cheenc03a.pdf

SYNEDRIUM
supposed to assert that Jesus was condemned 'at the
suggert)on of the principal men among us' : but it has
been contended that this parsage ir an interpolation
(& Quincey, CoIlecfcd Worhs. 7127 [1897]), and in
any care the statement would not prove much.
The trial before Pilate, as it is represented in the
Gospels, seems to have been no less irregular, and the
mmsn trid.judge's conduct can only be accovnted
for bv makine " him auite an excention
to the general ruie.'a man of all men the most perverse
and inconsistent (see Keim. 683$ ; Farrar. Lije of
C/mrl. chao. . 601.2 , Pilate. however. it would seem.
\%'as not such an exceptional character. See PILATE.
When, therefore, hecondemned Jesus tosuffer crucifixion
he must surely have done so on other grounds, and the
proceedings must have been different from those
recorded by the rynoptirtn. The charge would hnve
to be a political one (cp Tac. Ann. 1544). It may
hnve been, an Lk. 231 suggest$, only with more ciratmrtantial
evidence arising out of misconstruction of
sayings,' that of 'forbidding to give tribute to Carer'
(cp Mt. 17~4.~7 22x7-=s=Mk. 12 1p17=Lk. 20 11-26,
where the words of Jesus, as reported, are ambiguous).
With this charge Pilate would have been competent to
deal, as Roman Procurator, more perhaps than with
any other."
8 Thc end therefore is ar uncertain a the beginning. See
MARY, NATIVITY. RESURRECTION. These matters should not
hc made of vital importance. 'Ahout rhc birth of Jesus I +w
nothing,' says Tolrtoy (Faith). 'nor do I need to know. Cp
Brandr'r elqucnt concl~~rion io his work, Die Evong Gerih.
P. 57,: see also Leo Tolrtoy. Wbl is Rra$iin ?, Herbert
Spcncer, Cirrf P~iiiipirs, chap. u.
B Cp Brand, Dir Ewong Gad. p. 81. The 'Pauline'
Epistles have do details to give us, though the nuthorr know
that Jews war crucified (Rorn. 6s I Cor. 113~) 22 1 Cor.134
Gal. 220 8, 514 61+) hby ,the rulers of chis world'(^ Cor. 28).
rercher, Du Lrlmlriu 6ri Paulr~i. pp. 17, 30.
Cp Penrron zrt. iv: alro Strauii Lebm feu, R. W.
Mackay, The ~i6i,~$