Part 720 (1/2)

18:37. Pilate therefore said to him: Art thou a king then? Jesus answered: Thou sayest that I am a king. For this was I born, and for this came I into the world; that I should give testimony to the truth.

Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

18:38. Pilate saith to him: What is truth? And when he said this, he went out again to the Jews and saith to them: I find no cause in him.

18:39. But you have a custom that I should release one unto you at the Pasch. Will you, therefore, that I release unto you the king of the Jews?

18:40. Then cried they all again, saying: Not this man, but Barabbas.

Now Barabbas was a robber.

John Chapter 19

The continuation of the history of the Pa.s.sion of Christ.

19:1. Then therefore Pilate took Jesus and scourged him.

19:2. And the soldiers platting a crown of thorns, put it upon his head: and they put on him a purple garment.

19:3. And they came to him and said: Hail, king of the Jews. And they gave him blows.

19:4. Pilate therefore went forth again and saith to them: Behold, I bring him forth unto you, that you may know that I find no cause in him.

19:5. (Jesus therefore came forth, bearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment.) And he saith to them: Behold the Man.

19:6. When the chief priests, therefore, and the servants had seen him, they cried out, saying: Crucify him, Crucify him. Pilate saith to them: Take him you, and crucify him: for I find no cause in him.

19:7. The Jews answered him: We have a law; and according to the law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of G.o.d.

19:8. When Pilate therefore had heard this saying, he feared the more.

19:9. And he entered into the hall again; and he said to Jesus: Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.

19:10. Pilate therefore saith to him: Speakest thou not to me? Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and I have power to release thee?

19:11. Jesus answered: Thou shouldst not have any power against me, unless it were given thee from above. Therefore, he that hath delivered me to thee hath the greater sin.

19:12. And from henceforth Pilate sought to release him. But the Jews cried out, saying: If thou release this man, thou art not Caesar's friend. For whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.

19:13. Now when Pilate had heard these words, he brought Jesus forth and sat down in the judgment seat, in the place that is called Lithostrotos, and in Hebrew Gabbatha.

19:14. And it was the parasceve of the pasch, about the sixth hour: and he saith to the Jews: Behold your king.

The parasceve of the pasch... That is, the day before the paschal sabbath. The eve of every sabbath was called the parasceve, or day of preparation. But this was the eve of a high sabbath, viz., that which fell in the paschal week.

19:15. But they cried out: Away with him: Away with him: Crucify him.

Pilate saith to them: shall I crucify your king? The chief priests answered: We have no king but Caesar.

19:16. Then therefore he delivered him to them to be crucified. And they took Jesus and led him forth.