Pilate cycle

Part of a series on
New Testament apocrypha
First page of the Gospel of Judas (Page 33 of Codex Tchacos)
Apostolic Fathers 1 Clement 2 Clement Epistles of Ignatius Polycarp to the Philippians Martyrdom of Polycarp Didache Barnabas Diognetus The Shepherd of Hermas
Apocryphal gospels Jewish–Christian gospels Ebionites Hebrews Nazarenes Infancy gospels James Thomas Arabic Pseudo-Matthew History of Joseph the Carpenter Gnostic gospels Judas Mary Philip Truth Secret Mark The Saviour Other gospels Thomas Marcion Nicodemus Peter Barnabas Lost gospels Bartholomew Matthias Cerinthus Basilides Mani Gospel of the Hebrews
Apocalypses Paul Peter Pseudo-Methodius Thomas Stephen 1 James 2 James 2 John
Epistles Apocryphon of James Apocryphon of John Epistula Apostolorum Pseudo-Titus Peter to Philip Paul and Seneca Lost epistles Alexandrians Laodiceans
Acts Andrew Andrew and Bartholomew Barnabas John Mar Mari The Martyrs Paul Peter Peter and Andrew Peter and Paul Peter and the Twelve Philip Pilate Thaddeus Thomas Timothy Xanthippe, Polyxena, and Rebecca
Misc. Other apocrypha Clementine literature Diatessaron Doctrine of Addai Pilate cycle Prayer of the Apostle Paul Questions of Bartholomew Resurrection of Jesus Christ Related topics Nag Hammadi library
Christianity portal
v t e

The Pilate cycle is a group of various pieces of early Christian literature that purport to either be written by Pontius Pilate, or else otherwise closely describe his activities and the Passion of Jesus. Unlike the four gospels, these later writings were not canonized in the New Testament, and hence relegated to a status of apocrypha. Some writings were quite obscure, with only a few ancient textual references known today; they merely survived through happenstance, and may not have been particularly widely read by early Christians in the Roman Empire and Christians in the Middle Ages. Others were more popular. The most notable example was the Gospel of Nicodemus (or "Acts of Pilate"), which proved quite popular and influential in medieval and Renaissance Christianity.

The group is collectively known as the Pilate cycle by some scholars; this is not a term used by early Christians, many of whom might have had access to only one or two of these accounts at most. It is rather an umbrella designation used much later to collect the writings attributed to Pilate. None of these documents are believed in the modern day to have been authentically written by Pilate or his contemporaries.