11 For the governor, when he
washed his hands, said, I am clear
from the blood of this just person.
But ye answered and cried out,
His blood be upon us and our
children. According as ye have
said, may ye perish for ever.

12 The elders of the Jews hearing
these words, were exceedingly
enraged; and seizing Joseph, they
put him into a chamber where
there was no window; they fastened
the door, and put a seal upon
the lock;

13 And Annas and Caiaphas placed
a guard upon it, and took counsel
with the priests and Levites,
that they should all meet after
the Sabbath, and they contrived
to what death they should put Joseph.

14 When they had done this, the
rulers, Annas and Caiaphas,
ordered Joseph to be brought
forth.

(In this place there is a portion
of the Gospel lost or omitted.
which cannot be supplied. It
may, nevertheless, be surmised
from the occurrence related in
the next chapter, that the order
of Annas and Caiaphas were rendered
unnecessary by Joseph's miraculous
escape, and which was announced
to an assembly of people.)

CHAPTER X.

1 Joseph's escape.
2 The soldiers relate Christ's resurrection.
18 Christ is seen preaching in Galilee.
21 The Jews repent of their cruelty to him.

WHEN all the assembly heard
this (about Joseph's escape),
they admired and were astonished,
because they found the same seal
upon the lock of the chamber, and
could not find Joseph.

2 Then Annas and Caiaphas went
forth, and while they were all
admiring at Joseph's being gone,
behold one of the soldiers, who
kept the sepulchre of Jesus, spake
in the assembly,

3 That while they were guarding
the sepulchre of Jesus, there was
an earthquake; and we saw an angel
of God roll away the stone of the
sepulchre and sit upon it;

4 And his countenance was like
lightning and his garment like
snow; and we became through fear
like persons dead.

5 And we heard an angel saying
to the women at the sepulchre of
Jesus, Do not fear; I know that
you seek Jesus who was crucified;
he is risen as he foretold;

6 Come and see the place where
he was laid; and go presently, and
tell his disciples that he is risen
from the dead; and he will go before
you into Galilee; there ye shall
see him as he told you.

7 Then the Jews called together
all the soldiers who kept the sepulchre
of Jesus, and said to them, Who are
those women, to whom the angel spoke?
Why did ye not seize them.

8 The soldiers answered and said,
We know not who the women were;
besides we became as dead persons
through fear, and how could we
seize those women?

9 The Jews said to them, As the
Lord liveth, we do not believe you;

10 The soldiers answering said to
the Jews, when ye saw and heard
Jesus working so many miracles,
and did not believe him, how should
ye believe us? Ye well said,
As the Lord liveth, for the Lord
truly does live.

11 We have heard that ye shut
up Joseph, who buried the body of
Jesus, in a chamber, under a lock
which was sealed; and when ye
opened it, found him not there.

12 Do ye then produce Joseph
whom ye put under guard in the
chamber, and we will produce
Jesus whom we guarded in the
sepulchre.

13 The Jews answered and said,
We will produce Joseph, do ye
produce Jesus. But Joseph is in
his own city of Arimathaea.

14 The soldiers replied,
If Joseph be in Arimathaea,
and Jesus in Galilee, we heard
the angel inform the women.

15 The Jews hearing this, were
afraid, and said among themselves,
If by any means these things
should become public, then
everybody will believe in Jesus.

16 Then they gathered a large
sum of money, and gave it to the
soldiers, saying, Do ye tell the
people that the disciples of Jesus
came in the night when ye were
asleep, and stole away the body of
Jesus; and if Pilate the governor
should hear of this, we will satisfy
him and secure you.

17 The soldiers accordingly took
the money, and said as they were
instructed by the Jews; and their
report was spread abroad among
all the people.

18 But a certain priest Phinees,
Ada a schoolmaster, and a Levite,
named Ageus, they three came from
Galilee to Jerusalem, and told
the chief priests and all who
were in the synagogues, saying,

19 We have seen Jesus, whom
ye crucified, talking with his
eleven disciples, and sitting in the
midst of them in Mount Olivet,
and saying to them,

20 Go forth into the whole world,
preach the Gospel to all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and the Son, and the Holy
Ghost; and whosoever shall believe
and be baptized, shall be saved.

21 And when he had said these
things to his disciples, we saw him
ascending up to heaven.

22 When the chief priests and
elders, and Levites heard these
things, they said to these three
men, Give glory to the God of
Israel, and make confession to
him, whether those things are true,
which ye say ye have seen and heard.

23 They answering said, As the
Lord of our fathers liveth, the
God of Abraham, and the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob,
according as we heard Jesus talking
with his disciples, and according
as we saw him ascending up to
heaven, so we have related the
truth to you.

24 And the three men farther
answered, and said, adding these
words, If we should not own the
words which we heard Jesus speak,
and that we saw him ascending
into heaven, we should be guilty
of sin.

25 Then the chief priests
immediately rose up, and holding
the book of the law in their hands,
conjured these men, saying, Ye
shall no more hereafter declare
those things which ye have spoken
concerning Jesus.

26 And they gave them a large
sum of money, and sent other
persons along with them, who
should conduct them to their own
country, that they might not by any
means make any stay at Jerusalem.

27 Then the Jews did assemble
all together, and having expressed
the most lamentable concern said,
What is this extraordinary thing
which is come to pass in Jerusalem?

28 But Annas and Caiaphas comforted
them, saying, Why should we believe
the soldiers who guarded the sepulchre
of Jesus, in telling us, that an angel
rolled away the stone from the door
of the sepulchre?

29 Perhaps his own disciples told
them this, and gave them money
that they should say so, and they
themselves took away the body of Jesus.

30 Besides, consider this, that
there is no credit to be given to
foreigners, because they also took
a large sum of us, and they have
declared to us according to the
instructions which we gave them.
They must either be faithful to us
or to the disciples of Jesus.

CHAPTER XI.

1 Nicodemus counsels the Jews.
6 Joseph found.
11 Invited by the Jews to return.
19 Relates the manner of his miraculous escape.

THEN Nicodemus arose, and
said, Ye say right, O sons of
Israel; ye have heard what those
three men have sworn by the Law
of God, who said, We have seen
Jesus speaking with his disciples
upon mount Olivet, and we saw
him ascending up to heaven.

2 And the scripture teacheth
us that the blessed prophet Elijah
was taken up to heaven, and Elisha
being asked by the sons of the
prophets, Where is our father Elijah?
He said to them, that he is taken up
to heaven.

3 And the sons of the prophets
said to him, Perhaps the spirit
hath carried him into one of the
mountains of Israel, there perhaps
we shall find him. And they besought
Elisha, and he walked about with
them three days, and they could
not find him.

4 And now hear me, O sons of
Israel, and let us send men into
the mountains of Israel, lest
perhaps the spirit hath carried
away Jesus, and there perhaps we
shall find him, and be satisfied.

5 And the counsel of Nicodemus
pleased all the people; and they
sent forth men who sought for Jesus,
but could not find him; and they
returning, said, We went all about,
but could not find Jesus, but we
have found Joseph in his city of
Arimathaea.

6 The rulers hearing this, and
all the people, were glad, and
praised the God of Israel, because
Joseph was found, whom they had
shut up in a chamber, and could
not find.

7 And when they had formed a
large assembly, the chief priests
said, By what means shall we bring
Joseph to us to speak with him?

8 And taking a piece of paper,
they wrote to him, and said, Peace
be with thee, and all thy family,
We know that we have offended
against God and thee. Be pleased
to give a visit to us, your fathers,
for we were perfectly surprised at
your escape from prison.

9 We know that it was malicious
counsel which we took against
thee, and that the Lord took care
of thee, and the Lord himself
delivered thee from our designs.
Peace be unto thee, Joseph, who
art honourable among all the
people.

10 And they chose seven of
Joseph's friends, and said to them,
When ye come to Joseph, salute
him in peace, and give him this
letter.

11 Accordingly, when the men
came to Joseph, they did salute
him in peace, and gave him the
letter.

12 And when Joseph had read it,
he said, Blessed be the Lord God,
who didst deliver me from the
Israelites, that they could not
shed my blood. Blessed be God,
who hast protected me under thy
wings.

13 And Joseph kissed them, and
took them into his house. And on
the morrow, Joseph mounted his
ass, and went along with them to
Jerusalem.

14 And when all the Jews heard
these things, they went out to
meet him, and cried out, saying,
Peace attend thy coming hither,
father Joseph.

15 To which he answered,
Prosperity from the Lord attend
all the people.

13 And they all kissed him; and
Nicodemus took him to his house,
having prepared a large
entertainment.

17 But on the morrow, being
a preparation-day, Annas, and
Caiaphas, and Nicodemus, said to
Joseph, Make confession to the
God of Israel, and answer to us
all those questions which we shall
ask thee;

18 For we have been very much
troubled, that thou didst bury the
body of Jesus; and that when we
had locked thee in a chamber, we
could not find thee; and we have
been afraid ever since, till this
time of thy appearing among us.
Tell us therefore before God, all
that came to pass.

19 Then Joseph answering,
said Ye did indeed put me under
confinement, on the day of
preparation, till the morning.

20 But while I was standing at
prayer in the middle of the night,
the house was surrounded with
four angels; and I saw Jesus as
the brightness of the sun, and fell
down upon the earth for fear.

21 But Jesus laying hold on my
hand, lifted me from the ground,
and the dew was then sprinkled
upon me; but he, wiping my face,
kissed me, and said unto me, Fear
not, Joseph; look upon me for
it is I.

22 Then I looked upon him, and
said, Rabboni Elias! He answered
me, I am not Elias, but Jesus of
Nazareth, whose body thou didst
bury.

23 I said to him, show me the
tomb in which I laid thee.

24 Then Jesus, taking me by the
hand, led me unto the place where
I laid him, and showed me the
linen clothes, and napkin which I
put round his head. Then I knew
that it was Jesus, and worshipped
him, and said; Blessed be he who
cometh in the name of the Lord.

25 Jesus again taking me by the
hand, led me to Arimathaea, to my
own house, and said to me, Peace
be to thee; but go not out of thy
house till the fortieth day; but
I must go to my disciples.

CHAPTER XII.

1 The Jews astonished and confounded.
16 Simeon's two sons, Charinus and Lenthius,
rise from the dead at Christ's crucifixion.
19 Joseph proposes to get them to relate the
mysteries of their resurrection.
21 They are sought and found,
22 brought to the synagogue,
23 privately sworn to secrecy,
25 and undertake to write what they had seen.

WHEN the chief priests and
Levites heard all these
things, they were astonished, and
fell down with their faces on the
ground as dead men, and crying
out to one another, said, What is
this extraordinary sign which is
come to pass in Jerusalem? We
know the father and mother of
Jesus.

2 And a certain Levite said,
I know many of his relations,
religions persons, who are wont to
offer sacrifices and burnt-offerings
to the God of Israel, in the temple,
with prayers.

3 And when the high-priest
Simeon took him up in his arms,
he said to him, Lord, now lettest
thou thy servant depart in peace,
according to thy word; for mine
eyes have seen thy salvation,
which then halt prepared before
the face of all people; a light to
enlighten the Gentiles, and the
glory of thy people Israel.

4 Simeon in like manner blessed
Mary the Mother of Jesus, and
said to her, I declare to thee
concerning that child; He is
appointed for the fall and rising
again of many, and for a sign
which shall be spoken against;

5 Yea, a sword shall pierce
through thine own soul also, and
the thoughts of many hearts shall
be revealed.

6 Then said all the Jews, Let
us send to those three men, who
said they saw him talking with
his disciples in mount Olivet.

7 After this, they asked them
what they had seen; who answered
with one accord, In the presence
of the God of Israel we affirm,
that we plainly saw Jesus talking
with his disciples in Mount Olivet,
and ascending up to heaven.

8 Then Annas and Caiaphas took
them into separate places, and
examined them separately; who
unanimously confessed the truth,
and said, they had seen Jesus.

9 Then Annas and Caiaphas said
"Our law saith, By the mouth of
two or three witnesses every word
shall be established."

10 But what have we said?
The blessed Enoch pleased God,
and was translated by the word of
God; and the burying-place of the
blessed Moses is known.

11 But Jesus was delivered to
Pilate, whipped, crowned with
thorns, spit upon, pierced with a
spear, crucified, died upon the
cross, and was buried, and his
body the honourable Joseph buried
in a new sepulchre, and he testifies
that he saw him alive.

12 And besides, these men have
declared, that they saw him talking
with his disciples in Mount Olivet,
and ascending up to heaven.

13 Then Joseph rising up, said
to Annas and Caiaphas, Ye may be
justly under a great surprise,
that you have been told, that
Jesus is alive, and gone up to
heaven.

14 It is indeed a thing really
surprising, that he should not
only himself arise from the dead,
but also raise others from their
graves, who have been seen by
many in Jerusalem.

15 And now hear me a little
We all knew the blessed Simeon,
the high-priest, who took Jesus
when an infant into his arms in
the temple.

16 This same Simeon had two sons
of his own, and we were all present
at their death and funeral.

17 Go therefore and see their
tombs, for these are open, and
they are risen: and behold, they
are in the city of Arimathaea,
spending their time together in
offices of devotion.

18 Some, indeed, have heard
the sound of their voices in prayer,
but they will not discourse with
anyone, but they continue as mute
as dead men.

19 But come, let us go to them,
and behave ourselves towards them
with all due respect and caution.
And if we can bring them to swear,
perhaps they will tell us some of
the mysteries of their resurrection.

20 When the Jews heard this
they were exceedingly rejoiced.

21 Then Annas and Caiaphas,
Nicodemus, Joseph, and Gamaliel,
went to Arimathaea, but did not
find them in their graves; but
walking about the city, they found
them on their bended knees at
their devotions:

22 Then saluting them with all
respect and deference to God, they
brought them to the synagogue at
Jerusalem; and having shut the
gates, they took the book of the
law of the Lord,

23 And putting it in their hands,
swore them by God Adonai, and
the God of Israel, who spake to
our fathers by the law and the
prophets, saying, If ye believe
him who raised you from the dead,
to be Jesus, tell us what ye have
seen, and how ye were raised from
the dead.

24 Charinus and Lenthius, the
two sons of Simeon, trembled
when they heard these things, and
were disturbed, and groaned; and
at the same time looking up to
heaven, they made the sign of the
cross with their fingers on their
tongues,

25 And immediately they spake,
and said, Give each of us some
paper, and we will write down for
you all those things which we have
seen. And they each sat down
and wrote, saying:—

CHAPTER XIII.

1 The narrative of Charinus and Lenthius commences.
3 A great light in hell.
7 Simeon arrives, and announces the coming of Christ.

O LORD Jesus and Father, who
art God, also the resurrection
and life of the dead, give us
leave to declare thy mysteries,
which we saw after death, belonging
to thy cross; for we are sworn by
thy name.

2 For thou hast forbidden thy
servants to declare the secret
things, which were wrought by
thy divine power in hell.

3 When we were Placed with
our fathers in the depth of hell,
in the blackness of darkness,
on a sudden there appeared the
colour of the sun like gold,
and a substantial purple-coloured
light enlightening the place.

4 Presently upon this, Adam,
the father of all mankind, with
all the patriarchs and prophets,
rejoiced and said, That light is the
author of everlasting light, who
hath promised to translate us to
everlasting light.

5 Then Isaiah the prophet cried
out and said, This is the light
of the Father, and the Son of God,
according to my prophecy, when I
was alive upon earth.

6 The land of Zabulon, and the
land of Nephthalim, beyond Jordan,
a people who walked in darkness,
saw a great light; and to them
who dwelled in the region of the
shadow of death, light is arisen.
And now he is come, and hath
enlightened us who sat in death.

7 And while we were all rejoicing
in the light which shone upon us,
our father Simeon came among us,
and congratulating all the company,
said, Glorify the Lord Jesus Christ
the Son of God.

8 Whom I took up in my arms when
an infant in the temple, and
being moved by the Holy Ghost,
said to him, and acknowledged,
That now mine eyes have seen thy
salvation, which thou hast prepared
before the face of all people; a
light to enlighten the Gentiles,
and the glory of thy people Israel.

9 All the saints who were in
the depth of hell, hearing this,
rejoiced the more.

10 Afterwards there came forth
one like a little hermit, and was
asked by every one, Who art thou?

11 To which he replied, I am
the voice of one crying in the
wilderness, John the Baptist, and
the prophet of the Most High, who
went before his coming to prepare
his way, to give the knowledge of
salvation to his people for the
forgiveness of sins.

12 And I, John, when I saw
Jesus coming to me, being moved
by the Holy Ghost, I said, Behold
the Lamb of God, behold him who
takes away the sins of the world.

13 And I baptized him in the
river Jordan, and saw the Holy
Ghost descending upon him in the
form of a dove, and heard a voice
from heaven saying, This is my
beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased.

14 And now while I was going
before him, I came down hither to
acquaint you, that the Son of God
will next visit us, and, as the
day-spring from on high, will come to
us, who are in darkness and the
shadow of death.

CHAPTER XIV.

1 Adam causes Seth to relate what he heard
from Michael the archangel, when he sent him
to Paradise to entreat God to anoint his
head in his sickness.

BUT when the first man our father
Adam heard these things, that
Jesus was baptized in Jordan,
he called out to his son Seth,
and said,

2 Declare to your sons, the
patriarchs and prophets, all those
things, which thou didst hear from
Michael, the archangel, when I
sent thee to the gates of Paradise,
to entreat God that he would
anoint my head when I was sick.

3 Then Seth, coming near to the
patriarchs and prophets, said, I,
Seth, when I was praying to God
at the gates of Paradise, beheld
the angel of the Lord, Michael,
appear unto me, saying, I am sent
unto thee from the Lord; I am
appointed to preside over human
bodies.

4 I tell thee, Seth, do not pray
to God in tears, and entreat him
for the oil of the tree of mercy
wherewith to anoint thy father
Adam for his head-ache;

5 Because thou canst not by any
means obtain it till the last day
and times, namely, till five thousand
and five hundred years be past.

6 Then will Christ, the most
merciful Son of God, come on
earth to raise again the human
body of Adam, and at the same
time to raise the bodies of the
dead, and when he cometh he will
be baptized in Jordan;

7 Then with the oil of his
mercy he will anoint all those
who believe in him; and the oil
of his mercy will continue to
future generations, for those
who shall be born of the water
and the Holy Ghost unto eternal
life.

8 And when at that time the
most merciful Son of God, Christ
Jesus, shall come down on earth,
he will introduce our father Adam
into Paradise, to the tree of mercy.

9 When all the patriarchs and
prophets heard all these things
from Seth, they rejoiced more.

CHAPTER XV.

1 Quarrel between Satan and the prince of hell,
concerning the expected arrival of Christ in hell.

WHILE all the saints were
rejoicing, behold Satan, the
prince and captain of death, said
to the prince of hell,

2 Prepare to receive Jesus of
Nazareth himself, who boasted
that he was the Son of God, and
yet was a man afraid of death, and
said, My soul is sorrowful even to
death.

3 Besides he did many injuries
to me and to many others; for
those whom I made blind and lame
and those also whom I tormented
with several devils, he cured by
his word; yea, and those whom I
brought dead to thee, he by force
takes away from thee.

4 To this the prince of hell
replied to Satan, Who is that so
powerful prince, and yet a man who
is afraid of death?

5 For all the potentates of the
earth are subject to my power,
whom thou broughtest to subjection
by thy power.

6 But if he be so powerful in his
human nature, I affirm to thee for
truth, that he is almighty in his
divine nature, and no man can
resist his power:

7 When therefore he said he was
afraid of death, he designed to
ensnare thee, and unhappy it will be
to thee for everlasting ages,

8 Then Satan replying, said to
the prince of hell, Why didst thou
express a doubt, and wast afraid to
receive that Jesus of Nazareth,
both thy adversary and mine?

9 As for me, I tempted him and
stirred up my old people the Jews
with zeal and anger against him;

10 I sharpened the spear for his
suffering; I mixed the gall and
vinegar, and commanded that he
should drink it; I prepared the
cross to crucify him, and the nails
to pierce through his hands and
feet; and now his death is near
at hand, I will bring him hither,
subject both to thee and me.

11 Then the prince of hell
answering, said, Thou saidst to me
just now, that he took away the
dead from me by force.

12 They who have been kept here
till they should live again upon
earth, were taken away hence,
not by their own power, but by
prayers made to God, and their
almighty God took them from me.

13 Who then is that Jesus of
Nazareth that by his word hath
taken away the dead from me
without prayer to God?

14 Perhaps it is the same who
took away from me Lazarus, after
he had been four days dead, and
did both stink and was rotten, and
of whom I had possession as a dead
person, yet he brought him to life
again by his power.

15 Satan answering, replied to
the prince of hell, It is the very
same person, Jesus of Nazareth.

16 Which when the prince of hell
heard, he said to him, I adjure
thee by the powers which belong
to thee and me, that thou bring
him not to me.

17 For when I heard of the power
of his word, I trembled for fear,
and all my impious company were
at the same disturbed;

18 And we were not able to detain
Lazarus, but he gave himself a
shake, and with all the signs of
malice he immediately went away
from us; and the very earth, in
which the dead body of Lazarus
was lodged, presently turned him
out alive.

19 And I know now that he is
Almighty God who could perform
such things, who is mighty in his
dominion, and mighty in his human
nature, who is the Saviour of
mankind.

20 Bring not therefore this person
hither, for he will set at liberty
all those whom I hold in prison
under unbelief, and bound with
the fetters of their sins, and will
conduct them to everlasting life.

CHAPTER XVI.

1 Christ's arrival at hell-gates;
the confusion thereupon.
19 He descends into hell.

AND while Satan and the Prince
of hell were discoursing thus
to each other, on a sudden there
was a voice as of thunder, and the
rushing of winds, saying, Lift up
your gates, O ye princes; and be
ye lift up, O everlasting gates,
and the King of Glory shall come in.

2 When the prince of hell heard
this, he said to Satan, Depart from
me, and begone out of my habitations;
if thou art a powerful warrior,
fight with the King of Glory.
But what hast thou to do with
him?

3 And he cast him forth from his
habitations.

4 And the prince said to his
impious officers, Shut the brass gates
of cruelty, and make them fast with
iron bars, and fight courageously,
lest we be taken captives.

5 But when all the company of
the saints heard this they spake
with a loud voice of anger to the
prince of hell,

6 Open thy gates, that the King
of Glory may come in.

7 And the divine prophet David
cried out, saying, Did not I, when
on earth, truly prophesy and say,
O that men would praise the Lord
for his goodness, and for his
wonderful works to the children
of men!

8 For he hath broken the gates
of brass, and cut the bars of iron
in sunder. He hath taken them
because of their iniquity, and
because of their unrighteousness
they are afflicted.

9 After this, another prophet,
namely, holy Isaiah, spake in like
manner to all the saints, Did not
I rightly prophesy to you when I
was alive on earth?

10 The dead men shall live, and
they shall rise again who are in
their graves, and they shall rejoice
who are in the earth; for the dew
which is from the Lord, shall
bring deliverance to them.

11 And I said in another place,
O grave, where is thy victory?
O death, where is thy sting?

12 When all the saints heard
these things spoken by Isaiah,
they said to the prince of hell,
Open now thy gates, and take
away thine iron bars; for thou
wilt now be bound, and have no
power.

13 Then was there a great voice,
as of the sound of thunder, saying,
Lift up your gates, O princes; and
be ye lifted up, ye gates of hell,
and the King of Glory will enter
in.

14 The prince of hell perceiving
the same voice repeated, cried out,
as though he had been ignorant,
Who is that King of Glory?

15 David replied to the prince
of hell, and said, I understand the
words of that voice, because I
spake them in his spirit. And now,
as I have before said, I say unto
thee, the Lord strong and powerful,
the Lord mighty in battle: he is
the King of Glory, and he is the
Lord in heaven and in earth.

16 He hath looked down to hear
the groans of the prisoners, and to
set loose those that are appointed
to death.

17 And now, thou filthy and
stinking prince of hell, open thy
gates, that the King of Glory may
enter in; for he is the Lord of
heaven and earth.

18 While David was saying this,
the mighty Lord appeared in the
form of a man, and enlightened
those places which had ever before
been in darkness.

19 And broke asunder the fetters
which before could not be broken;
and with his invincible power
visited those who sate in the deep
darkness by iniquity, and the shadow
of death by sin.

CHAPTER XVII.

1 Death and the devils in great horror
at Christ's coming.
13 He tramples on death, seizes the prince
of hell, and takes Adam with him to Heaven.

IMPIOUS death and her cruel
officers hearing these things,
were seized with fear in their
several kingdoms, when they saw
the clearness of the light,

2 And Christ himself on a sudden
appearing in their habitations,
they cried out therefore, and said,
We are bound by thee; thou seemest
to intend our confusion before
the Lord.

3 Who art thou, who has no signs
of corruption, but that bright
appearance which is a full proof of
thy greatness, of which yet thou
seemest to take no notice?

4 Who art thou, so powerful,
and so weak, so great and so little;
mean, and yet a soldier of the first
rank, who can command in the form
of a servant and a common soldier?

5 The king of Glory, dead and
alive, though once slain upon the
cross?

6 Who layest dead in the grave,
and art come down alive to us,
and in thy death all the creatures
trembled, and all the stars were
moved; and now hast thy liberty
among the dead, and givest
disturbance to our legions?

7 Who art thou, who dost release
the captives that were held
in chains by original sin, and
bringest them into their former
liberty?

8 Who art thou, who dost spread
so glorious and divine a light over
those who were made blind by the
darkness of sin?

9 In like manner all the legions
of devils were seized with the like
horror, and with the most submissive
fear cried out, and said,

10 Whence comes it, O thou
Jesus Christ, that thou art a man
so powerful and glorious in majesty
so bright as to have no spot, and
so pure as to have no crime? For
that lower world of earth, which
was ever till now subject to us,
and from whence we received
tribute, never sent us such a
dead man before, never sent such
presents as these to the princes of
hell.

11 Who therefore art thou, who
with such courage enterest among
our abodes, and art not only not
afraid to threaten us with the
greatest punishments, but also
endeavourest to rescue all others
from the chains in which we hold
them?

12 Perhaps thou art that Jesus,
of whom Satan just now spoke to
our prince, that by the death of
the cross thou wert about to
receive the power of death.

13 Then the King of Glory
trampling upon death, seized the
prince of hell, deprived him of all
his power, and took our earthly
father Adam with him to his glory.

CHAPTER XVIII.

1 Beelzebub, prince of hell, vehemently upbraids Satan for
persecuting Christ and bringing him to hell.
14 Christ gives Beelzebub dominion over Satan forever,
as a recompence for taking away Adam and his sons.

THEN the prince of hell took
Satan, and with great indignation
said to him, O thou prince of
destruction, author of Beelzebub's
defeat and banishment, the scorn
of God's angels and loathed by all
righteous persons! What inclined
thee to act thus?

2 Thou wouldst crucify the King
of Glory, and by his destruction,
hast made us promises of very
large advantages, but as a fool
wert ignorant of what thou wast
about.

3 For behold now that Jesus of
Nazareth, with the brightness of
his glorious divinity, puts to flight
all the horrid powers of darkness
and death;

4 He has broke down our prisons
from top to bottom, dismissed
all the captives, released all
who were bound, and all who were
wont formerly to groan under the
weight of their torments, have
now insulted us, and we are like
to be defeated by their prayers.

5 Our impious dominions are
subdued, and no part of mankind
is now left in our subjection, but
on the other hand, they all boldly
defy us;

6 Though, before, the dead never
durst behave themselves insolently
towards us, nor being prisoners,
could ever on any occasion be
merry.

7 O Satan, thou prince of all
the wicked, father of the impious
and abandoned, why wouldest thou
attempt this exploit, seeing our
prisoners were hitherto always
without the least hope of
salvation and life?

8 But now there is not one of
them does ever groan, nor is there
the least appearance of a tear in
any of their faces.

9 O prince Satan, thou great
keeper of the infernal regions,
all thy advantages which thou didst
acquire by the forbidden tree, and
the loss of Paradise, thou hast
now lost by the wood of the
cross;

10 And thy happiness all then
expired, when thou didst crucify
Jesus Christ the King of Glory.

11 Thou hast acted against thine
own interest and mine, as thou
wilt presently perceive by those
large torments and infinite
punishments which thou art
about to suffer.

12 O Satan, prince of all evil,
author of death, and source of all
pride, thou shouldest first have
inquired into the evil crimes of
Jesus of Nazareth, and then thou
wouldest have found that he was
guilty of no fault worthy of death.

13 Why didst thou venture,
without either reason or justice,
to crucify him, and hast brought
down to our regions a person
innocent and righteous, and thereby
hast lost all the sinners, impious
and unrighteous persons in the
whole world?

14 While the prince of hell was
thus speaking to Satan, the King
of Glory said to Beelzebub the
prince of hell, Satan the prince
shall be subject to thy dominions
for ever, in the room of Adam and
his righteous sons, who are mine,

CHAPTER XIX.

1 Christ takes Adam by the hand,
the rest of the saints join hands,
and they all ascend with him to Paradise.

THEN Jesus stretched forth his
hand, and said, Come to me,
all ye my saints, who were created
in my image, who were condemned
by the tree of the forbidden fruit,
and by the devil and death;

2 Live now by the wood of my
cross; the devil, the prince of this
world, is overcome, and death is
conquered,

3 Then presently all the saints
were joined together under the
hand of the most high God; and
the Lord Jesus laid hold on Adam's
hand, and said to him, Peace be
to thee, and all thy righteous
posterity, which is mine.

4 Then Adam, casting himself
at the feet of Jesus, addressed
himself to him with tears, in
humble language, and a loud voice,
saying,

5 "I will extol thee, O Lord, for
thou halt lifted me up, and hast
not made my foes to rejoice over
me. O Lord my God, I cried
unto thee, and thou hast healed
me."

6 "O Lord thou hast brought up
my soul from the grave; thou
hast kept me alive, that I should
not go down to the pit."

7 "Sing unto the Lord, all ye
saints of his, and give thanks at
the remembrance of his holiness,
for his anger endureth but for a
moment; in his favour is life."

8 In like manner all the saints,
prostrate at the feet of Jesus,
said with one voice, Thou art come,
O Redeemer of the world, and hast
actually accomplished all things,
which thou didst foretell by the
law and thy holy prophets.

9 Thou hast redeemed the living
by thy cross, and art come down
to us, that by the death of the
cross thou mightest deliver us
from hell, and by thy power from
death.

10 O Lord, as thou hast put the
ensigns of thy glory in heaven,
and hast set up the sign of thy
redemption, even thy cross on earth;
so, Lord, set the sign of the victory
of thy cross in hell, that death
may have dominion no longer.

11 Then the Lord stretching
forth his hand, made the sign of
the cross upon Adam, and upon
all his saints.

12 And taking hold of Adam by
his right hand, he ascended from
hell, and all the saints of God
followed him.

13 Then the royal prophet, David,
boldly cried, and said, O sing
unto the Lord a new song, for he
hath done marvellous things; his
right hand and his holy arm have
gotten him the victory.

14 The Lord hath made known
his salvation, his righteousness
hath he openly shewn in the sight
of the heathen.

15 And the whole multitude of
saints answered, saying, This
honour have all his saints, Amen,
Praise ye the Lord.

16 Afterwards, the prophet
Habbakuk cried out, and said,
Thou wentest forth for the salvation
of thy people, even for salvation
with thine anointed.

17 And all the saints said,
Blessed is he who cometh in the
name of the Lord; for the Lord
hath enlightened us. This is our
God for ever and ever; he shall
reign over us to everlasting ages.
Amen.

18 In like manner all the prophets
spake the sacred things of his
praise, and followed the Lord.

CHAPTER XX.

1 Christ delivers Adam to Michael the archangel.
3 They meet Enoch and Elijah in heaven,
5 and also the blessed thief, who relates
how he came to Paradise.

THEN the Lord, holding Adam
by the hand, delivered him
to Michael the archangel; and he
led them into Paradise, filled with
mercy and glory;

2 And two very ancient men
met them, and were asked by the
saints, Who are ye, who have not
yet been with us in hell, and have
had your bodies placed in Paradise?

3 One of them answering, said,
I am Enoch, who was translated
by the word of God: and this man
who is with me, is Elijah the
Tishbite, who was translated in a
fiery chariot.

4 Here we have hitherto been,
and have not tasted death, but are
now about to return at the coming
of Antichrist, being armed with
divine signs and miracles, to
engage with him in battle, and to be
slain by him at Jerusalem, and to
be taken up alive again into the
clouds, after three days and a
half.

5 And while the holy Enoch
and Elias were relating this,
behold there came another man in a
miserable figure, carrying the sign
of the cross upon his shoulders.

6 And when all the saints saw
him, they said to him, Who art
thou? For thy countenance is like
a thief's; and why dost thou carry
a cross upon thy shoulders?

7 To which he answering, said,
Ye say right, for I was a thief,
who committed all sorts of wicked.
ness upon earth.

8 And the Jews crucified me
with Jesus; and I observed the
surprising things which happened
in the creation at the crucifixion
of the Lord Jesus.

9 And I believed him to be the
Creator of all things, and the
Almighty King; and I prayed to
him, saying, Lord remember me,
when thou comest into thy kingdom.

10 He presently regarded my
supplication, and said to me,
Verily I say unto thee, this day
thou shalt be with me in Paradise.

11 And he gave me this sign of
the cross, saying, Carry this, and
go to Paradise; and if the angel
who is the guard of Paradise will
not admit thee, show him the sign
of the cross, and say unto him
Jesus Christ who is now crucified,
hath sent me hither to thee.

12 When I did this and told the
angel who is the guard of Paradise
all these things, and he heard
them, he presently opened the
gates, introduced me, and placed
me on the right hand in Paradise,

13 Saying, Stay here a little
time, till Adam, the father of all
mankind, shall enter in, with all
his sons, who are the holy and
righteous servants of Jesus Christ,
who was crucified.

14 When they heard all this
account from the thief, all the
patriarchs said with one voice,
Blessed be thou, O Almighty God,
the Father of everlasting goodness,
and the Father of mercies, who hast
shown such favour to those who were
sinners against him, and hast
brought them to the mercy of
Paradise, and hast placed them
amidst thy large and spiritual
provisions, in a spiritual and
holy life. Amen.

CHAPTER XXI.

1 Charinus and Lenthius being only allowed
three days to remain on earth,
7 deliver in their narratives, which miraculously
correspond; they vanish,
13 and Pilate records these transactions.

THESE are the divine and
sacred mysteries which we saw
and heard. We, Charinus and
Lenthius are not allowed to declare
the other mysteries of God, as the
archangel Michael ordered us,

2 Saying, ye shall go with my
brethren to Jerusalem, and shall
continue in prayers, declaring and
glorifying the resurrection of
Jesus Christ, seeing he hath raised
you from the dead at the same
time with himself.

3 And ye shall not talk with
any man, but sit as dumb persons
till the time come when the Lord
will allow you to relate the
mysteries of his divinity.

4 The archangel Michael farther
commanded us to go beyond Jordan,
to an excellent and fat country,
where there are many who rose
from the dead along with us
for the proof of the resurrection
of Christ.

5 For we have only three days
allowed us from the dead, who
arose to celebrate the passover of
our Lord with our parents, and to
bear our testimony for Christ the
Lord, and we have been baptized
in the holy river of Jordan. And
now they are not seen by any one.

6 This is as much as God allowed
us to relate to you; give ye
therefore praise and honour to
him, and repent, and he will have
mercy upon you. Peace be to you
from the Lord God Jesus Christ,
and the Saviour of us all. Amen,
Amen, Amen.

7 And after they had made an
end of writing, and had written
on two distinct pieces of paper,
Charinus gave what he wrote into the
hands of Annas, and Caiaphas, and
Gamaliel.

8 Lenthius likewise gave what
he wrote into the hands of Nicodemus
and Joseph; and immediately they
were changed into exceeding white
forms and were seen no more.

9 But what they had written
was found perfectly to agree, the
one not containing one letter more
or less than the other.

10 When all the assembly of the
Jews heard all these surprising
relations of Charinus and Lenthius,
they said to each other, Truly all
these things were wrought by
God, and blessed be the Lord Jesus
for ever and ever, Amen.

11 And they went all out with
great concern, and fear, and
trembling, and smote upon their
breasts and went away every one
to his home.

12 But immediately all these
things which were related by the
Jews in their synagogues concerning
Jesus, were presently told by Joseph
and Nicodemus to the governor.

13 And Pilate wrote down all
these transactions, and placed all
these accounts in the public records
of his hall.

CHAPTER XXII.

1 Pilate goes to the temple; calls together
the rulers, and scribes, and doctors.
2 Commands the gates to be shut;
orders the book of the Scriptures; and
causes the Jews to relate what they really
knew concerning Christ.
14 They declare that they crucified Christ
in ignorance, and that they now know him
to be the Son of God, according to the
testimony of the Scriptures; which,
after they put him to death, were examined.

AFTER these things Pilate went
to the temple of the Jews,
and called together all the rulers
and scribes, and doctors of the
law, and went with them into a
chapel of the temple.

2 And commanding that all the
gates should be shut, said to them,
I have heard that ye have a certain
large book in this temple; I desire
you, therefore, that it may be
brought before me.

3 And when the great book,
carried by four ministers of the
temple, and adorned with gold and
precious stones, was brought,
Pilate said to them all, I adjure
you by the God of your Fathers,
who made and commanded this temple
to be built, that ye conceal not the
truth from me.

4 Ye know all the things which
are written in that book; tell me
therefore now, if ye in the
Scriptures have found any thing of
that Jesus whom ye crucified, and at
what time of the world he, ought
to have come: show it me.

5 Then having sworn Annas and
Caiaphas, they commanded all the
rest who were with them to go out
of the chapel.

6 And they shut the gates of the
temple and of the chapel, and said
to Pilate, Thou hast made us to
swear, O judge, by the building of
this temple, to declare to thee that
which is true and right.

7 After we had crucified Jesus,
not knowing that he was the Son
of God, but supposing he wrought
his miracles by some magical arts,
we summoned a large assembly in
this temple.

8 And when we were deliberating
among one another about the
miracles which Jesus had wrought,
we found many witnesses of our
own country, who declared that
they had seen him alive after his
death, and that they heard him
discoursing with his disciples, and
saw him ascending into the height
of the heavens, and entering into
them;

9 And we saw two witnesses,
whose bodies Jesus raised from the
dead, who told us of many strange
things which Jesus did among the
dead, of which we have a written
account in our hands.

10 And it is our custom annually
to open this holy book before an
assembly, and to search there for
the counsel of God.

11 And we found in the first of
the seventy books, where Michael
the archangel is speaking to the
third son of Adam the first man,
an account that after five thousand
five hundred years, Christ the
most beloved son of God was to
come on earth,

12 And we further considered,
that perhaps he was the very God
of Israel who spoke to Moses,
Thou shalt make the ark of the
testimony; two cubits and a half
shall be the length thereof, and a
cubit and a half the breadth thereof,
and a cubit and a half the height
thereof.

13 By these five cubits and a
half for the building of the ark
of the Old Testament, we perceived
and knew that in five thousand
years and half (one thousand) years,
Jesus Christ was to come in the
ark or tabernacle of a body;

14 And so our Scriptures testify
that he is the Son of God, and the
Lord and King of Israel.

15 And because after his suffering,
our chief priests were surprised
at the signs which were wrought
by his means, we opened that book
to search all the generations down
to the generation of Joseph and
Mary the mother of Jesus,
supposing him to be of the
seed of David;

16 And we found the account of
the creation, and at what time he
made the heaven and the earth,
and the first man Adam, and that
from thence to the flood, were two
thousand seven hundred and forty-
eight years.