Literary text: T-S Misc.35.87

Folio 1v (second section)

1. and said: “[ ] the foetus that is in her belly—is it male or female?” Yeshu said to him: “What

2. the king wishes, I will make it, whether male or female.” At that moment Caesar said to Pilatus the governor:

3. “[Let us arrest] them for nine months, until we see whether she gave birth or did not give birth.

4. Pi[latus] went and imprisoned them for nine months. And there was great distress for Israel (i.e., for the Jews) for nine months.

5. [R.] Yehoshuʿa ben Peraḥiah went in secret and wrote messages and letters to all the towns where Israel were (i.e., where there were Jews),

6. and said thus: “Decree a fast of three days, so that no man would taste

7. food or drink, but will fast in earnest before the Holy One, blessed be He, so that Israel (i.e., the Jews) would not

8. be destroyed, and the Torah and the laws and the commandments would not be annulled, for such and such was done by Yeshu the wicked.” And all

9. the towns and places where there were Israel (i.e., Jews) rose and decreed a fast of three days, and asked for mercy from 

10. the Master of Mercy. And the Holy One, blessed be He, did for them (i.e., for the Jews) as he had done in every period and every time,

11. and the foetus that was in the belly of Caesar’s daughter turned into a stone, and all the counsel of Yeshu the wicked was annulled,

12. for thus it is written: “The Lord overturned the counsel of the nations, etc.” And because the Holy One, blessed be He,

13. had turned that foetus into a stone, nine months passed and she did not give birth. Caesar sent and they brought

14. Yeshu the wicked. He (Tiberinus) said to him: “Why did she not give birth?” He (Yeshu) said to him: “There are among the Jews

15. those who bind the baby in its mother’s belly for twelve months.” After twelve months he (Tiberinus) sent after him

16. and brought Yeshu. He said to him: “Twelve months have passed, and why did she not give birth?” He (Yeshu) said to him:  

17. “Perhaps we are dealing with “the matters of the world,” for she is a virgin, and the baby will not come out until she is penetrated.

18. If you grant me permission, I will cut open her belly, and will extract it from its mother’s womb

19. alive, and my master, Caesar, will remember and know that we are the sons of the God of Heaven, and we have the ability

20. to do everything we want.” Caesar said to him: “Go and do so.” And Yeshu the wicked rose

21. and tore up the belly of Caesar’s daughter, and that foetus was discovered to be a stone in the womb of

22. that virgin. At that moment Caesar said to him: “Bring her back to life.” He tried (to), but could not.

23. Caesar [answer]ed and said to Yehoshuʿa ben Peraḥiah and to Marinus the great elder: “These men

24. [who mis]led the people and killed the king’s daughter— what is the judgment of these [men]?

25. You must... [execu]tion." They said: "King Caesar! At this time we cannot (execute people), but only [the Holy One, blessed] be He, and you can.”

26. He said [to them]: “These m[en] are Jews, and they are from your people,and they [deal] with

27. magic, judge them (according to) the judgment of Torah, and if not—we will uproot you from the world.”

28. [At that t]ime they burdened th[em with] iron (chains) and led them to Tiberias. They set up [a tree] for Yoḥanan,

29. [and] crucified him on the fif[th h]our of the day, and after this they buried him. And after him

30. [they brought Ye]shu, and were about to cruci[fy h]im. But when he saw the cross set up to crucify him

31. [he said words of m]agic, and flew out of [their hands], and flew in the air of the heaven like a bird. 

32. Yehudah [the gardener said to R. Yehoshuʿa ben Peraḥiah: “Should I go a]fter him?” He said [to him: “G]o.” At that moment

Folio 2r (third section)

1. [he (i.e., Yehudah) purified himself?] and said [the Ineffable Na]me, and flew up after him. When Yeshu the [wicked saw him] (i.e., Yehudah), he went

2. and hid himself in the cave of Elijah, and he said words of magic and shut the mouth of the cave. R. Yehudah came

3. to the opening of the cave, and said to it: “Opening, opening, open up! For I am [the] messenger

4. of the Great God.” When the opening of the cave heard (this), it opened up. And Yeshu the wicked

5. [disg]uised himself as a rooster, and went and sat on Mount Carmel, until R. Yehudah the gardener came

6. and held him with his cloak, and brought him before R. Yehoshuʿa ben Peraḥiah. And [they raised him up]

7. and they crucified him on a cabbage stalk. But from before they raised him to the cross, he knew what [is writt]en 

8. in the Torah, “Do not let his corpse remain overnight on the cross.” At that moment he sent and called the pe[ople]

9. whom he had misled and said to them: “If you come tomorrow and do not find me, nor my bo[dy],

10. on the cross—I ascended to the firmament of Heaven, and you will not see me.” They crucified him alive,

11. and they stoned him with a stone, and he died on the cross. And they did not want to take him down from the cross.

12. R. Yehoshuʿa said to them: “Because of Yeshu the wicked we shall change the law of the Torah? For it is written,

13. ‘Do not let his corpse remain overnight on the cross’, etc.' They brought him down from the cross and buried him in the water-channel

14. in the garden of R. Yehudah the gardener. When these people whom he had misled came, 

15. and did not find him on the cross, they surrounded and caught the Jews and said to them:

16. “Yeshu our master told us the truth, that the Jews are dealing with a lie. If you crucified

17. him on the cross, where is his body? In truth, he went to Heaven.” Immediately Pelatus summoned

18. Yehudah the gardener, and said to him: “The body of Yeshu— what did you (sg.) do with it?” R. Yehudah answered and said

19. to him (i.e., Pilatus): “My master! Yeshu the wicked knew what is written in the Torah, ‘Do not let his corpse’, etc., and he misled

20. these people, and said to them, ‘If you come tomorrow and do not find me on the cross, 

21. you will know that I ascended to Heaven’. And now, if our master wishes, I will bring him, and will show

22. his body to them, and they will bel[ieve], and they [will kn]ow that it is Yeshu the wicked.” R. Yehudah the gardener went

23. and brought him up from his tomb, and threw a rope on his leg and dragged him in all the street[s of Tiberias],

24. and proclaimed upon him: “This is Yeshu, son of Pandera, the wicked, who rebelled against the God [of Heaven],

25. besides whom there is none.” He (i.e., Yehudah) brought him (i.e., Yeshu) [bef]ore Pilatus, and he summo[ned ...

26. and there were] those who believed (that it is the body of Yeshu), and those who did not believe. [Pi]latu[s the governor?] answered

27. [ ... “This person?] whom you buried in the water-trough—and now, go and bury [him in the p]lace [where they bury]

28. the dead." Yehudah the gardener went and buried him (i.e., Yeshu) in the [wa]ter-holes (?). [The day on which]

29. Yeshu the wicked, the Nazarene, [was cruc]ified was the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan. And when they returned and br[ought] him

30. out of his tomb and dragged him in the streets of Tiberias—it was the twenty- first of the month of Nisan. [He who brought]

31. a great judgment upon Yeshu the wicked—He will quickly bring a jud[gment and retri]bution on the enemies of

32. His people, and (on) who[ever aban]dons the worship of the God of H[eaven and wor]ships and [... and swe]ars by the name 

Folio 1r (first section)

1. [... ... ] Yeshu [ ...
2. ... th]eir names [are Matai and Na]qi and Buni [and Netzer and Todah ... ]

3. [... R.] Yehoshuʿa ben Peraḥiah. He said to Matai: “[Why is] your [name called] Matai?” He said [to him: “Because about me]

4. David [said], ‘[Matai (=When)] will I come and be seen before God?’.” He said to him: “F[oo]l! No! Thus said D[avid]

5. about you, ‘[Matai (=when) will he die] and his name perish’!” And he decreed upon him, and they strangled him. Th[ey brought Na]qi. He (Yehoshuʿa ben Peraḥiah) said to him: “[Why i]s

6. your name called Naqi?” He said to him: “About me [David] said, ‘Neqi (=The one who has clean) [hands] and a p[ure hea]rt’.”

7. He said to [Naqi: “F]ool! No, for the Bible said about you, ‘and He (God) shall naqe not yenaqe (=shall by no means absolve (the sin))’.” And it was ordered ab[out him and they th]rew him into a

8. [fie]ry furnace. [... ...] Buni. [He (Yehoshuʿa ben Peraḥiah) said: “Why are] you called Buni?” He said to him: “Because about me the Bible says,

9. ‘Israel is [beni (=my son), the firstborn]’.” [R. Ye]hosh[uʿa ben Peraḥiah] sa[id to him: “Foo]l! Thus says the Bible about you,

10. ‘Behold I [will kill] binkha (=your son), the firstbo[rn’.” And it was ordered] about him and they stoned him. And after him he (i.e., Yehoshuʿa ben Peraḥiah) summoned Netzer. He said: “And why 

11. [is your name called Netzer?” He said to hi]m: “For about me the Bible says, ‘and a netzer (=sprout) will grow from its roots’.” He said to him: “Fool! Thus

12. the Bi[ble said a]bo[ut you], ‘you were cast out of your tomb like a detested netzer (=sprout)’.” And it was decreed upon him,

13. and his head was cut off. After him they brought Todah. He (Yehoshuʿa ben Peraḥiah) said to him: “Why is your name called Todah?” He said to him:

14. “For about me David said, “A psalm for todah (=thanksgiving)’.” He said to him: “Fool! Thus said David about you, ‘He who sacrifices todah (=a thanksgiving offering) honors me’.”

15. And it was decreed upon him, and they executed him. Pilatus the governor answered R. Yehoshuʿa ben Peraḥiah: “The five

16. disciples of Yeshu the wicked who misled the wo[rl]d have been executed, and Yoḥanan the Dyer—

17. Yeshu’s teacher—and he (Yeshu) deserve to be executed.” R. Yehoshuʿa answered and said to Pilatus: “If our master wishes,

18. we shall send and inform [Tibe]rinus Caesar and whatever he shall tell us, we shall do.” They sent to him:

19. “There are seven men here, who misled the whole world and such is their business”— everything they had been doing.

20. [When] King Tiberinus Caesar [he]ard, he sent: “Bring them tome!”And they brought them to him.

21. And Aligus (?) the governor and Marinus the great elder, [and R.] Yehoshuʿa ben Peraḥiah and Rabbi [Yehud]ah

22. the [gardener] we[nt] with them to Tiberias, the great town. And they all went before Tiberinus Caesar.

23. And when [Yoḥanan] the Dyer and Yeshu [came] before him, [Tiber]inus Caesar said to them: “What is [your] business [and who are you?]?”

24. They answered and said to him that “We ar[e] the sons of the G[od] of Heaven; and [thes]e boo[ks] 

25. that are in our hand are not ours.” He said to them: “And where are they from?” [They said to hi]m:

26. “They are [books of] heal[ing], and every person who needs healing, we he[al] him, and if [we want] to revive [we revive and if we want]

27. to kill we kill, and everything we want to do—we do.

28. [And a] barren [woman] who did not give birth and is suffering—we can give her a child (even) without (intercourse with) a man.

29. And also, whoever his soul [is about] to come out, and if he is about to die, we whisper [in his ear? and...].

30. And if we want to... 

[Caesar said... “I do not ask] of you [ . . . . . . can you grant her a son without] a man?” Yeshu answered and said: “Y[es].” [ ... ... ] Yeshu [whispered?] words of magic, and she became pregnant. [Caesar] ans[wered] 

Folio 1v (fourth section)

1. of [Yeshu ... and the God of] Heaven will work a miracle for them quickly and within a sh[ort] time.

2. [ ... ] Tiberi[nus] Caesar and Aaligus the governor and Pilatus the governor and Rabbi Yehoshu[ʿa

3. ben Peraḥ]iah, and Marinus the great elder of the Jews, and R. Yehudah the gardener, and crowds of the sons of

4. [Tiberias?]—they bear witness that they brought and crucified and killed Yeshu the wicked, who rebelled

5. against the great God of Heaven. “Thus may all your enemies, Lord, perish” etc. Here ends The Story of Yeshu the Na[zarene?].