Apocryphal collection · Passion and descent into hell · 2 min read
Gospel of Nicodemus (Acts of Pilate)
The trial, the bowing standards and Christ's descent into Hades
The full text of this study is in Portuguese; the summary, key points and official view are in English.
The Gospel of Nicodemus has two parts. The first, the Acts of Pilate, narrates the trial of Jesus as if it were an official proceeding: the witnesses, the miracles remembered by those who were healed and even the Roman standards, which bow by themselves when Jesus enters. The second, the Descent into Hell, is told by two sons of Simeon raised from the dead: a light floods Hades, Satan and Hades himself argue in fear, the bronze gates shatter, and Christ binds Satan and leads Adam, the prophets and the righteous to Paradise. It was one of the most widely read books of the Middle Ages.
Key points
- Language: Greek, with Latin, Syriac, Armenian, Coptic and Slavonic versions.
- Present form: 4th or 5th century; Justin Martyr (c. 155) already mentioned “Acts of Pilate”.
- The second part is narrated by Carinus and Leucius, sons of Simeon.
- Source of the “Descent into Hell” scene (Anastasis) in Byzantine art.
- Enoch and Elijah appear in Paradise, waiting for the end of time.
What scholars say
Scholars consider the present form of the text a 4th- or 5th-century composition that brings together older traditions. There is no Roman historical record of “acts” of Jesus’s trial. The work was decisive for the popular doctrine of Christ’s descent to the realm of the dead.
Keep investigating
- Gospel of Peter Giants whose heads touch the sky and the talking cross
- Gospel (Questions) of Bartholomew The abyss, Beliar in chains and the angels of the four winds
- Gospel of the Savior (Berlin Papyrus 22220) Jesus's farewell, the ascent to heaven and the dialogue with the cross
Other languages: Português · Español
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