The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-05-16
oHRIsT's SENTENCE.
1t Was Engraved on a Brass Plate,
Which Still Exists.

WnIch Stlll EXIStSs
1t will probably be surprise to a. ma
jority of the people to learn that the orig
inal death sentence passed upon Jesus
Christ is still in existence in the fornl of
an engraved plate dating from the very
day the sentence was pronounced by Pom
titus Plate. and which has been retained
through all these years as one of the
most precious of all relics of the Savior
The sentence is engraved on plate of
brass in the Hebrew language, and on
the other side are the following words:
"A similar plate has been sent to each
tribe
This particular plate was discovered in
the year 1920 in the city of Aquilla, in
the kingdom of Naples, by scientific
commission that had been appointed to
search that ancient city for the antiquities
known to have been kept there. Evidence
remained that that city had been the re-
pository of many old Roman records and
ed with the early Roman empire, and for
this reason it was especially made the OBJ
ject of the commissions inquiry.
TIE plate bore every evidence of genu-
ineness, and accompanying it were reli-
able documents which placed the anthem
ITCHY of the engraving beyond question:
Caserta, a little town twenty miles north
of Naples, where it is contained in a. box
of ebony and shown to curiosity-loving
travellers; and many yoyagers en-, route
track to visit this little chapel and look
upon the everlasting memorial of the most
remarkable judicial sentence ever pro
Transitions in English, French and
German hang upon the wall near the
original, and it is thus understood, while
the study of the engraved lines and the
appearance of the simple brass appeal to
the imagination of even the most indif-
ferent, and bring to the minds eye the
picture of that memorable scene 500
Z
Citations that are called forth in every
Christian mind at sight of this relic, there
is also the historical interest aroused by
looking upon an existing object that was
contemporaneouS with and called forth
by an incident that will be the most prom
inent in history so long as the world
exists.
The plate reads as follows:
Sentence pronounced by Pontius Plate,
that Jesus of Nazareth shall suffer death
by the cross.
In the seventeenth year of the Emperor
riberius, on the 18th day of the month of
March, in the holy city of Jerusalem,
during the pontificate of Annas and Cal
aphas.
Pontius PLATE, intendent of the prov
ince of Lower Galilee, sitting in the pres
idential seat of the Praetor sentences
between two. robbers, as numerous and
notorious testimonies of the people prove:
l. Jesus is a misleader.
2. He has excited the people to sedi-
3. He is an enemy of the laws
4. He calls himself the son of God.
D. He calls himself falsely the king of
Israel.
g. He went into the temple followed
by a multitude of people carrying palms
in their hands.
Orders the first centurion, Quirillfns
Cornelius, to bring him to the place of
execution.
| Forbids all persons, rich or poor, to pre-
vent the execution of Jesus.
| This constitutes the body, and, of course,
the interesting portion of the plate, but
i'll addition the names of three men are
| perpetuated and given value that their
owners probably never anticipated would
cling to them by being attached as wit
! resses of the PRONUNCIATION of this SEN
| tence
| The names of the witnesses and the Or
der which they came are:
! l. Daniel Robani, Pharisee.
| 2 John Sorobable.
| 8. Raphael Robani
J 1t is believed that twelve of these plates
Weref engraved and sent to the various
| tribes throughout Judea. and over into the
Roman provinces of Europe. The remain
| ing eleven are probably buried in widely
| separated points where they never viii
be brought to the knowledge of mankind,
or have long since been destroyed.
The engraving on the plate is we'll done;
the Hebrew characters are cut deep and
with perfect accuracy.