The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-03-06
NEW, ON THE cRUcIFIxIoN,

reported 10 nave nldh' ~ h'S"'N '
portaut discovery with respect to the
cruciixion Of Jesus Christ. 1T rs no
less a thing than that the whole matter
was Roman plot. that the Jewish
priesthood were Roman knights ap'
pointed 10 their positions by Pilatc, and
that the condemnation to death was un,
der Roman law. All this on the alleged
authority OF Dion Cassius. Ca Roman
historian who wrote in Greek, and
whose works have never been translat'
ed into English,
Now, il is quite true that Dion Cas-
sius (Cocceianus) wrote his Annals OF
Romc-a gossipy pungcnt mass oil hlth
and superstition, with some rare stores
and records. in Greek. But evon so, his
works, so far as they have been pre-
served. have for centuries been open to
scholars. Gihbon made free use of
them i'm his great history. the Decline
and Fall of the Roman Empire. y con
dcnsed translation into English appeared
over two hundred years ago, and rs full
n translation as is possible has in mod
any ono can get il who so desires,
His writings comprised eighty
books. " OF these the first thirty five
are lost. The next twcnty-four arc
preserved substantially intact. The 9th
crs are in more or less fraGmentary
form. But in no part of them is there
any warrant for the deductions made by
Mr.. James. And even il Dion Casslus
had so stated. no would have been alto
gether wrong rs he was about so many
other things that he wrote He gravely
reported as facts, signs and portents the
most absurd, as that statues changed
their positions, sculpture its facial eX-
preston. and other wonders and warn.
ings that he claims appeared to give no
tice TO the Romans Of great events i'm
pending
The Scripture record is SO absolutely
clear and decisive against Mr. James s
position. that there is not the least room
for any ono holding his view, Possibly
he has never rcad--or if so has forgot,
ten-thc perfectly clear and straight
forward account in the twenty.third
chapter of ST Luke, where it is re.
corded repeatedly that PLATE found no
fault in Jesus. But being importuned,
and finding that Jesus was from Galilee,
which was in Herod S jurisdiction, Pi-
late turned the case over 10 Herod who
on looking into il made mock of it,
and sent it back TO PLATE, Later Plate
said TO the accusers of Jesus Wv. IA,
81
We have brought this man unto me,
As one that pcrvcrtcth the people: and.
behold, J. having examined him before
YOU, have found no fault I'm this man
touching those things whereof ye accuse
him;
No. nor vet Hcrod, for | sent you to
him: and 10. nothing worthy OF death
Is done unto him
And plate did not stop even there,
for repeatedly he made the same dee.
Iaration. and farther on he proposed,
in view of the fierce Importantly
against Jesus, TO scourgo Jesus and let
him 90. And at the last, even after his
condemnation. To meet the popular clam
or. PLATE wanted to release Jesus un
Ter clement law through which the
people might select and save a man
10 death; but the rabble
would have none of it, and chose Bar
lbbas instead.
Now, can NJ be supposed for mo
ment that neither Plate nor Herod un
icrstood the Roman law or that they
would. after full and repeated exam.
nations into the case. pronounce Jesus
guiltless of offepse toward that law ii
he were in fact guilty of transgressing
IL! The supposition is impossible, And
they were very Jealous for the uphold
ing Of the laws of Rome, severe upon
any act that might be construed as re-
siStance or insubordination, and not in
The least sdueamish about the shedding
of blood. SO that if there had been
The slightest foundation for the facts -
now alleged TO he newly discovered by
Mr. James, there would not have been
the least hesitation on the part of either
PLATE or Herod in putting Jesus TO
death
It is singular that such claim as
that made by Mr. James should be
made at this late day, and on such
limsy support. His main contention
falls to the ground at once, on even
Inc slightest examination; while as to
other and subsidiary points he is equally
N error. Sound scholarship on his part
would have prevented him making such
a world exhibition of his credulous