Therefore, when the multitude was come up, and had begun to desire that he would do as he had ever done unto them, Pilate said, Whom will ye that I release unto you, Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? for he knew that for envy the chief priests had delivered Jesus to him. But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus, which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And Pilate saith to them, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him; I will therefore chastise him and let him go. And they cried out with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified.

SECT. CXXX. JESUS IS SCOURGED AND CROWNED WITH THORNS.

Then Pilate took Jesus, and scourged him. The court of And the soldiers led him away into Pilate's the court of the palace, and they called palace. together the whole band. And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they clothed him with a purple robe, and they put a reed in his right hand; and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they smote him with their hands, and they smote him on the head with the reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees they adored him.

SECT. CXXXI. JESUS IS BROUGHT FORTH TO THE PEOPLE.

Then Pilate went forth again, and saith to them, Behold I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. Then came Jesus forth,

wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! When the chief priests and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him! Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him; for I find no fault in him. The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.

When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he feared the more; and he went again into the judgmenthall, and said to Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore saith to him, Speakest thou not to me? knowest thou not that Í have power to crucify thee, and I have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me unless it were given thee from above; therefore he that hath delivered me to thee hath the greater sin.

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

Now, when Pilate had heard these words, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgmentseat, in the place that is called Lithostratos, and in Hebrew Gabbatha. And it was the preparation of the pasch,* about the sixth hour;† and he saith to the Jews, Behold your king! 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 Cæsar.

This expression may mean, the preparation for the Sabbath of the Passover; i. e. the Friday in Paschal week.

It has been supposed that St. John reckons his hours as we do, from midnight to noon, and from noon to midnight.

SECT. CXXXII. JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO BE CRUCIFIED.

When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person; see ye to it. Then answered all the people and said, His blood be on us and on our children! And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed.

And Pilate, being willing to satisfy the people, gave sentence that it should be as they required; and he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.

SECT. CXXXIII. THE REMORSE OF JUDAS.

Then Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, when he saw that he was condemned, repenting himJerusalem. self, brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in betraying innocent blood. But they said, What is that to us? look thou to it. And casting down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and went and hanged himself.

But the chief priests, having taken the pieces of silver, said, It is not lawful to put them into the corbona,* because it is the price of blood. And after they had consulted together, they bought with them the potter's field, to be a burying-place for strangers. For this cause that field was called haceldama, that is, the field of blood, even to this day. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremias the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was prized, whom they prized of

*The treasury in which offerings for the temple or its services were deposited.

the children of Israel; and they gave them unto the potter's field, as the Lord appointed to me.*

SECT. CXXXIV. JESUS IS LED AWAY TO BE CRUCIFIED.
The sixth day of the week, the 15th of Nisan, between
9 a.m. and midday.

And the soldiers took the purple robe off Jesus, and put his own raiment on him, and led The way from him away to crucify him. And he, bear- Jerusalem to ing his cross, went forth. But one Simon, Calvary. a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.

And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, who also bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus, turning unto them, said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold the days shall come wherein they will say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that have not borne, and the paps that have not given suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall upon us; and to the hills, Cover us. For if they do these things in the green wood, what shall be done in the dry?

And there were also two malefactors led with him to be put to death.

SECT. CXXXV. JESUS ON THE CROSS. HIS SEVEN LAST WORDS. The sixth day of the week, the 15th of Nisan, between

9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, the place of a skull. And they gave him to drink wine

*Zech. xi. 12.

Calvary.

The Evangelists give the Greek translation of the Hebrew Golgotha; the Vulgate renders this by Calvaria: hence Calvary came to be used as the name of the place where our Lord was crucified.

mingled with myrrh; but when he had tasted he received it not. And they crucified him there, and the two malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. And the Scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was reputed with the wicked.*

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

And it was the third hour when they crucified him. And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross; and the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. This title then read many of the Jews; for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city; and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am the King of the Jews. Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.

Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments and made four parts, to every soldier a part, and also his coat; now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the Scripture might be fulfilled which saith, They divided my raiment among them, and upon my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.

And the people stood beholding; and they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple and buildest it in three days, save thyself, and come down from the

cross.

Likewise also the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocking him, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will