https://www.livius.org/sources/content/gospel-of-peter/
[1] But of the Jews none washed his hands, neither Herod nor one of his judges. And since they did not desire to wash, Pilate stood up.
[2] And then Herod the king orders the Lord to be taken away, having said to them, "What I ordered you to do, do."
[3] But Joseph, the friend of Pilate and of the Lord, had been standing there; and knowing they were about to crucify him, he came before Pilate and requested the body of the Lord for burial.
[4] And Pilate, having sent to Herod, requested his body.
[5] And Herod said: "Brother Pilate, even if no one had requested him, we would have buried him, since indeed Sabbath is dawning. For in the Law it has been written: The sun is not to set on one put to death." And he gave him over to the people before the first day of their feast of the Unleavened Bread.
[6] But having taken the Lord, running, they were pushing him and saying, "Let us drag along the Son of God now that we have power over him."
[7] And they clothed him with purple and sat him on a chair of judgment, saying: "Judge justly, King of Israel."
[8] And a certain one of them, having brought a thorny crown, put it on the head of the Lord.
[9] And others who were standing there were spitting in his face, and others slapped his cheeks. Others were jabbing him with a reed; and some scourged him, saying, "With such honor let us honor the Son of God."
[10] And they brought two wrongdoers and crucified the Lord in the middle of them. But he was silent as having no pain.
[11] And when they had set the cross upright, they inscribed that THIS IS THE KING OF ISRAEL.
[12] And having put his garments before him, they divided them up and threw as a gamble for them.
[13] But a certain one of those wrongdoers reviled them, saying: "We have been made suffer thus because of the wrong that we have done; but this one, having become Savior of men, what injustice had he done to you?"
[14] And having become irritated at him, they ordered that there be no leg-breaking, so that he might die tormented.
[15] But is was midday, and darkness held fast all Judea; and they were distressed and anxious lest the sun had set, since he was still living. [For] it is written for them: Let not the sun set on one put to death.
[16] And someone of them said: "Give him to drink gall with vinegary wine." And having made a mixture, they gave to drink.
[17] And they fulfilled all things and completed the sins on their own head.
[18] But many went around with lamps, thinking that it was night, and they fell.
[19] And the Lord screamed out, saying: "My power, O power, you have forsaken me." And having said this, he was taken up.
[20] And at the same hour the veil of the Jerusalem sanctuary was torn into two.
[21] And they drew out the nails from the hands of the Lord and placed him on the earth; and all the earth was shaken, and a great fear came about.
[22] Then the sun shone, and it was found to be the ninth hour.
[23] And the Jews rejoiced and gave his body to Joseph that he might bury it, since he was one who had seen the many good things he did.
[24] And having taken the Lord, he washed and tied him with a linen cloth and brought him into his own sepulcher, called the Garden of Joseph.
[25] Then the Jews and the elders and the priests, having come to know how much wrong they had done themselves, began to beat themselves and say: "Woe to our sins. The judgment has approached and the end of Jerusalem."
[26] But I with the companions was sorrowful; and having been wounded in spirit, we were in hiding, for we were sought after by them as wrongdoers and as wishing to set fire to the sanctuary.
[27] In addition to all these things we were fasting; and we were sitting mourning and weeping night and day until the Sabbath.
[28] But the scribes and Pharisees and elders, having gathered together with one another, having heard that all the people were murmuring and beating their breasts, saying that "If at his death these very great signs happened, behold how just he was,"
[29] feared (especially the elders) and came before Pilate, begging him and saying,
[30] "Give over soldiers to us in order that we may safeguard his burial place for three days, lest, having come, his disciples steal him, and the people accept that he is risen from the death, and they do us wrong."
[31] But Pilate gave over to them Petronius the centurion with soldiers to safeguard the sepulcher. And with these the elders and scribes came to the burial place.
[32] And having rolled a large stone, all who were there, together with the centurion and the soldiers, placed it against the door of the burial place.
[33] And they marked it with seven wax seals; and having pitched a tent there, they safeguarded it.
[34] But early when the Sabbath was dawning, a crowd came from Jerusalem and the surrounding area in order that they might see the sealed tomb.
[35] But in the night in which the Lord's day dawned, when the soldiers were safeguarding it two by two in every watch, there was a loud voice in heaven;
[36] and they saw that the heavens were opened and that two males who had much radiance had come down from there and come near the sepulcher.
[37] But that stone which had been thrust against the door, having rolled by itself, went a distance off the side; and the sepulcher opened, and both the young men entered.
[38] And so those soldiers, having seen, awakened the centurion and the elders (for they too were present, safeguarding).
[39] And while they were relating what they had seen, again they see three males who have come out from they sepulcher, with the two supporting the other one, and a cross following them,
[40] and the head of the two reaching unto heaven, but that of the one being led out by a hand by them going beyond the heavens.
[41] And they were hearing a voice from the heavens saying, 'Have you made proclamation to the fallen-asleep?'
[42] And an obeisance was heard from the cross, 'Yes.'
[43]And so those people were seeking a common perspective to go off and make these things clear to Pilate;
[44] and while they were still considering it through, there appear again the opened heavens and a certain man having come down and entered into the burial place.
[45] Having seen these things, those around the centurion hastened at night before Pilate (having left the sepulcher which they were safeguarding) and described all the things that they indeed had seen, agonizing greatly and saying: 'Truly he was God's Son.'
[46] In answer Pilate said: 'I am clean of the blood of the Son of God, but it was to you that this seemed [the thing to do].'
[47] Then all, having come forward, were begging and exhorting him to command the centurion and the soldiers to say to no one what they had seen.
[48] 'For,' they said, 'it is better for us to owe the debt of the greatest sin in the sight of God than to fall into the hands of the Jewish people and be stoned.' [49] And so Pilate ordered the centurion and the soldiers to say nothing.
[50] Now at the dawn of the Lord's Day Mary Magdalene, a female disciple of the Lord (who, afraid because of the Jews since they were inflamed with anger, had not done at the tomb of the Lord what women were accustomed to do for the dead beloved by them),
[51] having taken with her women friends, came to the tomb where he had been placed.
[52] And they were afraid lest the Jews should see them and were saying, 'If indeed on that day on which he was crucified we could not weep and beat ourselves, yet now at his tomb we may do these things.
[53] But who will roll away for us even the stone placed against the door of the tomb in order that, having entered, we may sit beside him and do the expected things?
[54] For the stone was large, and we were afraid lest anyone see us. And if we are unable, let is throw against the door what we bring in memory of him; let us weep and beat ourselves until we come to our homes.'
[55] And having gone off, they found the sepulcher opened. And having come forward, they bent down there and saw there a certain young man seated in the middle of the sepulcher, comely and clothed with a splendid robe, who said to them:
[56] 'Why have you come? Whom do you seek? Not that one who was crucified? He is risen and gone away. But if you do not believe, bend down and see the place where he lay, because he is not here. For he is risen and gone away to there whence he was sent.'
[57] Then the women fled frightened.
[58] Now it was the final day of the Unleavened Bread; and many went out returning to their home since the feast was over.
[59] But we twelve [perhaps Judas hadn't yet committed suicide or does it mean eleven plus Mary Magdalene?] disciples of the Lord were weeping and sorrowful; and each one, sorrowful because of what had come to pass, departed to his home.
[60] But I, Simon Peter, and my brother Andrew, having taken our nets, went off to the sea. And there was with us Levi of Alphaeus whom the Lord ...
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http://www.peshertechnique.infinitesoul ... Peter.html
© 2005 Dr. Barbara Thiering (June, 2005)
A work called the Gospel of Peter has been known since the 19th century and classed with New Testament Apocrypha. It is of special interest for the case that Jesus survived the crucifixion.
It was found in 1886 in the tomb of an Egyptian monk at Akhmim in Upper Egypt, together with the Apocalypse of Peter and the Greek Book of Enoch. The manuscript itself is of the 8th-9th century, but it is agreed that the work existed very much earlier, possibly 1st century.
Here are some selections from it concerning the crucifixion and resurrection, which may be seen to show knowledge of the true facts as preserved in the monasteries, with some supernaturalistic embellishments, and with some retention of the surface statements in order to maintain the centrality of Jesus.
"But of the Jews none washed their hands, neither Herod nor any one of his judges. And as they would not wash, Pilate arose. And then Herod the king commanded that the Lord should be marched off, saying to them, 'What I have commanded you to do to him, so do.'"
"Now it was midday and a darkness covered all Judea. And they became anxious and uneasy lest the sun had already set, since he was still alive...And one of them said, 'Give him to drink gall with vinegar'. And they mixed it and gave him to drink." [Note. On the basis of Psalm 69:21 (Psalm 68:22) LXX which is being alluded to, gall (chole) was a term for poison. In the surface account of Matthew 27:34, Jesus was offered wine mixed with gall at 9 a.m. when he was first put on the cross, but when he had tasted it he refused it. This narrative shows explicitly that he was offered the poison mixed with vinegar (spoiled wine) at the last minute, whereas the canonical gospel account speaks only of the "vinegar" at the later hour.]
"And then the Jews drew the nails from the hands of the Lord and laid him on the earth." [ Not nails from the feet - he was able to walk when he left the cave]
"But I mourned with my fellows, and being wounded in heart we hid ourselves, for we were sought after by them as evildoers and as persons who wanted to set fire to the temple. Because of all these things we were fasting and sat mourning and weeping night and day until the Sabbath". [ The sabbath began on Friday evening. ]
"Early in the morning, when the Sabbath dawned, there came a crowd from Jerusalem and the country round about to see the sepulchre that had been sealed. Now in the night in which the Lord's day dawned..." [ The Jewish sabbath began again on the Saturday morning. It was very early on that morning that Jesus left the cave. The observance of the "resurrection" was transferred to the Sunday, the Lord's day, in order to separate the Christian from the Jewish observance.]
"Now in the night in which the Lord's day dawned, when the soldiers...were keeping guard, there rang out a loud voice in heaven, and they saw the heavens opened and two men come down from there in a great brightness and draw nigh to the sepulchre. That stone which had been laid against the entrance to the sepulchre started of itself to roll and gave way to the side, and the sepulchre was opened, and both the young men entered in....While (the soldiers) were relating what they had seen, they saw again three men come out from the sepulchre, and two of them sustaining the other, and a cross following them, and the heads of the two reaching to heaven, but that of him who was led of them by the hand overpassing the heavens." [According to the surface narrative Peter and the Beloved Disciple entered the tomb and found it empty. According to the pesher they did find Jesus there, and a few hours later, when he was sufficiently recovered from the expulsion of the poison, they helped him leave it. He could walk, but leaned on them because he was still weak. This narrative preserves the actual facts, with a supernatural embellishment.]
In addition to gospels, there are complete works in the form of history. Despite their own claims to come from the 1st century, these appear to be so different from the New Testament that they also have been assumed to be fanciful and late. It may now be seen, however, in the light of the pesher, that they give a reliable history of the period of the first apostles, one that fills in many of the missing facts.
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http://www.gnosis.org/library/gospete.htm
From-The Apocryphal New Testament
M.R. James-Translation and Notes
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1924
Introduction
The early testimonies about this book have been set forth already. The present fragment was discovered in 1884 in a tomb at Akhmimin Egypt. The manuscript in which it is a little book containing a portion of the Book of Enoch in Greek, this fragment on the Passion and another, a description of Heaven and Hell, which is either (as I now think) a second fragment of the Gospel,
We have seen that the Gospel of Peter is quoted by writers of the latter end of the second century. It has been contended that Justin Martyr also used it soon after the middle of that century, but the evidence is not demonstrative. I believe it is not safe to date the book much earlier than A. D. 150.
It uses all four canonical Gospels, and is the earliest uncanonical account of the Passion that exists. It is not wholly orthodox: for it throws doubt on the reality of the Lord's sufferings, and by consequence upon the reality of his human body. In other words it is, as Serapion of Antioch indicated, of a Docetic character.
Another characteristic of it is its extremely anti-Jewish attitude. Blame is thrown on the Jews wherever possible, and Pilate is white-washed .
In this case I give, in Roman and Arabic figures respectively, a double division into sections and verses. The first is that of Armitage Robinson, the second that of Harnack.
FRAGMENT I
I. 1 But of the Jews no man washed his hands, neither did Herod nor any one of his judges: and whereas they would not 2 wash, Pilate rose up. And then Herod the king commanded that the Lord should be taken into their hands, saying unto them: All that I commanded you to do unto him, do ye
II. 3 Now there stood there Joseph the friend of Pilate and of the Lord, and he, knowing that they were about to crucify him, came unto Pilate and begged the body of Jesus for burial. And Pilate sending unto Herod, begged his body. 5 And Herod said: Brother Pilate, even if none had begged for him, we should have buried him, since also the Sabbath dawneth; for it is written in the law that the sun should not set upon one that hath been slain (murdered).
III. 6 And he delivered him unto the people before the first day of (or on the day before the) unleavened bread, even their feast. And they having taken the Lord pushed him as they ran, and said: Let us hale the Son of God, now that 7 we have gotten authority over him. And they put on him a purple robe, and made him sit upon the seat of judgement, 8 saying: Give righteous judgement, thou King of Israel. And one of them brought a crown of thorns and set it upon the 9 Lord's head; and others stood and did spit in his eyes, and others buffeted his cheeks; and others did prick him with a reed, and some of them scourged him, saying With this honour let us honour (or at this price let us value) the son of God.
IV. 10 And they brought two malefactors, and crucified the 11 Lord between them. But he kept silence, as one feeling no pain. And when they set the cross upright, they wrote 12 thereon: This is the King of Israel. And they laid his garments before him, and divided them among themselves and 13 cast the lot upon them. But one of those malefactors reproached them, saying: We have thus suffered for the evils which we have done; but this man which hath become the 14 saviour of men, wherein hath he injured you? And they were wroth with him, and commanded that his legs should not be broken, that so he might die in torment.
V. 15 Now it was noonday, and darkness prevailed over all Judaea: and they were troubled and in an agony lest the sun should have set, for that he yet lived: for it is written for them that the sun should not set upon him that hath been 16 slain (murdered). And one of them said: Give ye him to drink gall with vinegar: and they mingled it and gave him 17 to drink: and they fulfilled all things and accomplished 18 their sins upon their own heads. And many went about with 19 lamps, supposing that it was night: and some fell. And the Lord cried out aloud saying: My power, my power, thou hast forsaken me. And when he had so said, he was taken up.
20 And in the same hour was the veil of the temple of Jerusalem rent in two.
VI. 21 And then they plucked the nails from the hands of the Lord and laid him upon the earth: and the whole earth was shaken, and there came a great fear on all.
22 Then the sun shone forth, and it was found to be the ninth 23 hour. And the Jews rejoiced, and gave his body unto Joseph to bury it, because he had beheld all the good things which 24 he did. And he took the Lord and washed him and wrapped him in linen and brought him unto his own sepulchre, which is called the Garden of Joseph.
VII. 25 Then the Jews and the elders and the priests, when they perceived how great evil they had done themselves, began to lament and to say: Woe unto our sins: the judgement and the end of Jerusalem is drawn nigh.
26 But I with my fellows was in grief, and we were wounded in our minds and would have hid ourselves; for we were sought after by them as malefactors, and as thinking to set 27 the temple on fire. And beside all these things we were fasting, and we sat mourning and weeping night and day until the Sabbath.
VIII. 28 But the scribes and Pharisees and elders gathered one with another, for they had heard that all the people were murmuring and beating their breasts, saying: If these very great signs have come to pass at his death, behold how 29 righteous he was. And the elders were afraid and came unto 30 Pilate, entreating him and saying: Give us soldiers that we (or they) may watch his sepulchre for three days, lest his disciples come and steal him away and the people suppose 31 that he is risen from the dead, and do us hurt. And Pilate gave them Petronius the centurion with soldiers to watch the sepulchre; and the elders and scribes came with them unto 32 the tomb, and when they had rolled a great stone to keep out (al. together with) the centurion and the soldiers, then all 33 that were there together set it upon the door of the tomb; and plastered thereon seven seals; and they pitched a tent there and kept watch.
IX. 34 And early in the morning as the Sabbath dawned, there came a multitude from Jerusalem and the region roundabout to see the sepulchre that had been sealed.
35 Now in the night whereon the Lord's day dawned, as the soldiers were keeping guard two by two in every watch, 36 there came a great sound in the heaven, and they saw the heavens opened and two men descend thence, shining with (lit. having) a great light, and drawing near unto the sepulchre. 37 And that stone which had been set on the door rolled away of itself and went back to the side, and the sepulchre was
X. 38 opened and both of the young men entered in. When therefore those soldiers saw that, they waked up the centurion and the elders (for they also were there keeping 39 watch); and while they were yet telling them the things which they had seen, they saw again three men come out of the sepulchre, and two of them sustaining the other (lit. the 40 one), and a cross following, after them. And of the two they saw that their heads reached unto heaven, but of him that 41 was led by them that it overpassed the heavens. And they 42 heard a voice out of the heavens saying: Hast thou (or Thou hast) preached unto them that sleep? And an answer was heard from the cross, saying: Yea.
XI. 43 Those men therefore took counsel one with another to go and report these things unto Pilate. And while they yet thought thereabout, again the heavens were opened and a 45 man descended and entered into the tomb. And they that were with the centurion (or the centurion and they that were with him) when they saw that, hasted to go by night unto Pilate and left the sepulchre whereon they were keeping watch, and told all that they had seen, and were in great agony, saying: Of a truth he was the son of God.
46 Pilate answered and said: I am clear from the blood of 47 the son of God, but thus it seemed good unto you. Then all they came and besought him and exhorted him to charge the centurion and the soldiers to tell nothing of that they had 48 seen: For, said they, it is expedient for us to incur the greatest sin before God, rather than to (and not to) fall into 49 the hands of the people of the Jews and to be stoned. Pilate therefore charged the centurion and the soldiers that they should say nothing.
XII. 50 Now early on the Lord's day Mary Magdalene, a disciple (fem.) of the Lord-which, being afraid because of the Jews, for they were inflamed with anger, had not performed at the sepulchre of the Lord those things which women are accustomed to do unto them that die and are 51 beloved of them-took with her the women her friends and 52 came unto the tomb where he was laid. And they feared lest the Jews should see them, and said: Even if we were not able to weep and lament him on that day whereon he was 53 crucified, yet let us now do so at his tomb. But who will roll away for us the stone also that is set upon the door of the tomb, that we may enter in and sit beside him and perform 54 that which is due? for the stone was great, and we fear lest any man see us. And if we cannot do so, yet let us cast down at the door these things which we bring for a memorial of him, and we will weep and lament until we come unto our house.
XIII. 55 And they went and found the sepulchre open : and they drew near and looked in there, and saw there a young man sitting in the midst of the sepulchre, of a fair countenance and clad in very bright raiment, which said unto them: 56 Wherefore are ye come? whom seek ye? not him that was crucified? He is risen and is departed; but if ye believe it not, look in and see the place where he lay, that he is not here: for he is risen and is departed thither whence he was sent. 57 Then the women were affrighted and fled.
XV. 58 Now it was the last day of unleavened bread, and many were coming forth of the city and returning unto their 59 own homes because the feast was at an end. But we, the twelve disciples of the Lord, were weeping and were in sorrow, and each one being grieved for that which had befallen 60 departed unto his own house. But I, Simon Peter, and Andrew my brother, took our nets and went unto the sea: and there was with us Levi the son of Alphaeus, whom the Lord (For Fragment II see Apocalypse of Peter.)
Scanned and Edited by
Joshua Williams
Northwest Nazarene College, 1995
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The above text is part of the Gospel of Peter c. AD 150 which states that Jesus was alive when taken from the tomb in about AD 30-33. He did not have nails in his feet and was therefore able to walk out of the tomb, aided by two men. "head of the two reaching unto heaven" means tall and Jesus "going beyond the heavens" means taller than the two men. He recovered to meet Mary Magdalene and his disciples several times including "Doubting Thomas" and then disappeared. (The Ascension in the four main gospels is either not described or a bit vague and Peter's account is missing). Another translation is shown below.
The Gospel of Peter was excluded in Bishop Athanasius' list in AD 367 and Pope Damasus I, the Bishop of Rome in AD 382, promulgated a list of books which contained a New Testament canon identical to that of Athanasius. The gospel is included in the Ethiopian Christian Bible together with many others excluded by the Pope.
There is a plausible sequence of events that supports the Gospel of Peter and satisfies sceptics of the four main New Testament gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. This is based on historical accounts of Roman law and practice and the diaries of the first-century Romano-Jewish historian Titus Flavius Josephus AD 37 - c. 100 who was born in Jerusalem and whose writings seem to be written earlier than the four main gospels and may therefore be more accurate. He mentions John the Baptist and Jesus although authenticity of parts of his references are debated.
Joseph of Arimathea is reported as a relative of Mary the mother of Jesus and to have taken responsibility for Jesus' body. He was a rich man with his own tomb available and he would have been well known to Pilate. He may have suggested to Pilate that Jesus wasn't a criminal but just a loud-mouthed preacher and if Pilate would take Jesus down from the cross before he was dead, Joseph would see that Jesus went into exile which would satisfy the Romans and the Jewish high priests. Other factors about the crucifixion are unusual. The crowd was kept well away from the cross and only friends and relatives were near.
Jesus did not have nails through his feet according to Peter's gospel and Jesus was only on the cross for a shorter time than usual and removed before the two criminals. The centurion's stab in the side may have just been a surface wound and not a fatal stab. It seems that Pilate ordered his soldiers to do as little as possible to satisfy Herod and the high priests but to remove Jesus from the cross as soon as he was unconscious which was determined by a prick in his side. The men who removed Jesus from the tomb were probably servants of Joseph and Jesus was hidden while recovering.
There were many different ways that Romans crucified men: 2, 3 or 4 nails, one nail through both feet from the front, one nail through each foot from the front, one nail through both heel bones from the side, one nail through each heel bone from each side of the cross, nails through each palm from the front, one nail through the back of each hand after folding the arms over the back of the crossbar, cords to support the man in various ways, a block under the feet and many other ways.
Men nailed through the front of their palms would fall forward and put pressure on the lungs causing them to suffocate quickly while folding arms over the back of the crossbar and nailing the back of the hands would delay death. Archaeologists have found a hand bone that shows nail entry from the back and also a heel bone showing one nail through the side. Breaking legs would also speed death as a man would be unable to support his body and not breaking legs would prolong agony which was what Romans wanted. If Jesus had no nails through his feet and was taken down early, the soldiers must have known which method would keep him alive for a fairly long time but not so long as to kill him. John's gospel says that he showed his disciples his hands and side but no mention is made of his feet. The Turin Shroud shows a man with foot injuries so it probably isn't Jesus.
Pilate is reported to have had an estate in southern France where there was a small Jewish colony to which Jesus would go with Pilate's permission and authorisation. Joseph would have provided the travel finance.
Many churches in southern France like Rennes-le-Chateau are dedicated to Mary Magdalene and stories state that she died there, so perhaps she left Jerusalem with Jesus either dead or alive. If she or they left shortly after Jesus had recovered and shown his wounds to Mary Magdalene and his disciples, they would have avoided the Jewish insurrection in AD 67 which caused the Romans to destroy Jerusalem and steal treasures. Other stories tell of Joseph of Arimathea also going to France and on to southern Britain where he planted a thorn bush at Glastonbury (I've used modern place names).
Shortly after Jesus disappeared there was no Christian religion as the disciples had all gone back to their previous lifestyles, but Paul (Saul of Tarsus), a Jewish Roman citizen who did not know Jesus and was not one of the twelve disciples, was converted on the road to Damascus and started the Christian religion after about AD 34-37. It seems that Paul was blinded by a light and did not actually see Jesus, he just heard a voice.
Christians in the western world believe that Jesus ascended bodily to heaven and the gospel of Peter doesn't contradict that as Jesus' death isn't mentioned, but it makes it more likely that he died a normal death either in Jerusalem or in exile and only his spirit ascended to heaven.