| When the morning was come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people held a counsel against Jesus, to put him to death, and brought him bound and delivered him unto Pontius Pilate the *deputy.
Then when Judas which betrayed him, saw that he was condemned, he repented himself, and brought again the thirty plates of silver to the chief Priests and elders saying: I have sinned betraying the innocent blood. And they said: what is that to us? See thou to that. And he cast down the silver plates in the temple and departed, and went and hung himself.
And the chief priest took the silver plates and said: it is not lawful for to put them in to the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them a potters field to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field is called the field of blood, until this day. Then was fulfilled, that which was spoken by Jeremy the Prophet saying: and they took thirty silver plates, the price of him that was valued whom they bought of the children of Israel, and they gave them for the potters field, as the Lord appointed me. Jesus stood before the *deputy: and the deputy asked him saying: art thou the king of the Jews: Jesus said unto him: Thou sayest. And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then said Pilate unto him: hearest thou not, how many things they lay against thee? And he answered him never a word: in so much that the deputy marvelled greatly.
At that feast, the deputy was wont to deliver unto the people a prisoner, whom they would desire. He had then a notable prisoner called Barabbas. And when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them: whether will ye that I give loose unto you, Barabbas or Jesus which is called Christ? For he knew well, that for envy they had delivered him.
When he was set down to give judgement his wife sent to him saying: have thou nothing to do with that just man. For I have suffered many things this day in a dream about him. But the chief priests and the elders had persuaded the people, that they should ask Barabbas, and should destroy Jesus. Then the deputy answered and said unto them: whether of the *twain will ye that I let loose unto you? And they said, Barabbas. Pilate said unto them: what shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all said to him: let him be crucified. Then said the deputy: what evil hath he done? And they cried the more saying: let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he prevailed nothing but that more business was made, he took water and washed his hands before the people saying: I am innocent of the blood of this just person, and that ye shall see. Then answered all the people and said: his blood be on us, and on our children. Then let he Barabbas loose unto them, and scourged Jesus, and delivered him to be crucified.
Then the soldiers of the deputy took Jesus unto the common hall, and gathered unto him all the company. And they stripped him and put on him a purple robe, and *plaited a crown of thorns and put upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and bowed their knees before him, and mocked him, saying: hail king of the Jews: and spitted upon him, and took the reed and smote him on the head.
And when they had mocked him, they took the robe off him again, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. And as they came out, they found a man of Cyren, named Simon: him they compelled to bear his cross. And when they came unto the place, called Golgotha (that is to say, a place of dead mens skulls) they gave him vinegar to drink mingled with *gall. And when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
When they had crucified him, they parted his garments, and did cast lots: to fulfil that was spoken by the Prophet: They divided my garments among them: and upon my vesture did cast lots. And they sat and watched him there and they set up over his head the cause of his death written: This is Jesus the king of the Jews. And there were two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.
They that passed by, reviled him wagging their heads and saying: Thou that destroyest the temple of God and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the high priests mocking him with the Scribes and elders said: He saved other, him self he cannot save. If he be the king of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God, let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the son of God. That same also the thieves which were crucified with him, cast in his teeth.
From the sixth hour was there darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying: Eli, Eli, lama asbathani. That is to say, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said: This man calleth for *Helias. And straight way one of them ran and took a sponge and filled it full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. Other said, let be: let us see whether *Helias will come and deliver him. Jesus cried again with a loud voice and yielded up the ghost.
And behold the veil of the temple did rent in *twain from the top to the bottom, and the earth did quake, and the stones did rent and graves did open: and the bodies of many saints which slept, arose and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and came into the holy city, and appeared unto many. When the Centurion and they that were with him watching Jesus, saw the earthquake and those things which happened, they feared greatly, saying, Of a surety this was the son of God.
And many women were there, beholding him afar off, which followed Jesus from Galile, ministering unto him. Among which was Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedes children. When the evening was come, there came a rich man of Arimathia named Joseph, which same also was Jesus disciple. He went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and put it in his new tomb, which he had hewn out, even in the rock, and rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre and departed. And there was Mary Magdalene and the other Mary sitting over against the sepulchre. The next day that followeth the day of preparing the Saboth, the high priests and Pharisees got themselves to Pilate and said: Sir, we remember, that this deceiver said while he was yet alive. After three days I will arise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest peradventure his disciples come and steal him away and say unto the people, he is risen from death, and the last error be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them. Take watchmen: Go, and make it as sure as ye can. And they went and made the sepulchre sure with watchmen, and sealed the stone. |
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