Gospel of Nicodemus
The Gospel of Nicodemus, the first part of which is the Acta Pilati, is an apocryphal Christian scripture which, like the Gospel of Peter, is counted among the Passion Gospels, which deal mainly with the death and resurrection of the Christ.
The Gospel of Nicodemus consists of three parts. According to current research, it is assumed that the Gospel of Nicodemus, which was only later given this name, was put together from two originally independent texts, whereby the first text is said to have comprised parts 1 and 2.
The Acts of Pilate (Part 1: chapters I-XI) contain embellishments around the trial, burial and resurrection of Jesus with a clear tendency to exonerate the figure of Pilate from responsibility for Jesus' death at the expense of the Jewish leadership. In a detailed resurrection account, Jewish synagogue leaders and priests testify to the resurrection. The legend of the sweatcloth of Veronica, popular in the Middle Ages, and the story of the centurion Longinus also go back to the Acts of Pilate. Then the imprisonment and liberation of Joseph of Arimathea is described (Part 2: chapters XII-XVI).
"Christ's Descent into Hell" (Part 3: Chapters XVII-XXVII) tells of the underworld as the abode of the souls to be saved by Christ. Here the Legend of the Wood of the Cross, significant from an esoteric point of view, is also told.
The text underwent many adaptations and additions until the late Middle Ages. For example, a Middle English version tells how Joseph of Arimathea brings the Holy Grail to England after the crucifixion and hides it there.
The scripture was also strongly received in art history. Many medieval paintings, for example, can be traced back to reports from the Acts of Pilate. Contemporary literature and film also took up the material (cf. Lloyd C. Douglas, The Robe).
The scripture owes its name "Gospel of Nicodemus" to a note in the prologue that presents the following text as an account by the Pharisee Nicodemus of the actions of the Jewish leadership against Jesus.
The frame narrative or found legend of the Gospel of Nicodemus dates to the 18th year of the reign of Emperor Theodosius II (1 September 425 - 1 September 426). However, the Gospel incorporates considerably older parts and fragments, the origin of which possibly date back to the 2nd century.
Literature
- Ehrman, Bart D; Pleše, Zlatko: The Apocryphal Gospels : texts and translations. Oxford University Press, New York 2011, ISBN 978-0199732104 archive.org (limited preview)
Weblinks
- THE GOSPEL OF NICODEMUS, OR ACTS OF PILATE, from "The Apocryphal New Testament", M.R. James-Translation and Notes, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1924
