“I do. When I first heard the news that the tomb was empty, I assumed that Caiaphas had not bothered to post his own guard. Still, I sent Cornelius to the high priest, demanding an explanation. The high priest sent his regrets,” Pilate said scornfully. “He told Cornelius that he had posted a guard but that they had grown weary because of their long day of duty in the Temple and had fallen asleep during the night, and while they slept the disciples of Jesus must have come and removed the body. Can you imagine any soldiers of ours sleeping on watch, knowing that Roman punishment for such a dereliction of duty is death?”

Our host was pouring more wine into our goblets when we heard four sharp raps on the door. He shouted, “Enter!” And Cornelius appeared to remind the procurator that it was time he began dressing for his weekly inspection of the barracks.

Pilate motioned for Cornelius to come into the room. “Why don’t you have your talk with the centurion now,” he said to me, “while I prepare myself for this time-wasting necessity of army life?”

Cornelius accepted my invitation to sit but his face registered uncertainty as to what we sought from him even after Joseph explained our mission and assured him that he had nothing to fear by answering me truthfully.

“Cornelius,” I began, as soft-key as I could get, “do you recall that afternoon, six years ago, when Pilate asked you to go to the hill called Golgotha to check on whether or not a man called Jesus, who had been crucified that day, was already dead?”