(24) In The Greek Gospel of Nicodemus it is declared that when Jesus was brought into the presence of Pilate the standards borne by the Roman guards bowed their tops in homage to him in spite of every effort made by the soldiers to prevent it. In The Letters of Pilate the statement also appears that Cæsar, being wroth at Pilate for executing a just man, ordered him to be decapitated. Praying for forgiveness, Pilate was visited by an angel of the Lord, who reassured the Roman governor by promising him that all Christendom should remember his name and that when Christ came the second time to judge His people he (Pilate) should come before Him as His witness.

(9) Say to the children of my people, "If your sins extend from earth to heaven, if they become red like scarlet and blacker than sackcloth, and if you return to me with all your soul and say to me, 'My father,' I will care for you as for a holy people."

(4) Unarmed he goes, and only with the lance That Judas jousted with; and that he thrusts So that he makes the paunch of Florence burst. He thence not land, but sin and infamy, Shall gain, so much more grievous to himself As the more light such damage he accounts. The other, now gone forth, ta'en in his ship, See I his daughter sell, and chaffer for her As corsairs do with other female slaves. What more, O Avarice, canst thou do to us, Since thou my blood so to thyself hast drawn, It careth not for its own proper flesh? That less may seem the future ill and past, I see the flower-de-luce Alagna enter, And Christ in his own Vicar captive made. I see him yet another time derided; I see renewed the vinegar and gall, And between living thieves I see him slain. I see the modern Pilate so relentless, This does not sate him, but without decretal He to the temple bears his sordid sails! When, O my Lord! shall I be joyful made By looking on the vengeance which, concealed, Makes sweet thine anger in thy secrecy?

(2) It came to pass then, when Jesus had finished speaking these words unto his disciples, that he said unto them: "Do ye understand in what manner I discourse with you?" And Peter started forward and said unto Jesus: And Peter answered and said unto Jesus "O Lord, give ear that I may speak the thought of her repentance, of which aforetime thy power prophesied through the prophet David, uttering her repentance in the seventieth Psalm: "'1. O God, my God, I have trusted in thee, let me no more be put to shame for ever. "'2. Save me in thy righteousness and set me free; incline thine ear unto me and save me. "'3. Be unto me a strong God and a firm place to save me; for thou art my strength and my refuge. "'4. My God, save me from the hand of the sinner and from the hand of the transgressor and from the impious [one]. "'5. For thou art my endurance, O Lord, thou art my hope from my youth up. "'6. I have trusted myself to thee from my mother's womb; thou hast brought me out of my mother's womb. My remembrance is ever in thee. "'7. I have become as the crazy for many; thou art my help and my strength, thou art my deliverer, O Lord. "'8. My mouth was filled with glorifying, that I may praise the glory of thy splendour the whole day long. "'9. Cast me not away in the time of age; if my soul fades, forsake me not. "'10. For mine enemies have spoken evil against me and they who lay in wait for my soul, have taken counsel against my soul, "'11. Saying together: God hath forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is no saviour. "'12. God, give heed to my help. "'13. Let them be ashamed and destroyed who calumniate my soul. Let them be enwrapped in shame and disgrace who seek evil against me.' "This then is the solution of the second repentance which Pistis Sophia hath uttered."

(2) Jesus said unto his disciples: "Be comforted and be not afraid, for ye are blessed, because I will make you lords over all these and put them in subjection under your feet. Remember that I have already said unto you before I was crucified: 'I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.' Now, therefore, I say unto you: I will give them unto you."

(12) And his father said unto him, " I also know it, my son, but what shall I do with a people who have made me to serve before them ?

(62) And all the kings and the mighty and the exalted and those who rule the earth Shall fall down before him on their faces, And worship and set their hope upon that Son of Man, And petition him and supplicate for mercy at his hands.

(44) I shall go down with thee, and I shall bring thee up2 (again), and in this land wilt thou be buried, and Joseph will put his hands upon thy eyes. Fear not ; go down into Egypt."

(3) "'1. I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, for thou art my God. "'2. Abandon me not, O Lord, for thou art! my hope. "'3. Thou hast given me thy vindication for naught, and I am saved through thee. "'4. Let them who pursue me, fall down and let them not see me. "'5. May a smoke-cloud cover their eyes and an air-mist darken them, and let them not see the day, so that they may not seize me. "'6. May their resolution be impotent, and may what they concoct come upon them. "'7. They have devised a resolution, and it hath not taken effect for them. "'8. And they are vanquished, although they be mighty, and what they have wickedly pre-pared is fallen upon them. "'9. My hope is in the Lord, and I shall not be afraid, for thou art my God, my Saviour.'" It came to pass then, when Salome had finished saying these words, that Jesus said unto her: "Well said, Salome; and finely. This is the solution of the words which Pistis Sophia hath uttered."

(5) Avaunt! We have not a High Priest, "Who cannot be touched with our infirmities, but is both without sin and merciful." "He shall not strive nor cry, and is Himself meek, and Himself propitiatory for our sins; so that we will not approve your unenviable attacks, not if you should allege a thousand times your Phineas and your Elias. For, when the Lord Jesus heard these things, He was displeased with the disciples, who at that time lacked the meek and good spirit. For, even our most divine preceptor teaches in meekness those who opposed themselves to the teaching of Almighty God. For, we must teach, not avenge ourselves upon, the ignorant, as we do not punish the blind, but rather lead them by the hand. But thou, after striking him on the cheek, rustiest upon that man, who is beginning to rise to the truth, and when he is approaching with much modesty, thou insolently kickest him away (certainly, this is enough to make one shudder), whom the Lord Christ, as being good, seeks, when wandering upon the mountains, and calls to Him, when fleeing from Him, and when, with difficulty, found, places upon His shoulders. Do not, I pray, do not let us thus injuriously counsel for ourselves, nor drive the sword against ourselves. For they, who undertake to injure any one, or on the contrary to do them good, do not always effect what they wish, but for themselves, when they have brought into their house vice or virtue, will be filled either with Divine virtues, or ungovernable passions. And these indeed, as followers and companions of good angels, both here and there, with all peace and freedom from all evil, will inherit the most blessed inheritances for the ever-continuing age, and will be ever with God, the greatest of all blessings; but, the other will fall both from the divine and their own peace, and here, and after death, will be companions with cruel demons. For which reason, we have an earnest desire to become companions of God, the Good, and to be ever with the Lord, and not to be separated, along with the evil, from the most Just One, whilst undergoing that which is due from ourselves, which I fear most of all, and pray to have no share in anything evil. And, with your permission, I will mention a divine vision of a certain holy man, and do not laugh, for I am speaking true.

(3) Already this is willed, and this is sought for; And soon it shall be done by him who thinks it, Where every day the Christ is bought and sold. The blame shall follow the offended party In outcry as is usual; but the vengeance Shall witness to the truth that doth dispense it. Thou shalt abandon everything beloved Most tenderly, and this the arrow is Which first the bow of banishment shoots forth. Thou shalt have proof how savoureth of salt The bread of others, and how hard a road The going down and up another's stairs. And that which most shall weigh upon thy shoulders Will be the bad and foolish company With which into this valley thou shalt fall; For all ingrate, all mad and impious Will they become against thee; but soon after They, and not thou, shall have the forehead scarlet. Of their bestiality their own proceedings Shall furnish proof; so 'twill be well for thee A party to have made thee by thyself. Thine earliest refuge and thine earliest inn Shall be the mighty Lombard's courtesy, Who on the Ladder bears the holy bird,

(1) And when Jesus had spoken this, Matthew came forward and said: "My Lord, thy spirit hath stirred me and thy light hath made me sober to proclaim this eighth repentance of Pistis Sophia. For thy power hath prophesied thereof aforetime through David in the thirtieth Psalm, saying: "'1. On thee, O Lord, have I hoped. Let me never be put to shame; save me according to thy righteousness. "'2. Incline thine ear unto me, save me quickly. Be thou unto me a protecting God and a house of refuge to save me. "'3. For thou art my support and my refuge; for thy name's sake thou wilt guide me and feed me. "'4. And thou wilt draw me out of this snare, which they have laid privily for me; for thou art my protection. "'5. Into thy hands I will render my spirit; thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, God of Truth. "'6. Thou hast hated them who hold to vain emptiness; but I have trusted. "'7. And I shall rejoice because of my Lord and make merry over thy grace. For thou hast looked down upon my humbleness and saved my soul out of my necessities. "'8. And thou hast not shut me up in the hands of my foes; thou hast set my feet on a broad space. "'9. Be gracious unto me, O Lord, for I am afflicted; my eye is distracted in the wrath and my soul and my body. "'10. For my years have wasted away in sadness and my life is wasted in sighing. My power is enfeebled in misery and my bones are distracted. "'11. I am become a mockery for all my foes and my neighbours. I am become a fright for my acquaintances, and they who saw me, are fled away from me. "'12. I am forgotten in their heart as a corpse, and I have become as a ruined vessel. "'13. For I have heard the scorn of many who encompass me round about. Massing themselves together against me, they took counsel to take away my soul from me. "'14. But I have trusted in thee, O Lord. I said: Thou art my God. "'15. My lots are in thy hands. Save me from the hand of my foes and free me from my persecutors. "'16. Reveal thy face over thy slave, and free me according to thy grace, O Lord. "'17. Let me not be put to shame, for I have cried unto, thee. Let the impious be put to shame and turn towards hell. "'18. Let the crafty lips be struck dumb, which allege iniquity against the righteous in pride and scorn.'"

(2) And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished speaking these words unto his disciples, saying: "This is the third repentance of Pistis Sophia," that he said unto them: "Let him in whom a sensitive spirit hath arisen, come forward and speak the thought of the repentance which Pistis Sophia hath uttered." And Martha answered and said unto Jesus in the midst of the disciples: "Concerning the repentance which Pistis Sophia hath uttered, O my Lord Jesus, of it thy light-power in David prophesied aforetime in the sixty-ninth Psalm, saying: "'1. O Lord God, give heed to my help. "'2. Let them be put to shame and con-founded who seek after my soul. "'3. May they turn straightway and be put to shame, who say unto me: Ha, ha. "'4. May all who seek thee, be joyful and exult because of thee, and they who love thy salvation, say ever: May God be exalted. "'5. But I am wretched, I am poor; O Lord, help me. Thou art my helper and defence; O Lord, delay not.' "This then is the solution of the third repentance which Pistis Sophia hath uttered, singing praises to the height."

(98) What will ye do, ye sinners, And whither will ye flee on that day of judgement, When ye hear the voice of the prayer of the righteous?

(1) When James then had said this, Jesus said unto him: "Well said, finely, James. This is the solution of the ninth repentance of Pistis Sophia. Amēn, amēn, I say unto you: Ye shall be the first in the kingdom of heaven before all invisibles and all gods and rulers who are in the thirteenth æon and in the twelfth æon; and not only ye, but also every one who shall accomplish my mysteries." And when he had said this, he said unto them: "Understand ye in what manner I discourse with you?"

(73) Did not he walk on Foot upon Earth? He did not ride in that Manner. He had not whereon to lay his Head. What Kingdom do you build for him? Where is the Place of his Rest? Does he not rest in thy Arms? Wherefore dost thou not embrace him? Is he [according to thy Reason] too poor in this World? Yet he is rich in Heaven. Who wilt thou send to him to be reconciled to thee? The Mother of Jesus? O no, that will not avail; he does not stand behind thee and absolve thy Wickedness, for thy Inclination of Falshood. He knows not thy Letters which thou sendest to him by the Saints, who are in the still Rest before him in the heavenly Element.

(44) Mary said to him: "Holy Lord, where did your disciples come from, and where are they going, and (what) should they do here?"

(63) Let Christ alone enter your world, and let him bring to naught all powers which have come upon you. Let him enter the temple which is within you, so that he may cast out all the merchants. Let him dwell in the temple which is within you, and may you become for him a priest and a Levite, entering in purity.

(5) He said, "I tell you the truth, no one will ever enter the kingdom of heaven because I ordered it, but rather because you yourselves are filled. Leave James and Peter to me that I may fill them."

(99) The disciples said to Him, "Your brothers and Your mother are standing outside." He said to them, "Those here who do the will of My Father are My brothers and My mother. It is they who will enter the Kingdom of My Father."