believe him.* He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him; for he said, I am the Son of God.

And one of the malefactors that were hanged railed on him saying, If thou be the Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? Andwe ind eed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Amen I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.

Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by whom he loved, he saith to his mother, Woman, behold thy Son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.

And from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.† And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Some of them that stood by, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.

After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar. And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink; and the rest said, Let be; let us see whether Elias will come to save him.

When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, It

*Ps. xxi. 9.

i.e. from mid-day to 3 P.M.

Ps. xxi. 2.

is finished. And crying with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. And having said this, he bowed his head and gave up the ghost.

SECT. CXXXVI. THE SIGNS THAT FOLLOWED THE DEATH OF
JESUS.

The sixth day of the week, the 15th of Nisan,
between 3 and 6 p.m.

And behold the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and Calvary. the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints that slept arose, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection went into the holy city and appeared to many.

Now when the centurion that stood over against him, and they that were with him watching Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that were done, that he so cried out and gave up the ghost; they were sore afraid, and glorified God saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

And all the multitude of them that were come together to that sight, beholding the things that were done, returned, smiting their breasts.

And all his acquaintance, and the women that had followed him from Galilee, stood afar off beholding these things; among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome.

SECT. CXXXVII. THE SIDE OF JESUS OPENED WITH A SPEAR.

The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies might not remain upon

Calvary.

the cross on the sabbath-day (for that was a great sabbath-day), besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

The soldiers therefore came, and they brake the legs of the first and of the other that was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs; but one of the soldiers with a spear opened his side, and forthwith there came thereout blood and water. And he that saw it hath given testimony, and his testimony is true, and he knoweth that he saith true that ye might believe. For these things were done that the scripture might be fulfilled, A bone of him ye shall not break (Exod. xii. 46). And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced (Zach. xii. 10).

SECT. CXXXVIII. JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS, AND LAID IN A NEW TOMB IN THE GARDEN.

Calvary.

When the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, there came a rich man of Arimathea named Joseph, an honourable counsellor, a good and a just man, who also waited for the kingdom of God, and was Jesus' disciple, but secretly for fear of the Jews; and he went in boldly unto Pilate, and begged that he might take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate wondered that he should be already dead; and calling the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. And when he knew it of the centurion, he commanded the body to be delivered to Joseph.

Joseph came, therefore, and took the body of Jesus. And there came also Nicodemus, that at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred-pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus and wound it in linen-cloth with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.

Now there was in the place where he was crucified a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus because of the Jews' preparation-day, for the sepulchre was nigh at hand, and rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. And there were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses sitting over against the sepulchre. And they beheld the sepulchre and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments, and rested the sabbath-day according to the commandment.

SECT. CXXXIX. THE SEPULCHRE IS MADE SURE.

The evening of the seventh day of the week, the 16th of Nisan.

Now the next day that followed the day of the preparation the chief priests and Pharisees came together to Pilate, saying, Sir, we have remembered that that seducer said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore the sepulchre to be guarded until the third day, lest his disciples come and steal him away, and say to the people, He is risen from the dead; and the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said to them, Ye have a guard; go, guard it as ye know. And they departed and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone and setting guards.

PART IV.

EVENTS OF THE FORTY DAYS FROM THE RESUR

RECTION TO THE ASCENSION.

SECT. CXL. THE END OF THE SABBATH. THE ANGEL OF THE LORD ROLLS BACK THE STONE FROM THE DOOR OF THE SEPULCHRE.

Between the evening at the beginning of the first day of the week, the 17th of Nisan, and the early dawn.

AND when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint Jesus.

And behold there was a great earthquake; for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. His countenance was as lightning and his raiment as snow; and for fear of him the keepers were struck with terror, and became as dead men.

SECT. CXLI. ST. MARY MAGDALENE AND OTHER WOMEN SET OUT TO VISIT THE SEPULCHRE.

The dawn of the first day of the week, the 17th of Nisan. And very early in the morning the first day of the week came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, and certain others with them, to see the sepulchre.

And they said one to another, Who shall roll us back the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked they saw the stone rolled back, for it was very great.

Then she-Mary Magdalene-runneth and cometh to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and saith to them, They have taken away the