GOSPEL OF PETER - LAST
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I.
II.
III.
IV.
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VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
XIII.
XIV.
1 But of the Jews no man washed his hands, neither did Herod nor any
one of his judges: and whereas they would not 2 wash, Pilate rose up.
And then Herod the king commanded that the Lord should be taken into
their hands, saying unto them: All that I commanded you to do unto him,
do ye
3 Now there stood there Joseph the friend of Pilate and of the Lord,
and he, knowing that they were about to crucify him, came unto Pilate
and begged the body of Jesus for burial. And Pilate sending unto Herod,
begged his body. 5 And Herod said: Brother Pilate, even if none had
begged for him, we should have buried him, since also the Sabbath
dawneth; for it is written in the law that the sun should not set upon
one that hath been slain (murdered).
6 And he delivered him unto the people before the first day of (or on
the day before the) unleavened bread, even their feast. And they having
taken the Lord pushed him as they ran, and said: Let us hale the Son of
God, now that 7 we have gotten authority over him. And they put on him
a purple robe, and made him sit upon the seat of judgement, 8 saying:
Give righteous judgement, thou King of Israel. And one of them brought
a crown of thorns and set it upon the 9 Lord's head; and others stood
and did spit in his eyes, and others buffeted his cheeks; and others
did prick him with a reed, and some of them scourged him, saying With
this honour let us honour (or at this price let us value) the son of
God.
10 And they brought two malefactors, and crucified the 11 Lord between
them. But he kept silence, as one feeling no pain. And when they set
the cross upright, they wrote 12 thereon: This is the King of Israel.
And they laid his garments before him, and divided them among
themselves and 13 cast the lot upon them. But one of those malefactors
reproached them, saying: We have thus suffered for the evils which we
have done; but this man which hath become the 14 saviour of men,
wherein hath he injured you? And they were wroth with him, and
commanded that his legs should not be broken, that so he might die in
torment.
15 Now it was noonday, and darkness prevailed over all Judaea: and
they were troubled and in an agony lest the sun should have set, for
that he yet lived: for it is written for them that the sun should not
set upon him that hath been 16 slain (murdered). And one of them said:
Give ye him to drink gall with vinegar: and they mingled it and gave
him 17 to drink: and they fulfilled all things and accomplished 18
their sins upon their own heads. And many went about with 19 lamps,
supposing that it was night: and some fell. And the Lord cried out
aloud saying: My power, my power, thou hast forsaken me. And when he
had so said, he was taken up.
20 And in the same hour was the veil of the temple of Jerusalem
rent in two.
21 And then they plucked the nails from the hands of the Lord and laid
him upon the earth: and the whole earth was shaken, and there came a
great fear on all.
22 Then the sun shone forth, and it was found to be the ninth 23
hour. And the Jews rejoiced, and gave his body unto Joseph to bury it,
because he had beheld all the good things which 24 he did. And he took
the Lord and washed him and wrapped him in linen and brought him unto
his own sepulchre, which is called the Garden of Joseph.
25 Then the Jews and the elders and the priests, when they perceived
how great evil they had done themselves, began to lament and to say:
Woe unto our sins: the judgement and the end of Jerusalem is drawn
nigh.
26 But I with my fellows was in grief, and we were wounded in our
minds and would have hid ourselves; for we were sought after by them as
malefactors, and as thinking to set 27 the temple on fire. And beside
all these things we were fasting, and we sat mourning and weeping night
and day until the Sabbath.
28 But the scribes and Pharisees and elders gathered one with another,
for they had heard that all the people were murmuring and beating their
breasts, saying: If these very great signs have come to pass at his
death, behold how 29 righteous he was. And the elders were afraid and
came unto 30 Pilate, entreating him and saying: Give us soldiers that
we (or they) may watch his sepulchre for three days, lest his disciples
come and steal him away and the people suppose 31 that he is risen from
the dead, and do us hurt. And Pilate gave them Petronius the centurion
with soldiers to watch the sepulchre; and the elders and scribes came
with them unto 32 the tomb, and when they had rolled a great stone to
keep out (al. together with) the centurion and the soldiers, then all
33 that were there together set it upon the door of the tomb; and
plastered thereon seven seals; and they pitched a tent there and kept
watch.
34 And early in the morning as the Sabbath dawned, there came a
multitude from Jerusalem and the region roundabout to see the sepulchre
that had been sealed.
35 Now in the night whereon the Lord's day dawned, as the soldiers
were keeping guard two by two in every watch, 36 there came a great
sound in the heaven, and they saw the heavens opened and two men
descend thence, shining with (lit. having) a great light, and drawing
near unto the sepulchre. 37 And that stone which had been set on the
door rolled away of itself and went back to the side, and the sepulchre
was
38 opened and both of the young men entered in. When therefore those
soldiers saw that, they waked up the centurion and the elders (for they
also were there keeping 39 watch); and while they were yet telling them
the things which they had seen, they saw again three men come out of
the sepulchre, and two of them sustaining the other (lit. the 40 one),
and a cross following, after them. And of the two they saw that their
heads reached unto heaven, but of him that 41 was led by them that it
overpassed the heavens. And they 42 heard a voice out of the heavens
saying: Hast thou (or Thou hast) preached unto them that sleep? And an
answer was heard from the cross, saying: Yea.
43 Those men therefore took counsel one with another to go and report
these things unto Pilate. And while they yet thought thereabout, again
the heavens were opened and a 45 man descended and entered into the
tomb. And they that were with the centurion (or the centurion and they
that were with him) when they saw that, hasted to go by night unto
Pilate and left the sepulchre whereon they were keeping watch, and told
all that they had seen, and were in great agony, saying: Of a truth he
was the son of God.
46 Pilate answered and said: I am clear from the blood of 47 the
son of God, but thus it seemed good unto you. Then all they came and
besought him and exhorted him to charge the centurion and the soldiers
to tell nothing of that they had 48 seen: For, said they, it is
expedient for us to incur the greatest sin before God, rather than to
(and not to) fall into 49 the hands of the people of the Jews and to be
stoned. Pilate therefore charged the centurion and the soldiers that
they should say nothing.
50 Now early on the Lord's day Mary Magdalene, a disciple (fem.) of
the Lord-which, being afraid because of the Jews, for they were
inflamed with anger, had not performed at the sepulchre of the Lord
those things which women are accustomed to do unto them that die and
are 51 beloved of them-took with her the women her friends and 52 came
unto the tomb where he was laid. And they feared lest the Jews should
see them, and said: Even if we were not able to weep and lament him on
that day whereon he was 53 crucified, yet let us now do so at his tomb.
But who will roll away for us the stone also that is set upon the door
of the tomb, that we may enter in and sit beside him and perform 54
that which is due? for the stone was great, and we fear lest any man
see us. And if we cannot do so, yet let us cast down at the door these
things which we bring for a memorial of him, and we will weep and
lament until we come unto our house.
55 And they went and found the sepulchre open : and they drew near and
looked in there, and saw there a young man sitting in the midst of the
sepulchre, of a fair countenance and clad in very bright raiment, which
said unto them: 56 Wherefore are ye come? whom seek ye? not him that
was crucified? He is risen and is departed; but if ye believe it not,
look in and see the place where he lay, that he is not here: for he is
risen and is departed thither whence he was sent. 57 Then the women
were affrighted and fled.
58 Now it was the last day of unleavened bread, and many were coming
forth of the city and returning unto their 59 own homes because the
feast was at an end. But we, the twelve disciples of the Lord, were
weeping and were in sorrow, and each one being grieved for that which
had befallen 60 departed unto his own house. But I, Simon Peter, and
Andrew my brother, took our nets and went unto the sea: and there was
with us Levi the son of Alphaeus, whom the Lord (For Fragment II see
Apocalypse of Peter.)