Page:Apocryphal Gospels and Other Documents Relating to the History of Christ.djvu/456

the priests and rulers of the synagogue and Levites arose early and came to the house of Nicodemus. And Nicodemus met them, and said to them, Peace be to you. And they said to him, Peace to thee and to Joseph, and to thy house, and the house of Joseph. And Nicodemus led them into his house. And a council sat; and Joseph sat between Annas and Caiaphas, and no one dared speak a word. And Joseph said to them, Why have ye invited me? But they signified with their eyes to Nicodemus that he should speak with Joseph. And Nicodemus opened his mouth and said, Father Joseph, thou knowest that our venerable teachers, priests, and Levites, seek to hear a word from thee; and Joseph said, Ask on. And Annas and Caiaphas took the law and caused Joseph to swear, saying, Give glory to the God of Israel, and give to him acknowledgement, so as not to hide from us any word. And they said to him, We have been greatly grieved because thou didst beg the body of Jesus, and didst wrap it in a clean linen cloth, and didst lay him in the sepulchre. Therefore we shut thee up in a house where there was no window, and we put a lock and a seal on the door, and on the first day of the week we opened the doors and found thee not. Therefore were we greatly grieved, and astonishment came over all the people of God; and therefore art thou invited, and now tell us what was done.