Scholarship on Literary text: T-S 8Ka7.4 + T-S NS 298.55 + BL Or. 6197.7–8

“You have executed the disciples who are branches. Execute Yoḥanan

and Yeshu who are (the) roots.” Yehoshuʿa said: “We shall consult about them

with King Tiberinus Caesar.” When they consulted him about their matter

the king brought them to his presence and with them the governor, and Marinus the elder,

and Yehoshuʿa ben Peraḥiah and Yehudah the gardener. And when Yoḥanan and Yeshu were present 

before the king, the king said to them: “Who are you and what is

your profession?” They said to him: “We are friends of the Master of Heaven and these books

that are with us came down upon us from Heaven and with them we can achieve every goal—

we heal the sick, we kill the living and revive the dead, and every woman who is

barren—we make her become pregnant and give birth. We can even make a woman become pregnant

give birth without intercourse with a man. And we heal the chronically ill and the invalid and make raindrops

fall and make plants grow and whatever we want—we do.” When the king heard

their words—and he had one daughter and he was not blessed (with offspring)

except her, neither male nor female. And at that time

the kings refused to marry his girl, and he yearned to see

her with a male child, who would be like a son and a descendant to him, even (if he were) from his daughter.

So he said to them: “Everything that you mentioned I have no need for—neither that the

sick be healed, nor that the dying will live, nor that the living would die, nor making rain fall,

nor making plants grow. But one benefit of those you mentioned I do want.

I have a virgin daughter whom no one has seen. Can you have a

child come from her without (her) being with a man?” And Yeshu said: “Yes, oh king, if only

by magic and she became pregnant. Then they arrested him until the end of nine months

to see what will be of the maiden. And the maiden spent nine months...

great... and extreme distress. When Yehoshuʿa ben Peraḥiah

saw this he wrote to all the towns, to Israel (i.e., to the Jews), that they should fast for three days and pr[ay]

and ask God that He would annul Yeshu’s act and his planning and his invocations. 

And God, the Exalted, the Majestic, did as is his custom to act kindly in every per[iod]

with the sons of Israel, and he transformed the foetus and it turned to stone. When

nine months had passed, the maiden did not give birth and her pains increased. And Yeshu was brought,

and the king said to him: “Why didn’t the maiden give birth as you had claimed?” And Yeshu said:

“Oh king, the Jews delayed her birth.”

And they tied him until (the end of) twelve months, and after this she (still) did not give birth. Yeshu was brought

and said: “The Jews practised magic upon her, but, Oh king, allow me

to cut open her belly—you shall see a male baby and know that we are friends of God.”

The king brought his daughter and cut open her belly, and behold, there was a stone in her abdomen.

She died immediately, and the king said to them: “Bring her back to life as you have claimed.”

They tried to do so but could not. The king sent after Yehoshuʿa ben Peraḥiah

and after Marinus the great elder, and the king said to them: “These people who

misled the people and killed the king’s daughter—pass judgment upon them.” 

They said: “The matter (belongs) to God and to our master the king.” He said to them: “These people

are Jews and they are from among you. Judge them as it is laid out for you in the Torah.”

And they (Yeshu and Yoḥanan) were shackled and sent to the sons of Israel (i.e., to the Jews). And Yoḥanan was seized, and executed, and crucified for five

hours; then he was buried. And when Yeshu saw that the sons of Israel want

to crucify him and execute him, he made a kind of magic and flew up in the air

and escaped. Yehudah the gardener said to Yehoshuʿa ben Peraḥiah: “Do you order me

to chase him?” And he said to him: “Do (so) and do not tarry.” He purified himself and prayed

and recited the secret holy Name and flew up after him. When

When Yeshu saw him, he entered and hid in the cave of Elijah, peace be upon him,

and shut the mouth of the cave with a gate of magic. Yehudah the gardener came and opened 

the cave’s gate by the Name of God the Exalted, the Majestic. And Yeshu disguised himself as a bird, and Yehudah took

his headscarf and threw it on him. And they caught him and arrested him and he was brought to Yehoshuʿa

ben Peraḥiah. And they raised him up, and they crucified him on a root of a cabbage.

But before they crucified him, he had known that it is written

in the Torah “Do not let his corpse remain overnight on the tree,” and he said to his followers: “If you come tomorrow 

here on the cross—then know that I ascended to

want to take him down from the cross. Yehoshuʿa ben Peraḥiah said to them: 

“Because of the cursed Yeshu we shall change what is (written) in the Torah?” 

They brought him down and buri[ed him] in the water-trough in the garden of Yehudah the gardener. When

his followers came to him, and did not find him on the cross, they calumniated and said that “He ascended

to Heaven and his words that he said are true and your words are false.”