Gospel of Peter (Akhmim fragment)

The Gospel according to Peter

But of the Jews no one washed his hands, nor did Herod or any one of his judges; and since they would not wash, Pilate rose.

And then Herod the king commands that the Lord be taken away, saying to them: 'Whatever I commanded you to do to him, do it.'

But Joseph, the friend of Pilate and of the Lord, stood there; and knowing that they were about to crucify him, he came to Pilate and asked for the body of the Lord for burial. [4] And Pilate sent to Herod and asked for his body.

And Herod said: 'Brother Pilate, even if no one had asked for him, we would have buried him, since the sabbath is dawning; for it is written in the law that the sun should not set on one who has been put to death' … before the first day of the unleavened bread, their feast.

So they took the Lord and pushed him along as they ran, and said: 'Let us drag the Son of God, now that we have power over him.' [7] And they clothed him with purple and sat him on a seat of judgement, saying: 'Judge justly, King of Israel.'

And one of them brought a crown of thorns and put it on the head of the Lord.

And others stood and spat in his face, and others struck his cheeks, others pierced him with a reed, and some scourged him, saying: 'With this honour let us honour the Son of God.'

And they brought two criminals and crucified the Lord between them. But he kept silent, as having no pain. [11] And when they set the cross upright, they wrote on it: 'This is the King of Israel.' [12] And they laid his garments before him, divided them, and cast lots for them.

But one of those criminals reproached them, saying: 'We have suffered thus because of the evils we did; but this man, who has become the saviour of men, what wrong has he done you?' [14] And they were angry with him and ordered that his legs should not be broken, so that he might die in torment.

It was noon, and darkness covered all Judea; and they were troubled and in anguish lest the sun had set, since he was still alive; for it is written for them that the sun should not set on one who has been put to death.

And one of them said: 'Give him gall to drink with vinegar'; and they mixed it and gave him to drink. [17] And they fulfilled all things, and completed their sins upon their own head.

And many went about with lamps, thinking that it was night, and they fell.

And the Lord cried out, saying: 'My power, my power, you have forsaken me.' And having said this he was taken up. [20] And at the same hour the veil of the temple of Jerusalem was torn in two.

And then they drew the nails from the hands of the Lord and laid him on the ground; and the whole earth was shaken, and there was great fear.

Then the sun shone, and it was found to be the ninth hour. [23] And the Jews rejoiced and gave his body to Joseph so that he might bury it, since he had seen all the good things he had done.

And he took the Lord, washed him, wrapped him in linen, and brought him into his own tomb, called the Garden of Joseph.

Then the Jews and the elders and the priests, seeing what evil they had done to themselves, began to beat their breasts and say: 'Woe for our sins! The judgement and the end of Jerusalem have drawn near.'

But I with my companions was grieving, and wounded in mind we hid; for we were being sought by them as criminals and as men who wished to set the temple on fire.

And for all these things we fasted, and sat mourning and weeping night and day until the sabbath.

But the scribes and Pharisees and elders gathered together, having heard that all the people were murmuring and beating their breasts, saying: 'If these very great signs have happened at his death, see how righteous he is.' [29] The elders were afraid, and came to Pilate, beseeching him and saying:

'Give us soldiers, so that we may guard his tomb for three days, lest his disciples come and steal him away, and the people suppose that he has risen from the dead, and do us harm.'

And Pilate gave them Petronius the centurion with soldiers to guard the tomb; and elders and scribes came with them to the tomb.

And having rolled a great stone, together with the centurion and the soldiers, all who were there together set it at the door of the tomb; [33] and they smeared on it seven seals, pitched a tent there and kept watch.

Early in the morning, as the sabbath was dawning, a crowd came from Jerusalem and the surrounding country to see the sealed tomb.

But in the night in which the Lord's day was dawning, while the soldiers were keeping guard two by two in each watch, a loud voice came in heaven,

and they saw the heavens opened and two men come down from there with great brightness and draw near to the tomb.

And that stone which had been put at the door rolled away of itself and moved aside, and the tomb was opened, and both the young men went in.

When those soldiers saw this, they woke the centurion and the elders (for they too were there keeping guard);

and while they were telling what they had seen, they see again three men coming out of the tomb, the two supporting the one, and a cross following them;

and the heads of the two reaching to heaven, but that of the one led by the hand by them going beyond the heavens. [41] And they heard a voice from the heavens saying: 'Have you preached to those who sleep?' [42] And an answer was heard from the cross: 'Yes.' [43] Those men then took counsel with one another to go away and report these things to Pilate.

And while they were still considering it, the heavens appear opened again, and a man came down and went into the tomb.

Seeing these things, the centurion and those with him hurried by night to Pilate, leaving the tomb they were guarding, and told all that they had seen, greatly distressed and saying: 'Truly he was the Son of God.'

Pilate answered and said: 'I am clean of the blood of the Son of God; this was your decision.'

Then they all came and begged him and urged him to order the centurion and the soldiers to say nothing of what they had seen.

'For it is better for us,' they say, 'to incur the greatest sin before God than to fall into the hands of the Jewish people and be stoned.' [49] So Pilate ordered the centurion and the soldiers to say nothing.

At dawn on the Lord's day, Mary Magdalene, a disciple of the Lord, who for fear of the Jews, since they were inflamed with anger, had not done at the Lord's tomb what women are accustomed to do for those who die and are dear to them, [51] took her friends with her and came to the tomb where he had been laid.

And they were afraid that the Jews might see them, and they said: 'Although we could not weep and beat our breasts on the day on which he was crucified, let us do so now at his tomb.

But who will roll away for us the stone that has been set at the door of the tomb, so that we may go in and sit beside him and do what is due?

For the stone was great, and we are afraid that someone may see us. And if we cannot, let us at least lay at the door what we are bringing in his memory; we will weep and beat our breasts until we come to our home.'

And they went and found the tomb opened; and they came near, stooped and looked in there, and they see there a young man sitting in the middle of the tomb, handsome and clothed in a most shining robe, who said to them:

'Why have you come? Whom do you seek? Not that one who was crucified? He has risen and gone away. If you do not believe, stoop and look at the place where he lay, that he is not there; for he has risen and gone away to the place from which he was sent.' [57] Then the women were afraid and fled.

It was the last day of the unleavened bread, and many were going out, returning to their homes, since the feast was over.

But we, the twelve disciples of the Lord, wept and grieved; and each one, grieving for what had happened, went away to his home.

But I, Simon Peter, and Andrew my brother took our nets and went away to the sea; and there was with us Levi, the son of Alphaeus, whom the Lord …