and said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote Him with their hands. Pilate went forth
again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find
no fault in him. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe.
And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! When the chief priests therefore and officers
saw Him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye
him, and crucify him; for I find no fault in him. The Jews answered him, We have a law,
and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.”1364 This may fit
in with what Luke reports to have been stated in the accusation brought by the Jews,—namely,
“We found this fellow perverting our nation,”—so that we might append here the reason
given for it, “Because he made himself the Son of God.” John then goes on in the following
strain: “When Pilate, therefore, heard that saying, he was the more afraid, and went again
into the judgment-hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.
Then saith Pilate unto Him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power
to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no
power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered
me unto thee hath the greater sin. From thenceforth Pilate sought to release Him: but the
Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Cæsar’s friend: whosoever maketh
himself a king, speaketh against Cæsar.” 1365 This may very well agree with what Luke records
in connection with the said accusation brought by the Jews. For after the words, “We found
this fellow perverting our nation,” he has added the clause, “And forbidding to give tribute
to Cæsar, and saying that he himself is Christ a king.” This will also offer a solution for the
difficulty previously referred to, namely, the occasion which might seem to be given for
supposing John to have indicated that no specific charge was laid by the Jews against the
Lord, when they answered and said unto him, “If he were not a malefactor, we would not
have delivered him up unto thee.” John then continues in the following strain: “When Pilate
therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment-seat, in
a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. And it was the preparation
of the passover, and about the sixth hour; and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King?
But they cried out, Away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your
king? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Cæsar. Then delivered he Him
therefore unto them to be crucified.”1366 The above is John’s version of what was done by
Pilate.1367
1364 John xviii. 37-xix. 7.
1365 John xix. 8–12.
1366 John xix. 13–16.
1367 [Many harmonists, in view of the fact that Jesus had been scourged before the events narrated in John
xix. 2–16, place these occurrences after the delivery of Jesus to be crucified. In § 36 Augustin defends the view
that Matthew and Mark have varied from the order. See also chap. xiii.—R.]
438
Of the Absence of Any Discrepancies in the Accounts Which the Evangelists…