The Gospel of Nicodemus

Acts of Pilate

The Gospel of Nicodemus purports to be the official Roman court record of the trial of Jesus, supplemented by the testimonies of witnesses and a dramatic account of what happened when Christ descended into hell between the crucifixion and the resurrection. The Harrowing of Hell — Jesus smashing open the gates of Hades and freeing the souls of Adam, Eve, Abraham, Moses, and all the righteous dead —

Codex Digital EditionComing soonEdition currently in preparation

Edition024

FormatDigital PDF

Editorial statusIn review

TraditionLost Scripture

Before you read

Context without the mythology.

Codex ISO separates the surviving evidence from later interpretation, so you can encounter the text without being told what to believe about it first.

01 / Historical context

4th–5th century. Contains the official Roman trial record of Jesus and a detailed account of the Harrowing of Hell — both absent from canonical scripture.

02 / Why it matters

The Harrowing of Hell: the most dramatic event in Christianity that never made the Bible.

From / associated with the text

““O prince, iron gates, open for the King of glory to come in! And at these words the brazen gates were broken in pieces, and the iron bars were crushed.””

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Source before story.

We identify the edition, translation and surviving evidence; distinguish documentation from tradition; and state uncertainty rather than turning it into a sales claim.

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Continue the archive

The Gospel of Nicodemus

Context without the mythology.

Source before story.

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