The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 2 — Section 225

EXPOSITION. CHAPTEil XXIII. majority in the Sanhedrin WAS repugnant to, or even opposed by, the Pharisee element in Vcrs. I-4.-'.l1,e trial before Pilate: First the great assembly. Pilate, Pontius Pilato, examination. a Romo.n knight, owed his high position as Yer. 1.-And the whole multitude of them Procure.tor of Judmo. to his friendship with arose, and led him UIJ.to Pilate. The San- Sejanus, the powerful minister of the Em- hedrin had now formo.lly condemned Jesus peror Tiberius. He probably belonged by to dcuth. 'l'l>ey were, however, precluded birth or adoption to the gene of the Pontii. by the Roman regulations then in force from When Jud113a bP.came formally subject to the carrying out their judgment. A capital empire on the deposition of Archelaus, Pon- sentence in Judme. could only be inflicted tius Pile.le, of whose previous career nothing 1tS the result of e. decision by the Romllll is known, through the interest of Sejanus, court. The Sanhedrin supposed, and as we was o.ppointed to govern it, with the title of she.II see rightly, thut the judgment they procurator, or collector of the revenue, in- had pronounced would speedily be con- vested with judicial power. This w:J.S in firmed by the Roman judge. The Sanhe- A.D. 26, and he held the post for ten years, drin condemnation to death we.s, howev .. r, when he was deposed from his office in dis- from the Jewish standpoint, illegal In grace, His government of Jndmo. seems to capital CO.SP.B judgment could not be legally have been singularly unhappy. Bis great prouounced on the day of trial. Bnt in the patron Sejanus hnted the Jews, o.nd Pilnte case of Jesus, the Accnred was condemm·d seems faithfully to hnve imitated his power- without the legal interval whic,h should ful friend. Constantly the Roman governor have been left between the trial and the appears to have wounded the susceptibilities sentence. The Prisoner wus tlleu at once of the strange, unhappy people he was placed hurrieJ before the Roman tribune.I, in order over. Fierce disputes, mutual insults arising that tl,e J ewisb sentence might be confirmed out of appnrently purposeless acts of o.rbi- nnd carried out with all the e.dditional hor- trnry power on his side, characterized the rors wliich accompanied Gentile public exe- period of his rule. His behaviour in the one cutions in such cases of treason. lJerenbourg great event of his life, when Jesus we.s (' Histoire de la Palestine,' p. 201) attributed brought before his tribunal, will illustrate the undue illegal precipitancy of tbe whole his character. He was superstitious and proceeding to the overwhelmi~g influence yet cruel; 11frai<i of the people he affected <:Xercised in the supreme council by Annas to despise; fuithless to the spirit of the n11d Co.iaphaa with their friends who were 11utl,ority with which he was lawfully in- :Sadducees, a po.1ty notorious for their cruelty vested. In the great crisis of his history, e.s well as for their unbelief. Had the from ihe misernbly selfish motive of scouring Plmrisees borne sway in the Sanhedrin at his own petty interests, we watch him de- that juncture, such an illegality could never liberntely giving up n MRn, whom he knew Lave taken place. This apology possesses to he innocent, o.nd felt to be noble and ~ert11in weight, e.s it is based upon known pure, to torture, shnmc, and death. Liet.oricul fe.cts; yet when the general beo.r- Ver. 2.-And they began to aoouae him, ing of the PhA.risee party towards our Lord saying, We found this fellow perverting the during the greau,r part of his public minis- nation, and forbidding to give tribute to t.ry is remembercJ, it (•an scarcely be sup- C113se.r, aaying that he himself is Christ a posed that the nction of the Se.dJucee KinJ. 'fo undel'lltnnd this scene perfeotly on. xxm.1-56.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. 235