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As soon as it was morning, all the chief priests, with the elders of the people, and the scribes, held a consultation against Jesus, to put him to death; and having brought him again into their Sanhedrim, they said,-"Tell us whether thou art the Christ."-He said to them,—" If I tell you ye will not believe, and if I question [you] ye will neither answer me, nor release [me]. Henceforth the Son of man will sit at the right hand of the Almighty."On this they all said,-"Art thou then the Son of God?" -He replied to them,-"Ye say what I am."-They said,

"What further need have we of evidence, since we ourselves have heard [enough] from his own mouth ?”—And the whole assembly of them rose up, and having bound Jesus, led [him] away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate, the governor. When Judas who had betrayed him found that he was condemned, he regretted [what he had done,]* and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood."-They replied,-" What [is that] to us? See thou [to that]:"-on which he threw down the silver pieces in the temple, and went away, and hanged himself. The chief priests took the money, and said;—“It is not lawful to put it into the treasury, because it is the price of blood:"-and after consulting, they purchased with it the potter's field, as a burial-ground for strangers; on which account that field is to this day called a field of blood. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:-And I took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him who was appraised, whom some of the sons of Israel appraised, and I gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me.-So they led Jesus from [the palace] of Caiaphas to that of the Roman gov

* μetaμeλndels. Matt. chap. 27, v. 3.

† τὴν τιμὴν τοῦ τετιμημένου, ὃν ἐτιμήσαντο ἀπὸ υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ. Matt. chap. 27, v. 9;-Zech. chap. 11, v. 12, 13.

*

ernor, and it was early. They did not themselves enter the governor's palace, lest they should be defiled, and prevented from keeping the passover. Pilate therefore went forth to them, and said,-"What accusation do ye bring against this man?"—They answered him,—“ If he were not a malefactor we should not have delivered him to thee."-Pilate said to them,-"Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law."-The Jews said to him, "We have no authority to put any one to death;" —thereby fulfilling what Jesus had said, when intimating what kind of death he was to die. Then they began to accuse him, saying,-"We found this man perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay tribute to Cæsar, declaring himself to be Christ [the] king."-And Jesus stood before the governor: so the governor asked him,—" Art thou the king of the Jews?"-He answered him,-["It is as] thou sayest:"-and on being accused by the chief priests and elders, he made no reply. Then Pilate asked him again,"Dost not thou make any reply? See how many charges they bring against thee: "--but Jesus still made no reply, whereat the governor wondered exceedingly. Then Pilate returned into the palace, and having called Jesus, said to him," Art thou the king of the Jews?"-Jesus answered," Sayest thou this of thyself, or have others. told it thee concerning me?"-Pilate replied,-" Am I a Jew? Thine own nation, and the chief priests have delivered thee to me. What hast thou done?"—Jesus answered,-"My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my followers would have striven that I should not have been delivered to the Jews; but now [it is evident that] my kingdom is not of this world?"

* ἀπὸ τοῦ Καϊάφα εἰς τὸ πραιτώριον. John, chap. 18, ν. 28.

† åλx' iva páywoi rò ráoxα. John, chap. 18, v. 28;—not the paschal supper, which had been celebrated the evening before, but the paschal festival regarded as a whole.

† νῦν δὲ ἡ βασιλεία ἡ ἐμὴ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐντεῦθεν. John, chap. 18, ν. 36.

son.

-Pilate said to him,-" Art thou a king then ?"—Jesus answered,["As] thou sayest, I am a king. For this purpose was I born, and for this purpose came I into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Whosoever is of the truth obeyeth my voice."-Pilate said to him,—“What is truth?"-Having thus spoken, he again went forth to the Jews, and said to the chief priests, and to the multitude,-"I find no fault in this man:" but they became more urgent, saying,-"He stirreth up the people, and hath spread his doctrine throughout all Judea to this place, beginning from Galilee."-On hearing of Galilee, Pilate asked, "Is the man a Galilean ?"*—and having learned that he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who also was at Jerusalem during that seaWhen Herod saw Jesus he was very glad, for he had long wished to see him on account of the numerous reports which he had heard of him, and he hoped to see some miracle performed by him: he therefore asked him many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. Meanwhile the chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him; but Herod, with his guards, made light of him, and mocked [him], and after dressing him in a splendid robe, sent him back to Pilate. The same day Pilate and Herod were reconciled to each other, for they had previously been at enmity. Then Pilate, having called together the chief priests, with the rulers, and the people, said to them," Ye have brought me this man as a perverter of the people, and behold! after examining [him] before you, I have not found him guilty of any of the crimes whereof ye accuse him; neither has Herod, for I sent you to him, and behold! nothing deserving of death has been done by the man.t I will therefore chastise him,

*

ἐπηρώτησεν,—Εἰ ὁ ἄνθρωπος Γαλιλαῖός ἐστι; Luke, chap. 23, ν. 6. † οὐδὲν ἄξιον θανάτου ἐστὶ πεπραγμένον αὐτῷ. Luke, chap. 23, ν. 15 "has done by him."

and release [him]."-Now at each return of the festival the governor had been accustomed to release to the multitude any prisoner whom they chose. And they had at the time a prisoner of note, named Barabbas, a robber, who, on account of a sedition attended with murder which had taken place in the city, was in prison with his accomplices. The multitude then began with loud cries to request [Pilate to do for them] what he had always done: so, as they were assembled, he said to them;-"Ye have a custom that at the passover I should release a [prisoner] to you. Which, therefore, do ye wish me to release to you, Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ? Do ye choose that I should release to you the king of the Jews?"—for he knew that through envy the chief priests had delivered him [into his hands]. While he was sitting on the judgment-seat, his wife sent to him, saying,-"Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much in a dream to-day because of him: " but the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude to demand Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. Then the governor said again to them,-" Which of the two do ye wish me to release to you?"-They all cried aloud in a body,-" Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas."-Desirous to release Jesus, Pilate once more addressed [them],-" What then shall I do to Jesus, who is called Christ, whom ye term king of the Jews?"— They cried out in reply,-" Crucify [him], crucify him."He spoke to them the third time,-"Why? what evil hath he done? I have not found him guilty of any crime deserving of death, I will therefore chastise him, and release [him]:"-but they were urgent with loud cries, demanding that he should be crucified. Then Pilate took Jesus, and caused him to be scourged:* and the soldiers, after stripping him, threw around him a purple military robe, and having platted a crown of thorns, they put [it] on his

*μaoriywσe. John, chap. 19, v. 1.

head, and a cane* in his right hand, and kneeling before him they mocked him, saying-"Hail, king of the Jews!" and after spitting on him, they took the cane and struck him on the head. Pilate then went out again, and said to the Jews,-"Behold! I bring him forth to you, to let you know that I find no fault in him."-So Jesus came forth, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them,-" Behold the man!"--but when the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out,— "Crucify [him], crucify him."-Pilate said to them,— "Take him yourselves and crucify [him], for I find no fault in him."-The Jews answered him,-"We have a law, and according to our law he ought to die, because he hath claimed to be the Son of God."-On hearing this, Pilate became more alarmed, and returning into the palace, said to Jesus,-" Whence art thou ?"--but Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate said to him,-"Dost thou refuse to speak to me? Knowest thou not that I have authority to crucify thee, and authority to release thee?"-Jesus replied,—"Thou wouldest not have had any authority at all against me, had it not been given thee from above; therefore he that delivered me to thee hath the greater sin.”—Thereupon Pilate endeavored to release him, but the Jews cried out,-" If thou release this man, thou art no friend of Cæsar. Whosoever claimeth to be a king denieth the claims of Cæsar."-On hearing these words Pilate brought Jesus forth, and sat down on the judgment-seat in a place called the Pavement,-in Hebrew, Gabbatha. It was the preparation-day of the passover,

*káλaμov. Matt. chap. 27, v. 29. For the convenience of the narrative, the accounts given by Matthew and Mark of the second mockery of Christ by the Roman soldiers are transferred to this place.

† ὅτι ἑαυτὸν υἱὸν θεοῦ ἐποίησεν. John, chap. 19, ν. 7.

† Πᾶς ὁ βασιλέα ἑαυτὸν ποιῶν ἀντιλέγει τῷ Καίσαρι. John, chap. 19,

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