The Glad Tidings of Këph

בַּשֵּׂר כֵּף

 

Foreword: In the valley of the Upper Nile, on the right bank of the river, is the town of Akhmim. It was called Panopolis in ancient times when it was the capital of the district. The remnants of monasteries and the ruins of temples mark the intellectual life of a former day.

Sources say the codex was discovered in the grave of a monk at Akhmim, Egypt in 1884, 1886/1887, and another says that it was in 1816, that the French Archeological Mission excavating in the grave of a monk, came upon a parchment codex. Six years later a translation of this was published in the Memoirs of the French Archeological Mission at Cairo. Scholars realized for the first time that a striking discovery, possibly of overwhelming importance, had been made. A portion of The Glad Tidings According to Këph appeared to have been restored to the Christian Community after having been lost for ages. But until now, this document has never been made available to the general public.

Such a glad tidings was referred to by Serapion, Bishop of Antioch, In 190 A.C.E.; Origen, historian, in 253 A.D.; Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea in 300 A.C.E.; Theodoret in 455 in his Religious History said that the Nazarenes used The Glad Tidings According to Këph; and Justin Martyr includes the Memoirs of Këph in his "Apostolic Memoirs." Thus scholars have always recognized that such a document existed long ago, although its whereabouts and fate were a mystery until the discovery at Akhmim.

While in general the story of the trial and hanging from the gallows-cross that is revealed here follows that of the canonical glad tidings, but this account is freer from constraint; and with the events between the burial and resurrection of our Sovereign, it is much more ample and detailed than anything in the canonical tradition.  It ends when we expect the risen Anointed to appear to His pupils, but the original text must have been longer.

“Experts” cite the new information found in it as errors or contradictions to other scripture, not understanding how they historically complement them harmoniously and agree with them.  Many sources consider this document “anti-Semitic”, though they would call the canonical Glad Tidings this also if they weren’t accepted by the establishment.  This document actually shows that the Chief Priests and the scribes had remorse and recognition of the identity of the Sovereign after the hanging, something the canonical Glad Tidings do not go into detail about, and which is less “anti-Semitic” than the other Glad Tidings which hardly reveal any regret or belief in the “Y^ehuwthím”.

There will be a great divergence of opinion as to the place of this document and its relation to the canonical scriptures. Its existence is here proclaimed, and beyond that every reader may form his own estimate of its value. The Rev. D. H. Stanton, D.D., in the Journal of Theological Studies, commenting on Justin Martyr's ancient testimony, and this present document says: "The conclusion with which we are confronted is that The Glad Tidings of Këph once held a place of honor, comparable to that assigned to the Four Glad Tidings, perhaps even higher than some of them...”

 

Chapter 1

 

1.       BUT of the “Y^ehuwthím” none washed his hands, neither Heródes nor any one of his judges. And when they had refused to wash them, Pilátus stood up.

2.       And then Heródes the king commanded that the Sovereign be taken away, saying to them,

“Do whatever things I commanded you to do unto Him.”

 

Chapter 2

 

3.       And there was standing there Yâhuwçë´ph the friend of Pilátus and of the Sovereign; and, knowing that they were about to hang Him on a gallows-cross, he came to Pilátus and requested the body of the Sovereign for burial.

4.       And Pilátus sent to Heródes and requested His body.

5.       And Heródes said,

“Brother Pilátus, even if no one had asked for Him, we have purposed to bury Him, especially as the Shabbâ´th approaches: for it is written in the Law that the sun must not set upon one that hath been put to death.”  [Deuteronomy 21: 23[E1] ]

 

Chapter 3

 

6.       And he delivered Him to the people before the first day of unfermented bread of their feast.  [14 ’Avíyv[E2] ]  So they took the Sovereign and they ran to push Him down, and said,

“We have found the Son of the Mighty One; let us take His power!”

7.       And they clothed Him with purple, and set Him on the seat of judgment, saying,

“Judge righteously, O King of Yisrâ’Ë´l”.

8.       And one of them brought a crown of thorns and put it on the head of the Sovereign.

9.       And others stood and spat in His face, and others slapped His cheeks: others jabbed Him with a reed; and some scourged Him, saying,

“With this honor let us honor the Son of the Mighty One.”

 

Chapter 4

 

10.    And they brought two criminals, and they hanged the Sovereign between them. But He held His peace, as though having no pain.

11.    And when they had raised the gallows-cross, they wrote the title: This is the King of Yisrâ’Ë´l[E3] .

12.    And having set His garments before Him they parted them among them, and cast lots for them.

13.    And one of those criminals reproached them, saying,

“We have suffered thus for the evils that we have done, but this Man, Who has become the Deliverer of mankind, what wrong has He done to you?”

14.    Yet they, being angered at Him, commanded that His legs should not be broken, that He might die in torment.

 

Chapter 5

 

15.    And it was noon, and darkness came over all of Yâhuwthâ´h: and they were troubled and distressed, lest the sun had set, while he was yet alive: [for] it is written for them, to not let the sun set on him that hath been put to death.  [Deuteronomy 21: 23[E4] ]

16.    And one of them said,

“Give Him to drink gall with vinegar.”

And they mixed and gave Him to drink,

17.    So they fulfilled all things, and made their sins complete against their own head.

18.    And many went about with lamps, supposing that it was night, and tripping.

19.    And the Sovereign cried out, saying,

“My Power (’Ëlíy), My Power, why have You forsaken Me?” [Psalms 22: 2]

And when He had said it He was taken up.

20.    And in that hour the veil of the temple of Yruwshâláim was torn in two.

 

Chapter 6

 

21.    And then they drew out the nails from the hands of the Sovereign, and laid Him upon the earth, and the whole earth quaked, and great fear came over them.

22.    Then the sun shone, and it was found to be the ninth hour:

23.    So the “Y^ehuwthím” rejoiced, and gave His body to Yâhuwçë´ph that he might bury it, since they had seen what good things he had done.

24.    And he took the Sovereign, and washed Him, and rolled Him in a linen cloth, and brought Him to his own tomb, which was called the Garden of Yâhuwçë´ph.

 

Chapter 7

 

25.    Then the “Y^ehuwthím” and the elders and the priests, perceiving what evil they had done to themselves, began to lament and to say,

“Hówy for our sins: the judgment hath drawn nigh, and the end of Yruwshâláim!”

26.    And I with my companions was grieved; and having a painful conscience we hid ourselves: for we were being sought for by them as if criminals, and as if ones desiring to set fire to the temple.

27.    And we fasted over all these things and sat mourning and weeping night and day until the Shabbâ´th [17^th ’Âvíyv].

 

Chapter 8

 

28.    But when the scribes and Phrushíym and elders were gathered together [15^th ’Âvíyv], they heard that all the people grumbled and beat their breasts saying,

“If by His death these most mighty signs have come to pass, look at how righteous He was!”

29.    The elders were afraid and came to Pilátus beseeching him and saying,

30.    “Give us soldiers, so that we may guard His sepulcher for three days, lest His pupils come and steal Him away, and the people suppose that He is risen from the dead and make trouble for us!”

31.    And Pilátus gave them Petronius the centurion with soldiers to guard the tomb. And with them came elders and scribes to the sepulcher,

32.    And having rolled a great stone together with the centurion and the soldiers, all of them together who were there stood it at the door of the sepulcher;

33.    And they affixed seven seals on it, and they pitched a tent there and guarded it.

 

Chapter 9

[17^th ’Âvíyv]

34.    And early in the morning as the Shabbâ´th was dawning, there came a multitude from Yruwshâláim and the region round about, that they might see the sepulcher that had been sealed.

 

[18 ’Âvíyv, Feast of Firstfruits]

35.    But during the night in which the first day of the week[E5]  was dawning, as the soldiers were stationed in pairs to watch, there was a great sound in the heavens;

36.    And they saw the heavens opened, and two men descend from there having great light and approach the tomb.

37.    And that stone that was put at the door rolled of itself and partially made a way in, and the tomb was opened, and both the young men entered in.

 

Chapter 10

 

38.    When therefore those soldiers saw it, they awakened the centurion and the elders, for they too were there keeping guard.

39.    And as they declared what things they had seen, again they see three men come forth from the tomb, and two of them supporting One, and a gallows-cross (עֵץ “tree”] following them:

40.    And the height of the two reached unto the sky, but the height of Him Who was led by them surpassed the heavens. [Yshá`Yâhuw 52: 13]

41.    And they heard a voice from the heavens, saying,

“Have You proclaimed it to them that sleep?”

42.    And a response was heard from the gallows-cross [עֵץ “tree”],

“Yea.”  [1 Këph 3: 19, 4: 16]

 

Chapter 11

 

43.    They therefore debated one with another whether to go away and show these things to Pilátus.

44.    And while they yet thought thereon, the heavens again are seen to open, and a certain man to descend and enter into the sepulcher.

45.    When the centurion and they that were with him saw these things, they hastened in the night to Pilátus, leaving the tomb which they were watching, and declared all things which they had seen, being greatly distressed and saying,

“Truly He was the Son of the Mighty One!”

46.    Pilátus answered and said,

“I am clean from the blood of the Son of the Mighty One, but it was ye who determined this!”

47.    Then they all drew near and besought him and entreated him to command the centurion and the soldiers to say nothing of the things which they had seen:

48.    “For it is better,”

Said they,

“for us to be guilty of the greatest sin before ’^Elohíym, and not to fall into the hands of the people of the “Y^ehuwthím” and to be stoned!”

49.    Pilátus therefore commanded the centurion and the soldiers to say nothing.

 

Chapter 12

[18 ’Âvíyv, Feast of Firstfruits]

50.    And at the dawn of the first day Miryâ´m of Miğdâlâ´h, a pupil of the Sovereign, fearing because of the “Y^ehuwthím”, since they were burning with wrath, had not done at the Sovereign's sepulcher the things which women are wont to do for those that die and for those that are beloved by them;

51.    She took her friends with her and came to the sepulcher where He was laid.

52.    And they feared lest the “Y^ehuwthím” should see them, and they said,

“Although on that day on which He was hanged on a gallows-cross we could not weep and lament, even now let us do these things at His sepulcher.

53.    But who shall roll away for us the stone that was laid at the door of the sepulcher, in order that we may enter in and sit by Him and do the things that are due?

54.    For the stone was great, and we fear lest some one see us.  And if we cannot, yet if we but set at the door the things which we bring as a memorial of Him, we will weep and lament, until we come unto our home.”

 

Chapter 13

 

55.    And, they went and found the tomb opened, and coming near they looked in there; And they see there a certain beautiful young man sitting in the midst of the tomb, and clothed in an exceeding bright robe, who said to them:

 

56.    “Wherefore are ye come? Whom do ye seek? Not Him that was hanged on a gallows-cross, He is risen and gone. But if ye do not believe it, look in and see the place where He lay, that He is not [here]; For He is risen and gone out there, where He was sent.”

 

57.    Then the terrified women fled.

 

Chapter 14

[20 ’Âvíyv]

58.    Now it was the last day of the unfermented bread, and many were leaving, returning to their homes, as the feast was ended.

59.    But we, the twelve pupils of the Sovereign, wept and were grieved, and each one, being grieved for that which was come to pass, departed to his home.

60.    But I, Shim`ówn Këph, and my brother Andréas took our nets and went to the sea; And there was with us Lëwíy [MattithYâ´huw] the son of Chë´lphëy, whom the Sovereign . . . . . . .