Via Crucis - The Way of the Cross

From The Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, by J-J Tissot (1897)

Jesus was now led away to be crucified and began to tread that Via Crucis or Way of the Cross with its many stages, which were to prove so full of fresh suffering to the already exhausted Saviour.  Since the evening before, He had had but a few minutes of rest, and what arrest must that have been after all the humiliations and agony to which He had been subjected!  It was very evident that He would not be able to reach Calvary without sinking by the way, but what did that matter?  His enemies would make Him carry His cross all the same.  It was in fact customary for the condemned himself to carry the instrument of his execution, and the Jews would never have sanctioned sparing their Victim this last culminating agony and humiliation.

For the rest, we know that Pilate, good Roman though he was, was punctilious in his observance of every tradition of the Praetorium, however petty and trivial.  The march of the melancholy procession commenced, a centurion on horseback leading the way, to whom had been confided the superintendence of the execution.  This was the official to whom Tacitus gave the title of the exactor mortis, or death overseer, whilst Seneca calls him the centurio supplicio præpositus, which may be translated, the centurion who presided at executions.  This officer was succeeded by a herald bearing a scroll or tablet on which was written the crime for which sentence had been pronounced.  The herald shouted out this condemnation at the top of his voice.

Behind him came the cruciarius, the divine Saviour, painfully dragging the heavy cross, with the executioners nearby whose task it would soon be to bind Him to it and watch beneath it till death put an end to His sufferings.  A double row of soldiers kept the way clear, for the crowd was great and there was a possibility that people might be moved to compassion at the sight of the patient Sufferer and attempt to rescue Him.  Everyone knew, Pilate himself included, that Jesus had been made the Victim of a few jealous and envious enemies, and that the consent of the populace to His condemnation had only been obtained by surprise. There would, therefore, have been nothing surprising if a reaction had taken place; the friends of Jesus, the Holy Women especially, were very sure to have worked hard to bring it about.  As I said before, every possible precaution was therefore taken.

Behind the procession escorting the Saviour, in which were included the two thieves also bearing their crosses, came a crowd of the Chief Priests and some were on horseback and others riding on asses which were much employed as beasts of burden in the East.  The Via Dolorosa was to them the path of triumph and they pressed joyfully a long it on their way to witness the execution of their Enemy.  On leaving the Forum, the procession had to pass through the archway which forms the entrance to it from the side of the town and then to follow the steep street which starts from the Sheep-Gate and leads to a level tract between it and another steep street going up in a westerly direction to the Gate of Judgment.  That gate once passed, the procession was not more than 30 paces from the ascent to Golgotha.

Totus tuus ego sum 

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam