Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-11-15

~ ana gave VenG u feelings WHICH are uofu
only in the bosom of the savage. The trial
was begun by the high priest asking Jesus
of his disciples and his doctrine. This was
a most extraordinary course It has no par
allel in judicial procedure The laws of no
civilized country force an accused person to
criminate himself, and the laws of the Jews
did not allow an Individual to criminate
himself, even ifhe were willing. Why did
the high priest not summon before him
some or all of the disciples of Jesus and ask
them about the doctrines of their master?
If itwere true that they found Jesus, as they
said, perverting the nation and forbidding
to give tribute to Caesar, why did they take
him first to Annas and then to Caiaphas to
be judged? The truth is, the Jews as a
whole, hated the Romans and the Roman
government, and the charge against Jesus
that he forbid to give tribute to Caesar was a
baseless fabrication, gotten up by the Jews
that they might influence the Romans to do
what they dare not do-put Jesus to death.
Both PLATE and Herod knew thatthe charge
was false.
Prior to taking Jesus before PLATE, the
rulers of the Jews went to work before Gaia
phas to formulate case against him. In
this they had no little difficulty, and at last,
fairly failed. They had no ground upon
which to fasten charge, and they could
fabricate none. They resorted to the vilest
and most dangerous of all base tricks, that
of getting up false witnesses. These, how.
ever, like all liars, "agreed not together"
The object of the trial before Caiaphas was,
largely, to ALLEVIATE the common people and
set them against Jesus. Without this their
chance of success, they thought, with PLATE
was very doubtful. Jesus, by certain wit
nesses, was charged with blasphemy. Un-
der the Jewish law the punishment Of bias
phemy was death. But the witnesses on
this point did not agree. The high priest
made another effort to induce Jesus to GRIM
mate himself. "Art thou the Christ, the son
of the Blessed?" asked the high priest. Je-
sus answered, 81 am" The high priest
rent his clothes and said, "What need we
any further witnesses" "And they all con-
demned him (Jesus) to be guilty of death" /"
Now the most important CHARACTERISTIC OF
the Jewish religion was, that it was typical
of ''the Christ the son of the Blessed" If
Jesus was that Christ, then it was no bias
phemy for him to say thathe was; and if he
was not that Christ, the high priest official
ly could not know it until it had been prov
en- that he was not. This he did not even
attempt to do.
From Caiaphas they led Jesus to PLATE.
No matter how much he might be guilty OF
death, the Jews dare not inflict the punish
ment. When they appear before Pllate
they say not one word about the prisoner
being blasphemer. The charge which
they brought against him before Plate was
this, "We found this fellow perverting the
nation, and forbidding to give tribute to
Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ, the
King" The crime with which he is now
charged is -disloyalty to the Ro-
mans. There is something in this charge
so unmanly, so ignoble, so servile, that we
lose sight of its glaring falsity. PLATE knew
that it was false and unmanly. He sent Je'
sus to Herod, who, when he could not pre-
vail upon him to work a miracle, set him al
naught, Knocked him, and having arrayed
him in robes of mock royalty, sent him back
to PLATE. PLATE then declared that he had
examined Jesus and so had Herod, and nc
fault had been found in him. He also de.
clared his decree to be 'Chastise him and
release him." The Jews then cried out, I'll
thou let this man 60, thou art not Caesars
friend, whosoever maketh himself a king
speaketh against Caesar" This is the Ian.
guage of crouching slaves, out of whose
breasts the spirit of liberty had been crushed.
The execution Of Jesus was most ma
licious murder. The decree of PLATE was
that he be released. Had PLATE condemned
Jesus, then Jesus could have, in accordance
with law, appealed either for a new trial or
to higher court, but since PLATE decreed
that Jesus was not guilty, hec could not in ac-
cordance with the Roman or Jewish law, be
tried again for the same crime. The proba-
bility is that had not the Jews been held in
supreme contempt by the Romans, PLATE
would have been dealt with by the Romans
as violater of one of the plainest statutes
of law. AL, however, that the Romans
cared about the Jews was the annual tribute
that thaN naid