. He described how the rock had
been rent, and how an angel had descended from Heaven and pushed aside
the stone; he also spoke of the empty winding-sheet, and added that
most certainly Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, and that he was
truly risen. Pilate listened to this account; he trembled and quivered
with terror, but concealed his agitation to the best of his power, and
answered Cassius in these words: 'Thou art exceedingly superstitious; it
was very foolish to go to the Galilean's tomb; his gods took advantage of
thy weakness, and displayed all these ridiculous visions to alarm thee.
I recommend thee to keep silence, and not recount such silly tales to
the priests, for thou wouldst get the worst of it from them.' He
pretended to believe that the body of Jesus had been carried away by
his disciples, and that the sentinels, who had been bribed, and had
fallen asleep, or perhaps been deceived by witchcraft, had fabricated
these accounts in order to justify their conduct. When Pilate had said
all he could on the subject, Cassius left him, and he went to offer
sacrifice to his gods.

The four soldiers who had guarded the tomb arrived shortly after at
Pilate's palace, and began to tell him all that he had already heard from
Cassius; but he would listen to nothing more, and sent them to Caiphas.
The rest of the guards were assembled in a large court near the Temple
which was filled with aged Jews, who, after some previous consultation,
took the soldiers on one side, and by dint of bribes and threats
endeavoured to persuade them to say that they fell asleep, and that
while they were asleep the disciples came and carried away the body of
our Lord. The soldiers, however, demurred, because the statement which
their comrades were gone to make to Pilate would contradict any account
which they could now fabricate, but the Pharisees promised to arrange
everything with the governor. Whilst they were still disputing, the
four guards returned from their interview with Pilate, and the
Pharisees endeavoured to persuade them to conceal the truth; but this
they refused to do, and declared firmly that they would not vary their
first statement in the smallest degree. The miraculous deliverance of
Joseph of Arimathea from prison was become public, and when the
Pharisees accused the soldiers of having allowed the Apostles to carry
off the body of Jesus, and threatened them with the infliction of the
most severe punishment if they did