The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-11-10

thSHls AHtINupuH ne says 10 Jeeuhs
What dost thou wish that / shall do
TO thee?" Jesus says to PLATE: "Do to
me as is determined" Plate says,
How is It determined?" Jesus answer
ed: Moses and the prophets wrote
about me being cruciled and rising
again." The hebrews, hearing this,
said to PLATE: why do you seek 10
hear a greater insult out OF him against
Cod"
THE CRUCIFIXIoN.
PLATE still endeaYors 10 release ou1
Lord. He calls attention to some of thu
Jews that are weeping. and plainly de-
clares that He does not deserve cruel.
fixion. Nlcodemus pleads for Jesus
Those, too, who have been healed comd
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 up Jesus, He is cruclfied, with
the crown Of thorns on his head and a
garment around his lolns. Two thieves
are cruclhed with him, Dismas and
Gestas Joseph OF Arlmathea asks for
the Lords body and is, In consequence
seized and put in ward. When the pris-
on Is opened he is not to be found. To
add to the confusion of the Jews, the
soldiers come in and announce 10 the
chief priests that Jesus has risen, and
soon after three men come forward and
testify that He assembled Into heaven.
Upon this Nicodemus counsels them to
send messengers ito try to discover Je-
sus. The men return without having
found Him or any cleW to His where
abouts They, however. find Joseph
quietly living in his own city. They had
thrown him into jail. Joseph is prevail
ed upon to come to Jerusalem and tes-
tify before the council. There he re-
lates how Jesus appeared TO him at
midnight and showed him His empty
sepulchre. The chief priests are strick-
en- with terror and Amusement, At last
they resolve'to send for the three men
who had seen the Lords Assumption.
They come. and so strongly affirm II
that the council Itself Is forced into
reluctant BELIEF.
This brief abstract will at least show
that the Acta PLAT Is document Of
no little interest. The object OF the
writer Is clear enough, He endeayors
on the one hand to demonstrate tho
natural bias OF PLATE in favor OF Christ
and on the other to show how the ac-
cusations OF the Jews were false and
frivolous and in the sequel were vir-
tually retracted IN the enforced ad-
missions OF the members of the San
hedrim The general object 10 unmis-
taxable Nevertheless, IL We strip off
the fabulous, II does seem that the wrl-
ter has related some portions OF the
trial in a manner so probable and
plausible that we may well pause be-
fore sweeping 1t away as a mere
party fiction,
There is something entirely natural
in the way In which the Jews heap up
indiscriminate accusations. an eager
ferocity, on their part, met by steady
and almost indignant scorn on the
parI OF the governor. The desire OF the
Jews, nj only that Christ should die,
but that He should be crucliied-that
He should die the death OF malefac-
tor-Is brought out very distinctly.
There are minor incldents-the weep
inE pOpulace, the appearance OF wit
rssges In favor OF the accused, the
steady defence OF Nicodemus, the per-
secution OF the pious Joseph, the cloth
wound round the crucihed Saviour, the
crown of thorns, still retained on the
brow: the account given by the centur-
ION 10 PLATE and the distress OF him
ana his wIfe-whlch all tend 10 make
one regard these lnterpolated, but still
very ancient records with greater in
rte;est than can be felt for any other
member Of the apocryphal family
II has been well remarked that the
early church looked on plate with no
unfavorable eye: that he Is favorably
shown in the catacombs; that the early
| fathers interpreted him as figure OF
the carly church and held him to be
guiltless OF Christ's death; that the
crseds do not condemn him and the
Coptlc church has even made him a
saint. 1t may be added that Dante
finds punishment for Calaphas and
Annas, but not for PLATE.
DESCRIPTION OF CHRIST.
A forgery of widespread interest, be-
cause upon It has been based the ira
ditlonai figure of Christ established by
convention among the earliest Chris
tan artists, md since accepted by all
their followers is alleged to be a por-
ton of an ancient manuscript sent by
Publlus Lcntelus. president OF Judea,
| to the senate OF Rome.
"There lives at this time in Judea n
man OF singular character, whose name
Is Jesus Christ. The barbarians es-
TEEN him as their prophet, but his fol-
lowers adore him as the immediate on
spring OF the Almighty God. He Is en-
dowed with such unparalleled virtue as
| to call back the dead from their graves
and to heal every kind OF disease with
q word or touch. His person Is tall
| and elegantly shaped, his aspect anil
able and rcverent; his hair flows in
| thoss beauteous shades which no uni
ted colors can match falling In grace
full curls below his ears, agreeably
COUGHING on his shoulders and parting
on the crown OF his head; his dress,
that OF the sect OF the Nazarltes; his
forehead Is smooth and large, his cheeks
| without blenilsh and Of roscatc hue; his
nose and mouth are formed with eX-
qulstc symmetry; his beard Ia thick
and suitable to the hair of his head,
reaching n little below his chin and
| parting In the middle below; his eyes
ore clear, bright and serene.
He rcbukes with mlldncss and In
vOltes with the most tender and per-
suasive language, his whole address,
whether I'm word or deed being elegant
ly grave and strictly characteristic OF
30 exalted being. No man has seer
him laugh, but the whole world bcholdt