Die Geschichte Josephs des Zimmermanns

Die Geschichte Josephs des Zimmermanns

Die Geschichte Josephs des Zimmermanns ist einer der Texte innerhalb der neutestamentlichen Apokryphen, die sich mit der Zeit von Yeshuas Leben befassen, bevor er 12 war. Das Interessanteste an der Geschichte ist, dass sie von Yeshua selbst erzählt wird, in einer Erzählung, die er seinen Jüngern erzählte, während sie auf dem Ölberg waren.

Die Geschichte in einem betrifft das Leben Josephs, seines Stiefvaters. In ihr stimmt Yeshua Marias fortgesetzter Jungfräulichkeit zu. Der Text erklärt das Verhältnis zwischen Yeshua und seinen Brüdern und Schwestern, indem er feststellt, dass Joseph vier Söhne namens Judas, Justus, Jakobus und Simon und zwei Töchter namens Assia und Lydia aus einer früheren Ehe hatte.

Im Alter von 90 Jahren, nach dem Tod seiner ersten Frau, wird Joseph die zwölfjährige Jungfrau Maria anvertraut. Sie lebt in seinem Haushalt und zieht seinen jüngsten Sohn Jakobus ‚den Kleinen‘ zusammen mit Judas auf, bis zu der Zeit, da sie im Alter von 14 Jahren verheiratet werden soll.

Wir müssen uns daran erinnern, dass die Ehe zu jener Zeit nicht so war wie heute. Die Ehe hatte mehr mit dem Vollzug zu tun als mit der Wohngemeinschaft. Maria mag mit 12 Jahren bei Joseph gelebt haben, aber sie wären nicht als verheiratet betrachtet worden, bis sie miteinander geschlafen hätten. Die Ausnahme wäre, wenn ein Mann beschloss, eine Frau als seine Frau zu behalten, aber ihre Jungfräulichkeit zu bewahren.

Nach diesem grundlegenden Hintergrund fährt der Text fort, das Jakobusevangelium zu paraphrasieren, und hält an dem Punkt von Yeshuas Geburt an. Der Text stellt fest, dass Joseph auf wunderbare Weise mit geistiger und körperlicher Jugend gesegnet wurde und im Alter von 111 Jahren starb. Josephs Tod nimmt ungefähr die Hälfte des Werkes ein. Am Schluss des Textes bekräftigt Yeshua, dass Maria ihre Tage hindurch Jungfrau blieb, indem er sie als ‚meine Mutter, unbefleckte Jungfrau‘ anspricht. Die Worte ‚Jungfräulichkeit‘ und ‚unbefleckt‘ müssen sich in diesem Zusammenhang auf sexuelle Beziehungen beziehen und nicht auf die Wehen der Geburt.

Der Text sagt: „Und die heiligen Apostel haben dieses Gespräch bewahrt und es in der Bibliothek in Jerusalem niedergeschrieben hinterlassen.“

Es gibt Anzeichen dafür, dass der Text im 5. Jahrhundert n. Chr. in Ägypten geschrieben wurde. Zwei Fassungen sind erhalten, eine auf Koptisch, die andere auf Arabisch, wobei die koptische Fassung wahrscheinlich das Original ist. Ein großer Teil des Textes beruht auf Material im Jakobusevangelium.

Die hier verwendete Quelle ist The History of Joseph The Carpenter, übersetzt von Alexander Walker. Aus Ante-Nicene Fathers, Bd. 8. Herausgegeben von Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson und A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886.)

Die Geschichte Josephs des Zimmermanns

IM Namen Jahwes, eines Wesens und dreier Personen. Die Geschichte vom Tod unseres Vaters, des heiligen alten Mannes, Joseph des Zimmermanns. Mögen seine Segnungen und Gebete uns alle bewahren, o Brüder! Amen. Sein ganzes Leben betrug einhundertelf Jahre. O Brüder! Amen. Sein ganzes Leben betrug einhundertelf Jahre, und sein Weggang aus dieser Welt geschah am sechsundzwanzigsten des Monats Abib. Möge sein Gebet uns bewahren! Amen.

Und in der Tat war es unser Yeshua Messias selbst, der diese Geschichte seinen heiligen Jüngern auf dem Ölberg erzählte, indem er von all Josephs Arbeit und dem Ende seiner Tage berichtete. Und die heiligen Apostel haben dieses Gespräch bewahrt und es in der Bibliothek in Jerusalem niedergeschrieben hinterlassen. Mögen ihre Gebete uns bewahren! Amen.

1. Eines Tages, als der Retter, unser Meister und Jahwe, der Retter Yeshua Messias, zusammen mit seinen Jüngern saß, waren sie alle auf dem Ölberg versammelt. Er sprach zu ihnen: Meine Brüder und Freunde, Söhne des Vaters, der euch aus allen Menschen erwählt hat, ihr wisst, dass ich euch oft gesagt habe, dass ich gekreuzigt werden und für die Rettung Adams und seiner Nachkommenschaft sterben muss und dass ich von den Toten auferstehen werde. Nun werde ich euch die Lehre des heiligen Evangeliums anvertrauen, die euch zuvor verkündet wurde, damit ihr sie in der ganzen Welt verkündet. Und ich werde euch mit Kraft aus der Höhe ausstatten und euch mit dem Heiligen Geist erfüllen. Und ihr werdet allen Völkern Buße und Vergebung der Sünden verkünden. Denn ein einziger Becher Wasser, wenn ein Mensch ihn in der kommenden Welt finden sollte, ist größer und besser als aller Reichtum dieser ganzen Welt. Und so viel Boden, wie ein Fuß im Haus meines Vaters einnehmen kann, ist größer und vortrefflicher als alle Reichtümer der Erde. Ja, eine einzige Stunde in der freudigen Wohnung der Frommen ist gesegneter und kostbarer als tausend Jahre unter Sündern: zumal ihr Weinen und Klagen nicht zu einem Ende kommen wird und ihre Tränen nicht aufhören werden, noch werden sie jemals Trost für sich und Ruhe finden. Und nun, meine geehrten Glieder, geht und verkündet allen Völkern und sagt ihnen und sprecht zu ihnen: Wahrlich, der Retter erkundigt sich fleißig nach dem Erbe, das geschuldet wird, und ist der Verwalter der Gerechtigkeit. Und die Engel werden ihre Feinde niederwerfen und werden am Tag des Kampfes für sie kämpfen. Und er wird jedes einzelne törichte und müßige Wort prüfen, das die Menschen sprechen, und sie werden Rechenschaft davon geben. Denn wie niemand dem Tod entgehen wird, so werden auch die Werke jedes Menschen am Tag des Gerichts offen gelegt werden, ob sie gut oder böse gewesen sind. Sagt ihnen auch dieses Wort, das ich euch heute gesagt habe: Der Starke rühme sich nicht seiner Stärke, noch der Reiche seiner Reichtümer; sondern wer sich rühmen will, rühme sich Jahwes. 2. Es war ein Mann, dessen Name Joseph war, der von einer Familie aus Bethlehem stammte, das eine Stadt Judas war, und es war die Stadt König Davids. Derselbe Mann, wohl mit Weisheit und Gelehrsamkeit ausgestattet, wurde zum Priester im Tempel Jahwes gemacht. Er war geschickt in seinem Handwerk, das das eines Zimmermanns war. Und nach der Weise aller Menschen heiratete er eine Frau. Ferner zeugte er für sich Söhne und Töchter, nämlich vier Söhne und zwei Töchter. Nun sind dies ihre Namen: Judas, Justus, Jakobus und Simon. Die Namen der beiden Töchter waren Assia und Lydia. Endlich schied die Frau des gerechten Joseph, eine Frau, die in allen ihren Werken auf den göttlichen Ruhm bedacht war, aus diesem Leben. Aber Joseph, jener gerechte Mann, mein Vater nach dem Fleisch und der Gatte meiner Mutter Maria, ging mit seinen Söhnen zu seinem Handwerk weg und übte die Kunst eines Zimmermanns aus. 3. Als nun der gerechte Joseph Witwer wurde, war meine Mutter Maria, gesegnet, heilig und rein, bereits zwölf Jahre alt. Denn ihre Eltern brachten sie im Tempel dar, als sie drei Jahre alt war, und sie blieb neun Jahre im Tempel Jahwes. Als dann die Priester sahen, dass die Jungfrau, heilig und Jahwe fürchtend, heranwuchs, sprachen sie zueinander und sagten: Lasst uns einen Mann suchen, gerecht und fromm, dem Maria bis zur Zeit ihrer Heirat anvertraut werden kann; denn wenn sie im Tempel bleibt, wird ihr geschehen, was Frauen geschieht, und wir sündigen deswegen, und Jahwe wird zornig auf uns sein. (Anmerkung des Verfassers: Maria war in dem Alter, ihre monatlichen Zyklen zu beginnen, was den Tempel nach dem Gesetz verunreinigt hätte.) 4. Darum sandten sie sogleich aus und versammelten zwölf alte Männer aus dem Stamm Juda. Und sie schrieben die Namen der zwölf Stämme Israels auf. Und das Los fiel auf den frommen alten Mann, den gerechten Joseph. Da antworteten die Priester und sprachen zu meiner gesegneten Mutter: Geh mit Joseph und sei bei ihm bis zur Zeit deiner Heirat. Der gerechte Joseph empfing darum meine Mutter und führte sie in sein eigenes Haus weg. Und Maria fand Jakobus den Kleinen im Haus seines Vaters, gebrochenen Herzens und traurig über den Verlust seiner Mutter, und sie zog ihn auf. Da wurde Maria die Mutter des Jakobus genannt. Danach ließ Joseph sie zu Hause und ging in die Werkstatt weg, wo er an seinem Zimmermannshandwerk arbeitete. Und nachdem die heilige Jungfrau zwei Jahre in seinem Haus verbracht hatte, betrug ihr Alter genau vierzehn Jahre, einschließlich der Zeit, zu der er sie empfangen hatte. 5. Und ich erwählte sie aus eigenem Willen, mit der Zustimmung meines Vaters und dem Rat des Heiligen Geistes. Und ich wurde Fleisch von ihr, durch ein Geheimnis, das die Fassungskraft der geschaffenen Vernunft übersteigt. Und drei Monate nach ihrer Empfängnis kehrte der gerechte Mann Joseph von dem Ort zurück, wo er an seinem Handwerk arbeitete; und als er meine jungfräuliche Mutter schwanger fand, war er sehr bestürzt und dachte daran, sie heimlich wegzusenden. Aber aus Furcht und Kummer und der Angst seines Herzens konnte er an jenem Tag weder essen noch trinken ertragen. 6. Aber um die Mittagszeit erschien ihm in einem Traum der Fürst der Engel, der heilige Gabriel, ausgestattet mit einem Befehl von meinem Vater; und er sprach zu ihm: Joseph, Sohn Davids, fürchte dich nicht, Maria als deine Frau zu nehmen; denn sie hat vom Heiligen Geist empfangen; und sie wird einen Sohn gebären, dessen Name Yeshua genannt werden wird. Er ist es, der alle Völker mit einer Rute aus

iron. Having thus spoken, the angel departed from him. And Joseph rose from his sleep, and did as the angel of Yahweh had said to him; and Mary abode with him. 7. Some time after that, there came forth an order from Augustus Caesar the king, that all the habitable world should be enrolled, each man in his own city. The old man, righteous Joseph, rose up and took the virgin Mary and came to Bethlehem, because the time of her bringing forth was at hand. Joseph inscribed his name in the list; for Joseph the son of David and whose spouse was Mary was of the tribe of Judah. And indeed Mary, my mother, brought me forth in Bethlehem, in a cave near the tomb of Rachel the wife of the patriarch Jacob, the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. 8. But Satan went and told this to Herod the Great, the father of Archelaus. And it was this same Herod who ordered my friend and relative John to be beheaded. Accordingly he searched for me diligently, thinking that my kingdom was to be of this world. But Joseph, that pious old man, was warned of this by a dream. Therefore he rose and took Mary my mother, and I lay in her bosom, Salome also was their fellow-traveler. Having therefore set out from home, he retired into Egypt, and remained there the space of one whole year, until the hatred of Herod passed away. 9. Now Herod died by the worst form of death, atoning for the shedding of the blood of the children whom he wickedly cut off, though there was no sin in them. And with that impious Herod being dead, they returned into the land of Israel, and lived in a city of Galilee which is called Nazareth. And Joseph, going back to his trade of a carpenter, earned his living by the work of his hands; for, as the Law of Moses had commanded, he never sought to live by nothing of another's labor. At length, by increasing years, the old man arrived at a very advanced age. He did not, however, labor under any bodily weakness, nor had his sight failed, nor had any tooth perished from his mouth. For the whole time of his life, his mind never wandered; but like a boy he always in his business displayed youthful vigor, and his limbs remained unimpaired, and free from all pain. His life, then, in all, amounted to one hundred and eleven years, his old age being prolonged to the utmost limit. 10. His sons Justus and Simeon, the elder sons of Joseph, were married, and had families of their own. Both the daughters were likewise married, and lived in their own houses. So there remained in Joseph's house, Judas and James the Less, and my virgin mother. I moreover dwelt along with them, as if I had been one of his sons. But I passed all my life without fault. Mary I called my mother, and Joseph father; and I obeyed them in all that they said; nor did I ever contend against them, but complied with their commands, as other men whom earth produces are accustomed to do; nor did I at any time provoke their anger, or give any word or answer in opposition to them. On the contrary, I cherished them with great love, like the pupil of my eye. 12. It came to pass, after these things, that the death of that old man, the pious Joseph, and his departure from this world, were approaching, as happens to other men who owe their origin to this earth. And as his body was verging on dissolution, an angel of Yahweh informed him that his death was now close at hand. Therefore fear and great perplexity came upon him. So he rose up and went to Jerusalem; and going into the temple of Yahweh, he poured out his prayers there before the sanctuary, and said: 13. O Yahweh, author of all consolation, Yahweh of all compassion, and Yahweh of the whole human race; Yahweh of my soul, body, and spirit; with supplications I reverence you, O Yahweh and my Yahweh. If now my days are ended, and the time draws near when I must leave this world, send me, I beg You, the great Michael, the prince of Your holy angels: let him remain with me, that my wretched soul may depart from this afflicted body without trouble, without terror and impatience. For great fear and intense sadness take hold of all bodies on the day of their death, whether it be man or woman, beast wild or tame, or whatever creeps on the ground or flies in the air. At the last all creatures under heaven in whom is the breath of life are struck with horror, and their souls depart from their bodies with strong fear and great agony. O King, therefore, O Yahweh and my Yahweh, let Your holy angel be present with his help to my soul and body, until they shall be dissevered from each other. And let not the face of the angel, appointed my guardian from the day of my birth, be turned away from me, until I have accomplished my journey even until I bring me to You: let his countenance be pleasant and gladsome to me, and let him accompany me in peace. And let not demons of frightful aspect come near me in the way in which I am to go, until I come to You in bliss. And let not the doorkeepers hinder my soul from entering paradise. And do not uncover my sins, and expose me to confusion and condemnation before Your terrible tribunal. Let not the lions rush in upon me; nor let the waves of the sea of fire overwhelm me--for this must every soul pass through before I have seen the glory of Your Godhead. O Yahweh, most righteous Judge, who in justice and equity will judge mankind, and will render to each one according to his works, O Yahweh and my Yahweh, I beg You, be present to me in Your compassion, and enlighten my path that I may come to You; for You are a fountain overflowing with all good things, and with glory for evermore. Amen. (Author's note: The ideas of doorkeepers, demons that challenge the dead, and escorted passage to paradise seem to indicate a Roman religious influence.) 14. It came to pass thereafter, when he returned to his own house in the city of Nazareth, that he was seized by disease, and had to keep his bed. And it was at this time that he died, according to the destiny of all mankind. For this disease was very heavy upon him, and he had never been ill, as he now was, from the day of his birth. And thus assuredly it pleased Messiah (the anointed one) to order the destiny of righteous Joseph. He lived forty years unmarried; thereafter his wife remained under his care forty-nine years, and then died. And a year after her death, my mother, the blessed Mary, was entrusted to

him by the priests, that he should keep her until the time of her marriage. She spent two years in his house; and in the third year of her stay with Joseph, in the fifteenth year of her age, she brought me forth on earth by a mystery which no creature can penetrate or understand, except myself, and my Father and the Holy Spirit, constituting one essence with myself. 15. The whole age of my father, therefore, that righteous old man, was one hundred and eleven years, my Father in heaven having so decreed. And the day on which his soul left his body was the twenty-sixth of the month Abib. For now the fine gold began to lose its splendor, and the silver to be worn down by use. I mean his understanding and his wisdom. He also loathed food and drink, and lost all his skill in the trade of carpentry, and he paid no more attention to it. It came to pass, then, in the early dawn of the twenty-sixth day of Abib that Joseph, that righteous old man, lying in his bed, was giving up his unquiet soul. Then he opened his mouth with many sighs, and struck his hands one against the other, and with a loud voice cried out, and spoke after the following manner. 16. Woe to the day on which I was born into the world! Woe to the womb which bare me! Woe to the bowels which admitted me! Woe to the breasts which suckled me! Woe to the feet upon which I sat and rested! Woe to the hands which carried me and reared me until I grew up! For I was conceived in iniquity, and in sins did my mother desire me. Woe to my tongue and my lips, which have uttered forth and spoken vanity, detraction, falsehood, ignorance, derision, idle tales, craft, and hypocrisy! Woe to my eyes, which have looked upon scandalous things! Woe to my ears, which have delighted in the words of slanderers! Woe to my hands, which have seized upon that which did not of right belong to them! Woe to my belly and my bowels, which have lusted after food unlawful and unclean! Woe to my throat, which like a fire has consumed all that it found! Woe to my feet, which have too often walked in ways displeasing to Yahweh! Woe to my body; and woe to my miserable soul, which has already turned aside from Yahweh its Maker! What shall I do? For I am at that place where I must stand before the most righteous Judge, and when He shall call me to account for the works which I have done in my youth, where shall I hide my every man dying in his sins! Assuredly that same dreadful hour, which came upon my father Jacob, when his soul was flying from his body, is now near at hand for me. Behold, Oh! how wretched I am this day, and worthy of lamentation! But Yahweh alone is the judge of my soul and body; He also will deal with them after His own good pleasure. 17. These are the words spoken by Joseph, that righteous old man. And I, going in beside him, found his soul exceedingly troubled, for he was placed in great perplexity. And I said to him: Hail! my father Joseph, you righteous man; how is it with you? And he answered me: All hail! my well-beloved son. Indeed, the agony and fear of death have already surrounded me; but as soon as I heard Your voice, my soul was at rest. O Yeshua of Nazareth! Yeshua, my Savior! Yeshua, the deliverer of my soul! Yeshua, my protector! Yeshua! O sweetest name in my mouth, and in the mouth of all who love it! O eyes which see, and ears which hear, hear me! I am Your servant; this day I most humbly reverence You, and before You I pour out my tears. You are altogether my Yahweh; You are my Yeshua, as the angel has told me times without number, and especially on that day when my soul was driven about with perverse thoughts about the pure and blessed Mary, who was carrying You in her womb, and whom I was thinking of secretly sending away. And while I was thus meditating, behold, there appeared to me in my rest angels of Yahweh, saying to me in a wonderful mystery: O Joseph, you son of David, fear not to take Mary as your wife; for that which is conceived in her, not speak unbecoming words of her conception, because she is with child of the Holy Spirit, and shall bring forth to you a son, whose name shall be called Yeshua, for He shall save His people from their sins. Do not for this cause wish me evil, O Yeshua, for I was not privy to the mystery of Your birth. I call to mind also, my Yeshua, that day when the boy died of the bite of the serpent. And his relatives wished to deliver You to Herod, saying that You had killed him; but You did raise him from the dead, and restore him to them. (Author's note: This refers back to one of the Infancy Gospels, and is an indication of the earliest date of this book, since it could not have been written earlier than the Infancy Gospel or at least the oral tradition it drew from.) Then I went up to You, and took hold of Your hand, saying: My son, take care of yourself. But You did say to me in reply: Are you not my father after the flesh? I shall teach you who I am. Now therefore, O Yeshua and my Yahweh, do not be angry with me, or condemn me on account of that hour. I am Your servant, and the son of Your handmaiden; but You are my Yeshua, my Yahweh and Savior, most surely the Son of Yahweh. 18. When my father Joseph had thus spoken, he was unable to weep more. And I saw that death now had dominion over him, and my mother, virgin undefiled, rose and came to me, saying: O my beloved son, this pious old man Joseph is now dying. And I said: Oh my dearest mother, assuredly upon all creatures produced in this world the same necessity of dying lies; for death holds dominion over all flesh. Nay, my mother, death holds dominion over you also. O my virgin mother, must look for the same end of life as other mortals. And yet your death, as also the death of this pious man, but life enduring to eternity. Nay more, even I must die, as concerns the body which I have received from you. But rise, O my venerable mother, and go in to Joseph, that blessed old man, in order that you may see what will happen as his soul ascends from his body. (Author's note: This passage stands in opposition to the Catholic doctrine of the assumption of Mary.) 19. My undefiled mother Mary, therefore, went and entered the place where Joseph was. And I was sitting at his feet looking at him, for the signs of death already appeared in his countenance. And that blessed old man raised his head, and kept his eyes fixed on my face; but he had no power of speaking to me, on account of the agonies of death, which held him in their

grasp. But he kept fetching many sighs. And I held his hands for a whole hour; and he turned his face to me, and made signs for me not to leave him. Thereafter I put my hand on his breast, and perceived his soul now near his throat, preparing to depart from its receptacle. 20. And when my virgin mother saw me touching his body, she also touched his feet. And finding them already dead and destitute of heat, she said to me: O my beloved son, assuredly, and said to them: Come, as many as there are of you, and go to your father; for assuredly he is now at the very point of death. And Assia, his daughter, answered and said: Woe is me, O my brothers, this is certainly the same disease that my beloved mother died of. And she lamented and shed tears; and all Joseph's other children mourned along with her. And my mother Mary, and I also, wept along with them. 21. And turning my eyes towards the region of the south, I saw Death already approaching, and all Gehenna with him, and closely attended by his army and his satellites; and their clothes, their faces, and their mouths poured forth flames. And when my father Joseph saw them coming straight to him, his eyes dissolved in tears, and at the same time he groaned after a strange manner. Accordingly, when I saw the vehemence of his sighs, I drove back Death and all the host of servants which accompanied him. And I called upon my good Father, saying: 22. O Father of all mercy, eye which sees, and ear which hears, listen to my prayers and supplications in behalf of the old man Joseph; and send Michael, the prince of your angels, Gabriel, the herald of light, and all the light of your angels, and let their whole array walk with the soul of my father Joseph, until they shall have conducted it to You. This is the hour in which my father has need of compassion. And I say to you, that all the saints, yea, as many men as are born in the world, whether they be just or whether they be perverse, must of necessity taste of death. 23. Therefore Michael and Gabriel came to the soul of my father Joseph, and took it, and wrapped it in a shining wrapper. Thus he committed his spirit into the hands of my good Father, and He bestowed on him peace. But as yet none of his children knew that he had fallen asleep. And the angels preserved his soul from the demons of darkness which were in the way, and praised Yahweh even until they conducted it into the dwelling-place of the pious. 24. Now his body was lying prostrate and bloodless; wherefore I reached forth my hand, and put right his eyes and shut his mouth, and said to the virgin Mary: O my mother, where is the skill which he showed in all the time that he lived in this world? Lo, it has perished, as if it had never existed. And when his children heard me speaking with my mother, the pure virgin, they knew that he had already breathed his last; and they shed tears, and lamented. But I said to them: Assuredly the death of your father is not death, but life everlasting: for he has been freed from the troubles of this life, and has passed to perpetual and everlasting rest. When they heard these words, they rent their clothes, and wept. 25. And, indeed, the inhabitants of Nazareth and Galilee, having heard of their lamentation, flocked to them, and wept from the third hour even to the ninth. And at the ninth hour they all went together to Joseph's bed. And they lifted his body, they had anointed it with costly ointments. But I entreated my Father in the prayer of the celestials (heavens)--that same prayer which with my own hand I made before I was carried in the womb of the Virgin Mary, my mother. And as soon as I had finished it, and pronounced the amen, a great multitude of angels came up; and I ordered two of them to stretch out their shining garments, and to wrap in them the body of Joseph, the blessed old man. 26. And I said to Joseph, and said: The smell or corruption of death shall not have dominion over you, nor shall a worm of your body perish from your body. Not a single limb of it shall be broken, nor shall any hair on your head be changed. Nothing of your body shall perish, O my father Joseph, but it will remain entire and uncorrupted even until the banquet of the thousand years. And whoever shall make an offering on the day of your remembrance, him will I bless and recompense in the congregation of the virgins; and whoever shall give food to the wretched, the poor, the widows and orphans from the work of his hands, on the day on which your memory shall be celebrated, and in your name, shall not be in want of good things all the days of his life. And whoever shall have given a cup of water, or of wine, to drink to the widow or orphan in your name, I will give him to you, that you may go in with him to the banquet of the thousand years. And every man who shall present an offering on the day of your commemoration will I bless and recompense in the church of the virgins: for one I will render to him thirty, sixty, and a hundred. And whosoever shall write the history of your labor, and your departure from this world, and this narrative that has issued from my mouth, him shall I commit to your keeping as long as he shall have to do with this life. And when his soul departs from the body, and when he must leave this world, I will burn the book of his sins, nor will I torment him with any punishment in the day of judgment; but he shall cross the sea of flames, and shall go through it without trouble or pain. And on every poor man who can give none of those things which I have mentioned this is incumbent: that if a son is born to him, he shall call his name Joseph. So there shall not take place in that house either poverty or any sudden death forever. 27. Thereafter the chief men of the city came together to the place where the body of the blessed old man Joseph had been laid, bringing with them burial-clothes; and they wished to wrap it up in them after the manner in which the Jews are wont to arrange their dead bodies. And they perceived that he kept his shroud fast; for it adhered to the body in such a way, that when they wished to take it off, it was found to be like iron--impossible to be moved or loosened. Nor could they find any ends in that piece of linen, which struck them with the greatest astonishment. At length they carried him out to a place where there was a cave, and opened the gate, that they might bury his body beside the bodies of his fathers. Then there came into my mind the day on which he walked with me into Egypt, and that extreme trouble which he endured on my account. Accordingly, I bewailed his death for a long time; and lying on his body, I said:

28. O Death! who make all knowledge to vanish away, and raise so many tears and lamentations, surely it is Yahweh my Father Himself who has granted you this power. For men die for the transgression of Adam and his wife Eve, and Death spares not so much as one. Nevertheless, nothing happens to any one, or is brought upon him, without the command of my Father. There have certainly been men who have prolonged their life even to nine hundred years; but they died. Yea, though some of them have lived longer, they have, notwithstanding, succumbed to the same fate; nor has any one of them ever said: I have not tasted death. For Yahweh never sends the same punishment more than once, since it is from my Father to bring it upon men. And at the very moment when it, going forth, beholds the command descending to it from heaven, it says: I will go forth against that man, and will greatly move him. Then, without delay, it makes an onset on the soul, and obtains the mastery of it, doing with it whatever it will. For, because Adam did not do the will of my Father, but transgressed His commandment, the wrath of my Father was kindled against him, and he doomed him to death; and thus it was that death came into the world. But if Adam had observed my Father's precepts, he would never have fallen to his lot. Think you that I can ask my good Father to send me a chariot of fire, which may take up the body of my father Joseph, and convey it to the place of rest, in order that it may dwell with the spirits? But on account of the transgression of Adam, that trouble and violence of death has descended upon all the human race. And it is for this cause that I must die according to the flesh, for my work which I have created, that they may obtain grace. 29. Having thus spoken, I embraced the body of my father Joseph, and wept over it; and they opened the door of the tomb, and placed his body in it, near the body of his father Jacob. And at the time when he fell asleep he had fulfilled a hundred and eleven years. Never had a tooth in his mouth hurt him, nor was his eyesight rendered less sharp, nor his body bent, nor his strength impaired; but he worked at his trade of a carpenter to the very last day of his life; and that was the six-and-twentieth of the month Abib. 30. And we apostles, when we heard these things from our Savior, rose up joyfully, and prostrated ourselves in honor of Him, and said: O our Savior, show us Your grace. Now indeed we have heard the word of life; nevertheless we wonder, O our Savior, at the fate of Enoch and Elias, inasmuch as they had not to undergo death. For truly they dwell in the habitation of the righteous even to the present day, not having their bodies seen corruption. Yet that old Joseph the carpenter was, nevertheless, Your father after the flesh. And we have ordered us to go into all the world and preach the holy Gospel; and You have said: Relate to them the death of my father Joseph, and celebrate to him with annual solemnity a festival and sacred day. And whoever shall take anything away from this narrative, or add anything to it, commits sin. We wonder especially that Joseph, even from that day on which You were born in Bethlehem, called You his son after the flesh. Then, did You not make him immortal as well as them, and You say that he was righteous and chosen? 31. And our Savior answered and said: Indeed, the prophecy of my Father upon Adam, for his disobedience, has now been fulfilled. And all things are arranged according to the will and pleasure of my Father. For if a man rejects the commandment of Yahweh, and follows the works of the devil by committing sin, his life is diminished; for he is preserved in order that he may perhaps repent, and reflect that he must be delivered in the hands of death. But if any one has been zealous of good works, his life also is prolonged, that, as the fame of his old age increases, upright men may imitate him. But when you see a man whose mind is prone to anger, assuredly his days are shortened; for it is these that are taken away in the flower of their age. Every prophecy, therefore, which my Father has pronounced concerning the sons of men, must be fulfilled in every particular. But with reference to Enoch and Elias, and how they remain alive to this day, keeping the same bodies with which they were born, and as to what concerns my father Joseph, who has not been allowed as well as they to remain in the body: indeed, though a man live in the world many myriads of years, nevertheless at some time or other he is compelled to exchange life for death. (See "The Lost Book of Enoch," published by Fifth Estate.) And I say to you, O my brethren, that they also, Enoch and Elias, must towards the end of time return into the world and die--in the day, namely, of commotion, of terror, of perplexity, and affliction. For Antichrist will slay four bodies, and will pour out their blood like water, because of the ridicule to which they shall expose him, and the ignominy with which they, in their lifetime, shall brand him when they reveal his impiety. (Author's note: This may refer to the two witnesses found in the book of Revelation, who were sent from heaven and are murdered on the streets for preaching the word of Yahweh.) 32. And we said: O our Yeshua, our Yahweh and Savior, who are those four whom You have said Antichrist will cut off from the ridicule they bring upon him? Yeshua answered: They are Enoch, Elias, Schila, and Tabitha. When we heard this from our Savior, we rejoiced and exulted; and we offered all glory and thanksgiving to Yahweh, and our Savior Yeshua Messiah. He it is to whom is due glory, honor, dignity, dominion, power, and praise, as well as to the good Father with Him, and to the Holy Spirit that gives life, now on and in all time for evermore. Amen. (Author's note: Tabitha and Schila were raised from death by Yeshua.) (This ends the story told by Yeshua to his disciples when they were together on the Mount of Olives.)

[Introductions and Letters of Pontius Pilate: editorial introductions]

Letter of Herod To Pilate The Governor And Letter of Pilate To Herod These letters connect Roman history with the death of Yeshua at Jerusalem. Two copies were found. The letters located in the British Museum were written in Syriac and dated to the sixth or seventh century A.D. Those located in a Paris museum are written in Greek. The letter of Herod to Pilate The Governor gives us a detailed overview of what befell Herod after the crucifixion of Messiah. The letter written by Pilate The Governor of Judaea is in response to the letter written by Herod in which Herod describes all the ills that have befallen him and his household since the crucifixion of Messiah. Pilate speaks of the many supernatural occurrences he himself had confirmed concerning the death and subsequent resurrection of Yeshua.

The Epistle of Pontius Pilate The Epistle of Pontius Pilate was written as a report to Tiberius Caesar, Emperor of Rome concerning the crucifixion of Yeshua. The Epistle, speaks of supernatural events connected with the death of Messiah.

The Report of Pontius Pilate to Tiberius The Report of Pontius Pilate to Tiberius was regarded as genuine by the early church fathers. It consists of a letter written by Pontius Pilate, Procurator of Judea, to Tiberius Caesar, the Emperor of Rome, on the circumstances of the crucifixion of Messiah and events immediately following Messiah's death. In this letter, Pontius Pilate, an eyewitness to these events, relates many of the miracles performed by Messiah. But, most importantly, it describes in detail the supernatural happenings at the time Messiah was crucified.

Letters Between Pilate and Seneca Historically, little is known about Pontius Pilate. He was Procurator of Judaea from A.D. 26 to 36 and was recalled in the year in which the Emperor Tiberius died. He was recalled because he was considered a failure in the position of Procurator. Although history does not give us much to go on, it is known that men caught in this position usually commit suicide because to do so was considered an honorable way out so their family could inherit their property. If prosecuted, all possessions would have been confiscated by the state. The activities of John the Baptist and Yeshua of Nazareth took place towards the end of the first half of his term of office. There are references to him in the Jewish historian Josephus and the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria, and there are the accounts of the trial of Yeshua, which are offered by the writers of the Gospels. The 'Letters' were addressed by Pilate to his friend Lucius Annaeus Seneca the younger, who was later to be the tutor of the young Emperor Nero (and to commit suicide at his order), and who is known to posterity as a liberal philosopher and writer of moral essays and tragedies which few men read. It appears from the 'Letters' that even in his early manhood Seneca was interested in the difficult problem which Pilate had to handle: the problem of a militant Power ruling a subject people whose religion not only was the prime object of its loyalty, but actually rejected the idea of a foreign over-lordship and its symbols. The letters give insight into the political climate and how Pilate approached his task as Procurator. He confronts the uprisings of John the Baptist and Yeshua with the same attitude and conclusion. It is for the reader to say how far they may be regarded as authentic; how far, that is, they can be accepted as an account of the period which is not only credible in itself, but at important points more credible than the existing narratives. Letters of Pontius Pilate, written during his Governorship of Judaea to his friend Seneca in Rome are adapted from those edited by W. P. CROZIER (formerly Scholar of Trinity College, Oxford), London. First Published 1928