The Cairo Debate — Page 63
he let his intention be known to him so that the soldiers should omit breaking Jesus' legs. The legs of the two thieves were crushed, those of Jesus were left intact. John describes why his bones were not broken "when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs", (the words "came to Jesus" repudiate the report of Luke that people saw Jesus dead while at a distance and darkness enveloped the ground, since the centurions could know his death only when they "came to Jesus" at a very close range). This is John's own interpretation of the thing. He was absent on the occasion. . His testimony is only a hearsay. Therefore, it does not stand the test of history and carries no weight, particularly when the three other witnesses possess no knowledge of it. Granting that some centurions did utter these words, more than once have unconscious men been taken for dead. . This is his own mistake. The fact of the matter is that if some one really has said that he might have been an officer in whom Pilate confided, he would have said it deliberately to distract the attention of the centurions. And lest no insincere persons became suspicious and tipped off authority. . It is also obvious from the Gospel reports that to save Jesus, Pilate had thought out a good plan. On this occasion he and his subordinates had recourse to some manoevres. At any rate, according to John's report the bones of Jesus were not broken and synoptics are silent on the subject. 63