The Acts of Pilate is an apocryphal gospel about the suffering and death of Jesus. It was completed by the middle of the fourth century AD.
The first Christian writer to mention the Acts of Pilate was Epiphanius. He was a church leader known for opposing false teachings. Around AD 375, he wrote a long book about heresies and clearly referred to the Acts of Pilate (Heresies 50.1). Earlier writers also mentioned a report from Pontius Pilate to the Roman emperor Tiberius about Jesus’s trial. Justin Martyr spoke of this report ( I Apology 35; 48), and near the end of the second century AD, Tertullian also referred to it. However, the reports that Justin Martyr and Tertullian describe are not the same as the Acts of Pilate that we have today.
While an earlier version of the Acts of Pilate might have existed before the fourth century AD, the current version dates to the middle of the fourth century AD. The original language was Greek, and later it was translated into Latin, Coptic, and Armenian.
Eusebius was a well-known church historian and bishop of Caesarea in the fourth century AD. He condemned what he believed to be a false and offensive story about Pilate. This story was likely a pagan writing that tried to dishonor Christ (Historia Ecclesiastica, 1.9.3; 9.5.1). The Christian version of the Acts of Pilate was probably written to respond to and correct that false account.
Two Parts of the Acts of Pilate
The final version of the Acts of Pilate includes later edits and additions. It has two main sections:
The first section claims to be an account by the Pharisee Nicodemus about the events surrounding the suffering of Jesus. It says that his account was translated from Hebrew into Greek (chapters 1–16).
The second section is called Christ’s Descent into Hell. It gives a vivid description of Christ going down into Hades to set free the righteous people who had died (chapters 17–27). This is a creative story based on 1 Peter 3:19. The phrase “he descended into hell” in the Apostles’ Creed also comes from this passage. After the fourteenth century AD, the whole work was expanded and became known as the Gospel of Nicodemus, because Nicodemus plays an important role in it.
What Happens in the Acts of Pilate?
In the introduction to the Acts of Pilate, a Roman soldier named Ananias claims he found the Acts of Pilate in Hebrew and translated the document into Greek in the eighteenth year of Emperor Flavius Theodosius's rule (AD 425).
The story begins in the fifteenth year of Emperor Tiberius Caesar (AD 29). Nicodemus writes about the events surrounding the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The Jewish high priests accuse Jesus of committing religious crimes and bring him before Pilate for judgment. Although Pilate is hesitant, he calls Jesus to appear before him in a respectful way. When Jesus arrives, the Roman military standards (banners carried by soldiers) bow down to him on their own (chapter 1).
In chapter 2, the Jewish leaders accuse Jesus of several things:
that he was born from fornication (sexual sin outside of marriage),
that his birth caused the death of the children in Bethlehem, and
that Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt because they were not respected among the people of Israel.
However, twelve devout Jews immediately deny the first accusation. They say they were witnesses to the engagement of Mary and Joseph and know that this charge is false.
In chapter 3, Pilate interviews Jesus. This part is inspired by the story found in John 18:33–38. The Jews accuse Jesus of blasphemy (speaking disrespectfully about God), and Pilate reluctantly gives him over to them (chapter 4).
In chapter 5, Nicodemus speaks to the Jewish council, called the Sanhedrin. He urges them to release Jesus, saying that if Jesus is not sent by God, his movement will fail on its own (see Acts 5:38–39). But the council refuses to listen to him.
Three Jews healed by Jesus testify for him (chapter 6). Bernice, the woman Jesus healed from her bleeding, also testifies for him (chapter 7). The crowd proclaims he is a prophet (chapter 8). When Pilate offers to release a prisoner, the Jews ask for Barabbas. Pilate then washes his hands of the matter. He has Jesus whipped and crucified with two criminals called Dysmas and Gestas (chapter 9).
Jesus is mocked by the crowds, while one criminal (Gestas) is rebuked by the other (chapter 10). The sun darkens to mark the death of Jesus. The Jews dismiss this as a normal eclipse (chapter 11). They seize Joseph of Arimathea and imprison him. However, when they come to execute him, he has disappeared (chapter 12). The guards report seeing an angel at the tomb, but the Jews give them bribes to keep silent (chapter 13). Three Jews arrive from Galilee: Phineas, a priest; Adas, a teacher; and Angaeus, a Levite. They report that they witnessed Jesus giving the Great Commission and ascending to heaven from Mount Malich. (chapter 14).
Nicodemus advises the council to search the nearby mountains to see if some spirit might have taken Jesus up and thrown him down on the rocks. But when the Jews search, they find nothing, only Joseph of Arimathea in his hometown. Joseph is then called to testify before the council. He tells them that the risen Jesus appeared to him while he was in prison and set him free (chapter 15). After hearing other witnesses, the council decides that if people still remember Jesus after 50 years, the stories must be true (chapter 16).
Christ’s Descent into Hades
The second document starts with Joseph speaking to the council. He claims two brothers rose from the dead at the same time as Jesus. The council calls them to share their stories (chapter 17). The brothers claimed that while they were in Hades, a great light appeared, and Abraham and Isaiah were filled with joy (chapter 18). Satan thought he could keep Jesus there (chapter 20). But when the "King of Glory" arrived, the gates broke down. Satan was made prisoner, and angels bound him and took him away (chapter 22). Hades blamed Satan and rebuked him for ruining his kingdom (chapter 23).
The King of Glory (Christ) then led Adam and the righteous dead out of Hades (chapter 24) to paradise (chapter 25). The two brothers even saw there the criminal who had been crucified with Jesus and had repented on his cross (chapter 26). According to the two brothers, the angel Michael had sent them to preach the resurrection of Jesus to all mankind.
Purpose and Influence
The Acts of Pilate is a collection of quotes and references from the four Gospels, but the author also adds creative and imaginative details. The main purpose of the work is to defend the truth of the resurrection of Jesus against claims made by pagan and Jewish opponents. Sadly, the text includes anti-Jewish elements, and these influenced many dramatizations of the events of Jesus’s Passion from the fourth century AD through the late Middle Ages.