peruimus bibliothecam iftam, his means, we opened that book exquirentes omnes generationes ufque ad generationem Jofeph et Mariæ matris Jefu, computantes ex femine David effe; invenimus ea quæ fecit Dominus, et quando fecit cœlum et terram, et primum hominem Adam ufque ad diluvium, anni duo millia ducenti et duodecim. Et a diluvio ufque ad Abraham anni nongenti duodecim. Et ab Abraham ufque ad Mofen anni quadringenti triginta. Et de Mofe ufque ad David regem anni quingenti decem. Et a David ufque ad tranfmigrationem Babylonis anni quingenti. Et de transmigratione Babylonis ufque ad incarnationem Chrifti anni quadringenti. Et fiunt fimul quinque millia et femis. Et fic apparet quod Jefus, quem crucifiximus, Jefus Chriftus Dei Filius eft, verus et omnipotens Deus. Amen. to fearch all the generations down to the generation of Jofeph and Mary the mother of Jefus, fuppofing him to be of the feed of David; 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, two hundred, and twelve years. And from the flood to Abraham, nine hundred and twelve. And from Abraham to Mofes, four hundred and thirty. And from Mofes to David the King, five hundred and ten. from David to the Babylonish captivity, five hundred years. And from the Babylonish captivity to the incarnation of Chrift, four hundred years. The fum of all which amounts to five thousand and half (a thousand). And fo it appears, that Jefus, whom we crucified, is Jefus Chrift the Son of God, and true and Almighty God. Amen. And IN NOMINE SANCTE TRI- IN THE NAME OF THE NITATIS, EXPLICIUNT GESTA PER SALVATOREM JESUM CHRISTUM, QUÆ INVENIT THEODOSIUS MAGNUS IMPERATOR IN JERUSALEM, IN HOLY TRINITY, (thus) END THE ACTS OF OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST, WHICH THE EMPEROR THEODOSIUS THEGREAT FOUND AT JERUSALEM, Y. A IN PRÆTORIO PONTII PILATI IN CODICIBUS PUBLICIS, FACTA IN ANNO DECIMO NONO IMPERATORIS TIBERII CÆSARIS ROMANORUM, ET HERODIS FILII HERODIS REGIS GALILEE, ANNO DE CIMO SEPTIMO PRINCIPATUS EJUS, VIII. CALENDAS APRILIS, QUOD EST XXIII. DIE MENSIS MARTII, CONSULTATORIE REVELATIONIS, IN ANNO CCII. OLYMPIADIS, SUB PRINCIPATU JUDÆORUM JOSEPHI ET CAIPHE, QUANTA POST CRUCEM ET PASSIONEM DOMINI HISTORIATUS EST NICODEMUS LITERIS HEBRAICIS. THE PUBLICK RECORDS; THE THINGS WERE ACTED IN THE NINETEENTH YEAR OF TIBERIUS CASAR EMPEROR OF THE ROMANS, AND IN THE SEVENTEENTH YEAR OF THE GOVERNMENT OF Herod the son of HeROD KING OF GALILEE, ON THE EIGHTH OF THE CALENDS OF APRIL, WHICH IS THE TWENTY THIRD DAY OF THE MONTH OF MARCH*, IN THE CCII OLYMPIAD, WHEN JOSEPH AND CAI APHAS WERE RULERS OF THE JEWS; BEING A HIS TORY WRITTEN IN HEBREW BY NICODEMUS, OF WHAT HAPPENED AFTER OUR SAVIOUR'S CRUCIFIXION. * I have not put any thing in the English for the words Confultatoria Revelationis, because I confess I do not know what they mean. CHAP. CHA P. XXIX. The Gospel of Nicodemus, formerly called The Acts of Pontius LTHOUGH I know not any who have efteemed this Gospel under the name of Nicodemus as Canonical, yet inasmuch as it has been appealed to by feveral of the antient Chriftians (as is commonly thought), is unquestionably of very great antiquity, passes under the fplendid title of one who became our Lord's difciple, and conversed with him; and lastly, because it has not only generally been reckoned by the learned among the Apocrypha of the New Teftament, but by some also supposed to be really written by Nicodemus; I thought proper to infert it in this volume, with all that I have obferved confiderable relating to it, under the following heads. I. The Gospel of Nicodemus formerly passed under the title of The Acts of Pontius Pilate. In the book itself we read (Ch. XXVII.), that Pilate was its author, and that he wrote down all the transactions of Jefus Christ among the Jews, and placed his book among other publick writings in his palace. Accordingly in the end of it (or, as it is placed in fome editions, in the beginning of it b) we are told that Theodofius the Great (Emperor in the year 380, &c.) found it in Jerufalem in the palace of Pontius Pilate. Befides, what farther proves this is what Epiphanius tells us, viz. that the Teffarefcaidecatites (who were so called, because they thought themselves always obliged to keep Easter on the fourteenth day) confirmed their opinion by the Acts of Pilate, because it was there written с See Grynæus Præfat. in Orthodoxographa. Viz. the Anglo-Saxon and the German tranflations. Vid. Fabr. that that our Saviour fuffered on the eighth day of the calends of April. And the author of the eighth Homily, under the name of Chryfoftoma, cites thefe Acts of Pilate for the fame purpofe. Now this is exprefsly recorded in the Gospel of Nicodemus at the end; but it being a matter agreed on by all, that this Gospel was formerly called The Acts of Pilate, I shall now fay no more on this head, but only observe, that the reasons of its having the name of Nicodemus prefixed, feem to have been, 1. Because a confiderable part of the history relates to him, and was tranfacted by him. See Ch. V, IX, XI, XII, XV, and XVII. 2. Because all that revelation of Charinus and Lenthius from the other world, contained from Ch. XVII. to XXVIII. was delivered by them to Nicodemus, and afterwards by him to Pilate, who committed it to writing. (See Ch. XXVII.) When this Gospel had the name of Nicodemus first prefixed to it, is altogether uncertain. Some writers have afferted, that it is among thofe condemned by Gelafius's Decree, which Mr. Fabritius on good grounds concludes to be a mistake; and in another place (though I know not upon what grounds) he tells us, that it was a name given it in the latter centuries by the Anglo-Saxons and Britons; the Apostle of which country they report Nicodemus to have been. II. It is very probable there were fome accounts of Christ and his actions tranfmitted by Pilate to the Emperor Tiberius. It was a thing very customary among the Romans, long before this time, that the governors of the refpective provinces in fubjection to them, fhould transmit to Rome a particular account of every thing which happened, uncommon or extraordinary, in their feveral governments. This Eufebius exprefsly tells us, and it were easy to prove by many instances; to omit all which, I fhall only obferve, that Philo Judæus (wha * See this in Bishop Pearson's Expofition of the Creed, Art. 4. p. 198. Cod. Apoc. N. T. Par. 1. p. 222, 223, et 233. d Hiftor. Eccl. 1. 2. c. 2. wrote wrote about the time of Chrift) speaking of the flattering compliments Caligula received from the Egyptians, fays, he received them ταῖς ὑπομνηματικαῖς ἐφημερίσιν ἂς ἀπὸ τῆς ̓Αλεξανδρείας SETONTO, ex quotidianis actis tranfmiffis fibi ab Alexandria (as Gelenius translates it), from the daily memoirs (or acts) which were tranfmitted to him from Alexandriaa. It had been very strange therefore, if Pilate had neglected to inform the Emperor and court of events and actions, fo remarkable as those were which related to Jefus Chrift. But to fay no more of this; the first and most antient apologist for the Christian religion, Justin Martyr, in his Address to the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius, does more than once appeal to the Acts of Pontius Pilate for the truth of our Saviour's miracles and fufferings, καὶ ταῦτα ὅτι γέγονε δύνασθε μαθεῖν ἐκ τῶν ἐπὶ Ποντία Πιλάτε γενομένων ἄκτων, and of the truth of thefe facts you may be informed out of the Acts which were written by Pontius Pilate (or, under his government). Apol. pro Christ. p. 76. and elsewhere, p. 84. he refers to the fame for the proof of our Saviour's curing all forts of difeafes, raifing the dead, &c. Tertullian likewife, in his Apology for Christianity against the Heathens, twice appeals to the records which were tranfmitted from Jerufalem to Tiberius concerning Chrift; and as in one place he expressly names those which were tranfmitted by Pilate, fo in the other there can be no doubt but he refers to the fame, as is well intimated in the Paraphrase of Eufebius, and by Francifcus Zephyrus on the place, and Pamelius in his notes: his words being somewhat remarkable in both places, I thought proper here to transcribe them . Tiberius, in whofe time the Chriftian name became first known in the world, having received information from Palestine in Syria (by his governor there), that Jefus Chrift had there given manifeft proof of the truth of his divinity, communicated it to the Senate, infifling upon it as his a Legat. ad Caium, p. 1016. Apol. adv. Gent. c. v. et 21. c Hitt. Eccl. 1. 2. c. 2. d Tiberius ergo, cujus tempore nomen Chriftianum in feculum introiit, annunciatum fibi ex Syria Palæstina, quod illic veritatem illius divinitatis revelaverat, detulit ad Senatum cum prærogativa fui fuffragii. Senatus, quia non in fe probaverat, refpuit. Cæfar in fententia manfit, comminatus periculum accufatoribus Chriftianorum, c. 5. prerogative, |