Page:Apocryphal Gospels and Other Documents Relating to the History of Christ.djvu/490

374 buried, and who should enquire diligently and see whether it was as they had heard. There proceeded thither therefore fifteen men, who were all along present at their deaths, and had stood at their feet when they were buried, and had seen their sepulchres. And they came and found their sepulchres open, and very many more, and found no trace of their bones or dust. And they returned in all haste and told what they had seen.

Then their whole assembly was troubled with great sorrow, and they said to one another, What shall we do? Annas and Caiaphas said, Let us send to where we have heard they are, and let us send to them some of our more honourable men, to beg and entreat them: perhaps they will deign to come to us. Then they sent unto them Nicodemus and Joseph, and the three men, Rabbis of Galilee, who had seen them, to beg them to deign to come to them. These, going forth, walked about all the region of the Jordan and the mountains, and not finding them, turned back.

And behold there suddenly appeared descending from mount Amalek, a very great multitude, about twelve thousand men, who had risen with the Lord. Although they recognised very many that were there, they could not say anything to them because of fear and the angelic vision, and stood afar off gazing at them, and hearing them, as they marched along,