Page:Apocryphal Gospels and Other Documents Relating to the History of Christ.djvu/352

236 of fornication; secondly, that thy birth in Bethlehem became the slaughter of babes; thirdly, that thy father Joseph and thy mother Mary fled into Egypt because they had no confidence with the people.

Some of the pious among the Jews who stood by said, We do not say that he was born of fornication, but we know that Joseph was espoused to Mary, and he was not born of fornication. Pilate said to the Jews who said he was born of fornication, This saying of yours is not true; because the betrothal had taken place, as also your fellow countrymen say. Annas and Caiaphas say to Pilate, All the multitude of us cry out and do not believe that he was born of fornication: these are proselytes and his disciples. And Pilate called Annas and Caiaphas and said to them, What are proselytes? They said to him, They were born the children of Greeks, and have now become Jews. Those who said he was not born of fornication, Lazarus, Asterius, Antonius, James, Amnes, Zera, Samuel, Isaac, Phinehas, Crispus, Agrippa, and Judas, said, We have not become proselytes, but are children of Jews, and speak truth. And at the espousals of Joseph and Mary we were present.

And Pilate called these twelve men who said he was not born of fornication, and said to them, I