The truth behind Jesus' death is widely speculated, especially when it comes to the specifics, yet one text that is seemingly banned from the Bible appears to reveal all, especially regarding Christ's killer.
Despite occurring over two millennia ago, new discoveries and revelations are consistently made when it comes to Jesus Christ and Christianity as a religion.
Scientists have even found 'evidence' of Adam and Eve's existence over 200,000 years ago, and researchers have also seemingly 'proved' that one of Jesus' greatest miracles occurred with new discoveries.
Even things as simple as Jesus' name and the 'H' that many often mistake as a middle name are debated and explained by experts, yet the veracity of one particular biblical chapter remains up in the air.
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As reported by the Daily Mail, the reliability of the Gospel of Nicodemus, which is also referred to as the Acts of Pilate, remains one of the biggest debates in religious circles as if proved to be 'true' it could illuminate a lot about Jesus' death.
Many people pay keen attention to the first part of this gospel, as it contains a new perspective of both the trial of Jesus Christ and the all-important resurrection, as seen from the eyes of Nicodemus, who is mentioned as a follower of Christ in the Gospel of John.
Most importantly, it appears to name one significant individual who is not otherwise included in the New Testament, with Roman centurion Longinus proving to be a vital character in this particular section.
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Longinus is described by Nicodemus as being the soldier that pierces the side of Jesus with a spear while he nailed on the cross, where he also regained his sight after the blood and water flowing from Christ splashed onto his eyes.
He is also described as being one of the soldiers guarding Jesus' body in the tomb, refusing a bribe from Jewish authorities, and Longinus also proclaimed Christ to be 'truly the Son of God' when an earthquake appeared following Jesus' death.
The authenticity of this story and Longinus' existence is highly speculated though, as many believe that it wasn't written by Nicodemus and was instead penned by an unknown figure around 400 to 500 years after Christ's death.
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That's exactly why it isn't included as a part of the Bible, despite Longinus' image being preserved in an iconic statue beneath Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, yet the former centurion who converted to Christianity remains a martyr for many after he was killed for spreading his beliefs.