subordinate; of equal length.

Thou

hast the lines of the A.

Also

explained which figures of the letter

were straight, which crooked, v*hich drawn round

marked with points, which without them, why one letter went before aninto a spiral, which

Jesus.

What Aleph means

Rabbi.

would know

fain

any farther go Oh, by Saint Peter! wouldst Thou so?

Before

Come hither, As surely as

boy, to me.

the letter Jod

Once cried aloud and spake to God, So surely shalt Thou feel this rod, And punished shalt Thou be " !

100

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD other; and

many

other things

began to

re-

count and to elucidate which the master himself

had never either heard or read in any book. The Lord Jesus, moreover, said to the master Listen, and I shall say them to thee. And He began :

clearly

and

Aleph,

distinctly to repeat

Beth,

Gimel, Daleth, on to Tau.

And when the teacher Zacchseus

heard the child

speaking such and so great allegories of the first letter,

narrative,

he was at a great

and about such teaching. And he said

to those that were present

I am,

about such a

loss

Alas

at a loss, bringing

by having dragged

wretch that

shame upon myself

this child hither.

Take Him

away, then, I beseech thee, brother Joseph.

cannot endure the sternness of His look; I cannot

make out His meaning

does not belong to this earth fire.

Assuredly

of the world.

what

sort of a

know.

Alas

away;

;

That child can tame even

all.

He was bom before the creation What sort of a belly bore Him, womb

nourished Him, I do not

friend,

I cannot get at

His

has carried

meaning:

thrice

wretched that I am, I have deceived myself.

made a struggle found

to have a scholar, and I was

to have a teacher.

lOI

mind

is filled

with

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST shame,

an old man, have

friends, because I,

been conquered by a child.

There

nothing

me but despondency and death on account this boy, for I am not able at this hour to look

for

Him

in the face;

lines

of the

and when everybody says that I have been beaten by a little child, what can I say? And how can I give an account of the

know

not,

first letter

O my

that

friends

spoke about?

for I can

;

make

neither

beginning nor end of Him. Therefore, I beseech thee, brother Joseph, take

great thing I

is,

let

encouraging Zac-

blind in heart see. curse them,

that are above, as

and

fruit,

and

let

the

here from above, that

call

them to the things

that sent

count has commanded Me. ceased speaking,

Now

laughed aloud, and said:

thy learning bring forth

may

What

home.

god or angel, or what

am to say, I know not. And when the Jews were

chaeus, the child

either

Him

on your ac-

And when

immediately

all

were"

whole who had fallen under His curse. one after that dared to make

Him

the child

made

And no

angry,

lest

He should curse him, and he should be maimed. And Joseph, seeing that the child was vigorous in mind and body, again resolved that He 102

;

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD should not remain ignorant of the letters, and

took

Him

away, and handed

Him

over to another

And the teacher said to Joseph I shall teach Him the Greek letters, and then the

teacher. first

For the teacher was aware of the trial that had been made of the child, and was afraid of Him. Nevertheless he wrote out the alphabet, and gave Him all his attention for a long time, and He made him no answer. And Jesus said to him: If thou art really a teacher, and art well acquainted with the letters, tell Me the power Hebrew.

of the Alpha, and I will

tell

thee the power of

And the teacher was enraged at this, and struck Him on the head. And the child, the Beta.

being in pain, cursed him; and immediately he

swooned away, and face.

And

fell to

the ground on his

the child returned to Joseph's house

and Joseph was grieved, and gave orders to His mother, saying:

not

the door, because those

Him go outside of that make Him angry let

die.

And

after some time, another master again,

a genuine friend of Joseph, said to him: Bring

my school perhaps I shall be able Him into learning His letters. And

the child to to flatter

;

Joseph said: If thou hast the courage, brother^ 103

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHrJST take

Him

with thee.

And

he took

Him

with him

and great agony but the child went along pleasantly. And going boldly into the school, He found a book lying on the reading-desk and

in fear

;

taking

it,

read not the letters that were in

spoke by the Holy

and taught the law

to those that were

but opening His mouth, Spirit,

it,

And

standing round.

a great crowd having

come together, stood by and heard Him, and wondered at the ripeness of His teaching, and the readiness of His words, and that He, child as

was, spoke in such a way.

hearing of in

doubt

it,

master too should be without

And

the master said to Joseph:

brother, that I have taken the child as a

scholar,

and

dom but ;

full of

much grace and

I beseech thee, brother, take

And when him

was afraid, and ran to the school,

lest this

experience.

Know,

And Joseph

the child heard this.

directly,

and

said:

Him

wis-

home.

laughed at

Since thou hast spoken

and witnessed aright, for thy sake he that was struck down shall be cured. And

aright, also

immediately the other master was cured.

Joseph took the

child,

and went away home.

104

And

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD 9.

Jesus restores to

who a hoy who

a hoy

life

down

fell

died when from the housetop; also cleaving wood; also a child which had died, and

a workingman lying dead Gospel of the

(Arabic

Thomas,

One day when

Infancy,

ch.

chs. 9, 10, 17,

the

44;

Gospel

18.)

Lord Jesus was again with

the boys playing on the roof of a house, one of

down from above, and immediately And the rest of the boys fled in aU diand the Lord Jesus was left alone on And the relations of the boy came up to the Lord Jesus: It was Thou who

the boys fell expired. rections,

the roof.

and said

didst throw our son headlong

from the

roof.

And

when He denied it, they cried out, saying: Our son is dead, and here is He who has killed him. And the Lord Jesus said to them Do not bring an evil report against Me but if you do not believe Me, come and let us ask the boy himself, :

;

that he

may

bring the truth to light.

Then

the

Lord Jesus went down, and standing over the dead body,

who threw

said,

thee

down from

the roof?

dead boy answered and said: not

Thou who

Zeno, Zeno,

with a loud voice:

didst

throw

105

Then

lord,

the

was

me down, but

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST such

one

me down from

cast

it.

And

when the Lord commanded those who were standing by to attend to his words, they were amazed when seeing this. And the child's parents glorified God on account of the miracle that had happened, and adored Jesus. A few days after, a young man was splitting wood in the corner, and the ax came down and cut the sole of his foot in two, and he died from loss of blood. And there was a great commotion, and people ran together, and the child

And He

Jesus ran there too.

pressed through

the crowd, and laid hold of the

wounded

young man's

and he was cured immediately. And He said to the young man: Rise up now, split the wood, and remember Me. And the crowd seeing what had happened, adored the child,

foot,

saying

Truly the Spirit of God dwells

this child.

And

after this the infant of one of Joseph's

neighbors sore.

fell sick

And

and

died,

and

its

mother wept

Jesus heard that there was great

lamentation and commotion, and ran in haste,

and found the child dead, and touched his breast, and said: I say to thee, child, be not dead, but live, and be with thy mother. And directly it io6

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD up and laughed. And He said to the woman Take it, and give it milk, and remember looked

And

Me.

seeing this, the crowd that was stand-

ing by wondered, and said either

God

of His

Truly

this child

or an angel of God, for every

And

a certain fact.

was

word

Jesus went out

thence, pla3'ing with the other children.

And some

time after there occurred a great

commotion while a house Jesus stood

And

vv-as

being

up and went away

seeing a

man

lying dead,

the hand, and said:

Man,

built,

and

to the place.

took liim by

I say to thee, arise,

and go on with thy work. And directly he rose up and adored Him. And seeing this, the crowd v/ondered, and said: This child is from heaven, for He has saved many souls from death, and

continues to save during

all

His

10. Several miraculous deeds of Jesus: ries

life.

caf"

water in His garment; makes clay figures

alive; dyes cloths; turns

His playmates

into*

kids; causes a rich harvest (Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, chs. pel of

Thomas,

And when He was gave

Him

45, 36, 37, 40;

six years old.

a pitcher, and sent

107

Gos-

chs. 11, 12.)

His mother

Him

draw

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST water, and bring

into the house.

But He

struck against some one in the crowd, and the

And

pitcher was broken. cloak which

He had

and carried

on,

Jesus unfolded the

and

His mother.

filled it

And

with water,

His mother,

seeing the miracle that had happened, kissed

Him, and kept within she had seen

Him

herself the mysteries which

doing.

Now, when the Lord Jesus had completed seven years from His birth, on a certain day He was occupied with boys of His o^vn age. For they were playing among clay, from which they were making images of asses, oxen, birds, and other animals;

and each one boasting of

his

own work. Then the Lord Jesus said to the boys The images that I have made I will order to walk. The boys asked skill,

was praising

his

Him

whether then

were the son of the Crea-

and the Lord Jesus bade them walk. And they immediately began to leap and then, when He had given them leave, they again stood still. And He had made figures of birds and sparrows, which flew when He told them to flv, and stood still when He told them to stand, and ate and tor

;

drank when

handed them food and drink. io8

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD After the boys had gone away and told this to My their parents, their fathers said to them:

keep company with

sons, take care not to

again, for fore,

and avoid

again after

a wizard

Him and ;

;

flee

from Him,

Him

there-

do not play with

Him

this.

a certain day the Lord Jesus, running

about and playing with the boys, passed the

shop of a dyer, whose name was Salem; and he had in his shop. many pieces of cloth which he

The Lord Jesus then, going into took up all the pieces of cloth, and

was to dye. his shop,

And when

threw them into a tub full of indigo.

Salem came and saw

gan

to cry out with a loud voice,

Jesus, saying:

son of

all

Why

hast

Mary ? Thou

townsmen:

he be-

his cloths destroyed,

and

to reproach

Thou done

this to

hast disgraced

for,

before

seeing that every one

wished the color that suited himself,

Thou

deed hast come and destroyed them

all.

Lord Jesus answered: I the color of any piece of wish to be changed.

me,

shall

in-

The

change for thee

cloth which thou shalt

And

immediately

be-

gan to take the pieces of cloth out of the tub, each of them of that color which the dyer 109

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST wished, until

He had

taken them

When

all out.

the Jews saw this miracle and prodigy, they

praised God.

another day the Lord Jesus went out into

the road, and saw the boys that had come to-

and followed them but the boys hid themselves from Him. The Lord Jesus, therefore, having come to the door of a certain gether to

'plaj,

;

and seen some women standing there, asked them where the boys had gone and when they answered that there was no one there, He

house,

;

said again:

Who

They

furnace?

three years old. out,

and

said:

your Shepherd.

are these

whom you

see in the

replied that they were kids of

And Come Then

the

Lord Jesus

out hither,

cried

kids,

the boys, in the form

of kids, came out, and began to dance round

Him; and the women, seeing this, were very much astonished, and were seized with tremand speedily supplicated and adored the Lord Jesus, saying: O our Lord Jesus, son of Mar}^ Thou art of a truth that good Shepherd of Israel have mercy on Thy handmaidens who stand before Thee, and who have never doubted for Thou hast come, O our Lord, to heal, and not to destroy. And when the Lord Jesus an-

bling,

;

IIO

iri

iiM

CHILDHOOD BIRTH AND ---.-~

-III-

swered that the sons of Israel were like the

among

Ethiopians

Thou,

liOrd,

the nations, the

knowest

women

things, nor

all

said:

any-

thing hid from Thee;

now, indeed, we beseech

Thee, and ask Thee of

Thy

these boys

servants to their former condi-

The Lord

tion.

Jesus therefore said:

Come,

And

immediately,

women were standing

by, the kids

go and play.

boys, let us while these

affection to restore

were changed into boys.

And

again in seed-time the child went out

with His father to sow corn in their land.

And

while His father was sowing, the child Jesus also

sowed one grain of corn. reaped kors

;

it,

and

and threshed

it.

And when He had

He made

a hundred

calling all the poor of the village to

the threshing-floor.

gave them the corn, and

Joseph took away what was

And He was

eight years old

left of the corn.

when He did

this

miracle. 11. Jesus in the

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;F

den of the lion the Jordan

(Gospel of Pseudo- Matthew, chs.

There

asses throiigti

35, 36.)

a road going out of Jericho and lead-

ing to the river Jordan, to the place where the III

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST children of Israel crossed:

the covenant

was eight years

and there the ark of

said to have rested. old,

and

And

Jesus

went out of Jericho,

and went towards the Jordan. And there was beside the road, near the bank of the Jordan, a cave where a lioness was nursing her cubs; and no one was safe to walk that way. Jesus then, coming from Jericho, and knowing that in that cave the lioness had brought forth her young, went into lions

in the sight of

all.

And when

the

saw Jesus, they ran to meet Him, and

And

adored Him.

Jesus was sitting in

the

and thither round His feet, fawning upon Him, and sporting. And the older lions, with their heads bowed down, stood at a distance, and adored Him, and cavern, and the lion's cubs ran hither

fawned upon

Him

with their

tails.

people who were standing afar

off,

Then

the

not seeing

He or His parents had comsins. He would not of His own

Jesus, said: Unless

mitted grievous

accord have offered Himself up to

And when themselves,

the

Hons.

the people were thus reflecting witliin

and were lying under great sorrow,

behold, on a sudden, in the sight of the people,

Jesus came out of the cave, and the lions went before

Him, and

the Hon's cubs played with each

112

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD And

other before His feet. stood afar

off,

the parents of Jesus

with their heads bowed down, and

watched; likewise also the people stood at a distance,

on account of the Kons; for they did

Then Jesus How much better

not dare to come close to them.

began to say to the people:

are the beasts than you, seeing that they recog-

and glorify Him; while you men, who have been made after the image and nize their Lord,

know Him! Beasts know Me, and are tame; men see Me, and do not acknowledge Me. likeness

of God, do not

After these things Jesus crossed the Jordan, in the sight of

them

with the lions

all,

;

and the

water of the Jordan was divided on the right

hand and on the

Then He

left.

said to the lions,

Go in peace, and hurt man injure you, until you

in the hearing of all:

no one ; but neither

let

return to the place whence you have come forth.

And

they, bidding

Him

farewell, not only with

their gestures but with their voices,

own

place.

But Jesus returned

113

went to their

to His mother.

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST 12.

Boys crown Jesus

of a serpent's bite

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

King

also

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;He

Simon His brother James heals

(Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, chs. 41-43;

Thomas,

Now

in the

Gospel of

ch. 16.)

month of Adar,

Jesus, after the

manner of a king, assembled the boys together. They spread their clothes on the ground, and He sat down upon them. Then they put on His head a crown made of flowers, and, like chamberservants, stood in His presence, on the right and on the

left, as if

were a king.

And

whoever

way was forcibly dragged by the saying: Come hither, and adore the king;

passed by that boys,

then go thy way.

In the meantime, while these on, some

tilings

men came up carrying

were going

a boy.

For

boy had gone into the mountain with those of his own age to seek wood, and there he found

this

and when he stretched out his take the eggs from it, a venomous serhim from the middle of the nest, so that

a partridge's nest

hand

pent bit

;

he called out for help.

His comrades accord-

ingly went to him with haste, and found him

lying on the ground like one dead. relations

Then

his

came and took him up to carry him 114

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD And

had come to that place where the Lord Jesus was sitting Hke a king, and the rest of the boys standing round Him Hke His servants, the boys went hastily f orv^ard to meet liim who had been bitten by the serpent, and said to his relations: Come and But when they were unwilling salute the king. back to the

to go,

city.

after they

on account of the sorrow in which they

them by force against their will. And when they had come up to the Lord Jesus, He asked them why they were carrying the boy. And when they answered that a were, the boys dragged

serpent had bitten him, the the boys

;

Let us go and

kill

Lord Jesus

said to

that serpent.

And

the parents of the boy asked leave to go away,

because their son was in the agony of death the boys answered them, saying:

hear the king sajdng: Let us go

pent? and will you not obey against their

And when

will,

;

but

Did you not kill

Him?

the ser-

And

so,

the couch was carried back.

they came to the nest, the Lord Jesus

said to the boys: Is this the serpent's place?

They call

said that

was; and the serpent, at the

of the Lord, came forth without delay, and

submitted

itself to

Go away, and

Him.

suck out

all

And He

said to it:

the poison which thou

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST hast infused into this boy.

And

so the serpent

crawled to the boy, and sucked out

Then on

the Lord Jesus cursed

this

being done

it,

all its

poison.

and immediately

burst asunder; and the

Lord Jesus stroked the boy with His hand, and he was healed. And he began to weep but Jesus said Do not weep, for by and by thou shalt be My disciple. And this is Simon the Canaanite, of whom mention is made in the Gospel.^ And Joseph sent his son James to tie up wood ;

and bring lowed him.

home, and the child Jesus also

And when James was

fagots, a viper bit James' hand.

fol-

gathering the

And when

was racked with pain, and at the point of death, Jesus came near and blew upon the bite

pain ceased directly, instantly

and the and the beast burst, and ;

James remained safe and sound.

"See Matt. lo, 4; Mark 3, 18; Luke 6, 15; Acts i, 13. The crowning of Jesus and His healing of Simon is also made use of by Longfellow, c. 1.

116

SECTION VI Jesus in the house of Joseph assists him in

making a throne, and lengthens a short PIECE OF WOOD He is honored and RESPECTED BY THE FAMILY 38, 39; Gospel of Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, chs.

(Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, chs.

Thomas,

ch.

13;

Z7, 42.)

And

Joseph used to go about through the

and take the Lord Jesus with him, when people sent for him in the way of his trade to make for them doors, and milk-pails, and beds, and chests; and the Lord Jesus was with him wherever he went. As often, therefore, as Joseph had to make anything a cubit or a span longer or shorter, wider or narrower, the Lord Jesus stretched His hand towards it and as soon as He did so, it became such as Joseph wished. Nor was it necessary for him to make anything with his own hand, for Joseph was not very skilwhole

city,

;

ful in carpentry.

117

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST Now, on a

certain day, the king of Jeru-

salem sent for him, and said I wish thee, Joseph, :

make

for

which I usually

a throne to

fit

that place in

Joseph obeyed, and began

sit.

the work immediately, and remained in the palace

two years, until he throne.

And when

finished the

he had

work of that

carried to

its

place,

he perceived that each side wanted two spans of the prescribed measure. this,

And

the king, seeing

was angry with Joseph; and Joseph, being

in great fear of the king, spent the night with-

out supper, nor did he taste an3^thing at

all.

Then, being asked by the Lord Jesus why he was afraid, Joseph said: Because I have spoiled all

the

the work that I have been two years at.

Lord Jesus

said to him:

And

Fear not, and do

not lose heart; but do thou take hold of one side of the throne; I shall take the other;

shall

put that to rights.

And

and

Joseph, having

done as the Lord Jesus had said and each having

drawn by his own side, the throne was put to rights, and brought to the exact measure of the place. And those that stood by and saw this miracle were struck with astonishment, and praised God.

And

the v/oods used in that throne

were of those which are celebrated in the time of ii8

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD Solomon the son of David; that many and various kinds.

And His

is,

woods of

who was a carpenter, made at that time ploughs and yokes. And a certain rich man ordered him to make him a couch. And father,

one of what

called the cross pieces being too

know what

The child to His father Joseph: Put down the of wood, and make them even in the

short, they did not

Jesus said

two pieces

to do.

And Joseph did as the child said to And Jesus stood at the other end, and

middle.

him.

took hold of the shorter piece of wood, and

and made

equal to the other.

stretched

it,

And His

father Joseph saw

and embraced the ing: Blessed

child, I,

it,

and

because

and wondered,

blessed

God

Him,

say-

has given

this child.

When

Joseph came to

sons James, Joseph,

sit

at table with his

Judah and Simon and

his

two daughters, Jesus also came with Mary His mother together with her

sister

Mary

of Cleopas

and her mother Anna, because they had offered

Mary

the mother of Jesus to the Lord.

And

by the same name, Mary, for the consolation of her parents. And when they had come together, Jesus sanctified and blessed them, she was called

119

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST and

was the

first

to begin to eat

and drink;

for none of them dared to eat or drink, or to sit

He had sancAnd if He hapto wait until He

at table, or to break bread, until

tified

them, and

first

done

so.

pened to be absent, they used should do

this.

And when He

did not wish to

come for refreshment, neither Joseph nor Mary, nor the sons of Joseph, His brothers, came. And, indeed, these brothers, keeping His life as a

lamp before their eyes, observed Him, and feared Him. And when Jesus slept, whether by day or by night, the brightness of God shone upon Him.

120

SECTION Jesus in the.

Temple

VII

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;The Feast

of Pass-

over (Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, chs. 50-53;

Thomas,

And when He

ch.

Gospel of

19.)

was twelve years old His par-

ents went as usual to Jerusalem to the feast of

the passover with their fellow-travelers. after the passover they were

And

coming home again.

while they were coming home, the child

Jesus went back to Jerusalem.

And His

parents

was in the company. And having gone one day's journey, they sought for

thought that

Him among

and not finding Him, they were in great grief, and turned back But the Lord to the city seeking for Him. their relations;

among the teachmen of the sons of

Jesus remained in the tem.ple

and learned Israel, to whom He put various questions upon the sciences, and gave answers in His turn. For ers

and

said to them:

elders

Whose 121

son

the Messiah.'*

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST They answered Him The :

He, does he

fore then, said

Him his my lord,

lord, sit

son of David. Where-

when he

says.

in the spirit call

The Lord

right hand, that I

said to

may put

Again the to Him: Hast thou books, said the Lord

thine enemies under thy footsteps? chief of the teachers said

read the books? Jesus,

Both the

and the things contained

And He

in the books.

explained the books, and the law, and

the precepts, and the statutes, and the mysteries,

which are contained in the books of the prophets

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;things

which the understanding of no crea-

That teacher therefore

ture attains to.

said: I

hitherto have neither attained to nor heard of

such knowledge:

boy

will

And

Who,

pray, do you think that

be?

a philosopher who was there present, a

Lord Jesus whether He had studied astronomy. And the Lord Jesus answered him, and explained the number of the spheres, and of the heavenly bodies, their natures and operations their opposition their aspect, triangular, square, and sextile; their course, direct and retrograde; the twenty-fourths, and sixtieths of twent}^- fourths and other things beyond the reach of reason. skilful astronomer, asked the

;

122

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD There was

also

among

those philosophers one

very skilled in treating of natural science, and

he asked the Lord Jesus whether medicine.

And He,

He had

studied

in reply, explained to

him

physics and metaphysics, hyperphysics and hy-

pophysics, and powers likewise and humors of the body, and the effects of the same; also the

number of members and bones, of veins, arteries, and nerves also the effect of heat and dryness, of cold and moisture, and what these give rise to; what was the operation of the soul upon the body, and its perceptions and powers what was ;

;

the operation of the faculty of speech, of anger,

of desire; lastly, their

conjunction

and

dis-

junction, and other things beyond the reach of

any created intellect. Then that philosopher rose up, and adored the Lord Jesus, and said: O Lord, from this time I will be Thy disciple and slave.

While they were speaking to each other of these

and other things, Mary came, after hav-

ing gone about seeking

Him

for three days along

She therefore, seeing Him sitting among the teachers asking them questions, and

with Joseph.

son,

Behold,

Thy

answering in His turn, said to Him:

why

hast

Thou

treated us thus?

123

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST father and I

sought

have

Thee with great do you seek Me ?

But He said Why Do you not know that I ought to occupy Myself in My Father's house? But they did not understand the words that He spoke to them. Then

trouble.

He were her He was, they

those teachers asked ^Mary whether

son; and when she signified that said: Blessed

thou,

art

brought forth such a

them

to Nazareth,

And His

and

And in

Mary, who

And

all

hast

returning with

obeyed them in

mother kept

in her heart.

stature,

son.

all

things.

these words of His

Lord Jesus advanced in wisdom, and in favor with God the

and man.^ In the above narrative we have again a parallel to the Testament, with the exception of the apocryphal additions which tell us of all and everything that Jesuยง supplement to this apocryphal chapter already knew. ^

New

was published SvvEdi's Kai

1203 under the Greek title cLTtoKpidii ^hjdov, which treats of the in the year

Trinity, divinity of the Messiah, of the

Advent of the

Messiah, of the two Messiahs, duration of the world,

124

etc.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

SECTION

VIII

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Jesus in the house of His parents Joseph's DEATH AND SPEECHES OF JeSUS ON THAT OCCASION Burial of Joseph (Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, ch. 54; Hist, of Joseph, 11-28.)

chs.

And from miracles

day

this

and mysteries and

attention to the law, until

began to hide His and to give completed His

secrets,

when His Father publicly declared the Jordan by this voice sent down from

thirtieth year,

Him

heaven: This

well pleased; the

beloved Son, in

Holy

whom

Spirit being present in

Now

the form of a white dove.

Justus

and

Simeon, the elder sons of Joseph, were married,

and had ters

were likewise

own

houses.

house, Judas

mother.

Both the daughmarried, and lived in their

families of their own.

So there

remained in

and James the

less

Joseph's

and the virgin

Jesus moreover dwelt along with them,

not otherwise than

He had 125

been one of his

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST sons.

But

Mary He

passed

called

His

life vvithout fault.

His mother, and Joseph father,

and obeyed them

all

in all that they said; nor did

them, but

ever contend against

with their commands, as other

men whom

produces are wont to do; nor did time arouse their

earth

any anger, or give any word or

answer in opposition to them.

complied

the contrary,

cherished them with great love,

the

pupil of His eye.^ *

The next important event

Joseph's death, which of Joseph.

us here,

in the life of Jesus,

was

fully described in the History

the person of Joseph does not concern

will point out the

the History of Joseph.

place before Jesus

The

main features as given in death no doubt took

latter's

was twenty years of age

;

for accord-

ing to chapter 14 of the History of Joseph, the latter was 93 years old when Christ was born; according to chapter 15 Joseph was 11 1 years old when he died, consequently his death must have taken place in the i8th

The age

year of the Christian era.

of Joseph

given

in chapters 10, 14, 25, 29; chapters 12, 13 contain the an-

nouncement of Joseph's death by an angel, and Joseph's prayer in the temple of Jerusalem; chapters 14-16 speak of Joseph's sickness and his penitential prayer, in which he confesses " for I was conceived in iniquity, and in sins did

mother desire

me"

(Ps.

li,

6), a confession

which

militates against the ecclesiastical notion of Joseph's sinlessness. In chapter 17 Joseph confesses to

Jesus the mystery of His conception and birth, and asks

126

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD the forgiveness of Jesus for not having understood the

mystery of His

Whilst Joseph

birth.

18-24), Jesus speaks to to

which

dying (chaps,

of the necessity of death,

are subject, even Himself according to the

all

body.

Mary

the prayer of Jesus, Michael and Gabriel take

up the soul of Joseph, and no one was aware of the till Jesus made it known. The next chap-

latter's death,

speak of the lamentation for Joseph, of body of Joseph, and the latter's burial. Here the author inserts an address of Jesus on the necessity of death (chaps. 27, 28) ters

(25-27)

Jesus' disposal of the

And Jesus remembered with Him into Egypt, and

the day on which he walked

that extreme trouble which he endured on His account. Accordingly, He bewailed his death for a long time; and lying upon his body, He

said:

O and

God

Death

who makest all knowledge to vanish away, many tears and lamentations, surely it is

raisest so

power.

Father Himself

For men

die

Who

hath granted thee this

for the transgression of

Adam

and Death spares not so much as one. Nevertheless, nothing happens to any one, or is brought upon him, without the command of My Father. There have certainly been men who have prolonged their life even to nine hundred years but they died. Yea, though some of them have lived longer, they have, notwithstanding, succumbed to the same fate; nor has any one For the I have not tasted death. of them ever said Lord never sends the same punishment more than once, since it hath pleased My Father to bring it upon men. and

his wife Eve,

;

And at the very moment when it, going forth, command descending to it from heaven, it

the

beholds says

go forth against that man, and will greatly move him. Then, without delay, it makes an onset gn the will

127

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST soul,

and obtains the mastery of

ever

will.

For, because

it,

Adam

doing with

what-

did not the will of

His commandment, the wrath of My Father was kindled against him, and He doomed him to death and thus it was that death came into the Avorld. But if Adam had observed My Father's precepts, death would never have fallen to his lot. Think you not that I can ask My good Father to send Me a chariot of fire, which may take up the body of My father Joseph, and convey it to the place of rest, in order that it may dwell with the spirits? But on account of the transgression of Adam, that trouble and violence of death has descended upon all the human race. And it is for this cause that I must die according to the flesh, for My work which I have created, that Father, but transgressed

;

they

may

obtain grace.

Having thus spoken, He embraced the body of His father Joseph, and wept over it; and they opened the door of the tomb, and placed his body in it, near the body of his father Jacob.

128

SECTION IX Jesus' address to His disciples

on the uniON THE

versal NECESSITY OF DEATH AND

FUTURE LIFE (Hist, of Joseph, chs. 30-32.)

And

when they heard these things from the Savior, rose up joyfully and prostrated themselves in honor of Him, and said: the apostles,

our Savior, show us

Thy

grace.

deed we have heard the word of

Now

in-

life: neverthe-

we wonder, O our Savior, at the fate of Enoch and Eiias, inasmuch as they had not to undergo death. For truly they dwell in the

less

habitation of the righteous even to the present

day, nor have their bodies seen corruption. Yet

man Joseph the Thy father after

that old

carpenter was, never-

theless,

the

flesh.

And Thou

hast ordered us to go into all the world and

preach the holy Gospel; and Relate to them the death of

and

celebrate to

Thou

hast said:

father Joseph,

him with annual solemnity a 129

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST and sacred day. And whosoever shall take anything away from this narrative, or add anything to it, commits sin. We wonder especially that Joseph, even from that day on which festival

Thou wast born son after the

in Bethlehem, called

Wherefore,

flesh.

Thee

then,

his

didst

Thou not make him immortal as well as them, and Thou sayest that he was righteous and chosen ?

And

the Savior answered and said: Indeed,

the prophecy of

disobedience, has

Father upon Adam, for

now been

his

And

fulfilled.

all

things are arranged according to the will and

For if a man rejects the commandment of God, and follows the works pleasure of

Father.

of the devil by committing

longed

;

for he

sin, his life is

pro-

preserved in order that he

may

perhaps repent, and

reflect

that he must be de-

But

livered into the hands of death.

has been zealous of good

upright men

when you

see a

any one

Vv^orks, his life also is

prolonged, that, as the fame of creases,

may

liis

old age in-

imitate him.

man whose mind

But

prone to

anger, assuredly his days are shortened; for is

away

in the flower of

Every prophecy,

therefore, which

these that are taken

their age.

130

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD

Father has pronounced concerning the sons

of men, must be

fulfilled

in every particular.

and how they remain alive to this day, keeping the same bodies with which they were born; and as to

But with

Enoch and

reference to

what concerns

Elias,

father Joseph,

who has not

been allowed as well as they to remain in the

body: indeed, though a man

many myriads or other he death.

they

And

also,

live in

the world

of years, nevertheless at some time

compelled to exchange

I say to you,

Enoch and

O my

Elias,

life

for

brethren, that

must towards the

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

end of time return into the world and die

the day, namely, of commotion, of terror, of perplexity, and affliction. slay four bodies,

and

will

reproach to which they

like water, because of the

shall expose him,

For Antichrist will pour out their blood

and the ignominy with which

they, in their lifetime, shall brand

him when

they reveal his impiety.

And we Savior,

said:

who

are

God and four whom Thou hast

our Lord, our

those

said Antichrist will cut off

they bring upon

They

are

When we

him.^^

from the reproach

The Lord answered:

Enoch, Elias, Shila, and

Tabitha.

heard this from our Savior, we 131

re-

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST and we offered all glory and the Lord God, and our Savior

jolced and exulted

thanksgiving to Jesus Christ. honor,

;

whom

due glory,

dignity, dominion, power,

and

praise,

good Father with Him, and to the Holy Spirit that giveth life, henceforth and as well as to the

Amen. happened one day, when the

in all time for evermore. It

Master,

God and

sitting along with all

Savior

His

assembled on the

said to them:

of the Father

O My

Who

Jesus

disciples,

Mount

Savior,

our

Christ,

was

and they were

of Ohves, that

brethren and friends, sons

has chosen you from

all

men,

you know that I have often told you that I must be crucified, and must die for the salvation of Adam and his posterity, and that I shall rise from the dead. Now I shall commit to you the doctrine of the holy gospel formerly announced

you ma}^ declare it throughout the whole world. And I shall endow you with the power from on high, and fill you with the Holy Spirit. And you shall declare to all nations repentance and remission of sins. For a single cup of water, if a man shall find it in the world to you, that

to come,

greater and better than

of this whole world.

And 132

all

the wealth

much ground

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD one foot can occupy in the house of is

greater and more excellent than

of the earth.

all

Father,

the riches

Yea, a single hour in the joyful

dwelling of the pious

more blessed and more

precious than a thousand years

among

sinners;

inasmuch as their weeping and lamentation

shall

not come to an end, and their tears shall not cease, nor shall they find for themselves consola-

and repose at any time for ever. And now, My honored members, go declare to all

tion

and say

nations, tell them,

to them: verily the

Savior diligently inquires into due, and

which

tice.

And

enemies, conflict.

ish

the administrator of jus-

angels wiU

will fight for

And He

inheritance

will

down

cast

them

in the

their

day of

examine every single fool-

word which men speak, and they give an account of it. For as no one shall

and

shall

and

the

idle

escape death, so also the works of every shall be laid

open on the day of judgment,

whether they have been good or also this

word which

Let not the strong nor the rich

man

I have said to

man

you

this

day

glory in his strength,

in his riches

;

but

wishes to glory, glory in the Lord.

133

Tell them

evil.

let

him who

PART

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS

I3S

SECTION

Judas Iscariot, his betrayal and end (According to a Paris and Venice MS. in Thilo, Cod. Apocr. Novi Test., I, p. cxxix, 500.)

Jesus having wrought in Judea many and great and extraordinary miracles, was on this

account hated by the Jews.

Pilate was then pro-

curator in Jerusalem, and Annas and Caiaphas

high

And some

priests.

of the Jews, Judas,

Levi, Nephthalim, Alexander, Syrus, others

And

came

and many

to them, speaking against Christ.

the chief priests sent them to Pilate to

tell

him the same things also. And they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate, the Roman procurator. It

was early on the day of preparation.

When

Judas saw how they took Jesus before Pilate, he was greatly afraid, and he condemned himself on account of himself, silver to

his base advice.

(And he repented

and brought again the thirty

pieces of

the chief priests and elders, saying:

I have sinned, in that I have betrayed the inno-

137

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST And

cent blood.

they said,

What

that to us?

But when the Jews refused to take the pieces of silver, he cast them down and departed. And he went home to make a halter to hang himself, and he found his wife roasting a cock on the coals. And he says to her: Rise, wife, and get a rope ready for me; for I mean to hang myself, as I deserve. And his wife said to him: Why do you speak like that.f^ And Judas said: Know in truth that I see thou to that.)

unjustly betrayed

who bring Him

He And

will rise

evil-doers,

Him. But on the third day; and woe to us. before Pilate to

his wife says:

that way.

Master to the

kill

not speak or think in

just as likely as that this cock

roasting on the coals will crow, that Jesus will rise as

you

say.

sooner said than the cock

flapped his wings, and crew thrice. cided Judas, and he immediately ter, *

and hanged

The

miracles

Tliis

made the

dehal-

himself.^

and

deeds

which

Jesus

performed

excited the jealousy of the chief priests and Pharisees.

They held a council (John ii, 47 seq.) how to get rid of Him. We have still the protocol of that council, which we will give in another place. As from that day forth they took counsel together for to put Jesus to death, the offer of

Judas to betray Him, was very welcome to them.

138

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION The above narrative describes the end of the traitor. According to another tradition current among the earlyChristians, Judas' body swelled to a huge size, under some hideous attack of elephantiasis, and he was crushed by a passing wagon. Comp. Oecumenius on Acts i, i8, on the authority of Papias.

139

;

SECTION

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

The Jews

accuse Jesus before Pilate Pilate SENDS A RUNNER TO FETCH JeSUS When the runner meets Jesus, the standards are bent down (Gospel of Nicodemus, ch.

i.)

Annas, Caiaphas, Numes, Dothaeus, Gamaliel, Judas, Levi, Neplithalim, Jairus, and the rest of the Jews, accuse Jesus before Pilate

many

things, saying:

know

the son of Joseph the carpenter,

yet

He ;

He is the Son of God, and a He profanes the Sabbath by cur-

of diseases through evil practices.

ing

all sorts

therefore entreat

late sends a

you

the runner going

Him.

Pi-

out,

and

recognizing

Plim, and took his cloak into his

hand, and spread

to question

runner to bring Jesus in with respect.

Him, adored

Him:

man to be born of Mary this

says that

king moreover

And

about

lord,

on the ground, saying to

walk on

the procurator calls Thee.

140

this,

and come

And the

Jews

in,

for

seeing;

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION what the runner had Pilate, saying:

Why

against

done, cried out hast thou ordered

Him

by a runner, and not by a crier? for assuredly the runner, when he saw Him, adored Him, and spread his doublet on the ground, and come

made Him walk

And him:

like a king.

Pilate having called the runner, says to

Why

hast thou done this, and spread out

thy cloak upon the earth, and made Jesus walk

upon

The runner

it?

says to him:

procurator, when thou didst send

lord

to Jerusa-

lem to Alexander, I saw Plim sitting upon an

and the sons of the Hebrews held branches in their hands, and shouted; and others spread their clothes under Him, saying. Save, now, ass,

Thou who

art in the highest

;

blessed

that

cometh in the name of the Lord.

The Jews The sons of

cry out, and say to the runner:

the Hebrews shouted in

The runner

whence then hast thou the Greek? says to them

What

is it

say to

I asked one of the Jews,

and

they are shouting in Hebrew?

he interpreted

And what

Hebrew;

for me.

said,

And

Pilate says to them:

The Jews him: Hosanna membrome baruchamma

ADONAi.

did they shout in Hebrew?

Pilate says to

them And

141

this

hosanna,

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST etc.,

how

The Jews

interpreted?

say to

him: Save now in the highest; blessed tliat

Cometh in the name of the Lord.

Pilate

says to them: If you bear witness to the words

spoken by the children, in what has the runner

done wrong

And

they were

procurator says to the runner

Him

what way thou

wilt.

silent.

And

the

Go out, and bring And the runner

going out, did in the same manner as before,

and says

to Jesus:

come in; the pro-

lord,

curator calleth Thee.

And

Jesus going

in,

and the standard-bearers

holding their standards, the tops of the stand-

And

ards were bent down, and adored Jesus.

the Jews seeing the bearing of the standards,

how they were bent down and adored out vehemently against

the

Jesus, cried

standard-bearers.

Do you

And

Pilate says to the Jews

how

the tops of the standards were bent down,

not wonder

and adored Jesus ? The Jews say to Pilate We saw how the standard-bearers bent them down, and adored Him. And the procurator having :

called the standard-bearers, says to

have you done

this.'^

They say

are Greeks and temple-slaves, and

142

Why Pilate: We

them:

how could we

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION we were holding them up, the tops bent down of their own accord, and adored Him. Pilate says to the rulers of the synagogue and the elders of the people: Do you choose for yourselves men strong and powerful, and let them hold up the standards, and let us see whether they will bend down with them. And adore

Him? and

assuredly, as

men and made them hold up

the elders of the Jews picked out twelve

powerful and strong,

the standards six by six; and they were placed in front of the procurator's

Pilate says to the runner:

And

tribunal.

Take Him

outside of

Him in again in whatever v/ay may please thee. And Jesus and the runner went, out of the praetorium. And Pilate,

the pr^etorium, and bring

summoning

those

who had formerly

held

standards, says to them: I have sworn

the

by the

health of Csesar, that if the standards do not

bend down when Jesus comes your heads.

And

in, I will

cut off

the procurator ordered Jesus

to come in the second time.

And

the runner

did in the same manner as before, and

many entreaties to And He walked on

made

Jesus to walk on his cloak.

and went

it,

143

in.

And

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST went

in, the

and adored ^

standards were again bent down,

Jesus.^

Pilate plays such an important part in the tran-

saction narrated in the Gospel of Nicodemus,

give a

few notices concerning him. He is said to have been the bastard son of King Tyrus and of a certain Pyle, the daughter of a miller, Atus, whence his name Pylatus. While yet a boy, he killed his half-brother, and in order to get rid of him, Tyrus sent him to Rome as a hostage. There he is guilty of a murder; but being sent to Pontus, rises into notice as subduing the barbarous tribes there, receives in

consequence the new name of Pontius,

and is sent to Judea. Here he becomes acquainted with Herod; his cruelty and shrewdness recommend him, and thus he makes him governor of Judea and Jerusalem. By means of presents, he retains his position, not by the grace of Herod, but by the grace of Tiberius, who makes him a Roman officer. The friendship between Herod and Pilate comes to an end and is only renewed again when Pilate sent Jesus to Herod. (Comp. Jacobus de Voragine, Legenda Aurea, ch. 53, ed. Graesse, 1846, p. 231 seq.)

J44

SECTION Dream of Procla

III

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Jesus

is charged by some with being born of fornication, which is denied by twelve men

(Gospel of Nicodemus, ch.

And

2.)

Pilate seeing this, was afraid,

and sought to go away from the tribunal; but when he was still thinking of going away, his wife,^ sent to

Have nothing to do with this just many things have I suffered on His ac-

him, saying:

man

for

And Pilate, summoning them You know that my wife

count this night. Jews, says to

the is

worshipper of God, and prefers to adhere to the Jewish religion along with you. to him: Yes;

Behold,

we know.

They say

Pilate says to them:

wife has sent to me, saying.

nothing to do with this just man, for things have I suffered on account of ^

Him

In the second Greek form of our Gospel, her

given as Procla. to have

become a

According to tradition she Christian.

Have many this

name is

said

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST And

night. late

the Jews answering, say unto Pi-

Did we not

tell

thee that

behold, he has sent a

And

was a sorcerer ?

dream to thy

wife.

having summoned Jesus, says to

Pilate,

Him: What do these Say est Thou nothing.?

witness

And

against

Thee.^*

Jesus said: Unless

they had the power, they would say nothing; for every one has the power of his

own mouth

They

shall see to

good and

to speak both

evil.

it.

And

the elders of the Jews answered, and said

What

to Jesus:

shall

was born of fornication

;

see? ^

first,

secondly, that

birth in Bethlehem was the cause of the

of the infants

;

Thou

that

thirdly, that.

Thy

murder

father Joseph

and Thy mother Mary fled into Egypt because they had no confidence in the people.

Some of Jews, say cation

and

;

for

the bystanders, pious

of the

was born of forni-

we know that Joseph espoused Mary,

was not

to the Jews

deny that

men

who

bom

of fornication. Pilate says

said that

was of fornication

This charge we meet with first in the second century (comp. Origen against Celsus, 1. 28, 32. In the Tolcdoth Jeshu (ed. Wagenseil in Tela ignea Satanae, Altdorf 1681) Jewish blasphemy as contained in the Talmud and other writings, has reached its climax. *

J46

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION Tills story

of yours

not true, because they

were betrothed, as also these fellow-countrymen

Annas and Caiaphas say

of yours say. late

to Pi-

All the multitude of us cry out that

was

born of fornication, and are not believed; these are proselytes, and His disciples.

And

Pilate,

Annas and Caiaphas, says to them What are proselytes? They say to him: They are by birth children of the Greeks, and have now becalling

come Jews.

And

those that said that

not born of fornication,

viz.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Lazarus,

was

Asterius,

Antonius, James, Amnes, Zeras, Samuel, Isaac, Phinees, Crispus, Agrippas, and

Judas

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;say:

are not proselytes, but are children of the

we were presthe betrothal of Joseph and Mary.

Jews, and speak of the truth ent at

And Pilate, calling these that He was not born of

;

for

twelve

men who

said

fornication, says to

them: I adjure you by the health of Caesar, to tell

me whether

be true that you say, that

was not born of fornication. late:

cause

We it

They say

to Pi-

have a law against taking oaths, beis

a sin; but they

health of Caesar, that

will

swear by the

not as we have said,

and we are liable to death. Pilate says to Annas and Caiaphas: Have you nothing to answer to 147

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST Annas and Caiaphas say to Pilate: These twelve are believed when they say that He was

this?

not born of fornication;

all

the multitude of us

He was born of fornication, and that sorcerer, and He says that He is the

cry out that

Son of God and a king, and we are not

And

believed.

Pilate orders all the multitude to

except the twelve

men who

said that

go out, was not

born of fornication, and he ordered Jesus to be

And

separated from them.

Pilate says to them:

For what reason do they wish to put Him to death? They say to him: They are angry because He cures on the Sabbath. Pilate says For a good work do they wish to put Him to death? :

They say

to him: Yes.

148

SECTION IV

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Jesus before Pilate New charges against Jesus (Gospel of Nicodemus, chs.

And

Pilate, filled with rage,

4.)

went outside of

the prsetorium, and said to them: I take the

sun to witness that I find no fault in

The Jews answered and

man

Unless this

Do you

take

ing to your law.

man.

said to the procurator:

were an evil-doer, we should

Him

And Pilate Him, and judge Him accord-

not have delivered said.

this

to thee.

The Jews

said to Pilate: It

not lawful for us to put any one to death. Pilate said:

Has God

said that

you are not to

put to death, but that I am?

And

Pilate went again into the prsetorium,

and said to Him Art thou the king of the Jews? Jesus answered

and spoke Pilate:

to Jesus privately,

Dost thou say

others said

this of thyself, or

to thee of

149

Me?

have

Pilate answered

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST

Jew? Thy nation and the chief priests have given Thee up to me. What hast Thou done? Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world for if My kingdom were of Jesus:

I also a

;

My servants would fight in order that

this world,

I should not be given

to the Jews: but

now

kingdom is not from thence. Pilate said to Him: Art Thou then a king? Jesus answered

him: Thou sayest that I

a king.

Because

for this have I been born, and have I come, in

order that every one

hear

who

of the truth might

Pilate says to

voice.

Him: What

Truth is from heaven. Pilate says: Is truth not upon earth? Jesus says to Pilate: Thou seest how those who speak truth ? Jesus says to him

the truth are judged by those that have the

power upon

And

earth.

leaving Jesus within the praetorium, Pi-

and said to them: I find no fault in Him. The Jews say to him He said, I can destroy this temple, and in three days build it. Pilate says: What temple? The Jews late

went out to the

Jev/s,

say:

The one

years,

and

this

and building them: I

that Solomon built in forty-six

man

speaks of pulling

in three days.

down

Pilate says to

innocent of the blood of this just

150

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION See you to

man.

it.

The Jews

say: His blood

be upon us, and upon our children.

And

Pilate having

and

priests

summoned

the elders and

them privately:

Levites, said to

not do so; for in notliing, though you accuse

Him, do

I find

Him

deserving of death, not even

about the healing and the breaking of the Sab-

The

bath.

Tell us, if

priests

and Levites and

any one blaspheme

elders say:

Csesar,

he de-

serving of death or not?

Pilate says to them:

He deserves to die. The How much more is he who

Jews answered him: has blasphemed

God

deserving to die!

And

the governor ordered the Jews to

and

side of the prsetorium;

to to

go out-

calling Jesus, said

Him: What am I to do to Thee? Jesus says Pilate: As it has been given tJiee. Pilate

says

How

has

been

given ?

Jesus

says

Moses and the prophets made proclamation of

death and resurrection.

ing

this,

say to Pilate:

Why

more to hear blasphemy? this speech

and lead

Him

the Jews, hear-

do you desire any

And

Pilate said: If

blasphemous, do you take Him, to

according to

Pilate:

And

Our law

synagog and judge your law. The Jews say to your

holds, If a

151

man have

sinned

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST against a man, he

worthy to receive forty

less

who has blasphemed against God,

one; but he to be stoned.

Pilate says to them:

ing to your law. wish that

Then judge Him

The Jews say

be crucified.

accord-

to Pilate:

Pilate says to them:

does not deserve to be crucified.

And

the governor, looking

upon the people

of the Jews standing round, saw very

many

the Jews weeping, and said: All the multitude

does not wish Pilate:

And

Him

should

die.J^

The

for this reason have

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

elders say to

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

we come

the

He should die. Pilate Jews: What has He done that He They say: Because He said that

whole multitude said to the

to die.

that

was the Son of God, and a king.

152

SECTION V NiCODEMUS AND SEVERAL OTHEES FAVOR OF Jesus

SPEAK

(Gospel of Nicodemus, chs. 5-8.)

But

one Nicodemus, a Jew, stood before the

governor, and said: I entreat, mercifully allow

to say a few words.

on.

Nicodemus says: I said to

the priests

and the

him Say the elders and

Pilate says to

and to

Levites,

all

tude of the Jews, in the synagog,

you

do with this man?

the multi-

What

This man_does

have

many

wonders and signs, which no one of men has done

Let

or can do. evil

against

Him

Him:

go, and do not devise any

the signs which

are of God, they will stand will

come

to nothing.

;

but

does

of men, they

For Moses

also,

being

by God into Egypt, did many signs, which God told him to do before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And the sorcerers Jamnes and Mambres were there healing, and they did, they also, the signs which Moses did, but not all; and the Egyptians deemed them as gods, Jamnes and sent

153

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST And

Mambrcs.

which they did

since the signs

were not of God, they perished, both they and those

who beheved

man go, for He The Jews say

in them.

And now

let this

not deserving of death.

Nicodemus

Thou

hast be-

come His disciple, and takest His part. Nicodemus says to them: Has the governor also become His disciple, and does he take His part.? Has not Csesar set him over that dignity.'' And the Jews were raging and gnashing with their teeth against Nicodemus. Pilate says to them: Why do you gnash with your teeth against him, when you are hearing the truth.'' The Jews say to Nicodemus Mayst thou receive His truth, and :

Him Nicodemus says Amen, amen, amen; may I receive it^ as you have said! And of the Jews a certain other one, starting a portion with

up, asks the governor that he might say a word.

The governor say.

And

and

What thou

wishest to say,

he said: For thirty-eight years I lay

in infirmity in

And

says:

at the

bed in very grievous pain.

coming of Jesus, many demoniacs,

'persons held

down by

divers infinnities, were

Him. And some young m.en had pity on me and carrying me in my bed, laid me before Him. And Jesus, seeing, had pity on me,

healed by ;

154

;

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION and said the word to me, Take up thj bed, and walk. And immediately I was made whole; I

up my bed, and walked. The Jews say to Pilate: Ask him what was the day on which he was healed. He said: The Sabbath. The Jews say: Have we not so infomied thee, that on the took

Sabbath

And

and

heals,

And

of David.

His hands

Have

pity upon me,

And He had pity upon upon my eyes, and I saw

another Jew starting up, said

backed, and

And

and saw no

voice,

was passing by, I cried out

as Jesus

with a loud voice,

And

.^^

a certain other Jew starting up, said: I

was born blind; I heard a man.

demons

drives out

straightened

Thou

son

me, and laid immediately. I

was hunch-

with a word.

another said: I was leprous, and

healed

with a word.

And

also a certain

from afar

off cried

woman, Veronica by name,

out to the governor: I was

flowing with blood for

years; and I

twelve

touched the fringe of His garment, and immediately the flowing of ^

In the Gospels, Matt,

Luke

viii,

seq.,

the

43 thinks that the

ix,

name

woman

20 seq.

;

Mark

stopped.-^ v,

25 seq.

Ambrose Serm. issue of blood was

not given.

with the Martha, the sister of Lazarus.

xlvi,

blood

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION The Jews

say:

have a law, that a woman

does not come to bear witness.

And

certain others, a multitude of

women,

cried

out, saying:

That man

prophet, and the demons are subject Pilate says to those

ject to

who

Him.

demons are sub-

said the

Him And your masters, why :

are they not

Him? They say to Pilate We do not And others said to Pilate: He raised up

subject to

know.

men and

dead Lazarus from the tomb after four days.^

The

governor, hearing

trembling to

this, said

the multitude of the Jews

Why

all

do you wish to

shed innocent blood? ''In the

Legenda Aurea,

ch. 235 (ed. Graesse, p. 948),

are told that Lazarus

father's

name was

was of

royal

descent,

his

Syrus, that of his mother Emhasia.

He was

a rich property-owner in Jerusalem, and a solTogether with his sisters, Mary Magdalene and Martha, he was baptized by Maximinus, a disciple of the Lord. According to a tradition by Epiphanius {HcBres, Ixvi, 34), Lazarus was thirty years old when he was dier.

raised

from the dead, and

lived

thirty

years

more.

Under Emperor Leo VI. Philosophus, Lazarus' bones and those of his sister Mary Magdalene were found, in the year 890, at Cyprus, and brought to Constantinople.

is6

SECTION VI Baeabbas

released and Jesus sentenced to be crucified

(Gospel oÂŁ Nicodemus, ch.

And

He was not them: What am

born of fornica-

said that

tion, says to

that there

say to him

Again

Nicodemus and the twelve

Pilate, calling

men who

among do not know

a sedition

9.)

I to do, seeing

the people? ;

let

them

They

see to

it.

Pilate, calling all the multitude of the

Jews, said:

You know

during the day of

that you have a custom

unleavened

should release to you one that

bread, that I I have

bound.

a notable one bound in the prison, a murderer

who

Christ,

called Barabbas,

whom

and Jesus who

I find no

cause

called

death.

Whom

do you wish that I should release unto

you?

And

they

all cried out,

unto us Barabbas. then,

They

am all

Pilate says to them:

I to do with Jesus

say: Let

saying: Release

Him ^^7

who

What,

called Christ?

be crucified.

Again

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST the Jews said:

thou release

Thou

this

art no friend of Caesar's if

man, for

Son of God, and a king; wishest this

Then,

man

filled

called

Himself the

unless, perhaps,

to be king,

and not

thou

Caesar.

with fury, Pilate said to them:

Always has your nation been seditious, and always have you been opposed to those who were for you. The Jews answered: Who are for us.'* Pilate says to them:

Your God,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;who

rescued

you from the hard slavery of the Egyptians, and led you forth out of Egypt through the sea as if through dry land, and fed you in the desert with manna and quail, and brought water to you out of the rock, and gave you to drink, and gave you a law; and in all these things you provoked your God, and sought for yourselves a god, a molten

God, and

calf.

And you

exasperated your

wished to slay you; and Moses

made supplication for you, that ye should not And now you say that I hate the king. die. And rising up from the tribunal, he wished to go outside. And the Jews cried out, and said to him: We know that Caesar is king, and not Jesus. For the Magi also presented gifts to

Him

as to a king

Magi

;

and Herod, hearing from the

that a king was born, wished to slay

158

Him.

;

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION But when took

this

Him and

was known, His father Joseph

His mother, and

Egypt

fled into

and Herod hearing, destroyed the infants of the Jews which were born in Bethlehem. Pilate, hearing those words, was afraid. And silence

being made

among

the people,

crying out, Pilate said: This, then,

Herod sought?

And

They say

who were

He whom

to him: It

He.

taking water, Pilate washed his hands in

presence of the people, saying: I

innocent

of the blood of this just man; see ye to

it.

Again the Jews cried out, saying: His blood be upon us, and upon our children.

Then

Pilate ordered the curtain of the tribunal

and said to Jesus: Thine own nation have brought charges against Thee as a king; and therefore I have sentenced Thee first to be loosened,

to be scourged on account of the statutes of the

emperors, and then to be crucified on a cross.

159

SECTION The

crucifixion,

VII

death and burial of Jesus

(Gospel of Nicodemus, chs. 10-12.)

And when Jesus was scourged, he delivered Him to the Jews to be crucified, and two robbers with

Him; one by name Dismas, and

by name

Him

And when they came to the stripped Him of His garments, and

Gestas.

place, they girt

the other

about with a linen cloth, and put a

crown of thorns upon His head.

Likewise also

they hanged the two robbers with Him, Dismas

on the right and Gestas on the

And

left.

said: Father, forgive them, for they

what they

do.

And

ments among them.

Jesus

know not

the soldiers parted His gar-

And

the people stood wait-

ing; and their chief priests and judges mocked

Him,

saying

others,

now

Son of God,

And

among

themselves:

He if He

Him save Himself; let Him come down from

let

saved is

the

the cross.

mocked Him, falling prostrate before Him, and offering vinegar with gall, and the soldiers

160

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION saying: If

Thyself

And

Thou

the

Pilate, after the sentence, ordered a title

name

Hebrew,

Greek,

and

Latin

according to what the Jews said: This

King

And

the Jews, set

free.

to be written in letters,

King of

art the

of the Jews.

one of the robbers who were hanged, by

Him If Thou be the Christ, and us. And Dismas answering,

Gestas, said to

free Thyself

Dost not even thou fear

rebuked him, saying:

God, who art in

this

condemnation? for we justly

and deservedly have received those things which we endure; but He has done no evil. And he kept saying to Jesus: Remember me. Lord, in

Thy kingdom.

And

Jesus said to him: Verily

I saj^ unto thee, that to-day shalt thou be with

in paradise.

And

was about the sixth hour, and there

was darkness over the whole earth; and the sun

was obscured, and the rent in the midst. voice,

said:

And

m.an.

glorified

And

all

of the temple was

crying out with a loud

Father, into

mend My spirit. And up the ghost. And the was done,

veil

Thy

hands I com-

thus saying,

gave

centurion, seeing what

God, saying: This was a just

the people i6i

who were

present at

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST that spectacle, seeing what was done, beating their breasts, returned.

And

the centurion having perceived all these

so great miracles, went

away and reported them

And when

he heard, he wondered

to Pilate.

and was astonished, and from his fear and grief would neither eat nor drink that day. And he sent notice, and all the Sanhedrin came to him as soon as the darkness was past and he said to the peo;

You know how

ple:

the sun has been darkened;

you know how the curtain has been rent. Certainly I did well in being by no means willing to put to death the good man. And the maleThis darkness is an factors said to Pilate: eclipse of the sun, such as has

Then they say

other times.

happened

to him:

also at

hold

the feast of unleavened bread to-morrow; and

entreat

thee,

since

the

crucified

are

still

breathing, that their bones be broken, and that

they be brought down. so.

Pilate said: It shall be

Pie therefore sent soldiers,

and they found

the two robbers yet breathing, and they broke their legs; but finding Jesus dead, they did not

touch

Him

all,

except that a soldier speared

in the right side,

and immediately there

came forth blood and water. 162

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION And His the

acquaintances also stood afar

women who had

followed

And

seeing these things.

Him from

off,

and

Galilee,

a certain man, by

lo,

name Joseph, holding office, a man good and just, who did not consent to their counsels nor their deeds,

from Arimathsea, a

city of the Jews,

kingdom of God, went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus. And taking Him down from the cross, he wrapped Him in clean linen, and laid Him in his own new tomb, in which no one had been laid. And the Jews, hearing that Joseph had begged the body of Jesus, sought for Him; and those tvrelve men who had said that He was not born of fornication, and Nicodemus, and many others, who had stood before Pilate and declared His good v/orks. And all of them being hid, Nicodemus alone appeared to them, because he was a chief man of the Jews and he says to them: How have ye come into the synawaiting, he also, for the

;

gog.^

The

hast thou

Jev/s

say to him:

And

thou,

how

come into the synagog, seeing that

thou consentest with

Him? May His

Nicodemus said Likewise also Joseph, com-

with thee in the world to come

Amen, amen,

am.en.

portion be

ing forth, said to them: 163

Why

are

you enraged

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST against

because I begged the body of Jesus?

Him

Lo, I have laid

ping

Him in

my own new

clean linen

;

I have rolled a stone

And you

to the door of the tomb. well against the just

and

tomb, wrap-

have acted not

man, because you have not

repented of crucifying Him, but also have pierced

Him

And

with a spear.

the Jews seized Joseph,

and ordered him to be secured until the first day of the week, and said to him Know that the time does not allow us to do anything against thee, because the Sabbath is drawing; and know that thou shalt not be deemed worthy of burial, but :

thy

shall give

flesh to the birds

Joseph says to them

of the

air.

These are the words of the

arrogant Goliath, who reproached the living

God

For God has said by the and holy David. prophet: Vengeance is Mine, and I will repay

And now

saith the Lord.

he that

uncircum-

cised in flesh, but circumcised in heart, has taken

water, and washed his hands in the face of the sun, saying, I

just

man;

see

innocent of the blood of this

ye to

And you

it.

said to Pilate, His blood be

our children.

upon

answered and us,

and upon

And now I am afraid lest the wrath

God come upon

you, and upon your

you have

And

said.

cliildren,

the Jews, hearing these

164

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION words, were embittered in their souls, and seized

Joseph, and locked him into a room where there

was no window and guards were stationed at the ;

door,

and they

locked

sealed the door where Joseph was

in.

And on

the Sabbath, the rulers of the syna-

gog, and the priests and the Levites, made a

synagog on the first day of the week. And rising up early all the multitude in the synagog counseled by what death they should slay him. And when the Sanhedrin was sitting, they ordered him to be decree that all should be found in the

brought with

much

indignity.

And

opened the door, they found him not.

having

And

all

the people were surprised, and struck with dis-

may, because they found the

seals

unbroken, and

And

they no

longer dared to lay hands upon those

who had

because Caiaphas had the ke}^

spoken before Pilate in Jesus' behalf.

i6S

SECTION News of

VIII

Jesus' resurrection

(Gospel of Nicodemus, chs.

And

while they were

15,

13,

sitting in the syna-

still

gog and wondering about Joseph, some of the guard

whom

16.)

there come

the Jews had begged

of Pilate to guard the tomb of Jesus, that His disciples

they

might not come and

steal

Him.

And

reported to the rulers of the synagog,

and the Levites, what had happened: how there had been a great earthquake; and we saw an angel coming down from heaven, and he rolled away the stone from the mouth of and the

priests

upon

and he shone hke snow, and like lightning and we were very much afraid, and lay like dead men and we heard the the tomb, and sat

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

;

voice of the angel saying to the

women who

re-

mained beside the tomb. Be not afraid, for I

know is

that you seek Jesus

not here:

who was

risen, as

crucified.

said.

Come,

He see

the place where the Lord lay: and go quickly,

166

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION and

His

tell

disciples that

risen

from the

The Jews say To what women did he speak ? The men of the guard say We do not know who they were. The Jews say dead, and

And

in Galilee.

wherefore did you not lay hold of them?

The men of the guard say: We were like dead men from fear, not expecting to see the light of day, and how could we lay hold of them.f' The Jews say: As the Lord liveth, we do not believe you. The men of the guard say You have seen :

so great miracles in the case of

tliis

man, and

have not believed; and how can jon believe us?

And

assuredly you have done well to swear that

the

Lord

the

men

liveth, for

indeed

of the guard said

does

live.

Again,

have heard that

you have locked up the man that begged the body of Jesus, and put a seal on the door; and that you have opened it, and not found him. Give us Joseph and

Jews say

men

shall give

Joseph has gone to

you Jesus. his own city.

of the guard say to them:

And

The The

Jesus has

we heard from the angel who rolled away the stone. And when the Jews heard these words, they became afraid and said: We must take care lest this story be heard, and all gone to

Galilee, as

incline to Jesus.

And

the Jews called a council,

167

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST and paid down a considerable sum of money, and gave it to the soldiers, saying: Say, while we His

slept,

And we

came by night and

disciples

if this

stole

Him.

come to the ears of the procurator,

persuade him, and keep you out of

shall

And

trouble.

they took the money, and said as

And

they had been instructed.

been spread abroad

among

this

saying has

the Jews even to this

day.

And

they found Joseph in Arimathsea, and no

And

one dared to lay hands on him.

they re-

ported to the elders, and the priests, and the Levites:

Israel,

have gone round to every ;

but Joseph we

And

hearing about

and have not found Jesus

have found in Arimathsea.

district of

Joseph, they were glad, and gave glory to the

God

of Israel.

and the

priests

And

the rulers of the

synagog

and the Levites, having held a

council as to the

manner

which they should

meet with Joseph, took a piece of paper, and wrote to Joseph as follows:

know

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Peace

to thee!

that we have sinned against God, and

against thee; and we have prayed to the

God

of Israel, that thou shouldst deign to come to

thy fathers, and to thy children, because we have all

been grieved.

For having opened the door, i68

N ARRATIVES OF THE PASSION we did not

find thee.

And we know

counseled evil council against thee

;

that

we have

but God,

see-

ing that cur designs against thee were unjust, has delivered thee out of our hands.

But come

to us, for thou art the honor of our people.

And

they chose from

friends of Joseph,

acquainted with

and the

priests

;

whom

all

also

men,

Israel seven

Joseph himself was

and the rulers of the synagog, and the Levites, say to them:

Take notice, if after receiving our letter, he read but if it, know that he will come with you to us he do not read it, know that he is ill-disposed towards us. And having saluted him in peace, ;

And having blessed the men, they them. And the men came to Joseph,

return to us. dismissed

and did reverence to him, and to thee!

And

letter.

him

Peace

he said: Peace to you, and to aU

the people of Israel

of the

said to

And

And Joseph

they gave him the took and read

it,

roll

and

and blessed God, and said: Blessed be the Lord God, who hath delivered Israel from shedding innocent blood; and rolled

up the

letter,

God, who sent His angel, and covered me under his wings. And he kissed them, and set a table for them and they ate and drank, and

blessed be

;

slept there.

169

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST And

mornmg; and Joseph

they rose in the

saddled his

ass,

and traveled with them, and

And

they came into the holy city Jerusalem.

there met them all the people, crying out, and

saying:

Peace be in thy coming

Joseph!

To whom

he answered and said:

peace of the Lord' be upon they

all

father

in,

kissed him.

all

And

the people

The

And

they prayed with

Joseph, and were terrified at the sight of him.

And Nicodemus made a great

took him into his house, and

and called Annas and Caiaphas, and the elders and chief priests and Levites, to his house. And making merrj'^, and eating and drinking with Joseph, they blessed God, and went every one to his own house. And Joseph feast,

remained in the house of Nicodemus.

And on

the next day, which

tion, the priest

and the

and the Levites

rose early,

the prepara-

rulers of the

synagog

and came to the house of Nicodemus. And Nicodemus met them, and said to them Peace to you And they said to him Peace to thee and Joseph, and to thy house and Joseph's house! And Nicodemus brought them into his house. And the council sat; and Joseph sat between Annas and Caiaphas, and :

no one dared to say a word. 170

And Joseph

said

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION ta them

made

Why

And

have you called me ?

they

signs with their eyes to Nicodemus, that he

should

opening

And

speak with Joseph. his

mouth, said:

Nicodemus,

Father Joseph, thou

knowest that the reverend teachers,

priests,

and

word from thee. And And Annas and Caiaphas,

Levites seek to hear a

Joseph said: Ask.

taking up the law, adjured Joseph, saying:

Give glory to the

God

of Israel, and give con-

fession to

Him, that thou

from

And they

us.

wilt not hide

said to

him

With

any word grief were

we grieved that thou didst beg the body of Jesus, and wrap it in clean linen, and lay it in a tomb. Therefore we shut thee up in a house where there was no window, and put a lock and a seal on the gate; and on the first day of the week we opened the gates, and found thee not. We were therefore exceedingly grieved, and astonishment came over all the people of God. And therefore hast thou been sent for; and now tell us what has happened.

Then tion,

day of the Preparaabout the tenth hour, you shut me in, and I said Joseph

the

remained there the whole Sabbath in

when midnight came, ing, the house where

as I

full.

And

was standing and pray-

you shut me 171

was hung

;

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST up by

the four corners, and there was a flashing

And

of light in mine eyes. trembling.

Then some one

place where I had fallen,

I fell to the

ground

me up from the and poured over me an lifted

abundance of water from the head even to the

and put round

feet,

nostrils the

wonderful ointment, and rubbed water

and

itself,

as if

and

see

who

face with the

washing me, and kissed me,

said to me, Joseph, fear not

eyes,

odor of a

but open thine

that speaks to thee.

it is

looking, I saw Jesus

;

And

and being terrified, I thought it was a phantom. And with prayer and the commandments I spoke to Him, and He spoke ;

And I said to Him: Art Thou Rabbi Elias? And He said to me I am not Elias. And I said Who art Thou, my lord ? And He said to me I am Jesus, whose body thou didst beg from

with me.

Pilate,

and wrap

lay a napkin on

in clean linen;

and thou

didst

My face, and didst lay Me in thy

new tomb, and roll a stone to the door of the tomb. Then I said to Him that was speaking to me Show me. Lord, where I laid Thee. And He led me, and showed me the place where I laid Him, and the linen which I had put on Him, and the napkin which I had wrapped upon His face and I knew that it was Jesus. And He took hold :

172

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION me

with His hand, and put

my bed, And He kissed me

house though the gates were in

and

said to

in the midst of

shut,

Peace to thee

me, and said to me: For

days go not out of thy house; for, I\Iy

and put forty

I go to

lo,

brethren into Gahlee.

And

the rulers of

the

and

synagog,

the

and the Levites, hearing these words from Joseph, became as it were dead, and fell to the ground, and fasted until the ninth hour. And Joseph and Nicodemus entreated them, saying: Arise and stand upon your feet, and taste bread and comfort your souls, seeing that to-morrow And they arose, and is the Sabbath of the Lord. entreated the Lord, and ate and drank, and went priests

every

man

And

own

to his

house.

on the Sabbath the teachers and doctors

and saying What is this wrath that has come upon us.^^ because we know His father and mother. Levi the teacher sat questioning each other,

said: I

know that His parents

fear God, and

do not withdraw themselves from the prayers

and give the tithes when Jesus was bom,

Him

to this place,

offerings to God.

thrice

His

and gave

year.

parents sacrifices

And when 173

And

brought

and burnt

the great teacher

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST Symeon took Him into his arms, he said, Now Thou sendest away Thy servant. Lord, accord-

Thy word to peace for mine Thy salvation, which Thou hast

ing to seen

eyes have

;

before the face of

all

the peoples

prepared

a light for the

and the glory of Thy And Symeon blessed them, and

revelation of the Gentiles,

people, Israel. said to

Mary His

mother: behold.

many

set for

and for a sign spoken against; and a sword shall go through thy soul, in order that the reasoning of the fall and rising again of

many

hearts

may

teacher Levi:

be revealed.

How

Levi says to them

Do you

I learned the lav/?

him:

to them:

They say

not

know

And

.f*

that from

The Sanhedrin say

And

wish to see thy father.

Why

to the

knowest thou these things

Him

for his father.

in Israel,

they sent

they asked him, and he said

have you not believed

son.''

The blessed and just Symeon taught him the law. The Sanhedrin said to him Is the word that you :

have said

true.''

And

he said, It

174

true.

SECTION IX Testimony to the resurrection of Jesfs and TO HIS WORK IN HaDES (Gospel of Nicodemus, chs. 17-28.)

Joseph

says:

Jesus has risen?

And why do you wonder But

it is

has not risen alone, but that

many

wonderful that

that

has also raised

who have appeared in Jerusalem to many. And if you do not know the others, Symeon at least, who received Jesus, and his two sons whom He has raised up them at least 3/ou know. For we buried them not long ago; but now their tombs are seen open and empty, and they are alive, and dwelling in Arimathffia. They therefore sent mien, and they others of the dead,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

found

their

tombs open and empty.

Joseph says

Let us go to Arimathsea and find them.

Then

Annas and Caiar phas, and Joseph, and Nicodemus, and Gamaliel, and others with them., and went away to Arimathsea, and found those whom Joseph spoke of. rose

the chief priests

175

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST They made prayer, therefore, and saluted each other. Then they came with them to Jerusalem, and brought them into the synagog, and secured the doors, and placed in the midst the old covenant of the Jews and the cliief priests said to them: We wish you to swear by the God of Israel and Adonai, and so that you tell the truth, how you have risen, and who has raised you from ;

the dead.

The men who had made upon their faces

risen

And

sitting

O Lord life

this,

the sign of the cross, and

said to the chief priests:

ink and pen.

having heard

Give us paper and

These therefore they brought.

down, they wrote thus

Jesus Christ, the resurrection and the

may and Thy

of the world, grant us grace that we

give an account of miracles which

Thy

Thou

were in Hades, with

all

resurrection,

didst in Hades.

who had

the beginning of the world.

then

fallen asleep since

And

midnight there rose a light as

at the hour of

of the sun, and

shone into these dark regions; and we were lighted up, and saw each other.

way our

father

Abraham was

And

all

straight-

united with the

patriarchs and the prophets, and at the same time

they were

filled

with joy, and said to each other:

176

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION from a great source of light. The prophet Hesaias, who was there present, said: This light is from the Father, and from the Son, This light

and from the Holy Spirit about whom I prophesied when yet alive, saying, The land of Zabulon, ;

and the land of Nephthalim, the people that

sat

in darkness, have seen a great light.

came into the midst another, an from the desert; and the patriarchs said

Then ascetic

to him:

there

Who

John, the

art thou.^^

And

he said:

last of the prophets,

who made the

God

and proclaimed

paths of the Son of

straight,

to the people repentance for the remission of sins.

And the Son of God came to me; and I, seeing Him a long way off, said to the people Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world. And with my hand I baptized Him in the :

and I saw like a dove also the Holy coming upon Him; and I heard also the

river Jordan,

Spirit

voice of God, even the Father, thus saying

This

whom I am well pleased. And on this account He sent me also to you, to proclaim how the only begotten Son of God is

beloved Son, in

coming

here, that whosoever shall believe in

shall be saved,

Him

shall be

and whosoever

condemned. 177

Him

shall not believe in this

account I say

â&#x20AC;˘ÂŤv

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST to

when you see Him, you may adore Him, that now only is for you the

you

all

in order that

all,

time of repentance for having adored idols in the vain upper world, and for the sins you have com-

and that

mitted,

this is impossible at

any other

time.

While John, therefore, was thus teaching those Hades, the first created and forefather Adam

heard, and said to his son Seth thee to

tell

lot to die.

patriarchs, hear. first

son, I wish

men

the forefathers of the race of

and the prophets where to

I sent thee,

when

it fell

And Seth said: Prophets and When my father Adam, the

created, was about to fall once

into death, he sent

upon a time

make entreaty

God

very close by the gate of paradise, that he would

guide

me by an angel

to the tree of compassion,

and that I might take oil and anoint my father, and that he might rise up from his sickness: which thing, therefore, I also did. the prayer an angel of the to me:

ask

oil

which

What,

after

Lord came, and

Seth, dost thou ask?

which raiseth up the

And

said

Dost thou

sick, or the tree

from

on account of the sickness This is not to be found now. Go,

this oil flows,

of thy father ? therefore,

and

tell

thy father, that after the ac178

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION complishing of

five

thousand

five

hundred years

from the creation of the worldj then shall come into the earth the only begotten Son of God, being made man; and He shall anoint him with this oil, and shall raise him up and shall wash ;

Holy Spirit, both him and those out of him, and then shall he be healed of every disease but now this is impossible. When the patriarchs and the prophets heard clean, with water

and

w^ith the

;

these words, they rejoiced greatly.

And when

all

were in such joy, came Satan

the heir of darkness, and said to

Hades

words.

devouring and insatiable, hear is

of the race of the Jews one

named

all-

There

Jesus, calling

Himself the Son of God; and being a man, by our working with them the Jews have crucified

Him: and now when He is dead, be ready that we may secure Him here. For I know that He is a man, and I heard

Him

also saying.

exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.

me many

soul

has

when living with mortals in the upper world. For wherever He found my servants, He persecuted them and whatever men I made crooked, blind, lame, lepers, or any such thing, by a single word He healed them; and many whom I had got ready to be buried, even also

done

evils

;

179

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST these through a single

word

brought to hfe

this

man

so powerful as

again.

Hades says: And is do such things by a

to so,

single

canst thou withstand

word? or

Him?

It seems to

He be so, no one will be able to withstand Him. And if thou sayest that thou didst hear Him dreading death, He said this mocking thee, that, if

and laughing, wishing to strong hand; and woe, woe

thee with the

seize

to thee, to all eter-

nity!

Satan says:

all-devouring and insatiable

Hades, art thou so afraid at hearing of our com-

mon enemy? worked

not afraid of Him, but

I was

and they

in the Jews,

and gave

Him

Make ready fast hold of

crucified

also to drink gall with vinegar.

you may lay

then, in order that

Him when He

Hades answered:

comes.

Heir of darkness, son of

destruction, devil, thou hast just

that

many whom thou

buried.

word.

He And

now

life

again by a single

has delivered others from the

tomb, how and with what power shall laid hold of

told

hadst made ready to be

brought to if

Him,

by us? For

ago

I not long

sw^ allowed

down one dead, Lazarus by name and not long ;

i8o

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION after, one of the living

word dragged bowels: and I think

by a

single

him up by force out of my that it was He of whom thou speakest. If, therefore, we receive Him here, I am afraid lest perchance we be in danger even about the rest. For, lo all those that I have swallowed from eternity I perceive to be in commotion, and I am pained in my belly. And the snatching away of Lazarus beforehand seems to me to be no good sign: for not like a dead body, but like an eagle, he flew out of me; for so suddenly did the earth throw

him

out.

Wherefore

also I adjure even thee,

and for mine, not to bring Him here for I tliink that He is coming here to raise all the dead. And this I tell thee by the darkness in which we live, if thou bring Him here, for thy benefit ;

not one of the dead will be left behind in

me.

While Satan and Hades were thus speaking to each other, there was a great voice like thunder, saying:

and be ye the

King

Lift

up your

lifted up,

of glory shall come

and withstand Him.

forth to the outside.

ye rulers;

ye everlasting gates

heard, he said to Satan: able,

gates,

in.

and

When Hades

forth, if thou art

Satan therefore went

Then Hades l8i

;

says to his

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST demons: Secure well and strongly the gates of

and the bars of iron, and attend to my bolts, and stand in order, and see to everything for if He come in here, woe will seize us.

brass

;

And

the multitude of the saints, hearing

all

this, said to

Open thy

Hades, with the voice of reproach:

King of glory may come in. And David cried out, saying: Did I not, when I was alive upon earth, prophesy to you: Let them confess to the Lord His tender gates, that the

mercies and His wonderful works to the children

of men: for

has shattered the brazen gates,

and burst the iron bars;

way

out of the

has taken them

of their iniquity ?

And

after this

manner Esaias said: Did not I, when I was alive upon earth, prophesy to you The dead shall rise up, and those who are in their tombs shall rise again, and those who are upon earth shall exult; because the dew, which is from the in like

Lord,

their health.?

Death,

victory

thy

sting.? where,

all

Hades,

thy

the saints heard this from Esaias,

they said to Hades

Open thy

now conquered, thou

less.

again I said. Where

And when art

And

gates.

wilt be

Since thou

weak and power-

there was a great voice, as of thun-

182

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION ders,

saying Lift up your gates, ye princes :

be ye lifted up, ye infernal gates of glory shall come

ing:

Who

the

answer to Hades

this, says, as if

not knowsays, in

I recognize those words of the

shout, since I prophesied the same

And

and the King

King of glory? David :

and

Hades, seeing that they

in.

had twice shouted out

;

by His

Spirit.

now, what I have said above I say to thee,

The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty And the in battle He is the King of glory. Lord Himself hath looked down from heaven ;

upon earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners, and to release the sons of the slain. And now, most filthy and m.ost foul Hades, open thy gates, that the King of glory may come in. While David was thus speaking, there came to Hades, in the form of a man, the Lord of majesty, and lighted up the eternal darkness, and burst asunder the indissoluble chains and the aid of un;

conquered power visited us, sitting in the pro-

found darkness of transgressions, and

shadow of death of

When

this

the

sins.

was seen by Hades and Death, and

their impious officers, along with their cruel servants, they trembled at perceiving in their

dominions the clearness of so great a light, 183

own when

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST they saw Christ suddenly in their abodes they cried out, sa3dng:

Who

;

and

have been overcome

Thou, that to the Lord directest our confusion? Who .irt Thou, that, undestroyed by corruption, the uncorrupted proof

by Thee.

Thy

art

majesty, with

Who

fury

our

condemnest

Thou, so great and little, lowly and exalted, soldier and commander, wonderful warrior in the form of a slave, and the King of glory dead and alive, whom slain the cross has carried? Thou, who didst lie dead in the sepul-

power?

cher, hast

art

come down

to us alive;

and

Thy

death every creature trembled, and the stars in

a body were moved; and nov/ Thou hast been

made

free

among

Who

the dead, and disturbest our

Thou, that settest free those who art held captive, bound by original sin, and recallest them to their former liberty? Who art Thou, who sheddest a divine, and splendid, and

legions.

art

illuminating light

upon those who have been

blinded by the darkness of their sins?

manner,

also, all the legions of the de-

mons, terror-stricken with

like fear

fearful overthrow, cried out, saying

Thou,

Jesus, a

man

so powerful

from

Whence

art

and splendid

in majesty, so excellent, without spot,

184

their

and

free

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION from guilt?

For that world of earth which has

been subject to us always until now, which used to

pay

tribute for our uses, has never sent us such

a dead man, has never destined such gifts for the powers below.

Who therefore

art

Thou, that

hast so intrepidly entered our bounds,

and who

hast not only no fear of our punishments, but,

moreover, attemptest to take chains?

all

Perhaps Thou art that Jesus of

our Prince Satan said, that by cross

away from our

Thou wast

Thy

whom

death of the

destined to receive the dominion

of the whole world.

Then

the king of glory,

trampling on death by His majesty, and seizing Prince Satan, delivered him to the power

Hades.

Then Hades,

him:

receiving Prince Satan, said to

prince of perdition, and leader of ex-

termination, Beelzebub, derision of angels, to be spit

upon by the

this?

just,

why

didst thou wish to do

Didst thou wish to crucify the

King of

glory, in whose death thou didst promise us so

great spoils?

Like a

fool,

thou didst not know

what thou wast doing. For, behold, that Jesus by the splendor of His divinity is putting to flight all the

darkness of death, and

broken into the strong lowest 185

deptlis of

has

our

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST dungeons, and has brought out the captives, and released those

And

who were bound.

who

all

used to groan under our torments, insult us, and

our dominions are taken by

their prayers

storm, and our realms conquered, and no race of

men we

has

now any

Moreover,

respect for us.

by the dead, who us, and who have

are grievously threatened

have never been haughty to

not at any time been joyful as captives. Satan, father of

why

gades,

who from

all

didst thou w^ish to do this ?

Prince

those

the beginning, even until now, have

the usual fashion,

groaning of is

impious wretches and rene-

despaired of salvation and

faces

also,

life,

no bellowing after

now heard

here; and no

theirs resounds, nor in

a trace of tears found.

any of

their

Prince Satan,

possessor of the keys of the lower regions, all thy riches

which thou hadst acquired by the tree

of transgression and the loss of paradise, thou hast

now

lost

by the

tree of the cross

thy joy has perished.

When

that Christ Jesus the

King of

thou didst

glory, thou wast

acting against thyself and against me. forth thou shalt infinite

know what

and all hang up Hence-

eternal torments

and

punishments thou art to endure in

everlasting keeping.

Prince Satan, author of

i86

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION death, and source of

all

pride, thou oughtest

to have inquired into the

Him

whom thou

first

bad cause of that Jesus.

perceivedst no fault, why,

without reason, didst thou dare unjustly to crucify ?

And why

hast thou brought to our regions

one innocent and just, and

lost the guilty, the

impious, and the unjust of the whole w^orld?

And when Hades had

thus spoken to Prince

Satan, the Lord stretched out His hand, and said

Come

to me, all

saints,

who have my image

and likeness. Do you, who have been condemned through the tree and the devil and death, now see the devil and death condemned through the tree. Immediatel}'^ all the saints were

brought together

And

under the hand of the Lord. holding

Adam by

the right

Peace be to thee, with righteous ones.

all

hand

the Lord,

said to him:

thy children.

And Adam

fell

down

My the

knees of the Lord, and with tearful entreaty

praying, said with a loud voice I will extol Thee, :

Lord; for Thou hast

not made

lifted

me up, and

foes to rejoice over me.

hast

O Lord

God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou hast healed me.

Lord,

Thou

hast brought out

soul

from the powers below Thou hast saved me from ;

them that go down

into the pit.

187

Sing praises to

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST the Lord,

memory

all

His

of His holiness; since there

His indignation, and like

and confess

saints,

manner

anger in

His good

life in

the

will.

God, falling on

also all the saints of

their knees at the feet of the Lord, said with one

Thou hast come, O Redeemer of the world, as Thou hast foretold by the law and Thy prophets, so hast Thou fulfilled by Thy deeds. Thou hast redeemed the living by Thy cross and by the death of the cross Thou hast come down voice

;

to us, to rescue us from the powers below, and

from death, by Thy majesty. hast set the

title

hast erected as the

upon

earth, so,

of the victory of

Thy

title

Lord, as

Thou

glory in heaven, and

of redemption

Lord,

Thy

set in

Thy

cross

Hades the sign

cross, that

death

may no

more have dominion. And the Lord, stretching forth His hand, made the sign of the cross upon Adam and upon all His saints and holding Adam by the right hand, went up from the powers ;

below, and all the saints followed

Him.

Then

holy David cried out aloud, saying: Sing unto

new song, for He hath done wonderful things; His right hand and His holy arm have brought salvation to Himself. The Lord hath

the Lord a

made known His

salvation; His

i88

righteousness

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION hath

revealed in the sight of the heathen.

And

all

the multitude of the saints answered,

saying: This

And

alleluia.

after this

Amen, the prophet Habacuc

Thou

wentest forth for the

glory to

cried out, saying:

His

all

saints.

salvation of Th}'^ people, to deliver

And all He who is

elect.

the saints answered, saying: Blessed

Cometh in the name of the Lord; God In

alleluia.

and

the Lord,

hath shone upon

manner

unto thee,

and passing by

Amen,

us.

after this the prophet

Who

Michseas also cried out, saying: like

Thine

God

Lord, taking away iniquities

sins

And now Thou

dost with-

hold Thine anger for a testimony against us,

Thou

because

delightest in mercy.

turnest again, and hast compassion

pardonest

all

Thou sunk

our iniquities

;

and

all

And Thou upon

us,

and

our sins hast

in the multitude of death, as

Thou

hast sworn unto our fathers in the days of old.

And God

all

the saints answered, saying: This

to eternity,

and for ever and ever; and

Amen,

will direct us for evennore.

also all the prophets,

And

alleluia,

alleluia.

our

He So

quoting the sacred writings

concerning His praises, and

Amen,

all

the saints crying.

followed the Lord.

the Lord, holding the

189

hand of Adam, de-

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST and

livered

him

saints

followed Michael the archangel, and he

led

them

to Michael the archangel

there

The

saints

all

the

the glorious gate of paradise.

all into

And

met them two men, ancient of days. asked them Who are you, that have :

not yet been dead along with us in the regions below, and have been placed in paradise in the

One of them answered, and said: I am Enoch, who by the word of the Lord have been translated hither and he who is with me is Elias the Thesbite, who was taken up by a fiery chariot. Here also even until now we have not tasted death body.'*

;

but have been reserved to the coming of Anti-

by divine signs and wonders to do battle with him, and, being killed by him in Jerusalem, after three days and half a day to be taken up christ,

alive

again in the clouds.

And

Enoch and

while the saints

thus speaking, behold, there came

man, most wretched, carrying on the sign of the cross. saints said to

appearance

him:

And

Who

Elias were

up another

his shoulders

seeing him,

all

the

art thou? because thy

that of a robber.

And what

sign which thou earnest on thy shoulders?

the

answer to them, he said: Truly have you said that I was a robber, doing

190

all sorts

of evil upon

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION And

the earth.

Jesus

and

;

the Jews cruciiied

saw the miracles

me along

with

in created things

which were done through the cress of Jesus crucified,

and

Him

I believed

created things, and the

entreated

Him,

when Thou Immediately to me.

King omnipotent and I Be mindful of me. Lord, ;

come into

shalt have

Amen;

be with

saying,

to be the Creator of all

accepted

I say to thee,

Thy kingdom.

entreaty,

To-day

and

said

shalt thou

And He gave me this saying. Walk into paradise

in paradise.

sign of the cross,

carrying this; and paradise will not

let

the guardian angel of

thee

in,

show him the

sign of the cross, and thou shalt say to him,

who has now been Having done so, I said

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, crucified, has sent all this

me.

to the guardian angel of paradise.

And

when he heard this, he immediately opened, and led me in, and placed me at the right of paradise, saying, Lo, hold a little, and there will come in the father of the whole human race, Adam, with all his children, holy and just, after the triumph and glory of the ascension of Christ the crucified Lord. Hearing all these words of the robber, all the holy patriarchs and prophets with one voice said: Blessed art Thou, 191

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST O Lord

Almighty, Father of everlasting bene-

and Father

fits,

such grace to

them back

Thy

into

Thy

mercies,

who

hast

given

and hast brought the grace of paradise, and into

rich pastures

sure.

;

sinners,

for this

spiritual life

most

Amen, amen.

These are the

divine

which we saw and heard,

More we

and sacred mysteries Karinus, and Leucius.

are not allowed to

of the other

tell

mysteries of God, as Michael the archangel ad-

jured us, and said:

You

shall

into Jerusalem

with your brethren, and continue in prayers,

and you

shall cry out,

and glorify the resurrec-

Lord Jesus Christ, who has raised you up again from the dead with Himself. And with none of men shall you speak and you shall sit as if dumb, until the hour shall come when the Lord Himself shall permit you to relate the mysteries of His divinity. And Michael the tion of the

;

archangel ordered us to walk across Jordan into

a place rich and

who

fertile,

where there are many

rose again along with us for

the resurrection of Christ the three days were allowed to

from the dead

an evidence of

Lord because only us who have risen ;

to celebrate in Jerusalem the pass-

over of the Lord, with our living relations, for

192

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION an evidence of the resurrection of Christ the Lord: and we have been baptized in the holy river robes.

Jordan, receiving each of

And

after three days,

us white

when we had

cele-

who

rose

brated the passover of the Lord,

all

again along with us were snatched up into the

and taken across the Jordan, and were no longer seen by any one. These are the things which the Lord comclouds,

manded us to relate to you. Give Him praise and confession, and be penitent, that He may have mercy upon you. The love of the Father, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit be with you all Amen. And after they had finished all, writing on separate sheets of paper, they arose. And Ka!

what he wrote into the hands of Annas and Caiaphas and Gamaliel; in like manner also Leucius gave what he wrote into rinus gave

the hands of Nicodemus and Joseph.

And

being

suddenly transfigured, they became exceedingly

and were seen no more. And their writings were found exactly the same, not one letter more or less. All the synagog of the Jews, hearing all these

white,

wonderful sayings of Karinus and Leucius, said 193

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST to each other:

Truly

all these

things have been

done by the Lord, and blessed be the Lord for ever

and

Amen. And they

ever.

all

went out

with great anxiety, beating their breasts with fear and trembling; to his

own

and they went away, each

house.

All these things which were said by the Jews in their

synagog Joseph and Nicodemus imme-

diately reported to the proconsul.

himself wrote

all

And

Pilate

which had been done and said

concerning Jesus by the Jews, and he placed all

the words in the public record of his prse-

After

torium.

this,

Pilate

going

temple of the Jews, assembled

all

the

into

the

chief

and learned men, and scribes, and teachers of the law, and went in with them into the sanctuary of the temple, and ordered that all

priests

the gates should be blmt, and said to them:

have heard that you have a certain great

col-

lection of books in this temple: therefore I ask

you that four

officers

be presented before us.

brought in that

And when

collection of books,

adorned with gold and precious gems, Pilate

you by the God of your who ordered you to build this temple in

said to all: I adjure fathers,

the place of His sanctuary, not to conceal the

194

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION truth from me. in that collection

You

know what is written of books but now say whether all

;

you have found in the writings that Jesus, whom you have crucified, to be the Son of God that was to come for the salvation of the human race, and in how many revolutions of the seasons He ought to come. Declare to me whether you crucified Him in ignorance of this, or knowing it. Being thus adjured, Annas and Caiaphas ordered all the others who were with them to go out of the sanctuary; and themselves shut all the gates of the temple and the sanctuary, and said to Pilate: We have been adjured by thee, O good judge, by the building of tliis temple, to give thee the truth, and a clear account of this matter. After we had crucified Jesus, not knowing Him to be the Son of God, thinking that He did miracles by means of some charm, we made a great synagog in this temple. And conferring with each other of the signs of the

had done, we found many witnesses of our nation who said that they had seen Jesus alive after suffering death, and we

miracles which Jesus

have seen two witnesses,

whom

Jesus raised

again from the dead, who told us ful things that Jesus did

among

195

many wonder-

the dead, which

EXTRA-CANONICAI. LIFE OF CHRIST we have custom

in our hands, written out.

is,

and seek out And we have found in

collection of books,

the testimony of God.

book of the

first

our

every year before our synagog, to

open that holy the

And

LXX.,

where the archangel

Michael spoke to the third son of Adam, the

first

man, of 5500 years, in which the Christ, the most beloved Son of God, was to come from the heavens; and upon this we have considered that

perhaps Moses,

was the God of Israel who said to

Make

to thee the ark of the covenant,

two cubits and a half in length, one cubit and a half in breadth, one cubit and a half in height.

and a half cubits we have understood and recognized, from the structure of the ark of the old covenant, that in five and a half thousands of years, Jesus Christ was to come In these

five

body and we have found Him to be the God of Israel, the Son of God. Because after His passion, we, the chief priests, wondering at the signs which happened on account of Him, opened this collection of books,

in the ark of the

searching out

all

;

the generations, even to the

generation of Joseph, and reckoning that

Mary

the mother of Christ was of the seed of David;

and we have found that from the time that God 196

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION made

the

heaven and the

earth and the

first

man, to the deluge, are 2212 (2512) years, and from the deluge to Abraham 912 (960) years, and from Abraham to Moses 430; from Moses

David 510; from David to the migration to Babylon 500 from the migration to Babylon to to

;

the birth of Christ 588 years, which together

were 5560 years

whom we

have

;

and thus

it is clear,

that Jesus,

crucified, is Jesus Christ, the

of God, true and almighty God.

197

Son

SECTION

Report of Jesus' Ascension. Jesus is sought BUT NOT found. TESTIMONY TO THE ASCENSION (Gospel of Nicodemus, chs.

And

14,

15, 16,

17.)

Phinees a priest, and Addas a teacher,

and Haggai a Levite, came down from Galilee to Jerusalem, and said to the rulers of the synagog, and the priests and the Levites: We saw Jesus and His disciples sitting on the mountain called Momphe; and He said to them, Go into all the world, and preach to every creature: he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that beheveth not shall be condemned. these signs shall attend those in

name they

who have

shall cast out

And

believed:

demons, speak

new tongues, take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall by no means hurt them; they shall lay hands on the

and they

shall be well.

speaking to His

disciples,

198

And

sick,

while Jesus was

we saw Him taken up

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION The

and Levites said: Give glory to the God of Israel, and confess to Him whether you have heard and seen those

to heaven.

elders, priests

things of which you have given us an account.

And

those

who had given

the account said:

Lord liveth, the God of our fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, we heard these things, and saw Him taken up into heaven. Then the Jews said unto them: Have you come to give us this the

announcement, or to offer prayer to

God.''

The Jews

they said: to offer prayer to God. said to them:

why then have you

tales in the presence of all the

said Phinees

And

told these idle

Then and Haggai

people?

and Addas the teacher,

the Levite, to the rulers of the synagog, priests

and Levites: hold,

what we have said

we are before you; do

in j^our eyes.

And

them swear upon

a sin, be-

to us as seems

good

they took the law, and made

it,

not to give any more an

account of these matters to any one.

And

they

gave them to eat and to drink, and sent them out of the city, having given them also mone}^,

and three men with them.

And

thus they went

along.

And

these

men having

gone, the chief priests,

199

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST and the rulers of the synagog and tlie elders came together, and locked the door, and lamented with a great lamentation, saying: this

sign that has happened in

What means Israel? And

Annas and Caiaphas said: Why are you so sad? Have we to believe the men of the guard that an angel came down from heaven and rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb? His disciples have no doubt given them a sum of money, and have taken the body of Jesus; and the disciples themselves have instructed the guard of the tomb to say that an angel of the Lord came down and rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb. Or know you not that we must not

believe

uncircumcised ?

the

Besides,

they have also received money from us and have

spoken as we have told them to do.

And Nicodemus

stood up, and stood before

the Sanhedrin, saying:

You

say

well.

You

are

not ignorant, you people of the Lord, of thc?e

men

down from Galilee, that they fear God, and are men of substance, haters of covetousness, men of peace; and they have declared with an oath. We saw Jesus upon the that came

mountain

Momphe

with His twelve disciples, and

taught what we heard from Him, and we

200

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION saw

Him

taken up into heaven.

asked them in what form

And no

went up. For

one as-

Holy Scripture teaches, Helias was taken up into heaven, and Elissaeus

suredly, as the also

cried out with a loud voice, threw the sheep-

upon the Jordan, and crossed and came into Jericho and the children of the prophets met him, and said, where is thy master Tlel^as? And he said, he has been taken up into heaven. skin

And

seized

But

Has not a spirit him, and thrown him upon a mountain.?

they said to Elissaeus:

let

him.

us take our sen^ants with us, and seek

And

they persuaded Elissaeus, and

went away with them. three days,

And

and did not

they sought him

find

him; and they

knew he had been taken up. And now listen to me, and let us send into every district of Israel, and see lest perchance Jesus has been taken up by a spirit, and thrown upon one of the mountains.

and they sent

And

this proposal pleased all,

every

soldiers into

district

Him. And they sent away the three men who had already gone away into Galilee with them, and said to them: Say to Rabbi Addas and Rabbi Phinees, and Rabbi Haggai Peace to you, and

Israel,

and sought Jesus and did not

201

find

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST t_

all

who

are with you!

great inquiry having

taken place in the Sanhedrin, we have been sent to

you

went

to call

into

you

men

other, the

they praised ate

found

Having

law.

Why

asked:

And

the

them

men

sitting

saluted

have you

each come.^*

The Sanhedrin call you And when the men heard this, Cod and reclined with the men,

the messenger said

to Jerusalem.

and

Galilee,

and studying the

And

to Jerusalem.

and drank, and

rose up,

and

set

out in

peace to Jerusalem.

And on in the

you

the following

day the Sanhedrin

sat

synagog, and asked them, saying: Did

really see Jesus sitting

on the mountain

Momphe teaching His eleven disciples, and did you see Him taken up? And the men answered them, and said: As we saw Him taken up, so also we said. And Annas said: Take them away from one

another, and let us see whether

their account agrees. first

thus they did.

they called Addas and said to him:

didst thou see Jesus said:

And

While

taken

And Addas

the cloud took

202

disciples,

we saw

Him and His disHim up into heaven,

a cloud overshadowing both

And

How

was yet sitting on the mountain

Momphe, and teaching His ciples.

up?

And

NARRATIVES OF THE PASSION upon their faces upon In the same manner thej asked the the earth. other two, and their answer was the same. And

and His

lay

disciples

the Sanhedrin said: the law of Moses holds:

mouth of two or three every word shall be established. And Addas a teacher said: It is written in the law and Enoch walked with God, and is not, because God took him. And Jai'rus, the

And

the teacher, said:

we have heard for

of,

the death of holy Moses

and

his

written in the

grave we know not;

Law

of the Lord:

And

from the mouth of the Lord, and no man knoweth of his sepulcher unto this day. And Rabbi Levi said: Why did Rabbi Simeon !Moses died

when he saw Jesus Behold, He is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign spoken against? And Rabbi Isaiah

say,

said: It

written in the law: behold I send

messenger before thy face, who shall go be-

fore thee to keep thee in every good way, where

name had been

called upon.

And Annas and

Caiaphas said: Rightly have you said what

written in the law of Moses, that no one saw the

death of Enoch, and no one has known the death of Moses, but Jesus was tried before Pilate,

and we saw

Him

receiving blows

203

and

spit-

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST tings on His face, and the

a crown of thorns, and

Idlers

put about

Him

was scourged, and

from Pilate, and was crucified upon the Cranium, and two robbers with Him; and they gave Him to drink vinegar with gall, received sentence

and Longinus the soldier pierced His side with a spear; and Joseph our honorable father begged His body, and, as he says. He is risen,

and

as the three teachers say,

taken up into heaven.

204

saw

Him

PART

III

MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS

PERTAINING TO JESUS

205

SECTION

Testimonies to Jesus 1.

Now

there was

wise man, if

Josephus* testimony

about this time Jesus, a

be lawful to call

Him

man

;

for

was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of

such

men

as receive the truth with pleasure.

drew over to

Him

both

many

of the Jews and

And

many

of the Gentiles.

when

Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal

men amongst

us,

had condemned

Him

cross, those that loved

forsake

Him;

for

was the Christ.

Him

to the

at the first did not

appeared to them

alive

again the third day; as the divine prophets

had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning Him. And the tribe of Christians so named from Him, are not extinct at this day." ^

passage

(Antt.

xviii, 3,

S.y

cannot enter here into an inquiry whether this The hterature on is genuine or interpolated.

20y

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST 2.

What

Mara's testimony

when the wise are dragged by force by hands of tyrants, and their wisdom is deprived of its freedom by slander, and they are plundered for their (superior)

are

to say,

intelligence,

without (the opportunity

of making) a defence? to be pitied).

For what

(They

are not wholly

benefit did the

Athenians

obtain by putting Socrates to death, seeing that

they received (as) retribution for this

question

Judaica,

II,

very

127-132.

See

large.

the

famine and Biblioth.

Fiirst,

present three

different

views prevail, viz. This is the old 1. The passage is entirely genuine. view, which had and still has many defenders. Of the most recent we mention K, Theod. Schneider, in an Appendix to his Markus und der aramdische Matthdus, Schleswig, 1896. 2.

The passage

partly genuine, partly interpolated,

as Bohle, Flavins Josephus iiber Christus ten,

und

die Chris-

Brixen, 1896; Reinach in Revue des etudes juives,

XXXV (1897), p. 1-18. The passage is wholly interpolated by a Christian hand, so among the most recent, G. A. Miiller, Christus

vol.

hei Flavius Josephus, second ed., Innsbruck, 1896; Niese,

testimonio

Christiano

quod

est

Marburg, 1893; Geschichte Volkes (3rd ed.), Leipzig, 1901, vol. Schurer,

208

apiid

Josephum,

des

jiidischen

pp.

544-549.

MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS Or

pestilence?

the people of

Samos

by the

burning of Pythagoras, seeing that in one hour the whole of their country was

sand?

covered with

the Jews (by the murder) of their

from that very time their kingdom was driven away (from them)? For wise King, seeing that

with justice did

God grant a recompense

to the

wisdom of (all) three of them. For the Athenians died by famine; and the people of Samos were covered by the sea without remedy; and

and expelled from their kingdom, are driven away into every land. (Nay), Socrates did not die, because of

the Jews, brought to destruction

Plato

;

nor yet Pythagoras, because of the statue

of Hera; nor yet the wise King, because of the

new laws which he enacted."

'From

a letter by the heathen philosopher Mara, to his son Serapion, first published by Cureton in Spicilegium Syriacum, London, 1855, and translated by Pratten in the " Ante-Nicene Library," Edinburgh, vol. xxiv (1872), 104-114, from which the above extract

According

Harnack,

Altchristliche

taken.

Litterafur

Eusehius, p. 763, this letter belongs to the time of

bis

Marc

Aurelius, soon after 165 a. d. Ewald calls his testimony " very remarkable for its simplicity and originality as well as

its

antiquity."

209

SECTION The

peesonai. appearance of Christ

From

Roman

the letter of Lentulus to the

Senate "

man

of noble and well-proportioned

stature, with a face full of kindness

and yet

firmness, so that the beholders both love

Him

and fear Him. His hair is of the color of wine, and golden at the root; straight, and without lustre, but from the level of the ears curling and glossy, and divided down the centre after the fashion of the Nazarenes.

His forehead

even

This letter, which was first discovered in a MS. copy of the writings of Anselm of Canterbury, in the twelfth century, is published in Fabricius Codex Apocryphus Novi Test., I., p. 301 seq. In the description found in the works of John of Damascus, of the eighth century, and of Nicephorus, of the fourteenth century, Christ is represented as resembling His mother, of a stately person though slightly stooping, beautiful eyes, blond, long, and curly hair, pale, olive complexion, long fingers, and a look expressive of nobility, wisdom, and patience. *

210

MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS and smooth, His face without wrinkle or blemish, and glowing with a delicate bloom. His countenance is frank and kind. Nose and mouth are in no way faulty. His beard is full, of the same hazel color as His hair, not long, but forked. His eyes are blue, and extremely reproof and rebuke tion

brilliant.

formidable

in exhorta-

;

and teaching, gentle and amiable.

has

never been seen to laugh, but oftentimes to weep.

His person

tall

and

erect

and grave, and

In beauty

little

delib-

given to loquacity.

hy Epiplianius the

Christ and

my God

beautiful in countenance.

Monk ^

was exceedingly

His stature was fully

developed. His height being six feet.

auburn

surpasses the children of men."

2. Description

" But

His hands and limbs

In speaking

beautiful and straight. erate

;

hair, quite

He had

abundant, and flowing down

mostly over His whole person.

His eyebrows

The author of this description is Epiphanius the monk or monachus, who lived at Jerusalem about iiSo, ^

whose

edita et inedita Albert Dressel published at Paris-

Tischendorf discovered a somewhat Leipzig in 1843. different and perhaps more original form (Cod. Ven., ci.

cod.

No. 12,000), which

Realworterbuch,

I, p.

576.

211

published

Winer

;

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST were black, and not higlily arched; His

brown, and bright. in

His

fine eyes,

He had

a family likeness,

prominent nose and good

to His ancestor David,

who

eyes

color,

said to have

had

beautiful eyes and a ruddy complexion.

wore His hair long, for a razor never touched nor was

cut

by any person, except by His

mother in His

childliood.

ward a

so that the posture of

little,

was not too upright or

His neck inclined for-

stiff.

His body

His face was

but not quite so round as His mother's

with

sufficient

natural

color to

make

;

full,

tinged

handsome and

mild in expression, like the blandness in

the above description of His mother, whose features His

own strongly resembled."

212

SECTION Jesus (From

III

baptized by

John

the Gospel of the Ebionites.)

" It came to pass in the days of Herod, King of Judea, when

Caiaphas

was

chief

priest,

John came baptizing, with a baptism of repentance, in the river Jordan, who was said to be of the race of Aaron the priest, a son of Zachariah and EHzabeth; and Pharisees went out to him and were baptized, and all Jerusalem. And John had raiment of camels' hair, and a girdle of skin about his loins; and his food was that

wild honey, the taste of which was the taste of

manna,

a honey-cake steeped in

oil.

When

the people were baptized, Jesus also came to

be baptized by John.

And when He came up

from the water, the heavens were opened, and He saw the Holy Spirit of God in the form of a

came down and came upon Him. And a voice came from heaven saying Thou art My beloved Son; in Thee I am well pleased. dove, which

213

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST

And And

again: To-day

immediately

have I begotten great light

shone

about the place; and John when he saw to Jesus: voice

Who

art

And

Thou, Lord?

came from heaven to him (John)

beloved Son, in

whom

Thee.^

vrell

round it,

says

again a

This

pleased.

down before Him, and said: I beseech Thee, Lord, do Thou baptize me. But He forbade him saying. Suffer it, for thus it is then John

becoming that * '

fell

all

things be fulfilled."

also codex Bezae or D in Luke Epiphanius Hceres, xxx, 13.

214

3, 22.

—

SECTION IV

—

The

choice of the apostles List of the SEVENTY DISCIPLES

Andrew,

the brother of Simon Peter and son

of Jona, having heard (Jesus)

the

Lamb

from Jolin that

this

of God, was moved by the

miracle and also by the authority of John, and

When

quickly ran to his brother.

him of and

he had told

go with him then happened that when he

Christ, he persuaded Peter to

see him.

and Peter

his brother cast the nets into the sea

for they were fishers

—that Jesus walked by

the

Sea of Galilee, and passing them said to them: follow

Me,

I will

they straightway

make you

fishers

left their

nets

of men.

And

and followed

Him. The other apostles were James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, whom Jesus saw

And He Him. And Simon

in a ship with Zebedee their father. called called

them and they followed the

Canaanite,

Thaddseus, and James,

and Judas

whom

215

also

called

they called the

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST brother of the Lord Galilee,

and

;

they were born at Cana in

their parents

were

Alphasus

and

Mary, the daughter of Kleopas; and the last of them was, it is true, of the same mother, but of a different father, namely Joseph the Just, the betrothed of the mother of God, Mary.

And

Matthew, called Levi, the son of Alphaeus; the same was a publican, and was called away from his office by Christ and came into the number of the disciples.

And Bartholomew and Thomas,

by the Lord Didymus, and Philip, a countryman of Peter and Andrew, who came from a village of Bethsaida, in Galilee, and was soon called after Peter, and Judas Iscariot.^ called

*The above

notices are for a great part put together

in Abdias' History of the Apostles

(Fabricius,

Codex

Apocr. Novi Test., I, p. 402 seq). In the Ebionite Gospel (Epiphanius, Hcsres, xxx, 13) we also read of the choice of the apostles: There came a man by name Jesus, and He was about thirty years old, who chose

Capernaum He entered into the house of Simon, who was surnamed Peter, As I passed along and opened His mouth and said the Lake of Tiberius, I chose John and James, sons of Zebedee, and Simon and Andrew, and Thaddaeus and Simon Zelotes, and Judas Iscariot; and thee, Matthew, us.

And when He came

thou wert sitting at the receipt of customs, me. You, then, I wish to be twelve followedst thou and apostles, for a testimony to Israel.

I called as

216

MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS lo, i, we read also of seventy other disciples Jesus appointed. Their names are not mentioned, and Eusebius (Hist. Eccles., I, 12) expressly states that

In Luke

whom

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

have no catalog of the seventy disciples which is Horn. 18 in John. But

v/e

also confirmed by Chrysostom. tradition

has

nevertheless

preserved

list

their

names, which is found in the Bihliotheca Maxima Patrum, III, p. 421 I. James, the brother of the Lord, Bishop of Jerusalem. 2.

Cleophas,

cousin

Jesus,

who accompanied

Jesus to Emmaus, successor of James. 3. Matthias of Bethlehem, appointed in place of Judas Iscariot,

preached the Gospel in Ethiopia, and died as

martyr. 4.

Thaddaeus, disciple

Thomas, who carried the Abgarus, and became

Edessa, to

epistle of Jesus to

the apostle of the Syrians.

who

Ananias,

Stephen, the

Philip,

baptized Paul, bishop of Damascus.

first

martyr.

one of the seven deacons at Jerusalem

and afterwards bishop of Trallium, in Asia. 8. Prochorus, one of the seven deacons at Jerusalem and afterwards bishop of Nicomedia, in Bithynia. 9. Nicanor, also one of the deacons, who died when Stephen suffered martyrdom. 10. Timon, also one of the deacons at Jerusalem, bishop of Bostra or Beroea; was burned. 11. Parmenas, also a deacon, afterwards bishop of Sali. 12.

Nicolaus,

also

deacon,

afterwards

bishop

Samaria and apostate. 13. Barnabas, companion of Paul, afterwards bishop of Milan.

217

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST 14. Mark, the evangelist, together with Peter at Rome, founder of the congregation at Alexandria, a martyr under Nero. 15. Silas, who accompanied Paul, afterwards bishop

of Corinth. 16.

Luke,

the

evangelist

and

painter,

accompanied

Paul, died in Bithynia or Greece. 17.

Silvanus, accompanied

Paul and was bishop of

Thessalonica. 18.

Crescens,

who

helped Paul, preached the Gospel

(Gaul), and founded the church at Vienna. Epsenetus, bishop of Carthage.

in Galatia 19.

20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25.

Andronicus, bishop of Pannonia, or Spain. Amplias, bishop of Odyssus. Urbanus of Macedonia. Stachys of Byzantium. Apelles, bishop of Heraclea. Phygellus, bishop of Ephesus, who followed Simon

Magus. 26. Hermogenes, co-prisoner with Paul, bishop of Megara, a follower of Simon Magus. 27. Demas, companion of Paul, apostate and priest of idols. 28. Apelles, 29. 30. 31. 32. S3,

bishop of Smyrna.

Aristobulus of Britain. Narcissus of Athens.

Herodion of Tarsus. Agabus, the prophet. Rufus of Thebes.

34. As-'Hic ritus of

Hyrcania.

35. Phl'-gon, bishop of Marathon. 36. 37.

Hermes, bishop of Dalmatia. Patroban, bishop of Puteoli and Naples.

218

MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS 38. 39.

40.

41. 42. 43. 44.

Hermas, bishop of Philippople. Linus, bishop of Rome. Caius of Ephesus. Philologus of Sinope.

Olympas. Rhodion, together with Peter beheaded at Rome. Lucius, bishop of Laodicea in Syria.

45. Jason,

bishop of Tarsus.

46. Sosipater,

bishop of Iconium.

47. Tertius, his successor. 48. Erastus, first at Jerusalem, then bishop of Panias, 49.

Quartus, bishop of Berytus.

50. Apollo,

first

Corinth,

bishop

afterwards

Csesarea. 51.

Cephas,

opposes

Paul

Antioch,

afterwards

bishop of Conia. 52.

Sosthenes,

chief

the

synagog

Corinth,

afterwards bishop of Colophon. 53. Tychicus, bishop of Chalcedon. 54.

Epaphroditus, bishop of Andriace.

56.

Dyrrachium. Marinus of Apollinias.

57.

Jesus Justus or Joses Barsabas, bishop of Eleu-

55. Caesar of

theropolis. 58. 59.

60. 62.

Artemas of Lystra. Clement of Sardica. Onesiphorus of Coronea. Carpus, deacon of the church

Berrhoa in

Thrace. 63.

Evodius of Antioch.

64.

Aristarchus of Apamea, in Syria.

65.

Mark, who is also John, bishop of Biblus. Zenas of Diospolis.

66.

219

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST 67.

Philemon, to

whom

Paul wrote his

epistle,

bishop

of Gaza.

companion of Paul. Pudens, beheaded at Rome under Nero. 70. Trophimus, bishop of Arelate, beheaded at under Nero. 68. Aristarchus, the

69.

220

Rome

SECTION V COERESPONDENCE OF AbGAE WITH JeSUS Abgaeus, Toparch of Edessa, to Jesus the good Savior who has appeared at Jerusalem, sendeth greeting. " I have heard about Thee, and about the

heahng which is wrought by Thy hands without drugs and roots. For, as it is reported, Thou makest the bhnd to see, and the lame to walk; and Thou cleans est the lepers, and Thou castest out unclean spirits and demons, and Thou

who are tormented with lingering and Thou raisest the dead. And when

healest those diseases,

I heard aU these things about Thee, I settled in

my mind

one of two things

either that

Thou

who hast come down from heaven, and doest these things or that Thou art the Son of God, and doest these tilings. On this account, therefore, I have written to beg of Thee that art God,

;

Thou

wouldest weary Thyself to come to me,

and heal

this disease

which I have. 221

For I have

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST Jews murmur against Thee,

also heard that the

and wish to do Thee harm. But I have a city, small and beautiful, which is sufficient for two."

Copy

of those things which were written by

Jesus by the hand of Hananias, the Tabelarius,

Abgar, sovereign of the country

" Blessed

he that hath believed in Me, not

having seen Me.

For

written concerning

Me, that those who see Me will not beUeve in Me, and that those will believe who have not seen Me, and will be saved. But touching that which thou hast written to Me, that I should come to thee it is meet that I should finish here

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

all

that for the sake of which I have been sent;

and, after I have finished

Him

that sent

it, ;

then I shall be taken

and, when I have been

taken up, I will send to thee one of that he

may

to thee

and

These

13)

heal thy disease,

disciples,

and give salvation

to those v/ho are with thee."

letters are

who

given by Eiisebius (Hist. Eccles.,

professes to derive them from Syrian docu-

ments preserved at Edessa, and quoted by Moses Chorenensis (Hist. Arm., II, 28). The letter and reply are probably as old as the third century.

Die Edessenische Abgarsage,

222

1880.

Comp.

Lipsius,

SECTION VI Protocol of the council held at JeeusaLEM to put Jesus to death In the Neapolitan

city

Aquila a protocol was

discovered beneath a rock in a marble chest; contains the minutes of a council, consisting

of twenty magistrates, held at Jerusalem con-

cerning Jesus; written in Hebrew

letters.

The

individual mem^bers thus expressed themselves 1.

lious 2.

Simon Lepros: man condemned?

Rabam;

what right

know not why laws

when they are not kept. 3. Acliias: One must

first

^ :

a rebel-

are made,

have a true and

correct report before he passes

a sentence of

death.

and human statutes no one should be condemned, unless he Therefore, what has this man done? is guilty. 4.

Subath:

virtue of Divine

See Fabricius, Codex Apocryphus Novi

487 seq.

223

Test.,

Ill,

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST

Why

Rosnophin:

are laws made, if they

are not kept?

Phutiphares:

impostor

by whom a

for the country,

good would be

not

sedition

made among the common people. 7. Ryphar: The statutes only punish

guilty ones; therefore, if

make Him

Him

which sentence

and

deed, without

not.

O how

Joseph of Arimathaea:

a transgressor,

own

confess His

first

the

shameful

disdainful, that in a city not one should be

found, who protects the innocent.

man

Why

Joram:

to die

shall

this righteous

on account of His righteousness?

10. Ehiberis

do we allow

Though He

be righteous, yet

common people

be killed; because the

becomes rebellious by His speeches. 11. Nicodemus:

before he

Does our law judge a man

heard and

known what he

does? 12. Diarabias: Because

a council.

13. Sereas:

accused before

worthy of death. rebellious

to the country, therefore

man

detrimental

must be taken from

the people. 14!.

Rabinth: Whether just or unjust, be^

224

MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS cause

against the

ancient

neither tolerate nor suffer 15. Josaphat:

laws,

we can

Him.

Keep Him chained with iron

chains in prison. 16.

Ptolomy: Since

unjust,

why do we

demn Him

neither just

nor

tarry so long, before we con-

to death, or banish

Him from

the

country ? 17. Jeras:

remove

visable to

send

Him

18.

much

Him

better

and more ad-

from the country, or to

to the emperor.

He is just, let us turn ourselves if He be unjust, let us put Him

Mesa: If

Him; but

away from 19.

us.

Samech: Let us have peace, that

re-

He still does against our will, let us punish Him then. 20. Caiaphas: You all know not what you us not; and if

sist

say

it is

expedient for us, that one

man

should

and that the whole nation perish not. From that day forth they took counsel

die,

gether for to put

Him

to death.

225

to-

SECTION vn Sentence pronounced by Pontius Pilate, GOVERNOR OF LoWER-GaLILEE, THAT JeSUS of Nazareth is to suffer the death on the cross In connection with the protocol given in the former section, we give here another document, purporting to be the sentence of Pilate on Jesus.

give the shorter

document

form.

Another clumsy

also discovered at Aquila,

where the

preceding was found, was pubhshed under the title:

Tresor admirahle de la sentence de Pilate

contre Jesus-Christ, ecrite sur

trouvee

parchemin, dans la

miraculeusement, ville

d^ Aquila.

traduit de Vitalien, Paris 1581 (24 pages),

and

another edition, 1621 (16 pages), and une reimpression facsimile^ 1839, a la Hbrairie de Techener.

The document was found

in a marble-

box, incased hy one of iron and one of stone.

Comp. Fabricius, Codex Apocr, in, p. 4)89 seq. 226

Novi Test,

MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS The

shorter document was found in 1820,

and

runs as follows:

In the 17th year of the reign of Tiberius

and on the 25th of the month of March, the holy city of Jerusalem, when Annas and

Caesar,

Caiaphas were chief -priests of the people, Pontius Pilate,

governor in Lower Galilee, sitting in

the chair of the pretor, sentences Jesus of Naz-

areth to die on the cross between two murderers.

After the chief of the people and notorious witnesses say: 1.

Jesus

He He He

3. 4.

a seducer.

a rebel.

an enemy of the law.

falsely

pretends to be the

King of

Israel. 5.

entered into the temple, followed

by a

multitude, which carried palms in the hands, Pilate orders the

him

nelius, to lead

forbidding

all

first

centurion Quirilus Cor-

to the place of execution,

poor or rich persons to prevent

the death of Jesus.

The

witnesses

who signed

Jesus, are: 1.

Daniel Robani.

John Zorobabel. 227

the sentence against

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST 3.

Raphael Robani.

Kapet.

Jesus will pass through the city of Jerusa-

lem by the gate Struene. document, Dr. Thesmar of Cologne published in the " Neuen preussischen Zeitung " of September 28, 1849, the following

Concerning

this

from the French journal " Le sentence plate,

engraved

droit."

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;" The

Hebrew upon a bronze-

on the side of wliich the words are found

" a similar plate

same was found Aquileia in the vation of

1820

in the year

Kingdom

Roman

The

sent to every tribe."

in the city of

of Naples in an exca-

antiquities,

and was afterwards

by the commissaries of arts, who were At in the suite of the French army in Italy. the time of the campaign towards Southern discovered

Italy,

was preserved in a sacristy of the Car-

thusians in the neighborhood of Naples, closed

a chest of ebony.

This vase

in the chapel of Caserta.

since then

The Carthusians

ac-

complished by their petitions, that the plate was not taken from them, in acknowledgment mainly of the

sacrifices,

French army. fully

which they had brought for the

The French

translation

faith-

made by members of the commission of 228

MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS arts.

Denon had a

like plate

made, on which

the sentence was engraved; at the sale of his cabinet

was procured by Lord Howard for

2890 francs."

When

mention

made

sent to each tribe,"

that " a like plate was

agrees with the statement

of Justin (Dial, with Tryph. 108) that after the death of Jesus the Jews sent m^essengers into all

the world "

who were

to announce that a new,

from a Galilean, Jesus, a seducer." And Eusebius (in Esaiam cap. 18) speaks also of letters which the Jews sent into all parts of the world, which were full of inveclawless sect has risen

tives against Jesus.

Hugo

Grotius (ad Act.

22) states that the Jews in Worms preserve a copy of those letters in their synaxxviii,

gogs.^

similar letter to the

said to have been

Jews in

Ulm

found in a persecution of

the Jews in the year 1348.^ *

The same

taken from Eusebius by Oecumenius in

Acta, cap. 28, praef. in '

epist.

Comp. Toledoth Jeshu,

ad Romanos. 80 and Huldrici's notes,

p. 82-86. '

Comp, Schudt, lUdische Geschichte,

229

p. 456.

SECTION The

ceucifixion, resurrection sion OF Jesus

(The Gospel according

But neither

of the

Jews

and ascen-

Peter.)^

none washed

Herod nor any of

hands,

his

his judges.

And

they would not wash them, Pilate rose and then *

From

Origen,

Eusebius,

Theodoret we know that

there once existed a Gospel according to Peter.

In the year 1886 the French Archaeological Mission, Cairo, discovered in a grave in an ancient cemetery at Akhmin (Panopolis), in Upper Egypt, an important fragment containing the part of the Gospel and Revelation of

and a fragment of the Book of Enoch, in Greek in 1892 by Mr. Bouriant in Memoires publies par les membres de la mission Peter,

The fragment was published

archeol. Frangaise au Caire, ix,

(1892)

;

comp.

ix,

Ever since the Gospel of Peter was published by different scholars of Germany, France, Holland, England. An English translation, published by J. A. Robinson, Cambridge, 1892, forms the basis of ours; the Greek text whi^h we followed is that published by Nestle in Novi Test. Grcuci Supplementum (Lipsiae, 1896) and Preuschen in Antilegomena (Giessen, 1901). (1893).

230

MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS King Herod commanded

to seize the Lord, say-

ing to them Whatsoever I have commanded you :

Him. And there stood Joseph the friend of Pilate and of the Lord, and knowing that they would crucify Him, he went to Pilate and asked the body of the Lord for burial. And Pilate sent to Herod and asked His body. And Herod said " Brother Pilate, even if no one had asked for Him, we should have buried Him, for the Sabbath is coming, and it is written in the law, that the sun set not upon one that to do, do unto

has been put to death." to the people on the

And

he delivered

Him

day before the unleavened

bread, their feast.

But they took the Lord and pushed Him as they ran, and said: Let us drag away the Son of God, having obtained power over Him. And they put a purple around Him, and set Him upon the seat of judgment, saying: Judge righteously, O King of Israel. And one of them brought a crown of thorns and put it on the head of the Lord. And others stood by and spat in His face, and others smote His cheeks, others pricked Him with a reed, and some scourged Him, saying: with this honor let us honor the Son of God. 231

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST And

they brought two malefactors, and cru-

Lord between them.

cified

the

silent,

as tho

having no

But he was

And having

pain.

raised the cross, they wrote the title:

the

King of

Israel.

And having

This

set the

gar-

ments before Him, they parted them among them

and

But one of

cast lots for them.

factors reproached them, saying: fer for the evils

we have done.

the male-

thus suf-

But what wrong

And

hath He, the Savior of men done to you? they, being angered at

Him, commanded that

His legs should not be broken, that

might

die in torment.

And

was noon, and darkness came over

all

Judea, and they became noisy and distressed, lest

for

the sun had it is

set,

whilst

was yet

alive;

written for them, that the sun set not

on him that hath been put to death. of them said. Give

Him

And

one

to drink gall with vine-

and gave Him to drink, and fulfilled all things, and accomplished their sins against their own head. And many went about with lamps, thinking that it was night, and fell down. And the Lord cried aloud and gar.

And

said:

Me.

And

they mixed

power.

after these words

232

Thou

hast forsaken

was taken up.

MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS And

in that

hour the

of the temple of Jeru-

veil

salem was rent in twain.

And

they drew out

the nails from the hands of the Lord, and laid

Him upon

the earth; and the whole earth trem-

bled and a great fear arose.

again, and

And

the sun shone

was found the ninth hour.

And

the Jews rejoiced and gave His body to Joseph

for burial, since he had seen

how much good

He had done. And he took the Lord, washed Him and rolled Him in a Hnen cloth, and brought Him into his own tomb, which was called the Garden of Joseph. And when the Jews and the elders and the priests perceived what evil they had done to themselves, they began to smite themselves and to say: Woe for our sins, the judgment and end of Jerusalem

near at hand.

And

I with

companions was grieved, and being wounded

mind we hid ourselves for we were sought for by them as malefactors and as such who would in

set fire to the temple.

;

And on

account of

all

we fasted and sat mourning and weeping And the night and day until the Sabbath. scribes and the Pharisees and the elders met with each other, when they heard that all the people murmured and beat the breasts saying: If

this

233

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST by His death these most mighty signs have taken place, see how righteous He is they were afraid and went to Pilate beseeching him saying: give us soldiers, that we may guard His sepulcher for three days, lest His disciples come, steal Him and ;

and do us

And

evil.

rose

from the dead

Pilate gave

them Petronius

the people suppose that

the centurion with soldiers to guard the tomb.

And

with them elders and scribes came to the

sepulcher,

and with the centurion and the

diers they all rolled a great stone

and

sol-

set it at

the door of the sepulcher, and aiSxed seven seals,

and having

pitched a tent there, they kept

watch.

When

the morning of the Sabbath was draw-

ing on, a multitude came from Jerusalem and the region round about in order to see the sealed sepulcher.

And

in the night in

which the Lord's

day was drawing on, and the soldiers kept guard two by two in a watch, there was a great voice in the heaven, and they saw the heavens opened and two men descending from thence with great splendor and approaching the tomb. And that stone which was placed before the door, rolled of itself and made way in part, and the tomb was opened, and the two young men entered in. 234

MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS When

those soldi is saw

it,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

they awakened

had And when they had

the centurion and the elders

remained to keep watch.

for they too

reported what they had seen, they see again three

men coming

forth from the tomb, and the

two supported the one and a cross followed them, and the heads of the two reached into

Him whom they And they heard a

the heavens, whereat the head of led overpassed the heavens. voice

from

the

heavens, saying: hast

Thou

preached to them that sleep? and the answer

was heard from the

cross, yea.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;They

therefore

considered one with another whether to go

away

And

while

and to report these things to they

still

considered,

Pilate.

the heavens again were

seen to open and a certain

man

enter into the sepulcher.

When

and those with him saw

this,

to descend

and

the centurion

they hastened in

the night to Pilate, leaving the tomb which they

were watching, and reported

all

things which

they had seen, being greatly distressed, and say-

ing

Truly

was the Son of God.

answered and said: of the Son of

And

am pure from

God you have ;

Pilate

the blood

thus decided.

Then

came near and besought him and entreated him to command the centurion and the

they

all

235

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST soldiers to say to

they had seen:

no one :f the things which

For

better, say they for

us to commit the greatest sin before God, and

not to

fall into the

hands of the people of the

And

Jews and to be stoned.

Pilate

commanded

the centurion and the soldiers not to divulge

anything.

Early on the Lord's day Mary Magdalen, a disciple of the

since they were

Lord, for fear of the Jews,

burning with wrath, had not

done at the Lord's sepulcher the things which

women

are wont to do for their beloved dead,

took her friends with her and came to the sepulcher where

was

And

laid.

they feared

the Jews should see them, and they said

lest

though

we could not weep and lament on the day on which He was ci-ucified, let us now do these things at His sepulcher. But who shall roll away for us the stone which cher, that

we may enter

do the things that are great and we feared if

at the door of the sepul-

we cannot,

j^et if

and

some one

we but

Him and

For the stone was

due.''

lest

sit

see us.

set at the

door the

things wliich we bring for a memorial of

will

weep and lament

until

home.

236

And Him,

we come unto our

MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS But they went and found the tomb opened, and coming near they looked in there; and they see there a certain young man sitting in the midst of the tomb, beautiful and clothed in a robe exceeding bright, who said to them:

Whom

wherefore are ye come?

haps the one who was crucified?

And

gone.

was

sent.

Now

Per-

risen

and

ye believe not, look in and see

the place where for

seek ye?

lay, that

risen

and gone

Then

the

women

thither,

not here;

whence

feared and

fled.

day of the unleavened bread and many went forth and returned to it

was the

last

their homes, as the feast

was ended.

ever, the twelve disciples of the

We, how-

Lord wept and

were grieved, and each one, being grieved for

which had taken place, returned to

that

his

Simon Peter and Andrew my brother, took our nets and went to the sea and home.

But

;

with us went Levi the son of Alphaeus, the

Lord

237

whom

SECTION IX Letters of Pilate to Claudius (Gospel of Nicodemus, ch. 29.)

Pontius Pilate ing.

to Claudius his king, greet-

has lately happened, as I myself have

also proved, that the Jews,

through envy, have

punished themselves and their posterity by a cruel condemnation. In short,

when

their fathers

had a promise that their God would send them from heaven His holy one, who should deservedly be called their king, and promised that He would send

Him by

a virgin upon the earth: when,

He had come Him enlightening

therefore, while I was procurator. into Judea,

and when they saw

the blind, cleansing the lepers, curing the para-

making demons flee from men, even raising the dead, commanding the winds, walking dryshod upon the waves of the sea, and doing many other signs of miracles; and when all the people of the Jews said that He was the Son of God, the chief priests felt envy against Him,

lytics,

238

MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS and

seized

telling

Him, and

me one

lie

delivered

Him

me; and,

after another, thej said thab

was a sorcerer, and was acting contrary to

their law.

And I believed that it was so, and delivered Him to be scourged, according to their will. And they cruciiied Him, and set guards over Him when buried. And He rose again on the third day, while my soldiers were keeping guard. But so flagrant was the iniquity of the Jews, that

they gave money to

soldiers,

saying.

that His disciples have stolen His body. after receiving the secret

Say But

money they could not keep

what had been done for they bore witness ;

He had

had seen Him, and that they had received money from the Jews. This accordingly I have done, lest any one should give a different and a false account of it, and lest thou shouldst think that the lies of the Jews are to be believed.^ both that

risen again, that they

be found in the Acts of Peter Greek form. The above, taken from the Gospel of Nicodemus, represents the larger Latin Form *

This

and Paul

letter is also to

in the

of the Epistola Pilati; in a shorter Latin as

follows,

according to

Thilo's

Apocryphus, pp. 8oi, 802:

239

text

Form in

his

reads

Codex

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST Pontius Pilate, Procurator of ludcua,

to Tiberius Ccesar,

Emperor

—

Concerning Jesus Christ, on whom in my last communication I made a plain declaration to you, that severe punishment was inflicted by desire of the people, no previous age had I being unwilling and reluctant, or will have a man, by Hercules, so pious, so (morally) austere. But here arose a wonderful effort of the people ^itself, and a concurrence of the scribes and chiefs and elders (although their prophets, who according to us would be called Sibyls, warned against it), to crucify

—

this

ambassador of

truth,

their appearance while

supernatural

signs

making

he was suspended (on the cross),

such as threatened, in the opinion of philosophers, ruin to the whole world. His disciples flourish, not proving untrue in work and continuance of life to their master; nay, being most beneficent in his name.

Unless I had been in the utmost fear lest a sedition should arise of the people who were almost boiling over, perchance that man would still live for us. Although fidelity to your dignity, rather than my own will, prevented my opposing with all my strength the sale and suffering of just blood, void of any accusation, merely through the malignity of men (and) yet (to eventuate), as the Scriptures

make

plain, in their

own

destruction.

April.

240

Farewell.

—

v. Cal.

SECTION

Report of Pilate to Tiberius Caesar. Pontius Pilate, administering the Eastern government, to Tiberius Cassar, most powerful

and

sacred.-^

I have thought proper,

much

filled

(as I

am) with

fear and trembling most powerful king,

to indicate

this,

my own

writing, to your

practical piety, the contingency (to nature) of tliis

date as the event

While

made

known.

master, according to the

command

of thy serenity was administering this eparchy,

which

one of the eastern

lem, in which ish race, the

Jerusa-

situated the temple of the Jew-

whole multitude of the Jews being

assembled, delivered to

The

cities called

me a man

nam^ed Jesus,

document is Anaphora of Pilate, and is extant in two Greek forms, see Thilo, 1. c, pp. 804812. In Syriac and Arabic, together with an English translation, the Anaphora is published in the Studia Sinaitica v (Apocrypha Sinaitica) ed. by M. I. Gibson, London, 1896. ^

title

of this

241

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST bringing

many and unusual

accusations against

Him, but they were not able by any statement to convict Him. There was one party of them (who charged) against Him that He said the Sabbath was not their true rest. That man performed many cures in addition to good works. He made the blind see, purified lepers, raised the dead, healed paralytics who were totally unable to move, except that they retained speech, and the articulation of their bones, and He gave them power to walk about and run, imparting it by a mere word. He did another more powerful work, which

(to perform)

was strange even for our gods

from the dead a certain

raised

Lazarus, dead since the fourth day, command-

ing by a word only the dead

man (whose body

was already destroyed by worms and vermin)

and He commanded that foul-smelling body which was lying in the sepulcher to run and this (dead man), like a bridegroom from his chamber, came out of the sepulcher filled with

to awake,

And

the most fragrant perfume. lessly insane wlio

had

certain help-

their dwelling in the des-

erts eating flesh of their

own

limbs, fellow-livers

with the reptiles and wild beasts, (these) placed

inhabitants

242

cities

their

He own

MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS and by a mere word, exhibited them in their sound mind and intelligent and others, in whom were a crowd of unclean spirits, He houses,

;

made

to be

men

of repute, and driving out the

demons who were in them into the of swine,

choked them.

Also by a mere word

rendered sound another

withered hand,

man who had

who with pain acquired

ing, not ever having the half of his

Also a

woman who had

a herd

sea, in

his liv-

body sound.

a flow of blood for a

great length of time, so that because of joints of her bones were visible,

the

and the body

which she carried round had hardly a human appearance, but looked like alabaster, and as if it

were a dead body because of her

loss

blood, for all physicians proclaiming her hopeless,

paid no attention to her, for there was no

hope of preservation in

her.

Then

as Jesus

was passing, she receiving strength from His shadow, touched the in the

hem

of His garments, and

same hour the strength of her body was

and she became sound as one who had had no disease, and began to run at full speed restored,

to her

And

own

city Paneas.

these things were as narrated, but the

Jews charged that Jesus did these things on the 243

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST know wonderful things done by Him beyond what the gods, whom we recogSabbath.

But

perform.

nize,

Herod therefore, and Archelaus, and Philip, and Annas, and Caiaphas, with the whole people, delivered this

man

for examination,

up much tumult against me as regarded their accusations against Him. At first scourging Him, I found no fault in the matters which they charged against Him. Afterwards, I gave stirring

Him

again to them, and they had crucified

when a darkness occurred over

Him

the whole world,

the full-orbed sun being hidden, and the firma-

ment of darkness appearing

day time (so that

the stars were not visible), but nevertheless hav-

ing

its

far-sliining

brilliancy

darkened as

not unknown to your highness

whole

world

lamps

they lighted

sixth hour until early.

since

And

the

from

the the

moon being

blood did not disappear during the whole night,

although she was

full.

And

the whole world was

shaken by unheard of portents, and the whole creation was about to be swallowed

underworld; likewise the

veil

up by

the

of their temple

was rent from above downwards as thunder and 244

MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS a great noise from heaven occurred so that the earth shook and trembled.

In the midst of the fright dead persons appeared rising up. As the Jews themselves, who

had

seen, stated:

and

Isaac,

That we have seen Abraham, and Jacob, and the twelve patri-

those

archs,

visibly

died

many

and

years ago,

Noah

that

the

twenty-five others

body.

and

;

hundred

saw

But the

stars

and Orion made lamentation on account of the

And

Jews, because of their lawlessness.

after

the

Sabbath,

about the third hour of

the night, the sun became visible as

shone

and

before,

And

bright.

whole

the

as winter lightnings

appearance, thus certain

men on

never

heaven

was

make

their

high, of bril-

and of inexpressible glory, apthe air, and an unnumbered multitude

liant clothing

peared in

of angels, calling out: is

God, has

arisen.

The

And

crucified Christ,

who

a voice was heard,

powerful as thunder, saying: Glory in the highest to

God and upon

good-will.

among men

Ascend from the underworld, you

who have been regions.

earth peace,

And

enslaved

its

subterranean

at their cry all the mountains

245

and

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST hills

were shaken, and the rocks were rent, and

mighty chasms took place

in the earth, so that

the contents of the abyss were visible.

bodies of the dead to the

number of

who had

five

fallen asleep arose,

hundred.

multitude walked around and

a loud voice saying

He who

And many

And

the whole

hymned God with

rose

from the dead,

Lord our God, restored to life all of us dead, and plundering the underworld, destroyed the

it.

The whole

of that night, therefore,

master, the light did not cease, but

royal

many

the Jews died and were engulfed and swallowed

in the

chasms on that night, so that their

bodies were not visible.

Those of the Jews I

mean O master, had disappeared who spoke against Jesus. One synagog was left in Jerusalem, since all those synagogs that

had been

against Jesus were swallowed up.

From

that fear, then, being in perplexity, and

seized with

much

trembling, at that same hour

ordered what had

been

done by the

against Jesus to be written, and I sent

Jews

to your

mightiness.^ ^

It is said that

emperor, he was

when

were read to the with anger, sent soldiers, and

Pilate's writings

filled

246

MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS ordered them to bring Pilate a prisoner. The latter is tried and condemned at Rome, as is narrated in the

Paradosis or Surrender of Pilate*

247

PART

SAYINGS OF JESUS

249

INTRODUCTION The

newly

" Sayings "

discovered

" Logia " at Behnesa in Middle

more than a passing

interest.

Egypt have They bring be-

fore us the fact that, besides the sayings of Jesus

recorded in the canonical gospels, there were also current uncanonical or extra-canonical sayings

reported by authors

who did not

derive

them

from the Gospels, but from sources which are

now

lost.

The

first

who made a

collection of

such extra-canonical sayings was J. E. Grabe,

who

in his Spicilegium SS.

Patrum

ticorum (Oxford 1698) published a

Haere-

collection

of eleven Dicta aliqua Jesu Christi quae in

Evangeliis non extant, ex S. Lucae Actis Apostolorum, Barnahae Epistola, aliisque

was foUov/ed by

Patribus,

A. Fabricius, who in

his

Codex Apocryphus Novi Testamenti (Hamburg 1703) published sixteen extra-canonical Christi, to which he added a few more third part of his codex (1719).

Korner issued

his

De sermonibus 251

dicta in the

In 1776 J. C. Christi

aypdipoLS"

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST (Lipsiae), in which the term agrapha

first

and 16 such agrapha are given. In 1839 Fr. Klopper pubhshed in his dicta Christi apocrypha (in Kieler TheoL Mitarbeiten, ed. Pelt) 24 dicta. Since that time collections of agrapha were published by different writers. We menused,

tion:

Hofmann,

R., Lehen Jesu

nach

den

Apo-

hryplien (Leipzig 1851).

Bunsen, Ch. K.

J.,

Analecta

Antenicaena

(London 1856). Westcott, B. F., Introduction to the Study of

(London 1860; Boston 1867). Dodd, J. T., Sayings ascribed to our Lord by the Fathers and other primitive writers (Oxford and London, 1874). the Gospels

Schaff, Ph., History of the Christian Churchy

(New York 1882). Pick, B., The Life of Jesus according

vol. I.

to extra-

canonical sources (containing 25 sayings.

New

York, 1887). Resch, A., Agrapha. Ausserkanonische Evan-

gelienfragmente (Leipsic 1889, being part of

und Untersuchungen by von Gebhardt and Harnack a very

the fifth edited

vol.

Texte

" thesaurus "). 252

SAYINGS OF JESUS Barnes,

and

E., Canonical

uncanonical

Gospels (London 1893, worthless for our purpose).

Ropes, J. H., Die Sprilche Jesu die in den

Kanonischen Evangelien nicht

ilherliefert sind:

D. Alfred

eine Kritische Bearbeitung des von

Resch gesammelten

forming

part

Materials^

(Leipsic

volume

fourteenth

the

1896, of

Texte). Nestle, E.,

Novi Testamenti Graeci Supple-

mentum (Lipsiae 1896, Fayoom-Fragment )

containing

Jackson, B., Twenty-Five

1900, referring for the

first

also

the

Agrapha (London time to the newly-

discovered Logia).

Die Reste der

Preuschen, E., Antilegomena. ausserkanojiischen lichen

Evangelien

Ueherlieferungen

und

(Giessen

urchrist-

1901,

con-

taining besides the Fayoom-Fragment, also the

newly-discovered Logia )

With

the

exception of

the

last

two works

none of the above mentioned refers to the newly discovered Oxyrhynchus Logia which, as soon as

they were published by B. P. Grenfell and A. S.

Hunt (London 1897), became

productive of

a number of articles and pamphlets in the Eng-

253

EXTRA-CANONICAL LIFE OF CHRIST German, Dutch, French and Italian languages. Of the numerous writings we mention the following which have come to our notice:

llsh,

German, Blass,

Evangelische

Kirchenzeitung,

1897,

498fF.

Harnack,

Ueber

die

entdeckten

jiingst

Spriiche Jesu, Freiburg, 1897

;

Robin-