Page:Apocryphal Gospels and Other Documents Relating to the History of Christ.djvu/391

Rh receive forty strokes with a stick; but if he revile God, to be stoned.

Then came a messenger from Procla the wife of Pilate unto him, and the message said, Take heed that thou suffer not any evil to happen to the good man Jesus; for this night I have seen terrible dreams on account of him. And Pilate gave an answer to the Hebrews, saying, If ye regard as an insult to God, the words which ye say Jesus said, take him, and judge ye according to your law. The Jews said to Pilate, We will that thou shouldst crucify him. Pilate saith, This is not good.

And Pilate, turning towards the people, saw many weeping, and he said, It seemeth to me that it is not the will of all the people that this man should die. The priests and scribes said, For this cause have we brought all the people, that thou mightest receive full assurance that they all wish for his death. Pilate saith, What evil hath he done? The Hebrews said, He saith that he is a king and the Son of God.

a pious Jew, named Nicodemus, standing in the midst, said to Pilate, I pray thy majesty to suffer me to say some few words unto thee. Speak, said Pilate. Nicodemus said, I said to the priests and Levites