The Gospel of Nicodemus / Acts of Pilate

The Gospel of the Nicodemus is a passion gospel, alleging to be an official report of the trial, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus. It is argumentative rather than spiritual and reads like an exciting eyewitness report of murder, miracle, and resurrection. The prologue is in the voice of Anaias, a Roman guard, who claims to have found the official records in Hebrew concerning Jesus' trial and death, which he has translated into Greek and offers as "a memorial of our Lord Jesus Christ done in the time of Pontius Pilate."

In the Acts of Pilate miracles occur in the presence of Pontius Pilate and then follows debate about the veracity of the miracles. The good Jews of the Gospel are Nicodemus and above all, Joseph of Arimathaea. Joseph a rich and pious merchant, provided fine linen for Jesus' body and laid him in his own rock tomb. For doing so he was locked in a windowless house. The house was raised into the sky and there follows one of the most passionate revelations in gospel Scriptures. With the rapture of the room into the air, and the lightning, smells, fainting, and trembling, Joseph has moved, in a quasi-mystical way, elsewhere.

In Christ's Descent into Hell Jesus raises the dead from Hell. The scene shifts to Hell and Jesus enters like a conqueror. Then Jesus manhandles Satan and turns him over to Hades for torture. Hades accuses Satan of losing what he gained from the Tree of Knowledge to the tree of the cross.

Acts of Pilate [part I], Christ's Descent into Hell [part II] Gospel of Nicodemus

Canonical Status: Christian Apocrypha

Author: unknown, despite the fictional claims of the narrative

unknown later than the 2nd century some such Gospel mentioned in the 4th century concern for Mary, mother of Jesus, as theotokos (Mother of God) suggests a date after the 5th century Council of Ephesus earliest surviving manuscripts from the 13th century

Texts exist in Latin and Greek Versions also exist in Syriac, Coptic, and Armenian

Notes prepared by Shemia Fagan (Junior Religious Studies Major) for the Wesley Center for Applied Theology at Northwest Nazarene University

Copyright 2000 by the Wesley Center for Applied Theology

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