One of the Codices of the same apocryphal work likewise gives the
taunting speeches of the Jews in a form more nearly approaching that of
Justin's Memoirs
{338}
than any found in our Gospels. "And the Jews that stood and looked
ridiculed him, and said: If thou saidst truly that thou art the Son of
God, come down from the cross, and at once, that we may believe in thee.
Others ridiculing, said: He saved others, he healed others, and restored
the sick, the paralytic, lepers, demoniacs, the blind, the lame, the
dead, and himself he cannot heal."(1) The fact that Justin actually
refers to certain Acta Pilati in connection with the Crucifixion renders
this coincidence all the more important. Other texts of this Gospel
read: "And the Chief Priests, and the rulers with them, derided him,
saying: He saved others, let him save himself; if he is the Son of God,
let him come down from the cross."(2)
It is clear from the whole of Justin's treatment of the narrative, that
he followed a Gospel adhering more closely than the Canonical to the
Psalm xxii., but yet with peculiar variations from it. Our Gospels
differ very much from each other; Justin's Memoirs of the Apostles
in like manner differed from them. It had its characteristic features
clearly and sharply defined. In this way his systematic variations are
natural and perfectly intelligible, but they become totally inexplicable
if it be supposed that, having our Gospels for his source, he thus
2 Ev. Niood., Pars. I. A. x.; Tischendorf Ev. Apocr., p.
232; cf. Thilo. Cod. Apocr. N. T., p. 584; Fabricius, Cod.
Apocr. N. T., i. p. 259; Tiachendorf ib., p. 340. There are
differences between all these texts--indeed there are
scarcely two MSS. which agree--clearly indicating that wo
have now nothing but corrupt versions of a more ancient
text.
{339}
persistently and in so arbitrary a way ignored, modified, or
contradicted their statements.
Upon two occasions Justin distinctly states that the Jews sent persons
throughout the world to spread calumnies against Christians. "When you
knew that he had risen from the dead, and ascended into heaven, as the
prophets had foretold, not only did you (the Jews) not repent of the
wickedness which you had committed, but at that time you selected and
sent forth from Jerusalem throughout the land chosen men, saying that
the atheistic heresy of the Christians had arisen/' &c.(1).... "from
a certain Jesus, a Galilrean impostor, whom we crucified, but his
disciples stole him by night from the tomb where he had been laid when
he was unloosed from the cross, and they now deceive men, saying that he
has risen from the dead and ascended into heaven."(2) This circumstance
is not mentioned by our Gospels, but, reiterated twice by Justin in
almost the same words, it was in all probability contained in the
Memoirs. Eusebius quotes the passage from Justin, without comment,
evidently on account of the information which it conveyed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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