The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-11-11

mately. This is proved false by the tes-
| timony of twelve godly men. PLATE Is
enraged at the Jews and desires to re
| lease Christ
| Appealing to the priests and to the
crowd who had brough Jesus, he says
81 take the sun to witness that find
no fault in tnis man."
The crowd ansxers:-'1f he were not
a sorcer and magician and blasphe-
mer, we should not have brought him to
your highness."
"Try him yourselves!' cries PLATE;
''and since you have law do as your
law says" &
Our law permits to put no man to
death" 4.
'If you are unwilling to put him to
death. how much more am II" is Pr
lates retort.
PLATE AND CHRIST.
Then Plate returned to the palace and
saws to Jesus: TELL me, art thou the
King OF the Jews?" Jesus answered:
"Dost thou say this or nave the other
Jews said this to thee, that thou might
est question me?" PLATE said, Thou
dost not think that / ann an Hebrew?
I am not Hebrew. Thy people and the
chief priests have delivered thee into
nv hands; and tell me If thou art King
of the Jews?" Jesus answered, my
kingdom is not Of this world. for II my
kingdom were in this world, my soldiers
would not be unconcerned at my De-
ing seized; wherefore, my kingdom is
not in this world" PLATE says, But
art thou a king?" Jesus said, That
hast said for this, was / born to bear
witness Of the truth, and IL any one 0e
a man Of truth. he believes my word
and does it." PLATE Gays, ION earth
then is there no truth?" Christ says,
81 am the truth, and how is truth judged
on earth by those who have heavenly
power?"
Again PLATE appeals to the priests and
the people, with the same result as be-
fore. He then brings Jesus before them
Therefore ne says to Jesus. What dost
thou wish that 1 shall do to thee?" Je-
sus says to PLATE, do 10 me as de-
termined." Plate says, How is 1t de-
termined?" Jesus answered, Moses and
the prophets worte about me being cru
Gifted and rising again. The Hebrews
hearing this, said to PLATE: why do
you seek to hear greater insult out Of
him against God.
THE CRUCIFTXION.
PLATE still enGeavors to release our
Lord. He calls attention to some Of the
Jews that are weeping and plainly de-
clares that He does not deserve cruci-
flxion. Nicodemus pleads. for Jesus.
Those, too who have been healed, come
forward and bear testimony.
The accusation that our Lord was
claiming to be a king prevails. PLATE
washes his hands before the sun and
gives Jesus up. He is crucified, with the
crown of thorns on his head and a gar
ment around mis- lions. Two thieves are
crucif1ed with him. Dismas and Gestas.
Joseph and Arimathea asks for the
Lords body and is, in consequence, seiz-
ed and put in ward. When the prison is
opened he is not found. To add 10 the
confusion Of the eJws, the soldiers come
in and announce to the chief priests
that Jesus has arisen, and soon after
three men come forward and testify that
He ascended in to heaven. Upon this
Nicoduemus counsels them to send mes
sengers to try to discover Jesus. The
men return without having found Him
or any clew OF his whereabouts. They,
however, find Joseph quietly living in
MS own city. They had thrown him into
Jail. Joseph is prevailed upon to come
to Jerusalem and testify before coun-
ell. There ne relates how Jesus appear
ed to him at midnight and showed him
his empty sepulchre. The chief priests
are stricken with terror ,and amazement.
At last they resolve TO send for the three
men who had seen the Lords assump-
ton. They come, and So strongly az
firm it that the council itself is forced
into reluctant belief.
This brief statement viii at least show
that the Acta Pilati is a document of no
little interest. The object Of the writer
is clear enough. He endeavors on the
one hand TO demonstrate the natural
bias of Plate in favor Of Christ and on
the other to show how the acfcusa tons
OF the eJws were false and frivilous and
in the sequel were virtually retracted
in the enforced admissions Of the mem-
bers OF the anhedrim. Nevertheless, IL
We strip off the fabulous, it does seem
that the writer mas related some po--
tions OF the trial in a manner so prob
able and plausible that we may we'll
pause before sweeping it away as a mere
party fiction.
There is something entirely natural
in the way in which the Jews heap up
indiscriminate accusations. an eager fe-
Tocity on their part. met by steady and
almost indignant scorn on the part OF
the governor. The desire OF the eJws.
not only that Christ should die, but that
He should be crucifiei-that He should
die the death 0f malefactor-is brought
out very distinctly.
There are minor incidents-the weep
ing populace, the appearance OF witness
ses in favor OF the accused, the steady
defence ot Nicodemus. the persecution
OF the pious Joseph. the cloth wound
round the crucified Saviour. the crown
OF thorns, still retained on the brow: the
account given by the centurion 10 Pr
late and the distress OF him and his
wife-which all tend 10 make one regard
:1ese intsrpolated but sill very ancient
records with greater interesat than can
be felt for any other member OF the epo-
cryphaI family.
Il has been well remarked that the
early CnuTch looked oa Plate with no
unfavo-a5le eye: that he is tavo-aoIy
shown in the catacombs; that the early
fathers interpreted him as figure OF