_THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PETER_(4)
(1) ... but of the Jews no man washed his hands, neither Herod nor any one
of his judges; and as they were not minded to wash, Pilate rose. (2) And
then Herod the King commandeth the Lord to be taken, saying unto them:
“Whatsoever I commanded that ye should do, that do unto him.” (3) But
there was there Joseph, the friend of Pilate and of the Lord, and knowing
that they are about to crucify him, he came to Pilate and asked the body
of the Lord for burial. (4) And Pilate sent to Herod and asked for his
body. (5) And Herod said: “Brother Pilate, even if no one had begged for
him, we should have buried him; because the Sabbath is at hand; for it is
written in the Law: ‘The sun must not go down upon one put to death.’ ”
(6) And he delivered him to the people before the first day of the
Unleavened bread of their feast. And taking the Lord they pushed him
hurrying along, and said: “Let us drag along the Son of God as we have
power over him.” (7) And they clad him with purple and set him on a seat
of judgment, saying: “Judge justly, King of Israel.” (8) And one of them
brought a crown of thorns and set it upon the head of the Lord. (9) And
others standing by spat upon his eyes, and others smote him on the cheeks;
others pierced him with a reed, and some scourged him, saying: “With this
honour honour we the Son of God.”
(10) And they brought two malefactors and crucified between them the Lord;
but he kept silence as feeling no pain. (11) And as they set up the cross
they wrote thereon: “This is the King of Israel.” (12) And they laid the
clothes before him and distributed them and cast lots for them. (13) But
one of these malefactors reproved them, saying: “We have suffered this for
the evil which we wrought, but this man who has become the Saviour of men,
what wrong hath he done you?” (14) And they were angry with him, and they
commanded that his legs should not be broken, in order that he might die
in torment.
(15) Now it was mid-day, and a darkness covered all Judaea, and they were
troubled and anxious lest the sun should have set whilst he still lived,
for it is written for them: “The sun must not go down upon one put to
death.” (16) And one of them said: “Give him to drink gall with vinegar;”
and having mixed, they gave him to drink. (17) And they fulfilled all
things and completed their sins upon their own head. (18) Now many went
about with lights, thinking that it was night, and some fell. (19) And the
Lord cried aloud, saying; “Power, my Power, thou hast forsaken me!” and
having spoken, he was taken up. (20) And the same hour the veil of the
temple of Jerusalem was torn in twain.
(21) And then they took out the nails from the hands of the Lord, and laid
him upon the earth; and the whole earth quaked, and great fear came [upon
them]. (22) Then did the sun shine out, and it was found to be the ninth
hour. (23) Now the Jews were glad and gave his body to Joseph, that he
might bury it, for he had beheld the good works that he did. (24) And he
took the Lord and washed him, and wrapped him in linen, and brought him
into his own grave, called “Joseph’s Garden.”
(25) Then the Jews and the elders and the priests, seeing the evil they
had done to themselves, began to beat their breasts and to say: “Woe for
our sins: judgment draweth nigh and the end of Jerusalem.” (26) And I,
with my companions, was mourning, and being pierced in spirit we hid
ourselves; for we were sought for by them as malefactors, and as desiring
to burn the temple. (27) Over all these things, however, we were fasting,
and sat mourning and weeping night and day until the Sabbath.
(28) But the scribes and Pharisees and elders assembled themselves
together, hearing that all the people murmured and beat their breasts,
saying: “If at his death these great signs have happened, behold how just
a one he is.” (29) The elders were afraid and came to Pilate beseeching
him and saying: (30) “Give us soldiers that we may watch his grave for
three days, lest his disciples come and steal him, and the people believe
that he rose from the dead and do us evil.” (31) Pilate, therefore, gave
them Petronius the centurion with soldiers to watch the tomb, and with
them came the elders and scribes to the grave. (32) And they rolled a
great stone against the centurion and the soldiers and set it, all who
were there together, at the door of the grave. (33) And they put seven
seals; and setting up a tent there they kept guard. (34) And in the
morning, at the dawn of the Sabbath, came a multitude from Jerusalem and
the neighbourhood in order that they might see the sealed-up grave.
(35) Now, in the night before the dawn of the Lord’s day, whilst the
soldiers were keeping guard over the place, two and two in a watch, there
was a great voice in the heaven. (36) And they saw the heavens opened and
two men come down from thence with great light and approach the tomb. (37)
And the stone which had been laid at the door rolled of itself away by the
side, and the tomb was opened and both the young men entered.
(38) Then those soldiers, seeing this, awakened the centurion and the
elders, for they also were keeping watch. (39) And whilst they were
narrating to them what they had seen, they beheld again three men coming
out of the tomb and the two were supporting the one, and a cross following
them. (40) And the heads of the two indeed reached up to the heaven, but
that of him that was led by (41) their hands rose above the heavens. And
they heard a voice from the heavens, saying: “Hast thou preached to them
that are sleeping?” (42) And an answer was heard from the cross: “Yea.”
(43) These, therefore, took counsel together whether they should go and
declare these things to Pilate. (44) And whilst they were still
considering, the heavens again appeared opened, and a certain man
descending and going into the grave.
(45) Seeing these things, the centurion and his men hastened to Pilate by
night, leaving the tomb they were watching, and narrated all things they
had seen, fearing greatly and saying: (46) “Truly he was a Son of God.”
Pilate answered and said, “I am pure of the blood of the Son of God, but
thus it seemed good unto you.” (47) Then they all came to him beseeching
and entreating him that he should command the centurion and the soldiers
to say nothing of what they had seen. (48) “For it is better,” they said,
“to lay upon us the greatest sins before God, and not to fall into the
hands of the people of the Jews and be stoned.” (49) Pilate, therefore,
commanded the centurion and the soldiers to say nothing.
(50) In the morning of the Lord’s day, Mary Magdalene, a disciple of the
Lord (through fear of the Jews, for they burnt with anger, she had not
done at the grave of the Lord that which women are accustomed to do for
those that die and are loved by them), (51) took her women friends with
her and came to the grave where he was laid. (52) And they feared lest the
Jews should see them, and said: “If we could not on that day in which he
was crucified weep and lament, let us do these things even now at his
grave. (53) But who will roll us away the stone that is laid at the door
of the grave, in order that we may enter and set ourselves by him and do
the things that are due? (54) For great was the stone, and we fear lest
some one should see us. And if we should not be able to do it, let us at
least lay down before the door that which we bring in his memory, and let
us weep and lament till we come to our house.” (55) And they went and
found the tomb opened and, coming near, they stooped down and see there a
certain young man sitting in the midst of the tomb, beautiful and clad in
a shining garment, who said to them: (56) “Why are ye come? Whom seek ye?
Him who was crucified? He is risen and gone away. But if ye do not
believe, stoop down and see the place where he lay, that he is not there;
for he is risen and gone away thither whence he was sent.” (57) Then the
women, frightened, fled.
(58) And it was the last day of the Unleavened bread, and many went forth,
returning to their homes, the feast being ended. (59) But we, the twelve
disciples of the Lord, wept and mourned, and each went to his home
sorrowing for that which had happened. (60) But I, Simon Peter, and
Andrew, my brother, took our nets and went to the sea, and there was with
us Levi, the son of Alphaeus, whom the Lord....