Page:The Apocryphal New Testament (1924).djvu/190

 hands in 1892 (see Newbery House Magazine, 1892, p. 641), contains a like story in another form.

Here we have the Jews explaining to Pilate that the sweet odour of the sepulchre is due to the spices put on the body by Joseph, and to the flowers in the garden. Pilate rebukes them, and they retort that he has no business to come to the sepulchre. He addresses the centurion. After a gap is a prayer of Pilate's, in which he asks pardon for having put 'another body in the place where they put thy body'. At the end of the prayer a voice comes from the mouth of the dead bidding Pilate remove the stone that he (the dead) may come out.

An Arabic Life of Pilate, noticed by De Sacy, extant in manuscript at Paris (Arab. 160), seems likely to contain the whole story, of which we here have fragments. It purports to have been written by Gamaliel and Annas (or Ananias). Migne, ''Dict. des Apocr.'' I. 1101.

This, I believe, completes the list of the fragments of this character which have been published up to date. Nearly all of them are put together by Revillout under the title of the Gospel of the Twelve Apostles. But we have seen that at least one (13) is from a narrative under Gamaliel's name; and it is also pretty clear that not all the rest can belong to a single writing.

Nos. 1, 3, 4, 5 must go together: they are from the 'homiletic' book. 1 is the least certainly pertinent.

These pieces have an element which links them together in the motif of the intrigues to make Jesus a king. Their late date is apparent in the long rhetorical speeches, and in the tremendous exaltation of St. Peter.

No. 2 is by an eyewitness, assigned by Baumstark to Gamaliel.

No. 6 may belong to Gamaliel.

Nos. 7, 8 to Bartholomew.

Nos. 9, 10, with their interest in Pilate, are probably from Gamaliel.

Nos. 11, 12 uncertain. Baumstark refers them to Gamaliel.

No. 13, Gamaliel.

Baumstark's article referred to here is in the Revue Biblique Internationale for 1906, p. 245. He would refer nos. 2, 8, 4, 5 to Gamaliel, as well as the later ones.

Other Coptic documents will come up for notice when we deal with the Gospel of Bartholomew, the Death of the Virgin, and the Acts of the Apostles: and also with the Apocalypses. It may be as well, however, to register here the statement or warning that the Copts were tireless in producing embroideries upon the Biblical stories, and perhaps in rewriting older documents to suit their own taste. Only fresh discoveries of older texts can enable us to decide how much, if any, of the details which these later fragments supply, is really archaic.