The record-union., 1893-03-30
GOSPEL OF ST. PETER.
The Newly Recovered Gospel Found
in Egypt.
1t Was Discovered In Akmim-The
Most Eminent Critics Pronounce
it Genuine Product.

Holy Sepulcher in COnStantinople had
been found the Teaching of the Twelve
Apostles" 1t had long been known that
such work had been in existence in the
early centuries of the church, but it had
been given up for lost. The recovery of
this work, together with several others of
minor importance, gave hope that we
may look for others of perhaps still
greater importance.
This hope was rewarded in 1888 by the
publication of "Tatian's Diotessaron" in
Arabic from two newly discovered MSS,
and now futter of excitement is pass
ing over the learned world by the publi-
cation of newly found fragment of the
Gospel of st. Peter, found among the
Christian tombs in Akmim, in Upper
Egypt, by the French Archaeological
Mission at Cairo. Together with this
fragment is the Book Of Enoch and the
Apocolypae of Peter.
These documents were found in the
winter of 1861, but, as Frenchmen are
not noted for their interest in Patristic
lore, the delayin publication is easily ac-
counted for. The weightiest testimony
concerning these documents comes from
Harnack, the great critic of Berlin, who
places the origin of the Gospel OF st.
Potter in about the first third of the Sec
ond century a. D. Harnack thinks that
the home of Peter was probably Syria,
and that the gospel was written in the in
terest OF a school or tendency, lust as the
proem of st. Johns Gospel was written to
make Jesus the Gnostic "logos." at be-
longs to a period" says ,Harnack, when
the substance of the GOSPELS was still in a
state of fusion"
In order that the public may read this
fragment and get an idea of what many
lt hrTg 10 yns in, ha aa,lx- -fl,Y
cepted as history, L will here add to this
contribution the translation made by j.
Rendel Harris, Fellow of Clare College,
Cambridge. This is the first English
translation, and in consequence may be
largely corrected after the critics have
given the work a more careful study.
This fragment begins in the trial of Jesus
as follows:
But none of the Jews washed their
hands, neither did Herod, nor any of his
judges, and when they would have
washed them PLATE rose up; and there
upon Herod the king bids that the Lord
should be taken off, saying to them, DO
with Him as bade you do And there
was come here Joseph, friend of Plate
and of the Lord, and knowing that they
were going TO cruelty Him, he came TO
Plate and begged the body of the Lord
for burial, and PLATE sent to Herod and
asked for His body, and Herod said,
Brother PLATE, even if no one had asked
for Him, we should have had to bury
Him, for already the Sabbath draws on;
for it is written in the law that the sun
must not go down upon a murdered per-
son on the day before their feast, the feast
of unleavened bread
but they who had taken the Lord were
pushing Him along at a run and saying,
Let us hail the Son of God now that we
have Him in our power; and they clad
Him with purple and they seated Him
Df md
righteously, Q, King of IsaaeP and one
of them brought crown of thorns and
set j. upon the head OF the Lord.
And others standing by spat in His
face, and others again struck Him on the
cheeks; others pricked Him with reed,
and some were scourging Him and saying,
This IS the honor wherewith we will
honor the Son of God. And they brought
two malefactors and crucitied the Lord
between them. But He was silent, as if in
no wise feeling pain, and when they set up
the cross they inscribed the words, This
is the King of Israeli And having laid
down His garments before Him they di-
vided them and cast lots for them.
But one of these maletactOrS reproached
them, saying, we have suffered thus on
account of the evil deeds which we did,
but this man. who has become the Savior
OF men, what evil has he done?' And the
Jews being provoked at him, COM
manded that his leg should be broken, in
order that he might die in torment. And
it WAS now midday, and darkness cov-
cred all the land Of udtea, and they were
troubled and in anXinty lest the sun
should be setting, since He was yet alive,
Tor it is written 1or them that the sun
should not set on a murdered man. And
one OF them said, Let us give Him to
drink gall mingled with vinegar and
when they had mingled il, they gave
Him to drink, and thus they brought all
70, fr,1 nd laI II,
measure of their sins upon their own
head And many went about with
lanterns, thinking that it was night, and
they fell down. And the Lord cried out,
saying. My power, my power, hast thou
forsakeu mel? And when He said this He
was taken up.
And the same hour the veil of the tenn
pn of Jerusalem was rent in twain; and
then they drew out the nails from the
hands of the Lord. and laid Him on the
earth, and the earth was wholly shaken
and great fear came upon them. Then
the sun shone out. and it was found to be
the ninth hour. But the Jews rejoiced
greatly, and gave the body to Joseph to
bury. for he had been an observer of all
the good deeds which Jesus did.
And he took the Lord and washed Him
and wrapped Him in a linen CLOTH and
brought Him into his own tomb, which
was called Josoph's Garden. Then the
Jews and the elders ana the priests when
they saw what an evil deed they had
done TO themselves, began to beat their
breasts and to say, 'No to our sins, for
the Judgment and the end of Jerusalem is
at hand
"And with my companions was griev-
ing, and. being wounded in heart, we hid
ourselves, for we We're sought for by
them As Indicators and as men who
wished to burn the temple. And we
We're fasting over all things, and sitting
l.
day, until the sabbath.
And the scribes and Pharisees and
elders were gathered together, for they
had heard that all the people were MUIR
muring and beating their breasts and
saving: II such mighty signs are wrought
at His death, consider what how right
eous man he is = The elders were afraid
and came to PLATE, beseeching him and
saying: Give us soldiers, that we may
guard His tomb for three days, lest His
disciples come and steal him away, and
the people suppose that He is risen
from the dead and do US ILL., And PLATE
delivered TO them Petronius the centu-
rion, with soldiers to guard the sepulcher;
and with them there came elders and
scribes TO the Sepulcher; and they with
the centurion and the soldiers who were
there altogether rolled a great stone and
laid it at the door OF the tomb, and they
mastered seven seals, and pitched a
tent there and mounted guard.
And early in the morning as the Sab
bath was drawing on there came crowd
from Jerusalem and from the surround
ing country to see the tomb which had
been sealed.
'And in the night when the Lords day
was drawing on, as the soldiers were on
guard, two and two In each watch, there
was q great voice in heaven and they saw
the heavens opened and two men de-
scended thence with great radiance, and