Christ is taken before Pilate

St Luke Chapter XXIII : Verses 1-5

Contents

• Luke xxiii. Verses 1-5.  Douay-Rheims (Challoner) text & Latin text (Vulgate)
• Douay-Rheims 1582 text
• Annotations based on the Catena Aurea of St Thomas

Luke xxiii. Verses 1-5.

Jesus is led before Pilate. J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum

1 And the whole multitude of them rising up, led him to Pilate.

Et surgens omnis multitudo eorum, duxerunt illum ad Pilatum.

2 And they began to accuse him, saying: We have found this man perverting our nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he is Christ the king.

Cœperunt autem illum accusare, dicentes : Hunc invenimus subvertentem gentem nostram, et prohibentem tributa dare Cæsari, et dicentem se Christum regem esse.

3 And Pilate asked him, saying: Art thou the king of the Jews? But he answering, said: Thou sayest it.

Pilatus autem interrogavit eum, dicens : Tu es rex Judæorum? At ille respondens ait : Tu dicis.

4 And Pilate said to the chief priests and to the multitudes: I find no cause in this man.

Ait autem Pilatus ad principes sacerdotum et turbas : Nihil invenio causae in hoc homine.

5 But they were more earnest, saying: He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place.

At illi invalescebant, dicentes : Commovet populum docens per universam Judæam, incipiens a Galilæa usque huc.

Douay-Rheims : 1582 text

1. AND al the multitude of them riſing vp, led him to Pilate.

2. And they began to accuſe him, saying: We haue found this man ſubuerting our Nation, & prohibiting to giue tributes to Cæſar, and ſaying that he is Chriſt the King.
3. And Pilate aſked him, ſaying: Art thou the King of the Iewes? But he anſwering ſaid: Thou ſayest.
4. And Pilate ſaid to the cheefe Prieſts and multitudes: I find no cauſe in this man.
5. But they were more earneſt, saying: He ſtirreth the people teaching throughout al Iewrie, beginning from Galilee euen hither.

 

Annotations

    1. And the whole multitude of them rising up, led him to Pilate. AUGUSTINE. (de Con. Ev. lib. iii. c. 7.) Luke, after he had finished relating the denial of Peter, recapitulated all that took place concerning our Lord during the morning, mentioning some particulars which the others omitted; and so he has composed his narrative, giving a similar account with the rest.

    BEDE. That the word of Jesus might be fulfilled which He prophesied of His own death, 32 For he shall be delivered to the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and scourged, and spit upon,[Luke xviii. 33] that is, to the Romans. For Pilate was a Roman, and the Romans had sent him as governor to Judæa.

    2.  And they began to accuse him, saying: We have found this man perverting our nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he is Christ the king. AUGUSTINE. (lib. iii. c. 8.) He next relates what happens before Pilate. Matthew and Mark do not give this, though affirming that they accused Him, but Luke has laid open the very charges which they falsely brought against Him.

    THEOPHYLACT. Most plainly are they opposed to the truth. For our Lord was so far from forbidding to give tribute, that He commanded it to be given. How then did He pervert the people? Was it that He might take possession of the kingdom? But this is incredible to all, for when the whole multitude wished to choose Him for their king, He was aware of it, and fled.

    BEDE. Now two charges having been brought against our Lord, namely, that He forbade to pay tribute to Cæsar, and called Himself Christ the King, it may be that Pilate had chanced to hear that which our Lord spake, Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's: and to God the things that are God's; and therefore setting aside this accusation as a palpable lie of the Jews, he thought fit to ask concerning that alone of which he knew nothing, the saying about the kingdom.

    3. And Pilate asked him, saying: Art thou the king of the Jews? But he answering, said: Thou sayest it. THEOPHYLACT. It seems to me that he asked this question of Christ by way of deriding the wantonness or hypocrisy of the alleged charge. As if he said, Thou a poor humble naked man, with none to help Thee, art accused of seeking a kingdom, for which Thou wouldest need many to help Thee, and much money.

    BEDE. He answers the governor in the same words which He used to the Chief Priests, that Pilate might be condemned by his own voice: But he answering, said: Thou sayest it.

    5. But they were more earnest, saying: He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place. THEOPHYLACT. Now they finding nothing else to support their calumny, have resort to the aid of clamour, for it follows, And they were the more fierce, as if they said, He perverts the people, not in one part only, but beginning from Galilee He arrives at this place, having passed through Judæa. I think then that they purposely made mention of Galilee, as desirous to alarm Pilate, for the Galilæans were of a different sect and given to sedition, as, for example, Judas of Galilee who is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles.

    BEDE. But with these words they accuse not Him, but themselves. For to have taught the people, and by teaching to have roused them from their former idleness, and doing this to have passed through the whole land of promise, was an evidence not of sin, but of virtue.

    AMBROSE. Our Lord is accused and is silent, for He needs no defence. Let them cast about for defence who fear to be conquered. He does not then confirm the accusation by His silence, but He despises it by not refuting it. Why then should He fear who does not court safety? The Safety of all men forfeits His own, that He may gain that of all.

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.