Paradosis Pilati
Standard abbreviation: Parad. Pil.
Other titles: none
Clavis numbers: ECCA 901; CANT 66
VIAF: 180157454
Category: Pilate Cycle
Related literature: Report of Pilate (Anaphora Pilati)
Compiled by: Tony Burke, York University
Citing this resource (using Chicago Manual of Style): Burke, Tony. “Handing Over of Pontius Pilate (Paradosis Pilati).” e-Clavis: Christian Apocrypha. Accessed DAY MONTH YEAR. https://www.nasscal.com/e-clavis-christian-apocrypha/handing-over-of-pontius-pilate-paradosis-pilati/.
Created January 2025.
1. SUMMARY
The Handing Over of Pilate is a sequel to the Report of Pilate and circulates with the Greek A recension of Report. Pil. in manuscripts. The text reveals that Pilate’s report arrived in Rome and was read to Tiberius. Everyone who hears the letter is amazed to learn the cause of the darkness and earthquake at Jesus’ death (observed throughout the world) was due to Pilate’s “a lawless deed.” Angered, Caesar recalls Pilate and interrogates him about his role in Jesus’ death. When Pilate tries to shift blame on the Jewish leaders, Tiberius tells him that he should have sent Jesus to Rome for protection; it is clear to Tiberius that Jesus was “the Christ, the King of the Jews.” At Tiberius’ confession, the statues of gods in the palace fall down and turn to dust. Pilate is questioned again and declares that Jesus is greater than their own gods but his hand was forced by the Jews. Tiberius issues a decree to Licianus (ruler of the eastern region) to send the Jews into dispersion and enslavement. Finally, Pilate is sentenced to execution but before he perishes he prays to God for forgiveness for himself and his wife Procla; in response, a voice from heaven declares that Pilate will be blessed by all the nations for his role in fulfilling the prophecies about him. Pilate’s head is severed by the executioner Albius and taken to heaven by an angel. Procla dies on the spot and is buried with her husband.
Named historical figures and characters: Albius, Annas (scribe/high priest), Archelaus, Caiaphas, Herod Antipas, Licianus, Philip (tetrarch), Procla, Pontius Pilate, Tiberius (emperor)
Geographical locations: Rome.
2. RESOURCES
2.1 Use in Popular Culture
Butcher, Kevin. The Further Adventures of Pontius Pilate. Coventry: Heritage Court, 2014 (a novel documenting what happens to Pilate after his recall to Rome).
3. BIBLIOGRAPHY
3.1 Manuscripts and Editions
3.1.1 Arabic (based on GrkA)
A Mount Sinai, Monē tēs Hagias Aikaterinēs, ar. 508, fols. ? (900) ~ LOC
B Mount Sinai, Monē tēs Hagias Aikaterinēs, ar. 445, fols. 175r–179r (13th cent.) ~ LOC
Khinshārah (Lebanon), Ordre Basilien Choueirite, 343, fols. 155r–156v (19th cent.) ~ longer text; HMML
Khinshārah (Lebanon), Ordre Basilien Choueirite, OBC 76, page before p. 1 (19th cent.) ~ longer text; HMML
Khinshārah (Lebanon), Ordre Basilien Choueirite, OBC 691 (19th cent.) ~ longer text; HMML
Khinshārah (Lebanon), Ordre Basilien Choueirite, 456, fol. 82v (19th cent.) ~ abbreviated text; HMML
Khinshārah (Lebanon), Ordre Basilien Choueirite, 569, fols. 232r–233r (15th–18th cent.) ~ abbreviated text; HMML
Gibson, Margaret Dunlop. Apocrypha Siniatica. Studia Sinaitica 5. London: C. J. Clay and Sons, 1896 (text from A and B, pp. 1–11 [Arabic numbering]).
Urbán, Á. and Juan Pedro Monferrer-Sala. “Paradosis Pilati in the Sinaitic Arabic 445: New Edition with a Preliminary Study.” Parole de l’Orient 37 (2012): 107–34.
3.1.2 Armenian
Venice, Mekhitarist Monastery of San Lazzaro, 255 (15th/16th cent.)
Tayec‘i, Esayi. Ankanon girk‘ nor ktakaranac‘. (Uncanonical Books of the New Testament). Venice: Tparani S. Ġazarow, 1898 (pp. 379–80).
T’umanean, Harut‘iwn. “Pilatosi Mahě.” Banasēr 4 (1902): 337–40 (source not identified).
3.1.3 Church Slavic (numbers refer to entries in de Santos Otero)
3.1.3.1 Two translations of Anaphora and Paradosis based on Greek A
Translation 1 (ca. 10th cent.): 3–4, 37, 55, 67, 70–71, 82, 102, 105, 110, 118, 120, 139, 176, 182–83 (and perhaps 24, 68, 92, 116, 148)
Translation 2 (no earlier than 14th cent.): 7, 11–12, 58–59, 72, 83, 85, 90, 93, 98, 113–14, 121, 126, 134–38, 170, 181
3.1.3.2 Anaphora and Paradosis of uncertain form: 5, 32, 35, 53, 65, 109, 120, 121, 127
Otero, Aurelio de Santos. Die handschriftliche Überlieferung der altslavischen Apokryphen. 2 vols. PTS 20 and 23. Berlin: De Gruyter, 1978 and 1981 (manuscripts listed in vol. 2, pp. 61–98).
Thomson, Francis J. Review of Aurelio de Santos Otero, Die handscriftliche Überlieferung der altslavischen Apokryphen, vol. 2. Slavonic and East European Review 63.1 [1985]: 73–98 at 79–83 (corrections to de Santos Otero).
3.1.4 Greek (BHG 779yII)
A edition by Birch and Thilo from a Paris MS
B Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, gr. 929, pp. 42–49 (1497)
C Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana, C 92 sup. (Martini-Bassi 192), fol. 328v (14th cent.)
D Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Coislin 117, fols. 235r–236r (1333–1334) ~ Pinakes; Gallica
E Venice, Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, gr. II 42 (coll. 1123), fols. 132v–134v (13th/14th cent.) ~ Pinakes
Athens, Ethnikē Bibliothēkē tēs Ellados, 352, fols. 172v–180r (16th/17th cent.) ~ numbering includes Anaphora; Pinakes
Athens, Ethnikē Bibliothēkē tēs Ellados, 2187, fols. 206r–207r (15th cent.) ~ numbering includes Anaphora; Pinakes
Athens, Ethnikē Bibliothēkē tēs Ellados, 2972, fols. 112v–116v (15th/16th cent.) ~ numbering includes both the Anaphora and the Response; Pinakes
Escorial, Real Biblioteca, Ω.IV.18 (570), fols. 103v–105r (15th cent.) ~ numbering includes Anaphora
Florence, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Plut. 8.18, fols. 218v–221r (14th cent.) ~ numbering includes Anaphora; Pinakes; BML
Jerusalem, Patriarchikē Bibliothēkē, Agiou Saba 418, fols. 226v–fin (14th cent.) ~ may contain Paradosis; Pinakes
Jerusalem, Patriarchikē Bibliothēkē, Agiou Saba, 492, fols. 114r–120r (18th cent.) ~ numbering includes Paradosis; Pinakes
London, British Library, Harley 5636, fols. 30r–33r (14th cent.)
Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana, E 100 sup. (Martini-Bassi 307), fols. 6v–7v (13th cent.) ~ Pinakes
Mount Athos, Monē Batopediou, 37, fols. 1r–8v (15th cent.) ~ numbering includes Anaphora; Pinakes
Mount Athos, Monē Pantokratoros, 114 (Lambros 1148), fols. 109r–? (18th cent.) ~ Pinakes
Mount Athos, Monē Agiou Panteleēmonos, 114, fols. 109r–116v (15th cent.) ~ Anaphora with numbering likely to include Paradosis; Pinakes
Oxford, Bodleian Library, Lincoln 1, fols. 4v–5v (15th cent.) ~ numbering includes Anaphora
Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, gr. 770, fols. 27v–29r (1315)
Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, gr. 1331, fols. 467r–468v (14th cent.) ~ numbering includes the Paradosis; Pinakes; Gallica
Patmos, Monē Agiou Iōannou tou Theologou, 448, fols. 63r–65v (15th cent) ~ Pinakes
Sinai, Monē tēs Agias Aikaterinēs, gr. 532, fols. 44v–47v (15th-17th cent.) ~ Pinakes; LOC
Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Vat. gr. 417, fols. 366r–367r (12th cent.) ~ Pinakes
Abbott, G. F. “The Report and Death of Pilate.” JTS 4 (1903): 83–86 (edition based on a personal manuscript of the 18th century; current whereabouts unknown).
Giles, J. A. Codex Apocryphus Novi Testamenti: The Uncanonical Gospels and Other Writings. 2 vols. London: D. Nutt, 1852 (vol. 2, pp. 460–63).
Birch, Andreas, ed. Auctarium codicis Apocryphi Novi Testamenti Fabriciani. Havniae: Arntzen & Hartier, 1804 (pp. 176–80).
Thilo, Ioannis Caroli. Codex Apocryphus Novi Testamenti. Lipsius: Vogel, 1832 (edition based on Paris, BNF gr. 770 and 929, pp. 813–16).
Tischendorf, Constantin von, ed. Evangelia Apocrypha. Leipzig: Mendelssohn, 1853; 2nd ed. 1876 (edition based on ABCDE, pp. 449–55).
3.1.5 Syriac (follows Anaphora)
Mount Sinai, Monē tēs Hagias Aikaterinēs, syr. 82, fols. 12v–15v (12th cent.)
Gibson, Margaret Dunlop. Apocrypha Siniatica. Studia Sinaitica 5. London: C. J. Clay and Sons, 1896 (text from Sinai syr. 82, pp. 6–14 [Syriac numbering]; English translation, pp. 6–14).
3.2 Modern Translations
3.2.1 English
Cowper, B. Harris. The Apocryphal Gospels and Other Documents Relating to the History of Christ. 4th ed. 1867. London: Frederic Norgate, 1874 (Greek A and B, pp. 405–409).
Ehrman, Bart D. and Zlatko Pleše, The Apocryphal Gospels: Texts and Translations. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2011 (edition of Tischendorf’s Greek text with English translation, pp. 504–509).
Elliott, J. K. The Apocryphal New Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993 (summary and excerpts, pp. 208–11).
Gibson, Margaret Dunlop. Apocrypha Siniatica. Studia Sinaitica 5. London: C. J. Clay and Sons, 1896 (English translation of the Syriac text, pp. 6–14).
James, Montague Rhodes. The Apocryphal New Testament: Being the Apocryphal Gospels, Acts, Epistles, and Apocalypses. Oxford: Clarendon, 1924; corrected edition, 1953 (summary, pp. 154–55).
Scheidweiler, Felix. “The Gospel of Nicodemus / Acts of Pilate and Christ’s Descent into Hell.” Pages 501–36 in New Testament Apocrypha, Vol. 1, Gospels and Related Writings. Edited by Wilhelm Schneemelcher. Translated by R. McL. Wilson. Rev. ed. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 1991 (English trans. of Neutestamentliche Apokryphen in deutscher Übersetzung, Bd. 1. Evangelien und Verwandtes. Edited by Wilhelm Schneemelcher. 6th ed. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1990) (pp. 531–32).
Walker, Alexander. Apocryphal Gospels, Acts and Revelations. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1873. Repr. as vol. 16 of The Ante-Nicene Christian Library. Edited by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson. 24 vols. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1867–1883 (pp. 231–33).
Westcott, Arthur. The Gospel of Nicodemus and Kindred Documents. London: Heath, Cranton & Ouseley, Ltd., 1915 (pp. 126–30).
3.2.2 French
Gounelle, Rémi. “Rapport de Pilate. Réponse de Tibère à Pilate. Cycle de Pilate.” Pages 299–327 in Écrits apocryphes chrétiens. Vol. 2. Edited by Pierre Geoltrain et Jean-Daniel Kaestli. Paris: Gallimard, 2005 (translation based on edition by Thilo, pp. 322–27).
Migne, Jacques-Paul. Dictionnaire des Apocryphes. 2 vols. 1856. Repr., Turnhout: Brepols, 1989 (vol. 2, cols. 751–54).
3.2.3 Italian
Erbetta, Mario. Gli apocrifi del Nuovo Testamento. 3 vols. Italy: Marietti, 1975–1981 (vol. 3, pp. 122–24).
Moraldi, Luigi. Apocrifi del Nuovo Testamento. 2 vols. Classici delle religioni, Sezione quarta, La religione cattolica 24. Turin: Unione Tipografico-Editrice Torinese, 1971 (vol. 1, pp. 717–20).
3.2.4 Spanish
González-Blanco, Edmundo. Los Evangelios Apócrifos. Vol. 2. Madrid, 1934 (vol. 2, pp. 361–69).
Santos Otero, Aurelio de, ed. and trans. Los Evangelios Apócrifos. Madrid: Biblioteca de Autores Christianos, 19561, 19793 (Greek B, 3rd ed., pp. 490–96).
3.3 General Works
Elliott, J. K.. “Pilate Cycle.” Pages 128–41 in Early New Testament Apocrypha. Edited by J. Christopher Edwards. Ancient Literature for New Testament Studies 9. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2022 (pp. 134–35).
Variot, Jean. Les évangiles apocryphes: Histoire littéraire, forme primitive, transformations. Paris: Berche & Tralin, 1878 (pp. 120–22).