- 1. Jesus Accused of the Jews before Pilate.
- 2. Some of them spake for him.
- 3. Pilate takes Counsel of Ancient Lawyers, etc.
- 4. Nicodemus speaks to Pilate for Jesus.
- 5. Certain Jews shew Pilate the Miracles which Christ had done to some of them.
- 6. Pilate commands that no villains should put him to his Passion, but only Knights.
- 7. Centurio tells Pilate of the Wonders that were done at Christ's Passion; and of the fine Cloth of Syndonia.
- 8. The Jews conspire against Nicodemus and Joseph.
- 9. One of the Knights that kept the Sepulchre of our Lord, came and told the Master of the Law, that our Lord was gone into Gallilee.
- 10. Three men who came from Gallilee to Jerusalem say they saw Jesus alive.
- 11. The Jews chuse eight men who were Joseph's friends, to desire him to come to them.
- 12. Joseph tells of divers dead Men risen, especially of Simon's two sons, Garius and Levicius.
- 13. Nicodemus and Joseph tell Pilate all that those two Men had said; and how Pilate treated with the Princes of the Law.
Newcastle: Printed in this present Year.
This is a translation by John Warren, priest, of this apocryphal Gospel, of which the frontispiece is a summary, and varies very little from that given by Hone, who, in his prefatory notice says, "Although this Gospel is, by some among the learned, supposed to have been really written by Nicodemus, who became a disciple of Jesus Christ, and conversed with him; others conjecture it was a forgery towards the close of the third century, by some zealous believer, who, observing that there had been appeals made by the Christians of the former Age, to the Acts of Pilate, but that such Acts could not be produced, imagined it would be of service to Christianity to fabricate and publish this Gospel; as it would both confirm the Christians under persecution, and convince the Heathens of the truth of the Christian religion.... Whether it be canonical or not, it is of very great antiquity, and is appealed to by several of the ancient Christians."
Wynkyn de Worde published several editions of it—in 1509, 1511, 1512, 1518, 1532—and his headings of the chapters differ very slightly from those already given.