Chapter 12.
And the Jews, hearing that Joseph had begged the
body of Jesus, sought him and the twelve who said that Jesus was not
born of fornication, and Nicodemus, and many others who had stepped up
before Pilate and declared His good works. And of all these that
were hid, Nicodemus alone was seen by them, because he was a ruler of
the Jews. And Nicodemus says to them: How have you come
into the synagogue? The Jews say to him: How hast thou come
into the synagogue? for thou art a confederate of his, and his portion
is with thee in the world to come. Nicodemus says: Amen,
amen. And likewise Joseph also stepped out and said to
them: Why are you angry against me because I begged the body of
Jesus? Behold, I have put him in my new tomb, wrapping him in
clean linen; and I have rolled a stone to the door of the tomb.
And you have acted not well against the just man, because you have not
repented of crucifying him, but also have pierced him with a
spear. And the Jews seized Joseph, and ordered him to be secured
until the first day of the week, and said to him: Know that the
time does not allow us to do anything against thee, because the Sabbath
is dawning; and know that thou shalt not be deemed worthy of burial,
but we shall give thy flesh to the birds of the air. Joseph says
to them: These are the words of the arrogant Goliath, who
reproached the living God and holy David.1839
For
God has said by the
prophet,
Vengeance is mine, and I will
repay, saith the
Lord.
1840
| 1840 Deut. xxxii. 35; Rom. xii. 19; Heb. x.
30. |
And now he that is
uncircumcised in
flesh, but circumcised in
heart, has taken
water, and
washed his
hands
in the face of the sun, saying, I am
innocent of the
blood of this just
man; see ye to it. And you answered and said to
Pilate, His
blood
be upon us, and upon our
children. And now I am afraid lest the
wrath of
God come upon you, and upon your
children, as you have
said. And the
Jews, hearing these words, were embittered in their
souls, and
seized Joseph, and locked him into a
room where there was no
window; and
guards were stationed at the
door, and they sealed the
door
where
Joseph was locked in.
And on the Sabbath, the rulers of the
synagogue,1841
| 1841 [This is an
evident blunder, one of many pointing to a late origin.—R.] |
and the
priests
and the
Levites, made a
decree that all should be found in the
synagogue on the first day of the
week. And rising up early, all
the multitude in the
synagogue consulted by what
death they should
slay
him. And when the
Sanhedrin was sitting, they ordered him to be
brought with much indignity. And having opened the
door, they
found him not. And all the people were surprised, and struck with
dismay, because they found the seals unbroken, and because Caiaphas had
the key. And they no longer dared to lay hands upon those who had
spoken before Pilate in Jesus’ behalf.
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