In my previous post I explained and provided a translation of the intriguing apocryphal letter that Pontius Pilate (allegedly) wrote to the Emperor Tiberius to explain why he had crucified the Son of God.  Later, another Christian author wrote a fictional account of what happened next.  Tiberius did not take kindly to Pilate’s horrible crime and … well, it ends up not going well for the governor of Judea.  But on the upside … he converts!

Here is my introduction to the text and a fresh translation of it from the Greek, as found in the collection of apocryphal Gospels I did with my colleague Zlatko Plese, The Other Gospels (Oxford University Press).

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Introduction

The Handing Over of Pilate

(Paradosis Pilati)

The “Handing Over of Pilate” is a fictitious account of Pilate being recalled to Rome and censured by the Emperor Tiberius for his role in having the divine man, Jesus, crucified.  Pilate pays the ultimate price for his heinous behavior by

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