The Testimonium

by Lewis Ben Smith

  The reporters nodded to each other. It was apparent that Dr. Tintoretto’s accusations had not found a sympathetic audience with most of them. Isabella managed a tiny smile, and then went on.

  “Simone was someone I had not worked with before, but we quickly became close friends. She was a big-hearted, generous soul who loved to laugh and dance. I only regret that we did not meet sooner.

  “It took us less than a week to completely catalog everything in the chamber. The reliquary cabinet containing the two scrolls was the last item to be removed. The two scrolls were not discovered until the entire cabinet was safe inside the mobile lab on Capri. Once the importance of the find was realized, the Antiquities Bureau elected to move all the artifacts from the chamber to the mainland. This was accomplished one week ago today. After the papyrus manuscripts reached the new research lab here in Naples, Dr. MacDonald took over the curation process, as an expert in ancient document preservation and restoration.” At this point she nodded at Duncan, who stood and surveyed the reporters calmly, then began to speak.

  “Dealing with ancient papyrus is a tricky business. I had no idea how long it would take for the two ancient scrolls to unroll, nor how intact they were. Fortunately, these scrolls had been preserved so well inside the locked compartment where we found them that they unrolled as quickly as any papyrus I have ever handled. As you know, the shorter scroll, the last will and testament of Caesar Augustus, unrolled in a matter of two days, and many of you were present when we shared its contents at the beginning of this week. By the time we held that press conference Tuesday, the Pilate scroll had already begun to open. As soon as it was safe to do so, we unrolled it and began the work of translation. It was my privilege to work with a brilliant young scholar in ancient Latin, Dr. Joshua Parker of Oklahoma. We both translated the scroll separately, using high-resolution photographs of each page, and then going to the original any time there was a question about a single character. Only when both of us had completed our efforts did we compare notes. The scroll was completely undamaged and written in a strong, clear hand, making it so easy to read that there were no discrepancies at all between our translations. To be doubly sure, we invited two more noted scholars, my own instructor in ancient Latin, Cardinal Heinrich Klein, and Doctor Luke Martens from Texas. Both of them conducted their own separate translations of the scroll and found our work to be without error. I would like to take this moment to offer my condolences to the many friends and students of Cardinal Klein, who was a brilliant antiquarian and a teacher to so many historians and archeologists over the course of his fifty-year career. His loss is a cruel blow, not just to the Church he served so faithfully, but also to the discipline of history and Latin studies to which he brought a consummately professional and scholarly approach.”

  The Scottish cleric looked out at the audience, sensing that they were beginning to get restless. “After all four translations were diligently compared; we began preparing to present the scroll and its contents to you, the world media. It may seem hasty, but given the fact that one member of the Antiquities Bureau’s governing board was already preparing to denounce the finds as fraudulent—without a shred of proof, I might add—we decided that a direct and swift presentation of the facts was the best way to deal with her accusations. We were transporting the scroll to this building from the research lab yesterday morning in preparation for the press conference when the terrorist attack leveled the building and killed our friends. I was spared because I was personally transporting the scroll when the attack occurred; my comrades Joshua and Isabella were walking over to this building from the lab to discuss our preparations at the moment of the blast and likewise survived. Cardinal Klein, Dr. Apriceno, Dr. Rossini, and our security guard Lucien Luccatori were all slain in the attack, as were the young British photographer Miss Witherspoon and two American tourists, Tristan Wooten and Brooke Blue. Once we had recovered from our initial shock, we decided, with the Board’s approval, to go ahead with our plans to share the scroll with the public—so that the evil fanatics who carried out this attack will realize the extent of their failure!” His Scottish accent grew stronger, and his voice crackled across the room like thunder as he finished his remarks. Then his expression softened and he continued. “At this time, the written translations of the scroll will be passed out, and I have asked my colleague, Dr. Joshua Parker, to share the contents with you aloud.”

  Josh swallowed nervously and stood. His body was still stiff and aching from the blast and his head was beginning to throb again. But as began to speak, his aches and pains faded away. He began simply.

  “I cannot begin to add to or improve upon the comments already made. I came across the ocean to work with a group of people I had never met, and found some of the best friends imaginable. And yes, one who is now more than a friend.” He flashed a quick smile at Isabella. “But all of that is not the reason we are here. What we have found at the Villa Jovis is the most remarkable discovery in the history of Biblical archeology—a document thought to be lost for nineteen hundred years. Scholars have long known that Pontius Pilate forwarded some sort of report to Rome regarding the trial and execution of Jesus of Nazareth, in 33 AD. Justin Martyr, writing to the Emperor Antoninus Pius in the mid-second century, challenged him to find the truth of the story of the crucifixion by reading Pilate’s account. But by the time Constantine legalized Christianity in 316 AD, the report that was filed in Rome was long lost.”

  The reporters were listening closely now, even as some of them were perusing the copies of the document Josh was holding that were now being passed out. He continued: “But we know now there was another copy—Tiberius’ personal copy, which he filed along with several other documents in his hidden writing nook on the isle of Capri at the Villa Jovis. This is the copy which we have found, and here is what it says: ‘Lucius Pontius Pilate, Senior Legate, Prefect, and Proconsul of Judea, to Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus, Princeps and Imperator of Rome, Greetings.

  ‘Your Excellency, you know that it is the duty of every governor to keep you informed of events in the provinces. . .’”

  The room fell silent as, for the first time, the world heard the long-concealed testimony of the Roman governor who crucified Jesus. Josh read carefully, making sure to go slowly enough that he did not stumble over his words or skip any part of the document. Flashbulbs were going off all over the room, and as he reached the story of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion, the buzz in the room steadily grew. His voice rose louder over the hubbub as he reached the final paragraphs of Pilate’s story:

  “‘The next morning, I walked down to the tomb where the crucified Jesus had been interred four days before. The heavy stone that had been rolled across the entrance was indeed several yards away, and one side of it was strangely scorched. The seal that had been placed on it was a half molten blob of wax. I looked into the tomb, but there was only the lingering scent of myrrh and some empty linen wrappings lying where the body of the Nazarene prophet had been placed . . .”

  By now a profound silence had fallen over the room as the import of these words sunk in. Josh read on to the end of the narrative: “‘And that is the end of my tale, Caesar. I have tried to conduct myself as a Roman prefect and procurator should. I still do not know what it is I have done. Have I been the victim of an incredibly elaborate fraud? Have I lost my mind? Or was I the unwitting accomplice in the murder of a god? I do not know. So I leave judgment of this matter in your hands. Mine are too stained with blood to deal with it any further. I beg you, Caesar, recall me from this benighted place and let me return to Rome! I remain, respectfully yours, Lucius Pontius Pilate, Governor of Judea.’”

  Josh paused a moment, looking out on a sea of astounded faces. He spoke again before the shouted questions could begin. “That is all of the original text, but there is a short note appended to the end in the same handwriting that we found in the short letter from Tiberius Caesar to his steward. The emperor, as you can read, ordered an investigation into the truth
of Pilate’s story. This, incidentally, confirms a late second-century account which says that Tiberius Caesar was aware of the story of Jesus’ resurrection and may have even recommended that Jesus be included in the Roman pantheon of gods. I realize that this was a long document, and I appreciate your patience in listening to it all. At this time we will take any questions you might have.”

  Cynthia Brown spoke up. “Dr. Parker,” she said, “don’t you find it a bit odd that this manuscript parallels the New Testament accounts so exactly?”

  “Not at all,” said Josh, “and neither should anyone else. For the last century or so, there has been a concerted effort on the part of academics worldwide to call every point and detail of the four Gospels into question, while elevating the so-called ‘Gnostic Gospels’ as being perhaps more accurate or authentic. However, in all fairness, this effort was never based on sound historical scholarship, but rather on ideological hostility to the principal claims of Christianity.”

  “That seems a bit of a reach, don’t you think?” she persisted.

  “No,” he said. “The four Biblical gospels are the only biographies of Christ that were composed in the first century, while the eyewitnesses of Jesus’ life were still alive. Two of them, Matthew and John, were written by eyewitnesses; Mark and Luke were companions of the original Apostles and compiled their gospels from the accounts of those who were, as Luke put it, ‘from the beginning eyewitnesses and servants of the word.’ All the other documents that have been put forward—the Gnostic Gospels, the New Testament Apocrypha, all the sensationalist books of the last fifty years proclaiming this alternate theory or that to contradict the New Testament narrative—all those things were written centuries later by men who were in no position to know the truth. So now we find the account written by the man who presided over Jesus’ trial, and guess what? It agrees with the earliest eyewitness accounts we have. Why should anyone be surprised?”

  Drew Eastwood spoke up. “If the evidence for authenticity was so convincing, why did Dr. Tintoretto denounce the document as a fake?”

  Josh looked over at Castolfo, who nodded for him to answer. “There are others here who can testify with more credibility than me, but all her written work—at least, all I have read—drips with hostility toward Christianity in general and the Catholic Church in particular. Her antagonism toward Christianity was so strong that she was unwilling to admit the possibility that the Testimonium might be genuine. To her mind, if it supported the Biblical narrative, then it had to be a forgery—no other alternative would be considered.”

  The young reporter nodded. “What are you going to do to address her concerns?”

  “Such serious charges have to be answered, obviously. We want the work of our team—especially that of our fallen comrades—to be above any question of fraud. The work that Simone Apriceno completed clearly shows that the chamber has not been disturbed since Roman times, but since all of her samples were destroyed in the blast, we have agreed to allow the Testimonium itself to be carbon dated at the Palazzo Massimo in Rome. That should put any doubts about its authenticity to rest once and for all,” Josh concluded.

  Tyler Patterson spoke up, his perfectly groomed hair gleaming with slight silver highlights at the temples. “So would you say that this find vindicates the claims of Christianity once and for all?”

  Josh paused a moment. “Speaking as a Christian rather than as a scientist for just a moment,” he finally said, “Christianity does not need vindication. In the end, faith is not something that can be logically proved or disproved. It is a decision of the heart. I will guarantee you that those who do not want to believe will find some excuse to reject what is written here—not on any valid historical grounds, but because they do not want accept the accountability that goes with acknowledging Jesus as the Son of God. They will call Him a magician, an illusionist, a space alien, or whatever it takes to avoid changing the way they live. For those of us who believed in Him already, it’s nice to see history confirm what our Scriptures teach us—but it doesn’t change the fact that we already knew who He was, long before this chamber was ever uncovered.”

  Eli Arnold spoke up. “So what you are saying is that faith and fact are unrelated?”

  Josh shook his head. “No,” he said. “History, archeology, and ancient documents can take you a long way down the road to faith—but in the end, faith itself is still a journey of the heart. Your head can only take you so far.”

  Antonio Ginovese spoke up. “Back to the scroll that you discovered,” he said in accented English. “What will happen after it has been carbon dated?”

  “It will be permanently housed here at the National Museum of Antiquities,” Josh said, “along with any other associated artifacts that we can recover from the wreckage of our lab. We have decided that the document shall henceforth be referred to as the Rossini-Sforza Papyrus.”

  Several other questions were shouted aloud, but Dr. Castolfo spoke up. “Gentlemen, there will be time for questions and interviews later on,” he said. “Do not forget the physical and emotional trauma these young people have endured over the last twenty-four hours. We need to let them get some rest, and we have our friends to mourn. Thank you for your attendance today. This press conference is now ended.”

  The reporters groaned and protested, but then began a hasty exodus as they rushed to meet TV and newspaper deadlines. As the auditorium cleared, Josh slumped back to his chair in exhaustion. The curtain in front of the table slowly slid shut, and he took Isabella by the hand. Now the world knew.

  DID THE GOSPELS GET IT RIGHT ALL ALONG?

  “TESTIMONIUM PILATUS” CONFIRMS NEW TESTAMENT ACCOUNT

  (from the New York Times International Edition)

  Two weeks after its discovery on the isle of Capri, the ancient document known as the “Testimonium Pilatus” has been translated, and was released to the media in a spectacular press conference this afternoon. The document, which covers a six-foot-long papyrus scroll, is apparently the original report that Roman governor Pontius Pilate sent to Rome concerning the trial and execution of Jesus of Nazareth, whom the world’s two billion Christians claim to be the Son of God. Pilate, who apparently was concerned that his role in the trial might be reported back to Rome in negative terms, gave an account that parallels the four Biblical gospels to a remarkable degree. He describes Jesus’ growing reputation among the people, and his own concern that the Nazarene’s arrival in Jerusalem might spark some unrest among the people of Judea.

  Pilate also confirms the Biblical claim that it was the Jewish religious leaders who instigated Jesus’ arrest and trial, making it clear that he believed the Galilean to be innocent of all charges and tried repeatedly to have him released. His account of the conversations he had with the accused Jesus are very close to those recorded in the Biblical Gospel of John, which may be explained by the fact that Pilate asked one of the disciples of Jesus—most likely John himself—to act as interpreter when he interrogated Jesus.

  The scroll contains three different handwriting styles—one apparently belonging to Pilate’s scribe, and the shorter, final portion written in Pilate’s own hand, according to the scroll itself. Finally, there is a short postscript in a hand that matches the writing on several other documents discovered at Capri, attributed to the Emperor Tiberius. The Roman Emperor apparently took a great interest in the case, and asked for one of his officers to investigate the story on his behalf.

  By far the most controversial claim in the ancient scroll is its description of the Resurrection of Christ. While Pilate himself did not witness the event, he interrogated the guards who were posted at the tomb, and their accounts match the Biblical claim that the stone was rolled away and the body of Jesus gone on Sunday morning, following the Friday crucifixion. . .

  (Continued on page A2) (Complete Text of the “Testimony of Pontius Pilate” on page A3)

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  After the press conference ended, the team members waited quietly behind the
curtains while the auditorium slowly cleared. The adrenaline and determination that had driven Josh and Isabella to get up and face the day had faded, and both of them were aching and exhausted. While MacDonald and Sinisi carefully returned the scroll to the mobile platform and then took it back to the museum’s lab, Dr. Castolfo picked up a phone and spoke some sharp orders in Italian. After he was done, he turned to Josh and Isabella.

  “You two have done more than I would have dared ask,” he said. “I know that it was a physical strain for both of you to be up and around so soon after your ordeal, and as your employer, I am ordering you both to go home and get some rest. I have summoned a limo to one of the museum’s side entrances, and it will whisk you both away in short order. Joshua, your friend Dr. Martens and his wife will be waiting for you at the hotel to get you up to your room. Isabella, I will be glad to escort you to your apartment. I do not want to see either of you until Monday, is that clear?”

  Josh nodded. “I feel like I could sleep till Monday!” he said.

  Isabella agreed. “I feel like all the air has gone out of me,” she said. “I used to have an inflatable toy dolphin when I was a little girl that I carried to the beach, and it always made me sad when Papa let the air out of it at the end of the day. But right now I feel like it looked just before he rolled it up and tossed it in the trunk!”

  Josh smiled. The analogy fit his feelings as well. Of course, his boyhood beach toy had been an inflatable dinosaur rather than a dolphin, but the comparison still rang true. He stood slowly, every bruise and abrasion making itself felt, then helped Isabella to her feet. She leaned on his arm as they made their way after Dr. Castolfo down a restricted corridor to one of the museum’s side entrances.