Apocrypha
Gospel of Nicodemus
Acts of Pilate
12 chapters · read and listen
Reading note
Also called the Acts of Pilate: the trial of Jesus told as a court record, followed by the descent into Hades and the rescue of the righteous.
Chapters
Dossier
Two parts: the trial of Jesus seen from inside the courtroom, with defence witnesses the gospels do not mention — and then his descent to the world of the dead, told by two men who were there and came back.
Where this text comes from
Also called the Acts of Pilate. The form we know is from the 4th or 5th century AD, in Greek and Latin, though texts under that name are reported from the 2nd century. It was among the most widely read books of the Middle Ages.
Why it is not in the Bible
Outside every canon and listed among the apocrypha to be avoided. That did not stop it from shaping Western art, drama and devotion for a thousand years.
What you will find
- At the trial the Roman standards bow by themselves when Jesus enters, and the soldiers holding them cannot prevent it.
- Witnesses rise to defend him, people he had healed whom no court had heard before.
- It is the trial seen from inside: the prosecution speaks, the defence speaks, and Pilate walks in and out of the room.
- The part narrating the descent to the world of the dead is published separately, as Descent into Hell in this same collection.
Frequently asked questions
- Does the Gospel of Nicodemus describe the harrowing of hell?
- Yes, and it is the main source for that tradition. The scene is in no canonical gospel; the Creed sums it up in one line, and this text is where it is narrated.