The Forbidden Gospels and Epistles Part 20

20 Dost thou not know that I am thine? Trouble me no more.

CHAPTER III.

1 Astonishes his schoolmaster by his learning.

A CERTAIN schoolmaster named Zaccheaus, standing in a certain place, heard Jesus speaking these things to his father.

2 And he was much surprised, that being a child he should speak such things; and after a few days he came to Joseph, and said,

3 Thou hast a wise and sensible child, send him to me, that he may learn to read.

4 When he sat down to teach the letters to Jesus, he began with the first letter Aleph;

5 But Jesus p.r.o.nounced the second letter Mpeth (Beth) Cghimel (Gimel), and said over all the letters to him to the end.

6 Then opening a book, he taught his master the prophets but he was ashamed, and was at a loss to conceive how he came to know the letters.

7 And he arose and went home, wonderfully surprised at so strange a thing.

CHAPTER IV.

1 Fragment of an adventure at a dyer's.

AS Jesus was pa.s.sing by a certain shop, he saw a young man dipping (or dyeing) some cloths and stockings in a furnace, of a sad colour, doing them according to every person's particular order;

2 The boy Jesus going to the young man who was doing this, took also some of the cloths ......

(Here endeth the fragment of Thomas's Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus Christ.)

REFERENCE TO ST. THOMAS'S GOSPEL OF THE INFANCY OF JESUS CHRIST.

[The original in Greek, from which this translation is made, will be found printed by Cotelerius, in his notes on the const.i.tutions of the Apostles, from a MS. in the French King's Library, No. 2279.--It is attributed to St. Thomas, and conjectured to have been originally connected with the, Gospel of Mary. Unfortunately this ancient MS. was found torn at the second verse of the fourth chapter.]

THE GOSPEL OF NICODEMUS, FORMERLY CALLED THE ACTS OF PONTIUS PILATE.

The Gospel of NICODEMUS, the disciple, concerning the Sufferings and Resurrection of our Master and Saviour, JESUS CHRIST.

CHAPTER I.

1 Christ accused to Pilate by the Jews of healing on the Sabbath.

9 Summoned before Pilate by a messenger who does him honour.

20 Wors.h.i.+pped by the standards bowing down to him.

ANNAS and Caiphas, and Summas, and Datam, Gamaliel, Judas, Levi, Nepthalim, Alexander, Cyrus, and other Jews, went to Pilate about Jesus, accusing him with many bad crimes.

2 And said, We are a.s.sured that Jesus is the son of Joseph, the carpenter, and born of Mary, and that he declares himself the Son of G.o.d, and a king; and not only so, but attempts the dissolution of the Sabbath, and the laws of our fathers.

3 Pilate replied, What is it which he declares? and what is it which he attempts dissolving?

4 The Jews told him, We have a law which forbids doing cures on the Sabbath day; but he cures both the lame and the deaf, those afflicted with the palsy, the blind, the lepers, and demoniacs, on that day, by wicked methods.

5 Pilate replied, How can he do this by wicked methods? They answered He is a conjurer, and casts out devils by the prince of the devils; and so all things, become subject to him.

6 Then said Pilate, Casting out devils seems not to be the work of an unclean spirit, but to proceed from the power of G.o.d.

7 The Jews replied to Pilate, We entreat your highness to summon him to appear before your tribunal, and hear him yourself.

8 Then Pilate called a messenger, and said to him, By what means will Christ be brought hither?

9 Then went the messenger forth, and knowing Christ, wors.h.i.+pped him; and having spread the cloak which he had in his hand upon the ground, he said, Lord, walk upon this, and go in, for the governor calls thee.

10 When the Jews perceived what the messenger had done, they exclaimed (against him) to Pilate, and said, Why did you not give him his summons by a beadle, and not by a messenger?--For the messenger, when he saw him, wors.h.i.+pped him, and spread the cloak which he had in his hand upon the ground before him, and said to him, Lord, the governor calls thee.

11 Then Pilate called the messenger, and said, Why hast thou done thus?

12 The messenger replied, When thou sentest me from Jerusalem to Alexander, I saw Jesus sitting in a mean figure upon a she-a.s.s, and the children of the Hebrews cried out, Hosannah, holding boughs of trees in their hands.

13 Others spread their garments in the way, and said, Save us, thou who art in heaven; blessed is he who cometh in the name of the Lord.

14 Then the Jews cried out, against the messenger, and said, The children of the Hebrews made their acclamations in the Hebrew language; and how couldst thou, who art a Greek, understand the Hebrew?

15 The messenger answered them and said, I asked one of the Jews and said, What is this which the children do cry out in the Hebrew language?

16 And he explained it to me, saying, they cry out, Hosannah, which being interpreted, is, O Lord, save me; or, O Lord, save.

17 Pilate then said to them, Why do you yourselves testify to the words spoken by the children, namely, by your silence? In what has the messenger done amiss?

And they were silent.

18 Then the governor said unto the messenger, Go forth and endeavour by any means to bring him in.

19 But the messenger went forth and did as before; and said, Lord come in, for the governor calleth thee.

20 And as Jesus was going in by the ensigns, who carried the standards, the tops of them bowed down and wors.h.i.+pped Jesus.

21 Whereupon the Jews exclaimed more vehemently against the ensigns.