art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Then Pilate saith unto him, Wilt thou not speak to me? Dost thou not know that I have power to crucify thee, and power to release 11 thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest not have any power against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. 12 From that time Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Cæsar's friend. Whoever maketh himself a king, speaketh against Cæsar.*

13

When Pilate heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment-seat, in a place that is called the pavement, but in 14 the Hebrew, Gabbatha. And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour. And he saith unto the Jews, Behold 15 your King. But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith' unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but 16 Cæsar. Then he delivered Jesus unto them

to be crucified. And they took him and led 17 him away. And he, bearing his cross, went

* Any accusation, that would serve their purpose. They had just before charged him with blasphemy in saying that he was the Son of God; and they pleaded that he ought to die for that. But when this failed, they accused him of sedition, and pretended that he was a rival to Cæsar.

+ That is, noon. The Jews began to reckon the hours of the day from 6 o'clock in the morning.

They seem to have renounced both their Savior and their God.

forth into a place called, The place of a skull, but which in Hebrew is called Golgotha; 18 where they crucified him, and two others with him, one on either side, and Jesus in the midst.

19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.* 20 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, 21 and Latin. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. 22 Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written.

23

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 24 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 parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.

25

Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife 26 of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple standing

* Pilate made a shew of sincerity in his conduct toward Jesus ; and yet, no doubt, he would have been ready to condemn him, had he thought him aspiring at temporal power.

by whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, 27 Woman, behold thy son. Then he said to the disciple, Behold thy mother. And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own house.

28

After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture 29 might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.* Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar. And they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon 30 hyssop, and put it to his mouth. And when Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and expired. 31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath-day, (for that sabbath-day was an high day†) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they 32 might be taken away. Then the soldiers came, and brake the legs of the first and of the other 33 who was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, 34 they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers

with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith 35 there came out blood and water. And he who saw it bear witness, and his testimony is true: and he knoweth that he speaks the truth, that` 36 ye might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone 37 of him shall not be broken. And again. another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.‡

* See Psalm 1xix. 20.
A great day it was their

passover.

See Exodus xii. 46. Zachariah xii. 10.

38

And after this, Joseph of Arimathea (who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews) besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body 39 of Jesus. And Nicodemus came also (who at the first came to Jesus by night) and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hund40 red pound weight.* Then they took the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified, there

was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre wherein no man was ever yet laid. 42 There they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' preparation-day, for the sepulchre was nigh at

hand.

1

CHAP. XX.

THE first day of the week, Mary Magdalene cometh to the sepulchre early, whilst it was yet dark, and seeth the stone taken away 2 from the sepulchre.† Then she runneth, and

* Here also was a remarkable fulfilment of prophecy, that his grave should be with the rich.

† St. John, who had probably seen the other gospels when he wrote, is very particular in his relation of circumstances attending the resurrection of Christ. The events probably took place in the order of time as follows, viz. Early in the morning on which Christ rose, Mary Magdalene, with some other women, went to the sepulchre, to embalm the body of their Lord. The guards, alarmed by the earthquake, and the appearance of an angel who re

cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have 3 laid him. Then Peter and that other disciple 4 went out, and came to the sepulchre. And they ran both together: but the other disciple out ran Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.

moved the stone from the mouth of the sepulchre, had left their station. The women found the sepulchre open, and the body gone. Mary went immediately and alone to inform Peter and John. The other women remained near the sepulchre in anxious expectation, to whom angels appeared and declared that Jesus was risen. The women then left the sepulchrè, and went to tell the disciples. In the mean time, Peter and John, who had heard the account of Mary, go with haste to the sepulchre, followed by Mary. The apostles went into the sepulchre, and found the sepulchral clothes lying in order, but the body they found not, and they departed. Mary still remained, weeping. She also saw the angels, who spake to her, and assured her that Christ was risen, as he had predicted before his death. Very soon after, on turning herself round, she saw Jesus, but did not at first know that it was her Lord. As soon, however, as he addressed her by name, she recognized him. He directed her to go and inform his disciples that he was alive again. By this time the other women had returned to the sepulchre and as they were going again to the city, Jesus spoke to them also, and sent by them a message to his disciples, similar to the one given to Mary. In the course of the morning, some (not all) of the guard went to the leading Jews, and received from them directions as to the report which they made afterward to the Roman governor and the people. After this, on the same day, Christ appeared to Peter; then to Cleopas and a fellow disciple, as they were on their way to Emmaus; and afterwards, in Jerusalem, to the eleven apostles; then to the twelve repeatedly, and to several hundreds at once, before his ascension into heaven."