Page:Apocryphal Gospels and Other Documents Relating to the History of Christ.djvu/95

Rh south of Jerusalem, as is shown by Jewish authorities. Still, the reference to Mount Melek is one of the evidences that the book was written by a converted Jew. The sending out of men to search for Jesus, in chapter xv., is a mere imitation of the account of Elijah. The story which Joseph tells of his miraculous deliverance from prison is a fiction which seems to be peculiar to this book. The name of Longinus, given to the soldier who pierced the Saviour's side, may be regarded as traditional, though it is clearly made out of the Greek word, "lance" or "spear," and means "a spearman." The wonderful change which comes over the Jewish leaders is a fable, and quite inconsistent with the statements in the early chapters of the Acts of the Apostles.

(2.) The second version of Nicodemus is mainly a loose copy of the former. The inscription and title have been materially altered. Before, Ananias was the translator and Nicodemus the author, but here Nicodemus is the translator and Æneas the compiler. I cannot account for the entire change, but I think it probable that Æneas was substituted for Ananias when the account of the journey to the Underworld was added. The name of Æneas was very likely a