Hope W. Hogg’s introduction (abridged)
The aim of the following introductory paragraphs is neither to furnish a detailed restatement of facts already known, nor to offer an independent contribution to the discussion of the problems that arise, although in other circumstances such an attempt might be made with advantage. All that is needed and practicable here is to describe briefly, if possible, the nature of the connection between the English treatise forming the next part of this volume and the ancient work known as the Diatessaron of Tatian; and then to indicate in a few words some of the more important or interesting features of the work itself, and some of the historical and other problems that are in one way or another connected with it.
The Text Translated
What is offered to the reader is a translation into English of an Arabic text, published at Rome in 1888, in a volume entitled in Arabic Diatessaron, which Titianus Compiled from the Four Gospels, with the alternative Latin title, Tatiani Evangeliorum Harmoniæ, Arabice. The Roman volume consists of two parts—the text, covering a little over 209 very clearly printed Arabic pages, and a Latin half, comprising a scholarly introduction (pp. v.-xv.), a Latin translation (pp. 1-99), and a table showing the order in which the passages taken from the gospels occur in the text. The editor is P. Agostino Ciasca, a well known Orientalist, “scriptor” at the Vatican Library.
The Arabic Text
Only two Arabic mss. are known to exist. Ciasca tells us (p. xiv.) that he took as the basis of his text that ms. which is more careful in its orthography, the Cod. Vat. Arab. No. 14. He, however, printed at the foot of the page the variants of the other ms., and supplied from it two lacunæ in the Cod. Vat., substituted its readings for those of the Cod. Vat. where he thought them preferable, and followed its testimony in omitting two important passages. Here and there Ciasca has emended the text, but he does not profess to have produced a critical edition.
The Arabic Editor and his Method
Ibn-at-Tayyib (d. 1043) is a well known man, a Nestorian monk and scholar, secretary to Elias I., Patriarch of Nisibis (for references to sources see, e.g., Ciasca’s Introduction, p. xi. f. and Steinschneider’s long note in his Polemische und apologetische Lit. in Arabische Sprache, pp. 52-55). As we are here concerned with him simply as a link in the chain connecting our present work with its original source, the only point of interest for us is the method he followed in producing it. Did he prepare an independent translation or did he make use of existing Arabic versions, his own or others’? Until this question which space forbids us to discuss here, has been more thoroughly investigated, it must suffice to say that in view of the features in the present text that have not yet been shown to exist in any other Arabic version, it is still at least a tenable hypothesis that Ibn-at-Tayyib’s ms. constituted to a considerable extent a real translation rather than a sort of Arabic parallel to the Codex Fuldensis (see below, 12).
The Author of the Diatessaron
The Diatessaron is such an impersonal work that we do not need to know very much about its compiler. It will suffice here to say that he tells us himself that he was born “in the land of the Assyrians,” and brought up a heathen. After travelling in search of knowledge, he settled at Rome, where he became a pupil of Justin Martyr, professed Christianity, and wrote in Greek his Address to the Greeks, translated in vol. iii. of the Ante-Nicene Christian Library. He was too independent in his attitude to maintain a permanent popularity, and after Justin’s death left Rome and returned to Mesopotamia. It was probably here that he issued in Syriac his most important work, the Diatessaron, which won such a warm place in the heart of the Syrian church. Among the Greek scholars, however, he became more and more regarded as a heretic, Encratite (ascetic), and Gnostic.
The Diatessaron as a Harmony
Not very much need be said on this subject, as every reader can collect the facts for himself. In its present form the Harmony draws from all the four canonical gospels, and from very little else. Opinions differ as to whether it originally indicated the gospel from which any given piece was drawn, and some uncertainty must remain in special cases as to what gospel actually has been drawn upon. Professor G. F. Moore, in a very interesting article on the Diatessaron, having counted the references in the Arabic mss., states that the Arabic text contains 50 percent of Mark, 66 percent of Luke, 76.5 percent of Matthew, and 96 percent of John. The summation of his figures gives the following result: out of a total of 3780 verses in the four gospels, the Diatessaron quotes 2769 and omits 1011. As to the order in which the whole is arranged, Moore thinks that Matthew has chiefly been followed; while Zahn regards the Fourth Gospel as normative. For a specimen of the way in which words and phrases from the different gospels are woven together, we may refer to § 52, 35 ff., and the notes thereon. In the Arabic mss., and probably in the Syriac exemplar, the work is divided into fifty-four almost equal chapters, followed by one short one—a feature that agrees well with what we have learned of the work as being of old the lectionary of the Syrian church.
The opening of the harmony
Section I: The Word, the annunciations and the birth of John
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God is the 2,3Word. This was in the beginning with God. Everything was by his hand, and 4without him not even one existing thing was made. In him was life, and the life 5is the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness apprehended it not.
6There was in the days of Herod the king a priest whose name was Zacharias, of the family of Abijah; and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name 7was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all his commands, 8and in the uprightness of God without reproach. And they had no son, for 9Elizabeth was barren, and they had both advanced in age. And while he discharged 10the duties of priest in the order of his service before God, according to the custom of the priesthood it was his turn to burn incense; so he entered the 11temple of the Lord. And the whole gathering of the people were praying without at the 12time of the incense. And there appeared unto Zacharias the angel of the Lord, standing 13at the right of the altar of incense; and Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, 14and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Be not agitated, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt 15call his name John; and thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice 16at his birth. And he shall be great before the Lord, and shall not drink wine nor strong drink, and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit while he is in his mother’s 17womb. And he shall turn back many of the children of Israel to the Lord their 18God. And he shall go before him in the spirit, and in the power of Elijah the prophet, to turn back the heart of the fathers to the sons, and those that obey not to the knowledge of the righteous; and to prepare for the Lord a perfect people. 19And Zacharias said unto the angel, How shall I know this, since I am an old man 20and my wife is advanced in years? And the angel answered and said unto him, I am Gabriel, that standeth before God; and I was sent to speak unto thee, and give 21thee tidings of this. Henceforth thou shalt be speechless, and shalt not be able to speak until the day in which this shall come to pass, because thou didst not trust 22this my word, which shall be accomplished in its time. And the people were standing awaiting Zacharias, and they were perplexed at his delaying in the temple. 23And when Zacharias went out, he was not able to speak unto them: so they knew that he had seen in the temple a vision; and he made signs unto them, and 24continued dumb. And when the days of his service were completed, he departed to his dwelling.
25And after those days Elizabeth his wife conceived; and she hid herself five 26months, and said, This hath the Lord done unto me in the days when he looked upon me, to remove my reproach from among men.
27And in the sixth month Gabriel the angel was sent from God to Galilee to a 28city called Nazareth, to a virgin given in marriage to a man named Joseph, of the 29house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel entered unto her and said unto her, Peace be unto thee, thou who art filled with grace. Our Lord 30is with thee, thou blessed amongst women. And she, when she beheld, was agitated 31at his word, and pondered what this salutation could be. And the angel said unto 32her, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God. Thou shalt now conceive, 33and bear a son, and call his name Jesus. This shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give him the throne of 34David his father: and he shall rule over the house of Jacob for ever; and to his 35kingdom there shall be no end. Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be to 36me when no man hath known me? The angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit will come, and the power of the Most High shall rest upon thee, and therefore shall he that is born of thee be pure, and shall be called the Son 37of God. And lo, Elizabeth thy kinswoman, she also hath conceived a son in her old 38age; and this is the sixth month with her, her that is called barren. For nothing is 39difficult for God. Mary said, Lo, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be unto me according unto thy word. And the angel departed from her.
40And then Mary arose in those days and went in haste into the hill country, to a 41city of Judah; and entered into the house of Zacharias, and asked for the health of 42Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in 43her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit; and cried with a loud voice and said unto Mary, Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the 44fruit that is in thy womb. Whence have I this privilege, that the mother of my 45Lord should come unto me? When the sound of thy salutation reached my ears, 46with great joy rejoiced the babe in my womb. And blessed is she who believed 47that what was spoken to her from the Lord would be fulfilled. And Mary said,
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
48And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour,
49Who hath looked upon the low estate of his handmaiden:
Lo, henceforth, all generations shall pronounce blessing on me.
50For he hath done great things for me, who is mighty,
And holy is his name.
51And his mercy embraceth them who fear him,
Throughout the ages and the times.
52He wrought the victory with his arm,
And scattered them that prided themselves in their opinions.
53He overthrew them that acted haughtily from their thrones,
And raised the lowly.
54He satisfied with good things the hungry,
And left the rich without anything.
55He helped Israel his servant,
And remembered his mercy
56(According as he spake with our fathers)
Unto Abraham and unto his seed for ever.
57And Mary abode with Elizabeth about three months, and returned unto her house.
58,59And Elizabeth’s time of delivery was come; and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and kinsfolk heard that God had multiplied his mercy towards her; 60and they rejoiced with her. And when it was the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child, and called him Zacharias, calling him by the name of his father. 61And his mother answered and said unto them, Not so; but he shall be called John. 62And they said unto her, There is no man of thy kindred that is called by this name. 63,64And they made signs to his father, saying, How dost thou wish to name him? And he asked for a tablet, and wrote and said, His name is John. And every one wondered. 65And immediately his mouth was opened, and his tongue, and he spake and 66praised God. And fear fell on all their neighbours: and this was spoken of in all 67the mountains of Judah. And all who heard pondered in their hearts and said, What shall this child be? And the hand of the Lord was with him.
68And Zacharias his father was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied and said,
69Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel,
Who hath cared for his people, and wrought for it salvation;
70And hath raised for us the horn of salvation
In the house of David his servant
71(As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets from eternity),
72That he might save us from our enemies,
And from the hand of all them that hate us.
73And he hath performed his mercy towards our fathers,
And remembered his holy covenants,
74And the oath which he sware unto Abraham our father,
That he would give us deliverance from the hand of our enemies,
And without fear we shall serve before him
All our days with equity and righteousness.
And as for thee, O child, prophet of the Most High shalt thou be called.
Thou shalt go forth before the face of the Lord to prepare his way,
To give the knowledge of salvation unto his people,
For the forgiveness of their sins,
Through the mercy of the compassion of our God,
With which he careth for us, to appear from on high
To give light to them that sit in darkness and under the shadow of death,
And to set straight our feet in the way of peace.
And the child grew and became strong in the spirit, and abode in the desert until the time of his appearing unto the children of Israel.
Section II: The birth of Jesus
1Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah was on this wise: In the time when his mother was given in marriage to Joseph, before they came together, 2she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband was a just man and did not wish to expose her, and he purposed to put her away secretly. 3But when he thought of this, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, and said unto him, Joseph, son of David, fear not to take Mary thy wife, for that 4which is begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit. She shall bear a son, and thou shalt 5call his name Jesus, and he shall save his people from their sins. And all this was that the saying from the Lord by the prophet might be fulfilled:
6Behold, the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
And they shall call his name Immanuel,
7which is, being interpreted, With us is our God. And when Joseph arose from his 8sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took his wife; and knew her not until she brought forth her firstborn son.
9And in those days there went forth a decree from Augustus Cæsar that all the 10people of his dominion should be enrolled. This first enrolment was while Quirinius 11,12was governor of Syria. And every man went to be enrolled in his city. And Joseph went up also from Nazareth, a city of Galilee, to Judæa, to the city of David 13which is called Bethlehem (for he was of the house of David and of his tribe), with 14Mary his betrothed, she being with child, to be enrolled there. And while 15she was there the days for her being delivered were accomplished. And she brought forth her firstborn son; and she wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them where they were staying.
16And there were in that region shepherds abiding, keeping their flock in the watch 17of the night. And behold, the angel of God came unto them, and the glory of the 18Lord shone upon them; and they were greatly terrified. And the angel said unto them, Be not terrified; for I bring you tidings of great joy which shall be to the 19whole world; there is born to you this day a Saviour, which is the Lord the Messiah, 20in the city of David. And this is a sign for you: ye shall find a babe wrapped 21in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger. And there appeared with the angels suddenly many heavenly forces praising God and saying,
22Praise be to God in the highest,
And on the earth peace, and good hope to men.
23And when the angels departed from them to heaven, the shepherds spake to one another and said, We will go to Bethlehem and see this word which hath been, as 24the Lord made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary and 25Joseph, and the babe laid in a manger. And when they saw, they reported the word 26which was spoken to them about the child. And all that heard wondered at the 27description which the shepherds described to them. But Mary kept these sayings 28and discriminated them in her heart. And those shepherds returned, magnifying and praising God for all that they had seen and heard, according as it was described unto them.
29And when eight days were fulfilled that the child should be circumcised, his name was called Jesus, being that by which he was called by the angel before his conception in the womb.
30And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were 31completed, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him before the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male opening the womb shall be called the 32holy thing of the Lord), and to give a sacrificial victim as it is said in the law of 33the Lord, A pair of doves or two young pigeons. And there was in Jerusalem a man whose name was Simeon; and this man was upright and pious, and expecting 34the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been said unto him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death till he had seen with 35his eyes the Messiah of the Lord. And this man came by the Spirit to the temple; and at the time when his parents brought in the child Jesus, that they might 36present for him a sacrifice, as it is written in the law, he bare him in his arms and praised God and said,
37Now loosest thou the bonds of thy servant, O Lord, in peace,
According to thy saying;
38For mine eye hath witnessed thy mercy,
39Which thou hast made ready because of the whole world;
40A light for the unveiling of the nations,
And a glory to thy people Israel.
41And Joseph and his mother were marvelling at the things which were being said 42concerning him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, Behold, he is set for the overthrow and rising of many in Israel; and for a sign of contention; 43and a spear shall pierce through thine own soul; that the thoughts of the 44hearts of many may be revealed. And Anna the prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, was also advanced in years (and she dwelt 45with her husband seven years from her virginity, and she remained a widow about eighty-four years); and she left not the temple, and served night and day with 46fasting and prayer. And she also rose in that hour and thanked the Lord, and she 47spake of him with every one who was expecting the deliverance of Jerusalem. And when they had accomplished everything according to what is in the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to Nazareth their city.
The passion and resurrection
Section XLIV: The Last Supper begins
1,2And when Jesus finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, Ye know that after two days will be the passover, and the Son of man is delivered up to be 3crucified. Then gathered together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders 4of the people, unto the court of the chief priest, who was called Caiaphas; and they took counsel together concerning Jesus, that they might seize him by subtilty, and 5kill him. But they said, Not during the feast, lest there take place a disturbance among the people; for they feared the people.
6And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, who was of the number 7of the twelve. And he went away, and communed with the chief priests, and the scribes, and those that held command in the temple, and said unto them, What 8would ye pay me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they, when they heard it, were pleased, and made ready for him thirty pieces of money. 9And he promised them, and from that time he sought an opportunity that he might deliver unto them Jesus without the multitude.
10And on the first day of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, and said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and make ready for thee that thou mayest eat the passover?
11And before the feast of the passover, Jesus knew that the hour was arrived for his departure from this world unto his Father; and he loved his own in this world, 12and to the last he loved them. And at the time of the feast, Satan put into the 13heart of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to deliver him up. And Jesus, because he knew that the Father had delivered into his hands everything, and that he came 14forth from the Father, and goeth unto God, rose from supper, and laid aside his 15garments; and took a towel, and girded his waist, and poured water into a bason, and began to wash the feet of his disciples, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith 16his waist was girded. And when he came to Simon Cephas, Simon said unto 17him, Dost thou, my Lord, wash for me my feet? Jesus answered and said unto 18him, What I do, now thou knowest not; but afterwards thou shalt learn. Simon said unto him, Thou shalt never wash for me my feet. Jesus said unto him, If I 19wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Cephas said unto him, Then, my 20Lord, wash not for me my feet alone, but my hands also and my head. Jesus said unto him, He that batheth needeth not to wash save his feet, whereas his whole 21body is clean: and ye also are clean, but not all of you. For Jesus knew him that should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.
22So when he had washed their feet, he took his garments, and sat down, and 23said unto them, Know ye what I have done unto you? Ye call me, Master, 24and, Lord: and ye say well; so I am. If then I, now, who am your Lord and Master, have washed for you your feet, how needful is it that ye should wash one another’s feet! 25This have I given you as an example, that as I have done to you so ye should do 26also. Verily, verily, I say unto you, No servant is greater than his lord; nor an 27apostle greater than he that sent him. If ye know that, ye are happy if ye do it. 28My saying this is not for all of you: for I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture might be fulfilled, He that eateth with me bread lifted against me his 29heel. Henceforth I say unto you before it come to pass, that, when it cometh to 30pass, ye may believe that I am he. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and whosoever receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
31Who is the great one, he that sitteth, or he that serveth? is it not he that sitteth? 32I am among you as he that serveth. But ye are they that have continued with me 33in my temptations; I promise you, as my Father promised me, the kingdom, that ye may eat and drink at the table of my kingdom.
34And the first day came, the feast of unleavened bread, on which the Jews were 35wont to sacrifice the passover. And Jesus sent two of his disciples, Cephas and John, and said unto them, Go and make ready for us the passover, that we may eat. 36,37And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we make ready for thee? He said unto them, Go, enter the city; and at the time of your entering, there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water; follow him, and the place where he entereth, say 38to such an one, the master of the house, Our Master saith, My time is come, and at thy house I keep the passover. Where then is the lodging-place where 39I shall eat with my disciples? And he will shew you a large upper room 40spread and made ready: there then make ready for us. And his two disciples went out, and came to the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover as he had said unto them.
41And when the evening was come, and the time arrived, Jesus came and reclined, 42and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have 43desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: I say unto you, that henceforth I shall not eat it, until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
44Jesus said that, and was agitated in his spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, 45verily, I say unto you, One of you, he that eateth with me, shall betray me. And they were very sorrowful; and they began to say unto him, one after another of 46them, Can it be I, Lord? He answered and said unto them, One of the twelve, 47he that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, will betray me. And lo, the hand of 48him that betrayeth me is on the table. And the Son of man goeth, as it is written of him: woe then to that man by whose hand the Son of man is betrayed! for it 49would have been better for that man had he not been born. And the disciples 50looked one on another, for they knew not to whom he referred; and they began to search among themselves, who that might be who was to do this.
Section XLVIII: Gethsemane, the arrest and Simon’s denial
1This said Jesus, and went forth with his disciples to a place which was called Gethsemane, on the side that is in the plain of Kidron, the mountain, the place 2in which was a garden; and he entered thither, he and his disciples. And Judas the 3betrayer knew that place: for Jesus oft-times met with his disciples there. And when Jesus came to the place, he said to his disciples, Sit ye here, so that I may go and pray; 4,5and pray ye, that ye enter not into temptations. And he took with him Cephas and the sons of Zebedee together, James and John; and he began to 6look sorrowful, and to be anxious. And he said unto them, My soul is distressed unto 7death: abide ye here, and watch with me. And he withdrew from them a little, 8the space of a stone’s throw; and he kneeled, and fell on his face, and prayed, so 9that, if it were possible, this hour might pass him. And he said, Father, thou art able for all things; if thou wilt, let this cup pass me: but let not my will be done, 10but let thy will be done. And he came to his disciples, and found them sleeping; 11and he said unto Cephas, Simon, didst thou sleep? Could ye thus not for one hour 12watch with me? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptations: the spirit is 13willing and ready, but the body is weak. And he went again a second time, and prayed, and said, My Father, if it is not possible with regard to this cup that it pass, 14except I drink it, thy will be done. And he returned again, and found his disciples sleeping, for their eyes were heavy from their grief and anxiety; and they knew not 15what to say to him. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed a third 16time, and said the very same word. And there appeared unto him an angel from 17heaven, encouraging him. And being afraid he prayed continuously: and his sweat 18became like a stream of blood, and fell on the ground. Then he rose from 19his prayer, and came to his disciples, and found them sleeping. And he 20said unto them, Sleep now, and rest: the end hath arrived, and the hour hath come; 21and behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Arise, let us go: for he hath come that betrayeth me.
22And while he was still speaking, came Judas the betrayer, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude carrying lanterns and torches and swords and staves, from the chief priests and scribes and elders of the people, and with him the footsoldiers 23of the Romans. And Judas the betrayer gave them a sign, and said, He whom I shall kiss, he is he: take him with care, and lead him away.
24And Jesus, because he knew everything that should come upon him, went forth 25unto them. And immediately Judas the betrayer came to Jesus, and said, Peace, 26my Master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Judas, with a kiss betrayest 27thou the Son of man? Was it for that thou camest, my friend? And Jesus said 28to those that came unto him, Whom seek ye? They said unto him, Jesus the Nazarene. Jesus said unto them, I am he. And Judas the betrayer also was standing 29with them. And when Jesus said unto them, I am he, they retreated backward, and 30fell to the ground. And Jesus asked them again, Whom seek ye? They answered, 31Jesus the Nazarene. Jesus said unto them, I told you that I am he: and if ye seek 32me, let these go away: that the word might be fulfilled which he spake, Of those 33whom thou hast given me I lost not even one. Then came those that were with Judas, and seized Jesus, and took him.
34And when his disciples saw what happened, they said, Our Lord, shall we smite 35them with swords? And Simon Cephas had a sword, and he drew it, and struck the servant of the chief priest, and cut off his right ear. And the name of that servant 36was Malchus. Jesus said unto Cephas, The cup which my Father hath given 37me, shall I not drink it? Put the sword into its sheath: for all that take with the 38sword shall die by the sword. Thinkest thou that I am not able to ask of my 39Father, and he shall now raise up for me more than twelve tribes of angels? Then 40how should the scriptures which were spoken be fulfilled, that thus it must be? Your 41leave in this. And he touched the ear of him that was struck, and healed it. And in that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, As they come out against a thief are ye come out against me with swords and staves to take me? Daily was I with you in 42the temple sitting teaching, and ye took me not: but this is your hour, and the power 43of darkness. And that was, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.
44Then the disciples all left him, and fled. And the footsoldiers and the officers 45and the soldiers of the Jews seized Jesus, and came. And a certain young man 46followed him, and he was wrapped in a towel, naked: and they seized him; so he 47left the towel, and fled naked. Then they took Jesus, and bound him, and brought him to Annas first; because he was the father in law of Caiaphas, 48who was chief priest that year. And Caiaphas was he that counselled the Jews, that it was necessary that one man should die instead of the people.
49And Simon Cephas and one of the other disciples followed Jesus. And the chief 50priest knew that disciple, and he entered with Jesus into the court; but Simon was standing without at the door. And that other disciple, whom the chief priest knew, 51went out and spake unto her that kept the door, and she brought Simon in. And when the maid that kept the door saw Simon, she looked stedfastly at him, and said unto him, Art not thou also one of the disciples of this man, I mean Jesus the 52Nazarene? But he denied, and said, Woman, I know him not, neither know I even 53what thou sayest. And the servants and the soldiers rose, and made a fire in the 54middle of the court, that they might warm themselves; for it was cold. And when 55the fire burned up, they sat down around it. And Simon also came, and sat down with them to warm himself, that he might see the end of what should happen.
Section XLIX: Before the high priest
1,2And the chief priest asked Jesus about his disciples, and about his doctrine. And Jesus said unto him, I was speaking openly to the people; and I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, where all the Jews gather; and I have spoken nothing in 3secret. Why askest thou me? ask those that have heard, what I spake unto 4them: for they know all that I said. And when he had said that, one of the soldiers which were standing there struck the cheek of Jesus, and said unto him, 5Dost thou thus answer the chief priest? Jesus answered and said unto him, If I 6have spoken evil, bear witness of evil: but if well, why didst thou smite me? And Annas sent Jesus bound unto Caiaphas the chief priest.
7And when Jesus went out, Simon Cephas was standing in the outer court warming 8himself. And that maid saw him again, and began to say to those that stood 9by, This man also was there with Jesus the Nazarene. And those that stood by 10came forward and said to Cephas, Truly thou art one of his disciples. And he 11denied again with an oath, I know not the man. And after a little one of the servants of the chief priest, the kinsman of him whose ear Simon cut off, saw him; and 12he disputed and said, Truly this man was with him: and he also is a Galilæan; 13and his speech resembles. And he said unto Simon, Did not I see thee with him 14in the garden? Then began Simon to curse, and to swear, I know not this man 15whom ye have mentioned. And immediately, while he was speaking, the cock crew 16twice. And in that hour Jesus turned, he being without, and looked stedfastly at Cephas. And Simon remembered the word of our Lord, which he said unto him, 17,18Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Simon went forth without, and wept bitterly.
19And when the morning approached, the servants of all the chief priests and the scribes and the elders of the people and all the multitude assembled, 20,21and made a plot; and they took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. And they sought false witnesses who should witness against him, that they might put him to 22,23death, and they found not; but many false witnesses came, but their witness did not 24,25agree. But at last there came two lying witnesses, and said, We heard him say, I will destroy this temple of God that is made with hands, and will build another not 26,27made with hands after three days. And not even so did their witness agree. But Jesus was silent. And the chief priest rose in the midst, and asked Jesus, and said, 28Answerest thou not a word concerning anything? what do these witness against 29,30thee? But Jesus was silent, and answered him nothing. And they took him up 31into their assembly, and said unto him, If thou art the Messiah, tell us. He said 32unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe me: and if I ask you, ye will not answer 33me a word, nor let me go. And the chief priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou art the Messiah, the 34,35Son of the living God. Jesus said unto him, Thou hast said that I am he. They all said unto him, Then thou art now the Son of God? Jesus said, Ye have said 36that I am he. I say unto you, that henceforth ye shall see the Son of man sitting 37at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven. Then the 38chief priest rent his tunic, and said, He hath blasphemed. And they all said, Why should we seek now witnesses? we have heard now the blasphemy from his mouth. 39,40What then think ye? They all answered and said, He is worthy of death. Then some of them drew near, and spat in his face, and struck him, and scoffed at him. 41And the soldiers struck him on his cheeks, and said, Prophesy unto us, thou Messiah: 42who is he that struck thee? And many other things spake they falsely, and said against him.
43And all of their assembly arose, and took Jesus, and brought him bound to 44the prætorium, and delivered him up to Pilate the judge; but they entered not into the prætorium, that they might not be defiled when they should eat the passover.
45And Jesus stood before the judge. And Pilate went forth unto them without, and 46said unto them, What accusation have ye against this man? They answered and said unto him, If he had not been doing evils, neither should we have delivered 47him up unto thee. We found this man leading our people astray, and restraining from giving tribute to Cæsar, and saying of himself that he is the King, the Messiah. 48Pilate said unto them, Then take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews said unto him, We have no authority to put a man to death: 49that the word might be fulfilled, which Jesus spake, when he made known by what manner of death he was to die.
50And Pilate entered into the prætorium, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art 51thou the King of the Jews? Jesus said unto him, Of thyself saidst thou this, or 52did others tell it thee concerning me? Pilate said unto him, Am I, forsooth, a Jew? The sons of thy nation and the chief priests delivered thee unto me: what 53hast thou done? Jesus said unto him, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be 54delivered to the Jews: now my kingdom is not from hence. Pilate said unto him, Then thou art a king? Jesus said unto him, Thou hast said that I am a king. And for this was I born, and for this came I into the world, that I should bear witness 55of the truth. And every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate said unto him, And what is the truth? And when he said that, he went out again unto the Jews.
Section L: Before Pilate and Herod
1And Pilate said unto the chief priests and the multitude, I have not found 2against this man anything. But they cried out and said, He hath disquieted our people with his teaching in all Judæa, and he began from Galilee and unto this 3place. And Pilate, when he heard the name of Galilee, asked, Is this man a Galilæan? 4And when he learned that he was under the jurisdiction of Herod, he sent him to Herod: for he was in Jerusalem in those days.
5And Herod, when he saw Jesus, rejoiced exceedingly: for he had desired to see him for a long time, because he had heard regarding him many things; and he counted on 6seeing some sign from him. And he questioned him with many words; but 7Jesus answered him not a word. And the scribes and chief priests were 8standing by, and they accused him vehemently. And Herod scoffed at him, he and his servants; and when he had scoffed at him, he clothed him in robes of scarlet, 9and sent him to Pilate. And on that day Pilate and Herod became friends, there having been enmity between them before that.
10,11And Pilate called the chief priests and the rulers of the people, and said unto them, Ye brought unto me this man, as the perverter of your people: and I have tried him before you, and have not found in this man any cause of all that ye 12seek against him: nor yet Herod: for I sent him unto him; and he hath done 13nothing for which he should deserve death. So now I will chastise him, and let 14,15him go. The multitude all cried out and said, Take him from us, take him. And 16the chief priests and the elders accused him of many things. And during their 17accusation he answered not a word. Then Pilate said unto him, Hearest thou not 18how many things they witness against thee? And he answered him not, not even one word: and Pilate marvelled at that.
19And when the judge sat on his tribune, his wife sent unto him, and said unto him, See that thou have nothing to do with that righteous man: for I have suffered much in my dream to-day because of him.
20And at every feast the custom of the judge was to release to the people one 21prisoner, him whom they would. And there was in their prison a well-known prisoner, 22,23called Barabbas. And when they assembled, Pilate said unto them, Ye have a custom, that I should release unto you a prisoner at the passover: will ye that I 24release unto you the King of the Jews? And they all cried out and said, Release not unto us this man, but release unto us Barabbas. And this Barabbas was a 25robber, who for sedition and murder, which was in the city, was cast into the 26prison. And all the people cried out and began to ask him to do as the custom was 27that he should do with them. And Pilate answered and said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called the Messiah, the 28King of the Jews? For Pilate knew that envy had moved them to deliver him up. 29And the chief priests and the elders asked the multitudes to deliver Barabbas, and 30to destroy Jesus. The judge answered and said unto them, Whom of the two will 31ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate said unto them, And 32Jesus which is called the Messiah, what shall I do with him? They all cried out 33and said, Crucify him. And Pilate spake to them again, for he desired to release 34Jesus; but they cried out and said, Crucify him, crucify him, and release unto us 35Barabbas. And Pilate said unto them a third time, What evil hath this man done? I have not found in him any cause to necessitate death: I will chastise him and 36let him go. But they increased in importunity with a loud voice, and asked him to crucify him. And their voice, and the voice of the chief priests, prevailed. 37Then Pilate released unto them that one who was cast into prison for sedition and murder, Barabbas, whom they asked for: and he scourged Jesus with whips.
38Then the footsoldiers of the judge took Jesus, and went into the prætorium, and 39gathered unto him all of the footsoldiers. And they stripped him, and put on 40him a scarlet cloak. And they clothed him in garments of purple, and plaited 41a crown of thorns, and placed it on his head, and a reed in his right hand; and while they mocked at him and laughed, they fell down on their knees before him, and bowed 42down to him, and said, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spat in his face, and took the reed from his hand, and struck him on his head, and smote his cheeks. 43And Pilate went forth without again, and said unto the Jews, I bring him forth to 44you, that ye may know that I do not find, in examining him, even one crime. And Jesus went forth without, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple garments. 45Pilate said unto them, Behold, the man! And when the chief priests and the soldiers saw him, they cried out and said, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate said unto them, Take him yourselves, and crucify him: for I find not a cause against 46him. The Jews said unto him, We have a law, and according to our law he deserves 47death, because he made himself the Son of God. And when Pilate heard this word, 48his fear increased; and he entered again into the porch, and said to Jesus, Whence 49art thou? But Jesus answered him not a word. Pilate said unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have authority to release thee, and have 50authority to crucify thee? Jesus said unto him, Thou hast not any authority over me, if thou wert not given it from above: therefore the sin of him that delivered 51me up unto thee is greater than thy sin. And for this word Pilate wished to release him: but the Jews cried out, If thou let him go, thou art not a friend of Cæsar: for every one that maketh himself a king is against Cæsar.
Section LI: The sentence and the crucifixion
1And when Pilate heard this saying, he took Jesus out, and sat on the tribune in the place which was called the pavement of stones, but in the Hebrew 2called Gabbatha. And that day was the Friday of the passover: and it had reached 3about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, Behold, your King! And they cried out, Take him, take him, crucify him, crucify him. Pilate said unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests said unto him, We have no king except 4Cæsar. And Pilate, when he saw it, and he was gaining nothing, but the tumult was increasing, took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, and said, I 5am innocent of the blood of this innocent man: ye shall know. And all the people 6answered and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. Then Pilate commanded to grant them their request; and delivered up Jesus to be crucified, according to their wish.
7Then Judas the betrayer, when he saw Jesus wronged, went and returned the 8thirty pieces of money to the chief priests and the elders, and said, I have sinned in my betraying innocent blood. And they said unto him, And we, what must we do? 9know thou. And he threw down the money in the temple, and departed; and he 10went away and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the money, and said, We have not authority to cast it into the place of the offering, for it is the price 11of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with it the plain of the potter, for 12the burial of strangers. Therefore that plain was called, The field of blood, unto 13this day. Therein was fulfilled the saying in the prophet which said, I took thirty pieces of money, the price of the precious one, which was fixed 14by the children of Israel; and I paid them for the plain of the potter, as the Lord commanded me.
15And the Jews took Jesus, and went away to crucify him. And when he bare his 16cross and went out, they stripped him of those purple and scarlet garments which he 17had on, and put on him his own garments. And while they were going with him, they found a man, a Cyrenian, coming from the country, named Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus: and they compelled this man to bear the cross of Jesus. 18And they took the cross and laid it upon him, that he might bear it, and come after Jesus; and Jesus went, and his cross behind him.
19And there followed him much people, and women which were lamenting and 20raving. But Jesus turned unto them and said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not 21for me: weep for yourselves, and for your children. Days are coming, when they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that bare not, and the breasts 22that gave not suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and 23to the hills, Cover us. For if they do so in the green tree, what shall be in the dry?
24And they brought with Jesus two others of the malefactors, to be put to death.
25And when they came unto a certain place called The skull, and called in the Hebrew Golgotha, they crucified him there: they crucified with him these two 26malefactors, one on his right, and the other on his left. And the scripture was 27fulfilled, which saith, He was numbered with the transgressors. And they gave him to drink wine and myrrh, and vinegar which had been mixed with the myrrh; and he tasted, and would not drink; and he received it not.
28And the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and cast lots for them in four parts, to every party of the soldiers a part; and his tunic was 29without sewing, from the top woven throughout. And they said one to another, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: and the scripture was fulfilled, which saith,
They divided my garments among them,
And cast the lot for my vesture.
30,31This the soldiers did. And they sat and guarded him there. And Pilate wrote on a tablet the cause of his death, and put it on the wood of the cross above his head. And there was written upon it thus: This is Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the 32Jews. And this tablet read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city: and it was written in Hebrew and Greek and Latin. 33And the chief priests said unto Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but, He it is 34that said, I am the King of the Jews. Pilate said unto them, What hath been 35written hath been written. And the people were standing beholding; and they 36that passed by were reviling him, and shaking their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself if thou art the Son 37of God, and come down from the cross. And in like manner the chief priests and the scribes and the elders and the Pharisees derided him, and laughed one with 38,39another, and said, The saviour of others cannot save himself. If he is the Messiah, the chosen of God, and the King of Israel, let him come down now from the 40cross, that we may see, and believe in him. He that relieth on God—let him deliver him 41now, if he is pleased with him: for he said, I am the Son of God. And the soldiers 42also scoffed at him in that they came near unto him, and brought him vinegar, and 43said unto him, If thou art the King of the Jews, save thyself. And likewise the two robbers also that were crucified with him reproached him.
44And one of those two malefactors who were crucified with him reviled him, and 45said, If thou art the Messiah, save thyself, and save us also. But his comrade rebuked him, and said, Dost thou not even fear God, being thyself also in this 46condemnation? And we with justice, and as we deserved, and according to our deed, have we been rewarded: but this man hath not done anything unlawful. 47And he said unto Jesus, Remember me, my Lord, when thou comest in thy kingdom. 48Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.
49And there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, 50Mary that was related to Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. And Jesus saw his mother, and that disciple whom he loved standing by; and he said to his mother, 51Woman, behold, thy son! And he said to that disciple, Behold, thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto himself.
52And from the sixth hour darkness was on all the land unto the ninth 53hour, and the sun became dark. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and said, Yail, Yaili, why hast thou forsaken me? which is, My 54God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And some of those that stood there, when they heard, said, This man called Elijah.
Section LII: The death and burial of Jesus
1And after that, Jesus knew that all things were finished; and that the scripture 2might be accomplished, he said, I thirst. And there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and in that hour one of them hasted, and took a sponge, and filled it with that 3vinegar, and fastened it on a reed, and brought it near his mouth to give him a 4drink. And when Jesus had taken that vinegar, he said, Everything is finished. 5But the rest said, Let be, that we may see whether Elijah cometh to save him. 6,7And Jesus said, My Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and said, My Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. He said that, and bowed his head, and gave up his spirit.
8And immediately the face of the door of the temple was rent into two parts from 9top to bottom; and the earth was shaken; and the stones were split to pieces; and the tombs were opened; and the bodies of many saints which slept, arose and 10came forth; and after his resurrection they entered into the holy city and 11appeared unto many. And the officer of the footsoldiers, and they that were with him who were guarding Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things which came 12to pass, feared greatly, and praised God, and said, This man was righteous; and, 13Truly he was the Son of God. And all the multitudes that were come together to the sight, when they saw what came to pass, returned and smote upon their breasts.
14And the Jews, because of the Friday, said, Let these bodies not remain on their crosses, because it is the morning of the sabbath (for that sabbath was a great day); and they asked of Pilate that they might break the legs of those that were 15crucified, and take them down. And the soldiers came, and brake the legs of the 16first, and that other which was crucified with him: but when they came to Jesus, 17they saw that he had died before, so they brake not his legs: but one of the soldiers pierced him in his side with a spear, and immediately there came forth blood and 18water. And he that hath seen hath borne witness, and his witness is true: and he 19knoweth that he hath said the truth, that ye also may believe. This he did, that 20the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, A bone shall not be broken in him; and the scripture also which saith, Let them look upon him whom they pierced.
21And there were in the distance all the acquaintance of Jesus standing, and the women that came with him from Galilee, those that followed him and ministered. 22One of them was Mary Magdalene; and Mary the mother of James the little and 23Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee, and Salome, and many others which came up with him unto Jerusalem; and they saw that.
24And when the evening of the Friday was come, because of the entering of the 25sabbath, there came a rich man, a noble of Ramah, a city of Judah, named Joseph, and he was a good man and upright; and he was a disciple of Jesus, but 26was concealing himself for fear of the Jews. And he did not agree with the accusers 27in their desire and their deeds: and he was looking for the kingdom of God. And this man went boldly, and entered in unto Pilate, and asked of him the body of 28Jesus. And Pilate wondered how he had died already: and he called the officer of 29the footsoldiers, and asked him concerning his death before the time. And when 30he knew, he commanded him to deliver up his body unto Joseph. And Joseph bought for him a winding cloth of pure linen, and took down the body of Jesus, 31and wound it in it; and they came and took it. And there came unto him Nicodemus also, who of old came unto Jesus by night; and he brought with him perfume 32of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. And they took the body of Jesus, and wound it in the linen and the perfume, as was the custom of the Jews to bury.
33And there was in the place where Jesus was crucified a garden; and in that garden 34a new tomb cut out in a rock, wherein was never man yet laid. And they left 35Jesus there because the sabbath had come in, and because the tomb was near. And they pushed a great stone, and thrust it against the door of the sepulchre, and 36went away. And Mary Magdalene and Mary that was related to Joses came to 37the sepulchre after them, and sat opposite the sepulchre, and saw the 38body, how they took it in and laid it there. And they returned, and bought ointment and perfume, and prepared it, that they might come and anoint him. 39And on the day which was the sabbath day they desisted according to the command.
40,41And the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered unto Pilate, and said unto him, Our lord, we remember that that misleader said, while he was alive, After three days 42I rise. And now send beforehand and guard the tomb until the third day, lest his disciples come and steal him by night, and they will say unto the people that he 43is risen from the dead: and the last error shall be worse than the first. He said unto them, And have ye not guards? go, and take precautions as ye know how. 44And they went, and set guards at the tomb, and sealed that stone, with the guards.
45And in the evening of the sabbath, which is the morning of the first day, and in 46the dawning while the darkness yet remained, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary and other women to see the tomb. They brought with them the 47perfume which they had prepared, and said among themselves, Who is it that will 48remove for us the stone from the door of the tomb? for it was very great. And when they said thus, there occurred a great earthquake; and an angel came down 49from heaven, and came and removed the stone from the door. And they came and found the stone removed from the sepulchre, and the angel sitting upon the 50stone. And his appearance was as the lightning, and his raiment white as the 51snow: and for fear of him the guards were troubled, and became as dead men. 52And when he went away, the women entered into the sepulchre; and they found 53not the body of Jesus. And they saw there a young man sitting on the 54right, arrayed in a white garment; and they were amazed. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear ye not: for I know that ye seek Jesus the 55Nazarene, who hath been crucified. He is not here; but he is risen, as he said. Come and see the place where our Lord lay.
Section LIII: The empty tomb and the road to Emmaus
1And while they marvelled at that, behold, two men standing above them, their 2raiment shining: and they were seized with fright, and bowed down their face to 3the earth: and they said unto them, Why seek ye the living one with the dead? He is not here; he is risen: remember what he was speaking unto you while he was in 4Galilee, and saying, The Son of man is to be delivered up into the hands of sinners, 5and to be crucified, and on the third day to rise. But go in haste, and say to his disciples and to Cephas, He is risen from among the dead; and lo, he goeth before 6you into Galilee; and there ye shall see him, where he said unto you: lo, I have 7told you. And they remembered his sayings; and they departed in haste from the 8tomb with joy and great fear, and hastened and went; and perplexity and fear 9encompassed them; and they told no man anything, for they were afraid. And Mary hastened, and came to Simon Cephas, and to that other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said unto them, They have taken our Lord from the sepulchre, and I 10know not where they have laid him. And Simon went out, and that other disciple, 11and came to the sepulchre. And they hastened both together: and that disciple 12outran Simon, and came first to the sepulchre; and he looked down, and saw the 13linen laid; but he went not in. And Simon came after him, and entered into the 14sepulchre, and saw the linen laid; and the scarf with which his head was bound was not with the linen, but wrapped and laid aside in a certain place. 15Then entered that disciple which came first to the sepulchre, and saw, and believed. 16And they knew not yet from the scriptures that the Messiah was to rise from among 17the dead. And those two disciples went to their place.
18But Mary remained at the tomb weeping: and while she wept, she looked 19down into the tomb; and she saw two angels sitting in white raiment, one of them toward his pillow, and the other toward his feet, where the body of Jesus had been 20laid. And they said unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She said unto them, 21They have taken my Lord, and I know not where they have left him. She said that, and turned behind her, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was 22Jesus. Jesus said unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? And she supposed him to be the gardener, and said, My lord, if thou hast taken him, 23tell me where thou hast laid him, that I may go and take him. Jesus said unto her, Mary. She turned, and said unto him in Hebrew, Rabboni; which is, being 24interpreted, Teacher. Jesus said unto her, Touch me not; for I have not ascended yet unto my Father: go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.
25And on the First-day on which he rose, he appeared first unto Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.
26And some of those guards came to the city, and informed the chief priests of 27all that had happened. And they assembled with the elders, and took 28counsel; and they gave money, not a little, to the guards, and said unto them, Say ye, His disciples came and stole him by night, while we were sleeping.
29And if the judge hear that, we will make a plea with him, and free you of blame. 30And they, when they took the money, did according to what they taught them. And this word spread among the Jews unto this day.
31And then came Mary Magdalene, and announced to the disciples that she had seen our Lord, and that he had said that unto her.
32And while the first women were going in the way to inform his disciples, 33Jesus met them, and said unto them, Peace unto you. And they came and took 34hold of his feet, and worshipped him. Then said Jesus unto them, Fear not: but go and say to my brethren that they depart into Galilee, and there they shall see 35me. And those women returned, and told all that to the eleven, and to the rest of the disciples; and to those that had been with him, for they were saddened and 36weeping. And those were Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and the rest who were with them: and they were those that told the apostles. 37And they, when they heard them say that he was alive and had appeared unto them, 38did not believe them: and these sayings were before their eyes as the sayings of madness. 39And after that, he appeared to two of them, on that day, and while they were going to the village which was named Emmaus, and whose distance 40from Jerusalem was sixty furlongs. And they were talking the one of them with the 41other of all the things which had happened. And during the time of their talking and 42inquiring with one another, Jesus came and reached them, and walked with them. But 43their eyes were veiled that they should not know him. And he said unto them, What are these sayings which ye address the one of you to the other, as ye walk and are 44sad? One of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered and said unto him, Art thou perchance alone a stranger to Jerusalem, since thou knowest not what was in 45it in these days? He said unto them, What was? They said unto him, Concerning Jesus, he who was from Nazareth, a man who was a prophet, and powerful in 46speech and deeds before God and before all the people: and the chief priests and 47the elders delivered him up to the sentence of death, and crucified him. But we supposed that he was the one who was to deliver Israel. And since all these 48things happened there have passed three days. But certain women of us also 49informed us that they had come to the sepulchre; and when they found not his body, they came and told us that they had seen there the angels, and they said 50concerning him that he was alive. And some of us also went to the sepulchre, and 51found the matter as the women had said: only they saw him not. Then said Jesus 52unto them, Ye lacking in discernment, and heavy in heart to believe! Was it not in all the sayings of the prophets that the Messiah was to suffer these things, and to 53enter into his Glory? And he began from Moses and from all the prophets, 54and interpreted to them concerning himself from all the scriptures. And they drew near unto the village, whither they were going: and he was leading them to 55imagine that he was as if going to a distant region. And they pressed him, and said unto him, Abide with us: for the day hath declined now to the darkness. And he went 56in to abide with them. And when he sat with them, he took bread, and blessed, 57and brake, and gave to them. And straightway their eyes were opened, and they 58knew him; and he was taken away from them. And they said the one to the other, Was not our heart heavy within us, while he was speaking to us in the way, and interpreting to us the scriptures?
59And they rose in that hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven 60gathered, and those that were with them, saying, Truly our Lord is risen, and hath 61appeared to Simon. And they related what happened in the way, and how they knew him when he brake the bread. Neither believed they that also.
Section LIV: The appearances to the disciples
1And while they talked together, the evening of that day arrived which was the First-day; and the doors were shut where the disciples were, because of the fear of the 2Jews; and Jesus came and stood among them, and said unto them, Peace be with you: I am he; fear not. But they were agitated, and became afraid, and supposed that they 3saw a spirit. Jesus said unto them, Why are ye agitated? and why do thoughts rise 4in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that I am he: feel me, and know that a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me having that. 5And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands and his feet and his side. 6And they were until this time unbelieving, from their joy and their wonder. He 7said unto them, Have ye anything here to eat? And they gave him a portion of broiled fish and of honey. And he took it, and ate before them.
8And he said unto them, These are the sayings which I spake unto you, while I was with you, that everything must be fulfilled, which is written in the law of 9Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their 10heart, that they might understand the scriptures; and he said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it is necessary that the Messiah suffer, and rise from among the 11dead on the third day; and that repentance unto the forgiveness of sins be preached 12in his name among all the peoples; and the beginning shall be from Jerusalem. And 13ye shall be witnesses of that. And I send unto you the promise of my Father. And 14when the disciples heard that, they were glad. And Jesus said unto them again, 15Peace be with you: as my Father hath sent me, I also send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit: 16and if ye forgive sins to any man, they shall be forgiven him; and if ye retain them against any man, they shall be retained.
17But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Thama, was not there with the disciples 18when Jesus came. The disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen our Lord. But he said unto them, If I do not see in his hands the places of the nails, and put on them my fingers, and pass my hand over his side, I will not believe.
19And after eight days, on the next First-day, the disciples were assembled again within, and Thomas with them. And Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood 20in the midst, and said unto them, Peace be with you. And he said to Thomas, Bring hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and bring hither 21thy hand, and spread it on my side: and be not unbelieving, but believing. Thomas 22answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus said unto him, Now since thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen me, and have believed.
23And many other signs did Jesus before his disciples, and they are they which 24are not written in this book: but these that are written also are that ye may believe in Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God; and that when ye have believed, ye may have in his name eternal life.
25And after that, Jesus shewed himself again to his disciples at the sea of Tiberias; 26and he shewed himself unto them thus. And there were together Simon Cephas, and Thomas which was called Twin, and Nathanael who was of Cana of Galilee, 27and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of the disciples. Simon Cephas said unto them, I go to catch fish. They said unto him, And we also come with thee. And they went forth, and went up into the boat; and in that night they caught nothing. 28And when the morning arrived, Jesus stood on the shore of the sea: but the disciples 29knew not that it was Jesus. And Jesus said unto them, Children, have ye anything 30to eat? They said unto him, No. He said unto them, Cast your net from the right side of the boat, and ye shall find. And they threw, and they were not able 31to draw the net for the abundance of the fish that were come into it. And that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Cephas, This is our Lord. And Simon, when he heard that it was our Lord, took his tunic, and girded it on his waist (for he was 32naked), and cast himself into the sea to come to Jesus. But some others of the disciples came in the boat (and they were not far from the land, but about two 33hundred cubits), and drew that net of fish. And when they went up on the 34land, they saw live coals laid, and fish laid thereon, and bread. And Jesus 35said unto them, Bring of this fish which ye have now caught. Simon Cephas therefore went up, and dragged the net to the land, full of great fish, a hundred and fifty-three 36fishes: and with all this weight that net was not rent. And Jesus said unto them, Come and sit down. And no man of the disciples dared to ask him who he was, for they knew that it was our Lord. But he did not appear to them in his own 37,38form. And Jesus came, and took bread and fish, and gave unto them. This is the third time that Jesus appeared to his disciples, when he had risen from among the dead.
39And when they had breakfasted, Jesus said to Simon Cephas, Simon, son of Jonah, lovest thou me more than these? He said unto him, Yea, my Lord; thou 40knowest that I love thee. Jesus said unto him, Feed for me my lambs. He said unto him again a second time, Simon, son of Jonah, lovest thou me? He said unto him, Yea, my Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He said unto him, Feed for 41me my sheep. He said unto him again the third time, Simon, son of Jonah, lovest thou me? And it grieved Cephas that he said unto him three times, Lovest thou me? He said unto him, My Lord, thou knowest everything; thou knowest that I 42love thee. Jesus said unto him, Feed for me my sheep. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast a child, thou didst gird thy waist for thyself, and go whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch out thy hands, and another shall gird thy waist, and take thee whither thou wouldest not. 43He said that to him to explain by what death he was to glorify God. And when he 44had said that, he said unto him, Come after me. And Simon Cephas turned, and saw that disciple whom Jesus loved following him; he which at the supper leaned on 45Jesus’ breast, and said, My Lord, who is it that betrayeth thee? When therefore Cephas saw him, he said to Jesus, My Lord, and this man, what shall be in his 46case? Jesus said unto him, If I will that this man remain until I come, what is 47that to thee? follow thou me. And this word spread among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: but Jesus said not that he should not die; but, If I will that this man remain until I come, what is that to thee?
48This is the disciple which bare witness of that, and wrote it: and we know that his witness is true.
Section LV: The commission and the ascension
1But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had 2appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but there were of 3them who doubted. And while they sat there he appeared to them again, and upbraided them for their lack of faith and the hardness of their hearts, those that saw him when he was risen, and believed not.
4Then said Jesus unto them, I have been given all authority in heaven 5and earth; and as my Father hath sent me, so I also send you. Go now into 6all the world, and preach my gospel in all the creation; and teach all the peoples, and 7baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; and teach them to keep all whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you all the days, unto 8the end of the world. For whosoever believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but 9whosoever believeth not shall be rejected. And the signs which shall attend those that believe in me are these: that they shall cast out devils in my name; and they 10shall speak with new tongues; and they shall take up serpents, and if they drink deadly poison, it shall not injure them; and they shall lay their hands on the diseased, 11and they shall be healed. But ye, abide in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be clothed with power from on high.
12And our Lord Jesus, after speaking to them, took them out to Bethany: and he 13lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And while he blessed them, he was separated from them, and ascended into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 14,15And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: and at all times they were in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.
16And from thence they went forth, and preached in every place; and our Lord helped them, and confirmed their sayings by the signs which they did.
17And here are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written every one of them, not even the world, according to my opinion, would contain the books which should be written.
