On my hands and knees I crawled beyond the alcove until I could reach the shelf where the body of Jesus had lain, wrapped tightly in a grave cloth and weighed down by more than sixty pounds of spices. No robust and healthy man, in top condition, could have survived under such conditions for more than a few hours when sealed in that space, much less one who had suffered all that Jesus had. I rubbed my hand gently along the cool shelf before crawling out of the abandoned tomb.

The palace of Nicodemus was everything that he was not. Situated well back from the winding road to Emmaus, only ten miles or so from Jerusalem, the building with its bright marble columns and red-tiled roof, still unfaded from the sun, had the unmistakable look of newness about it, whereas its owner looked older than Joseph. The estate was large and sprawling, while Nicodemus stood little more than five feet in height and in his simple brown tunic obviously weighed no more than a hundred pounds. Inside the mansion, the few rooms I saw were all gaudy, ostentatious, and overbearing, but Nicodemus seemed to be modest, unprepossessing, and almost shy. His outstanding facial features were a luxuriant full beard and shaggy eyebrows above warm and friendly gray eyes that immediately put me at ease even in the opulent sitting room, where we were served the finest red wine I had ever tasted. As I listened to the two old friends bringing each other up to date on their lives and their businesses, it was not difficult to sense a bond between them that went far beyond their public lives. Nicodemus did not seem at all surprised by our visit, nor did Joseph give him any explanation of my purpose for being there, other than stating my profession, historian, and repeating my desire to obtain some information about Jesus.

“What is it you wish to know, my son?” he asked.

Almost reluctantly, I put down my goblet of red nectar and said, “I have some questions for both of you. To begin: Nicodemus, I wonder if you would tell me how you first came to know Jesus?”