Truth About The Crucifixion — Page 126
heaven. (Mark, 14:62) Thereupon Caiaphas rent his clothes and said: Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision? And they all condemned him as deserving death. (Mark 14:63-64) The night was now spent and morning was close. The Chief Priests and the leaders of the people determined upon the death of Jesus and made preparations to take him to Pilate, the Roman Governor. Syria and Palestine were at that time under Roman domination and were divided into four provinces, each of them under a Roman Governor. The Governor of Judea was Pontius Pilate and the Governor of Galilee was Herod. The Roman Authorities did not intervene in the domestic disputes of the Jews but were most intolerant of the least movement directed against the Roman power. Thus when the Jews took Jesus for judgment to Pilate they preferred against him the charge: We found this man perverting our nation, and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ a king. Pilate enquired from Jesus: Are you the King of Jews? to which he replied: You have said so. (Luke, 23:2-5) Pilate then asked Jesus some further questions to which he replied in detail. Thereafter Pilate came out before the Jews and said: I find no crime in him. (John, 18:39) but the multitude cried out: He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place. (Luke, 23:5) According to Luke, Herod, the Governor of Galilee, was then 118