Toledot Yeshu

¹In the year 671, of the fourth millenary [of the world], in the days of Jannaeus, the king, a great misfortune happened to the enemies of Israel. ²There was a certain idle and worthless debauchee named Joseph Pandera, of the fallen tribe of Judah.

³He was a man of fine figure and rare beauty, but spent his time in robbery and licentiousness. He lived at Bethlehem of Judea. ⁴Near by there lived a widow, who had a daughter named Miriam, of whom mention is several times made in the Talmud as a dresser of women's hair.

⁵This daughter was betrothed by her mother to a very chaste, gentle, and pious youth named Jochanan. ⁶Now it happened that Joseph occasionally passed by Miriam's door and saw her. Then he began to have an unholy affection for her.

⁷So he went to and fro about the place, and at length his mother said to him, What maketh thee so thin? He replied, I am madly in love with Miriam. ⁸Then said she, Let not thy heart be grieved for this; only watch, and lay hold on her, and do with her as thou pleasest.

⁹Obeying her counsel, Joseph Pandera went frequently by the house, but did not find a suitable time until one Saturday night, at the going out of the Sabbath, when he happened to find her sitting before the door. ¹⁰Then he went into the house with her, and both sat down in a dormitory near the door, for she thought he was her betrothed, Jochanan. ¹¹And she said to him, Touch me not, for I am in my uncleanness. But he hearkened not unto her, and did with her as he pleased, and went to his house.

¹²And at midnight his evil inclination burned in him again, and he rose from his sleep and went up the way to Miriam's house, and came into her chamber, and took hold of her a second time.

¹³And the maiden trembled exceedingly, and said to him, What is this, my lord, that thou hast come to me twice in one night, which I have not known since the day thou didst betroth me? ¹⁴But he did it again in silence, and answered not a word. And Miriam said to him, How long wilt thou add sin to transgression? Have I not already told thee that I am in my uncleanness? ¹⁵But he hearkened not unto her voice, and did with her as he pleased, and went his way.

¹⁶After three months, Jochanan was told that his betrothed was with child. ¹⁷In great agitation, he went to his preceptor, Simon Ben Shetach, and, telling him about the matter, asked him what he ought to do. ¹⁸The preceptor inquired. Dost thou suspect anyone? Jochanan said, Nobody, except Joseph Pandera, who is a great debauchee, and liveth near her house. ¹⁹The preceptor said, My son, take my advice, and keep silent; for if he hath been there he will surely go there again. Therefore be wise, and get a witness, so that thou mayest bring him before the great Sanhedrim. ²⁰The young man went home and was sorely troubled during the night. He thought to himself, When this thing becometh known the people will say it was my doing. ²¹Therefore, to avoid the shame and disgrace, he ran away to Babylon and there took up his abode. ²²In due time Miriam brought forth a son and named him Jehoshua, after her mother's brother.

²³She sent the boy to a teacher named Elchanan, with whom he made progress in learning, for his mind was very bright. ²⁴And it came to pass by-and-bye that he met the senators of the Sanhedrim at Jerusalem. ²⁵It was then the custom that whoever met those senators should cover his head and bow down. ²⁶But this boy as he walked past them bared his head, and touching his forehead saluted the principal only. ²⁷Then all began to say, What impudence! probably he is a bastard. And one of them said, Indeed he is a bastard, and the son of an adulteress. ²⁸Presently Simeon Ben Shetach said, I remember now that not many years ago my pupil Jochanan came to me and said, ²⁹Alas! what a shame and disgrace has happened to me! for Miriam my betrothed is with child, not by me, but by someone else. This is the son of that Miriam. ³⁰And when I inquired if he suspected anyone, he said, Joseph Pandera, who was a near neighbor of hers. ³¹And soon afterwards Jochanan went in shame to Babylon, where he dwelleth even now, ³²Then they all said, If these things are so, this boy is indeed a bastard and the son of an adulteress. ³³Then they published him as such by the blowing of three hundred trumpets, declaring him not fit to come into the congregation, and called his name Jeshu, signifying that his name and memory deserved to perish. ³⁴When it became known that he was declared unworthy to be admitted into the congregation, Jeshu with a sad heart fled to upper Galilee, where he dwelt many years. ³⁵In those days there was a stone in the Temple on which was inscribed the inexpressible name of God. ³⁶For when David laid the foundation he found a certain stone at the mouth of an abyss on which the name was engraved, and taking it up he deposited it in the Holy of Holies. ³⁷But when the wise men feared that perchance studious youths might learn this name and bring destruction upon the world (which calamity may God forbid), they made by magic two brazen lions, and placed them at the entrance of the Holy of Holies, one on the right and the other on the left. ³⁸If, therefore, anyone drew near and learned the hidden name, as he went away the lions would roar, so that in his fright he would forget the name for ever. ³⁹Now when the report that Jeshu was a bastard had spread abroad, he left upper Galilee and, coming secretly to Jerusalem, he went into the Temple and there learned the sacred letters. ⁴⁰And when he had written the hidden name on a piece of parchment, and spoken it, that he might feel no pain, he cut open his flesh and enclosed therein the mysterious parchment. Then, having again pronounced the name, he closed up the flesh. ⁴¹But to enter the Temple it was necessary to use magic and incantations; otherwise how could the most holy priests, the descendants of Aaron, have allowed him to go therein. ⁴²Therefore it is manifest that Jeshu did all this by the art of magic and the power of an impure name. ⁴³As he was coming out of the door the lions roared and he forgot the name. ⁴⁴So he went outside the city, and, having reopened his flesh, drew forth the writing, examined well the characters, and got full retention of the name. ⁴⁵Then he went to the place of his nativity, and with loud voice cried out, ⁴⁶Who are these bad men who report me to be a bastard and of impure birth? They are themselves bastards and impure. ⁴⁷Did not a virgin bear me? Did not my mother conceive me in the top of her head? ⁴⁸Indeed I am the Son of God, and concerning me the prophet Esaias spoke, saying, Behold, a virgin shall conceive, etc. ⁴⁹Did I not form myself, and the heaven, earth, sea, and all things contained therein? ⁵⁰Then they all answered and said, Make known by some sign, and show by a miracle that thou art God. ⁵¹He, answering, said, Bring hither to me a dead man, and I will restore him to life. ⁵²The people made haste, and having dug into a certain sepulchre, found there nothing but dry bones. ⁵³And when they told him that they had found only bones, he said, Bring them hither. ⁵⁴And when they were brought, he put all the bones together and covered them with skin, flesh, and nerves, so he that had been a dead man stood up on his feet alive. ⁵⁵The people seeing this, marvelled. Then he said, Do ye wonder at this? Bring hither a leper and I will cure him. ⁵⁶And when they had brought a leper he restored him to health in like manner through the Shem Hamphoras. ⁵⁷When the people saw this, they fell down and worshipped him, saying, Verily thou art the Son of God. ⁵⁸And it came to pass, after the fifth day, that the dismal tidings were brought to Jerusalem the most holy city, and there all the things were told which Jeshu had done. ⁵⁹Then the profligates rejoiced greatly; but the old men, the devout, and the wise wept bitterly; and in the greater and the lesser Sanhedrim there was sore lamentation. ⁶⁰At length they all resolved to send messengers to Jeshu, saying among themselves, It may be that by the help of the Lord we shall capture him, bring him to judgment, and condemn him to death. ⁶¹Therefore they sent Ananias and Achasias, most honorable men of the lesser Sanhedrim, who went and fell down before Jeshu in adoration, thereby augmenting his wickedness. ⁶²Therefore, thinking that they were sincere, he received them with a smiling face and appointed them leaders of his wicked flock. ⁶³Then they thus began to appeal to him: Lo, the leading citizens of Jerusalem have sent us ambassadors to thee, praying that thou wouldst deign to come to them, for they have heard that thou art the Son of God. ⁶⁴Then said Jeshu, What they have heard is true, and lo, I will do all that ye ask, but upon this condition: ⁶⁵That all the senators of the greater and lesser Sanhedrin, and those also who have defame my nativity, shall come forth and worship me, receiving me even as servants receive their lords. ⁶⁶The messengers, returning with to Jerusalem, reported all that had been said. ⁶⁷The elders and devout men answered, We will do all that he asketh. ⁶⁸Therefore the men went again to Jeshu and declared that they would do whatever he desired. Then Jeshu said, I will go with you at once.

¹And it came to pass that when Jeshu came to Nob, which is near Jerusalem, he said to them, Have ye here a good and comely ass? ²And when they replied that one was at hand, he said, Bring him hither. ³And a beautiful ass being brought, he mounted upon him and went to Jerusalem. ⁴As he entered the city all the people sallied out to meet him. ⁵And raising his voice he said to them, Concerning me the prophet Zacharias testified, saying, Behold thy king cometh to thee, just and having salvation, lowly and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. ⁶These things being known, there was great weeping and rending of garments, and devout men went and complained to the Queen. ⁷(She was Queen Helena, the wife of King Janneus mentioned above; she reigned after the death of husband. She is otherwise called Oleina, and had a son Nunbasus, the kind, otherwise called Hyrcanus, who was slain by his subordinate Herod). ⁸The devout men said to the Queen, This fellow deserveth the worst punishment, for he is a seducer of the people. Prithee, grant us the power, and we will take him by subtlety. ⁹The Queen answering, said, Call him hither that I may understand the accusation. ¹⁰But she thought to save him from their hands, because she was related to him by blood. ¹¹Now the wise men perceiving her design, said to her, Do not, O royal mistress, undertake to do this lest thou shouldest become his abettor; for by his sorceries he leadeth men into error and crime. ¹²At the same time they explained to her the whole matter of the Shem Hamphoras, and then added, It is for thee to impose punishment, for he deserveth the worst. ¹³Wherefore the Queen said, I have heard you and will consent to this: Bring him to me and let me hear what he saith, and see what he doeth; for everybody telleth me of the great miracles he performeth. ¹⁴The wise men replied, We will do as thou sayest. ¹⁵Therefore they sent for Jeshu, and placed him before the Queen. ¹⁶Then thus the Queen spoke: I have heard that thou performest many wonderful miracles: now do one in my presence. ¹⁷Jeshu replied, Whatever thou commandest, I will do. Meanwhile I pray this one thing: that thou wilt not give me into the hands of these wicked men who have pronounced me a bastard. ¹⁸The Queen replied, Fear nothing. ¹⁹Then Jeshu said, Bring hither a leper and I will heal him. ²⁰And when a leper was brought he laid his hand upon him, and invoking the Almighty name restored him to health, so that the flesh of his face became like that of a boy. ²¹Furthermore Jeshu said, Bring hither a dead body. ²²And a dead body being brought, he straightway put his hand upon it, and pronounced the name, and it revived and stood upon its feet. ²³Then said Jeshu, Esaias prophesied concerning me, Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, etc. ²⁴Then the Queen turning to the wise men said, How can ye affirm that this man is a sorcerer? Have I not seen him with mine own eyes performing miracles as if he were the Son of God? ²⁵But the wise men answering, said, Let not the Queen speak thus, for most certainly this man is a sorcerer. ²⁶But the Queen said, Get ye hence from my sight, and never again bring a like accusation before me. ²⁷Therefore the wise men left the presence of the Queen, sad at heart, and conferring one with another they said, Let us show ourselves crafty, so that this fellow may fall into our hands. ²⁸Moreover a certain one of them said, If it seemeth good to you, let one of us also learn the name, as he did, and perform the miracles, and perchance we may take him. ²⁹The wise men approved of this device, and said, Whoever shall learn the name and shall secure this fellow, to him shall be given a double reward in the world to come. ³⁰Forthwith a certain one of the wise men named Judas arose and said, If ye will answer for the blame of the offence by which I shall speak the Almighty name, I will learn it. ³¹And peradventure God in his mercy and great goodness will bless me, and bring into my hands this bastard and son of an adulteress. ³²Then all with one voice cried out, On us be the guilt: do as thou hast proposed, and may thy work prosper. ³³Therefore he also went in to the Holy of Holies, and did the same that Jeshu had done. ³⁴Then going through the city he cried out, Where are they who report that this bastard is the Son of God? Am not I, who am only flesh and blood, able do the things which Jeshu hath done? ³⁵The Queen and her ministers having heard of this, Judas was brought before her, accompanied by the elders and wise men of Jerusalem. ³⁶But the Queen summoned Jeshu and said to him, Show us what thou hast lately done. And he began to perform his miracles before the people. ³⁷Then Judas spoke these words to the Queen and all the people: Nothing that this fellow doeth is wonderful to us. Let him nestle among the stars and I will hurl him down. ³⁸Then Jeshu thus addressed the whole people: Have ye not been from the beginning, from the time when I first knew you, a stiff-necked people? ³⁹Judas answered, Is it not true that thou dost practise wickedness, thou bastard and son of an adulteress? ⁴⁰Did not our master Moses say concerning thee, If thy brother, the son of thy mother, entice thee, saying, Let us, etc., thou shalt bring the man out, and stone him with stones that he die, etc.? ⁴¹But the bastard answering, said, Did not Esaias prophesy concerning me? ⁴²And are not these the words of my great forefather [David] concerning me: The Lord said unto me, Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee? ⁴³And in like manner in another place he said, The Lord said unto my lord, sit thou at my right hand. ⁴⁴And now I will ascend to my heavenly father and will sit at his right hand, and ye shall behold it with your eyes. But thou, Judas, shall not attain to this. ⁴⁵And, now Jeshu uttered the Almighty name, and there came a wind and lifted him up between heaven and earth. ⁴⁶Forthwith Judas invoked the same name, and the wind also suspended him between heaven, and earth; and thus both soared round about through the air. ⁴⁷At the sight of these things all were astonished. But Judas again recited the name, and seizing the wretch sought to hurl him down to the earth. ⁴⁸Then Jeshu also invoked the name for the purpose of bringing Judas down, and thus they wrestled together. ⁴⁹But Judas seeing that he could not undo the works of Jeshu, made water upon him. ⁵⁰Wherefore being rendered impure, they were both deprived of the use of the Shem Hamphoras until they were washed. ⁵¹Then a death sentence was brought against Jeshu, and they said to him, If thou wouldst be free, do the things which thou hast been wont to do hitherto. ⁵²But Jeshu, when he found himself unable to do them, raised his voice in lamentation saying, ⁵³David, my forefather, prophesied concerning me, saying, Yea, for thy sake we are killed all the day long, etc. ⁵⁴When his disciples and the wicked crowd that adhered to him saw these things, being exposed to the danger of death, they fought with the elders and the wise men of Jerusalem, and enabled Jeshu to escape from the city. ⁵⁵So Jeshu went speedily to Jordan; and when he had washed and purified himself, he declared again the name and repeated his former miracles. ⁵⁶Moreover, he went and took two millstones, and made them float upon the water, and seating himself on them he caught fishes before the multitude, which they then did eat. ⁵⁷When the report of this thing reached Jerusalem, all the wise and devout men began to weep, and to say, ⁵⁸Who will dare to risk death by going and taking away from this bastard the Almighty name? Lo, we pledge ourselves that he shall enjoy eternal happiness. ⁵⁹Then Judas offered himself to go; to whom the wise men said, Go in peace. ⁶⁰Therefore Judas went in disguise and mingled among the wicked fellows.

¹About the middle of the night God put the bastard into a deep sleep, and Judas enchanted him in his sleep. ²Then Judas entered into Jeshu's tent, and with a knife cut his flesh and took out therefrom the sacred parchment. ³Jeshu awoke out of sleep affrighted by a great and horrid demon. ⁴Wherefore he said to his disciples, Ye shall know now that my heavenly Father hath commanded me to come to him; I go because he seeth that I have no honor among men. ⁵Then his disciples said, What is to become of us? ⁶He answered, O blessed ones, great will be your reward if ye keep my words, for ye shall sit at my right hand with my heavenly Father. ⁷Then they all lifted up their voices and wept. ⁸But Jeshu said, Do not weep, for a great reward is in store for your piety; only beware lest ye transgress my words. ⁹To which all responded, Whatsoever thou commandest we will do, and whosoever proveth disobedient to thy commands, let him die. ¹⁰Then said Jeshu, If ye listen to my words and obey my commands ye will treat me with favor and justice. As ye go to fight for me at Jerusalem I will hide myself by mingling with you so that the citizens of Jerusalem may not know me. ¹¹These things Jeshu spoke deceitfully, that he might go to Jerusalem and enter the Temple and again obtain the knowledge of the name. ¹²Not in the least suspecting his evil intent, they all responded, All things that thou commandest we will do, nor will we depart therefrom a finger's breadth, either to the right or to the left. ¹³Again he said, Make oath to me. So they all from the least to the greatest, bound themselves by an oath. ¹⁴And they did not know that Judas was among them, because he was not recognised. ¹⁵Afterwards Judas said to the attendants, Let us provide for ourselves uniform garments, so that no one maybe able to know our master. ¹⁶This device pleased them, and they carried it out. ¹⁷Then they journeyed to Jerusalem, there to celebrate the feast of unleavened bread. ¹⁸Now when the devout men saw Judas they rejoiced with great joy, and said to him, Point out to us we pray thee, what remaineth to be done. ¹⁹(For he had secretly withdrawn himself and come to the elders and wise men of the city). ²⁰Then Judas related all that had happened, and how he had obtained the name from the bastard. ²¹Wherefore they rejoiced, and Judas said to them, If ye will obey my orders, to-morrow I will deliver this fellow into your hands. ²²Then said the wise men, Hast thou enough knowledge of his going and coming? ²³Judas replied, Everything is known to me. Lo, he goeth to the temple to attend the sacrifice of the Paschal victim, but I have sworn to him by the ten commandments not to deliver him into your hands. ²⁴And he hath with him two thousand men. Be ye prepared therefore to-morrow, and know that the man -before whom I bow down in adoration, he is the bastard. Act bravely, attack his followers, and seize him. ²⁵Simeon Ben Shetach and all the rest of the wise men danced for joy, and they promised Judas to obey his orders. ²⁶The next day came Jeshu with all his crowd, but Judas went out to meet him, and falling down before him he worshipped him. ²⁷Then all the citizens of Jerusalem, being well armed and mailed, captured Jeshu. ²⁸And when his disciples saw him held captive, and that it was vain to fight, they took to their legs hither and thither, and gave themselves up to bitter weeping. ²⁹Meanwhile the citizens of Jerusalem, waxing stronger, conquered the bastard and his crowd, killing many of them, while the rest fled to the mountains. ³⁰Then the elders of Jerusalem brought Jeshu into the city, and bound him to a marble pillar, and scourged him, saying, Where now are all the miracles thou hast wrought? ³¹Then they took thorn branches, and weaving a crown out of them, put it on his head. ³²Then the bastard becoming thirsty, said, Give me some water to drink. ³³So they offered him vinegar. Having tasted it, he cried out with a loud voice, ³⁴My forefather David prophesied concerning me, saying, And they gave me gall for meat, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. ³⁵They answering, said, If thou art God, why didst thou not make known before thou didst drink that vinegar was offered to thee? ³⁶Then they added, Thou dost stand now upon the verge of the grave, and yet thou wilt not turn in repentance. ³⁷But Jesus weeping bitterly, said, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? ³⁸Then the elders said, If thou art the son of God, why dost thou not deliver thyself out of our hands? ³⁹Jeshu replied. My blood is shed for mortals, for thus Esaias prophesied, And from his wounds we are healed. ⁴⁰Afterwards they brought Jeshu before the greater and lesser Sanhedrim, where sentence was pronounced that he should be stoned and hanged. ⁴¹The same day was the preparation for the Sabbath and also the preparation for the Passover. ⁴²Thence taking him out to the place of punishment they stoned him to death. ⁴³Then the wise men commanded him to be hanged on a tree, but no tree was found that would support him for all being frail were broken. ⁴⁴His disciples seeing this, wailed and cried out, Behold the goodness of our master Jeshu, whom no tree will sustain. ⁴⁵But they knew not that he had enchanted all wood when he was in possession of the name. ⁴⁶But he knew that he would surely suffer the-penalty of hanging, as it is written, When any man shall be judged to death for an offence and shall be put to death, then thou shalt hang him etc. ⁴⁷Then Judas, when he saw, that no wood would hold him up, said to the wise men, Behold the subtlety of this fellow, for he hath enchanted the wood that it might not sustain him. ⁴⁸But there is in my garden a great stem of a cabbage; I will go and bring it hither; perhaps it will hold the body, ⁴⁹To whom the wise men said, Go and do so. So Judas went at once and brought the stalk, and on it Jeshu was hanged. ⁵⁰Toward night the wise men said, It is not lawful for us to break one letter of the divine law in regard to this fellow; we must do to him what the law demands, even though he did seduce men. ⁵¹Therefore they buried him where he was stoned. ⁵²Now about the middle of the night his disciples came and sat down by the grave and wept and mourned for him. ⁵³Judas seeing this, took away the body and hid it in his garden under a brook. Diverting the water elsewhere, he buried the body in the channel and then brought the water back. ⁵⁴On the morrow, when the disciples came again and sat down to weep, Judas said to them, Why do ye weep? Look and see if the buried man is there. ⁵⁵And when they looked and found he was not there, the miserable crowd cried out, He is not in the grave but hath ascended to heaven. ⁵⁶For he foretold this himself when alive, saying, For he shall receive me; Selah. ⁵⁷Meanwhile the Queen finding out what had been, commanded the wise men of Israel to appear; and when they came she said to them, ⁵⁸What have ye done with this man whom ye have accused of being a sorcerer and a seducer of men? ⁵⁹They answered, We have buried him according to the requirement of our law. ⁶⁰Then she said, Bring him hither to me. ⁶¹And they went and sought for him in the grave; but did not find him. ⁶²Then returning to the Queen, they said, We know not who hath taken him from the grave. ⁶³The Queen answered and said, He is the Son of God and hath ascended to his Father in heaven; for thus it is prophesied of him, For he shall receive me; Selah. ⁶⁴Then the wise men said, Do not allow these thoughts to come into thy mind, for verily he was a sorcerer; and they gave proof by their own testimony that he was a bastard and the son of an adulteress. ⁶⁵The Queen replied, Why do I exchange words with you in vain? For if ye bring him hither ye shall be found innocent, but if not, none of you shall survive. ⁶⁶They all responded in these words: Give us time that we may discover the upshot of this affair. Peradventure we may find him there, but if we do not succeed, do unto us whatever pleaseth thee. ⁶⁷She allowed them three days' time, and they departed grieved at heart, lamenting, and not knowing what to do. ⁶⁸Therefore they ordered a fast, and when the appointed time came and they had not found the body, many left Jerusalem to escape the sight of the Queen. ⁶⁹Among the rest went a certain old man named Rabbi Tanchuma. He in great sorrow wandering through the fields, saw Judas sitting in his own garden, eating. ⁷⁰Coming up to him, Rabbi Tanchuma said, How is this? Why dost thou take food when all the Jews fast and are in sore distress? ⁷¹Judas, greatly astonished, inquired wherefore they fasted. ⁷²Rabbi Tanchuma replied, It is because of this bastard who hath been hanged and buried near the place of stoning; he to hath been taken away from the grave, and none of us know who hath taken him. ⁷³But his worthless disciples declare that he hath gone up to heaven, and the Queen threateneth all of us Israelites with death unless we find him. ⁷⁴Then Judas asked, If this fellow shall be found, will it bring safety to the Israelites? ⁷⁵Rabbi Tanchuma said, Indeed it will. ⁷⁶Then said Judas, Come, and I will show thee the man, for I took him away from the grave because I feared less perchance his impious followers might steal him from the tomb, and I hid him in my garden, and made the brook run over him. ⁷⁷Then Rabbi Tanchuma hastened to the wise men of Israel and related the matter. ⁷⁸Therefore they all assembled, and tying the body to a horse's tail, brought it and threw it down before the Queen, saying, Behold the man of whom thou hast said, He hath gone up to heaven. ⁷⁹When the Queen saw him, she was overwhelmed with shame and unable to speak. ⁸⁰Moreover, while the body was thus dragged about for some time, the hair of the head was pulled out. ⁸¹And this is the reason why now the hair of a monk is shaved off in the middle of the head; it is done in remembrance of what happened to Jeshu.

¹After these things the strife between the Nazarenes and Judeans grew so great that it caused a division between them, and a Nazarene meeting a Judean would kill him. ²The trouble increased more and more for thirty years, when the Nazarenes, having increased to thousands and myriads, prohibited the Israelites from coming to the greater festivals in Jerusalem. ³Then there was great distress among the Israelites, like what it was in the day when the [golden] calf was forged, so that no one knew what to do. ⁴The pernicious faith increased and spread abroad, and there came forth twelve wicked men, sons of the lawless, who wandered through twelve kingdoms and spread false doctrines among mankind. ⁵Some of the Israelites followed them, and these being of high authority, strengthened Jeshuitic faith; and because they gave themselves out to be Apostles of him who was hanged, the great body of the Israelites followed them. ⁶The wise men seeing this desperate state of things were sorely distressed, for wickedness abounded among the Israelites. ⁷Therefore everyone turning to his companion said, Woe unto us; what sins have we committed that in our time so shameful a thing should happen in Israel, such as neither we nor our ancestors ever before heard of? ⁸Therefore with great sadness and weeping they sat down, and with their eyes turned towards heaven said: ⁹We pray thee, O Lord, God of heaven, to give us counsel what to do, for we are entirely ignorant as to what ought to be done. We lift our eyes to thee. ¹⁰In the midst of the people of Israel innocent blood is shed on account of this bastard and son of an adulteress. ¹¹Wherefore are we stretched on tenter-hooks while the hand of the Nazarene prevaileth against us and great numbers of us are killed? ¹²But few of us are left, and on account of sins in which the house of Israel is implicated these things have happened. ¹³Do thou indeed for thy name's sake give us counsel what to do that we may be delivered from the wicked crowd of Nazarenes. ¹⁴When they had thus prayed, a certain aged man from among the elders, whose name was Simeon Kepha [Simon Cephas] who frequented the Holy of Holies, said to the rest, ¹⁵My brethren and people, hear me: If ye approve my counsel I will root out these wicked men from the society of Israel, and they shall have no more any part or heritage with the Israelites. ¹⁶But is it necessary that ye shall take upon you the guilt of an offence. ¹⁷All responded saying, The sin be upon us; carry out thy purpose. ¹⁸Therefore Simeon Ben Kepha went into the sanctuary and wrote out the Almighty name, and cut his flesh with a knife and placed it therein. ¹⁹Then going from the Temple he drew forth the writing, and when he had learned the name he went away to the chief city of the Nazarenes. ²⁰And raising his voice he cried out, Whosoever believeth in Jeshu let him come unto me, for I am sent by him. ²¹Soon a great multitude drew near to him, as many as the sands of the sea, and said to him, Show us something to confirm to us that thou art sent by him. ²²And when he asked what sign they required of him, they replied, The miracles which Jeshu when alive performed do thou also exhibit to us. ²³Therefore he commanded them to bring hither a leper; and when they had brought him, he laid his hand upon him and he was healed. ²⁴Again he asked them to bring to him a dead man, and when one was brought he laid his hand upon him and he revived and stood upon his feet. ²⁵The wicked men seeing this fell down to the ground, before him, saying, Without doubt thou art sent by Jeshu, for when he was alive he did these things for us. ²⁶Simeon Kepha then said, I am sent by Jeshu, and he hath commanded me to come to you. Give me an oath that ye will do all things that I command. ²⁷So at once they all exclaimed, We will do all that thou commandest. ²⁸Then Simeon Kepha said, Know ye that he who was hanged was the enemy of the Israelites and their law, because of the prophecy of Esaias, saying, Your new moons and appointed holidays my soul hateth. ²⁹Moreover, be it known to you, that he did not delight in the Israelites, even as Hosea prophesied, Ye are not my people, ³⁰And although it be in his power to sweep them from the earth in one moment, nevertheless he did not wish to utterly destroy them, but desired that there should ever be in your midst witnesses of his hanging and stoning. ³¹Moreover, he underwent those great sufferings and sorrows that he might redeem us from hell. ³²And now he exhorteth and commandeth you no longer to ill-treat any of the Judeans; but if a Judean saith to a Nazarene, Go with me one mile, let him go with him two miles. ³³And if a Judean striketh a Nazarene on his left cheek, let him turn to him the right also; that in this world they may have their reward, but in the world to come may be punished in hell. ³⁴If ye do these things, ye shall be worthy to sit with in his seats. ³⁵Lo this also he requireth of you, that ye do not celebrate the feast of the Passover, but that ye hold sacred the day on which he died. ³⁶And that instead of the feast of Pentecost ye keep holy the fortieth day after the stoning, in which he ascended to heaven. ³⁷Instead of the feast of tabernacles let the day of the nativity be made holy; and on the eighth day afterwards observe the memory of his circumcision. ³⁸All responded to these words, Whatsoever thou sayest, we will do; remain with us now. ³⁹To which he said, I will abide with you if ye will allow me to abstain from all food according to his precept, and only eat the bread of misery and drink the water of sorrow. ⁴⁰But ye must build me a tower in the midst of the city on which I may sit even till the day of my death. ⁴¹The people answered, We will do as thou sayest. ⁴²Therefore they built a tower and put him thereon; and every day they brought him his allowance of miserable bread and scanty water, even up to the hour of his death, he staying there all the time. ⁴³For truly he served the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and composed many beautiful hymns, which he published through all the region of Israel, that they might be a perpetual monument to him; and he repeated all the hymns to his masters. ⁴⁴This Simeon lived on that tower six years, and when he came to die he commanded that he should be buried within it; and that request they obeyed. ⁴⁵Afterwards they devised a most abominable fraud, and at this very time that tower is to be seen at Rome, and they call it Peter--that is, the name of a stone, because he sat on a stone even to the day of his death. ⁴⁶After the death of Rabbi Simeon Kepha there arose a man named Elias, a wise man but of corrupt mind, who went to Rome and publicly said: ⁴⁷Know ye that Simeon Kepha hath deceived you, for your Jeshu gave to me his commands, saying, Go and tell them. ⁴⁸Let no one believe that I despise the law; for whoever wishes to be initiated by circumcision I will allow him. ⁴⁹But he who refuses to observe this, let him be plunged in foul water; nor indeed if he abstains from this shall he incur danger. ⁵⁰This also he requireth: that not on the seventh day but the first on which the heavens and the earth were created ye shall worship. ⁵¹And he added many other bad instructions. ⁵²But the people said, Confirm to us by a miracle that Jeshu hath sent thee. ⁵³And he said, What miracle do ye expect? ⁵⁴Scarcely had he spoken when a stone fell from a huge wall and crushed his head. ⁵⁵So perish all thine enemies, O Lord; but let those who love thee be even as the sun when it shineth in its strength. Selah, selah, selah.