Notes. John xix. 1 — 16.
1. — [TJien Pilate...took Jesus. ..scourged Him.'] Tlie cruel injury inflicted on our Lord's body, in this verse, was probably far more severe tlian an English reader might suppose. It was a punishment which among the Romans generally preceded cru- cifixion, and was sometimes so painful and violent that the suf- ferer died under it. It was often a scourging with rods, and not always with cords, as painters and sculptors represent. Josephus, the Jewish historian, in his " Antiquities," particu- larly mentions that malefactors were scourged, and tormeuted in every way before they were put to death. Smith's Diction- ary of the Bible says, that under the Roman mode of scourg- ing, " the culprit was stripped, stretched with cords or thongs on a frame, and beaten with rods,"
As to Pilate's reason for inflicting this punishment on our Lord, there seems little doubt. He secretly hoped that this tremendous scourging, in the Roman fashion, would satisfy the Jews ; and that after seeing Jesus beaten, bleeding, and torn with rods, they would be content to let Him go free. As usual, he was double-minded, cruel and deceitful. He tried to please the Jews by ill-treating our Lord as much as possible, and at the same time he hoped to please his own conscience a little by not putting Him to death. He told the Jews, indeed, according to Luke's account, what he wanted : " I will chastise Him and release Him." (Luke xxiii. 16.) How entirely this weak de- sign failed we shall see by-and-by.
Chrysostom says, " Pilate scourged Jesus, desiring to exhaust and soothe the fury of the Jews. Being anxious to stay the evil at this point, he scourged Him, and permitted to be done what was done, and the robe and crown to be put on Him, in order to relax their anger." Augustine and Cyril say much the same.
The importance of this particular portion of our Lord's suf- ferings is strongly shown by the fact that Isaiah specially says, " by His stripes we are healed ; " and that St. Peter specially quotes that text in his first epistle. (Isaiah liii. 5. 1 Peter ii. 24.) Our Lord Himself particularly foretold that He would be scourged. (Luke xviii. 33.)
It may seem needless to say that Pilate did not scourge Jesus with his own hands. Any plain reader will at once conclude that the scourging was inflicted by his soldiers or attendants. Yet the venerable Bede thinks that Pilate himself scourged Jesus. And it is worth remembering that a modern sceptical writer has actually argued that the book of Leviticus must be uninspired, because in that book the priest is commanded to lift, and move, and oifer up the bodies of slain sacrifices, which alone he could not do ! Surely he might have recollected that a man