Good Friday (Pilate & Herod)

THE EVENTS OF GOOD FRIDAY - Part 1
Jesus' Encounters with Pilate and Herod

The Account is taken from the Revelations made to
BLESSED ANNE CATHERINE EMMERICH
The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ

“St. Augustine assures us that there is no spiritual exercise more fruitful or more useful than the frequent reflection on the sufferings of Our Lord. St. Albert the Great, who had St. Thomas Aquinas as his student, learned in a revelation that by simply thinking of or meditating on the Passion of Jesus Christ, a Christian gains more merit than if he had fasted on bread and water every Friday for a year, or had beaten himself with the discipline once a week till blood flowed, or had recited the whole Book of Psalms every day” (The Secret of the Rosary, St. Louis Marie de Montfort, “Twenty-Eighth Rose”).

Jesus is Taken before Pilate for the First Time
The malicious enemies of our Saviour led Him through the most public part of the town to take Him before Pilate. The procession wended its way slowly down the north side of the mountain of Sion, then passed through that section on the eastern side of the Temple, called Acre, towards the palace and tribunal of Pilate, which were seated on the north-west side of the Temple, facing a large square. Caiphas, Annas, and many others of the Chief Council, walked first in festival attire; they were followed by a multitude of Scribes and many other Jews, among whom were the false witnesses, and the wicked Pharisees, who had taken the most prominent part in accusing Jesus.

Our Lord followed at a short distance; He was surrounded by a band of soldiers, and led by the archers. The multitude thronged on all sides and followed the procession, thundering forth the most fearful oaths and imprecations, while groups of persons were hurrying to and fro, pushing and jostling one another. Jesus was stripped of all save His under garment, which was stained and soiled by the filth which had been flung upon it; a long chain was hanging round His neck, which struck His knees as He walked; His hands were pinioned as on the previous day, and the archers dragged Him by the ropes which were fastened round His waist. He tottered rather than walked, and was almost unrecognisable from the effects of His sufferings during the night;—He was colourless, haggard, His face swollen and even bleeding, and His merciless persecutors continued to torment Him each moment more and more. They had gathered together a large body of the dregs of the people, in order to make His present disgraceful entrance into the city a parody on His triumphal entrance on Palm Sunday. They mocked, and with derisive gestures called Him king, and tossed in His path stones, bits of wood, and filthy rags; they made game of, and by a thousand taunting speeches mocked Him, during this pretended triumphal entry.

Mary Seeks to See Her Son
In the corner of a building, not far from the house of Caiphas, the afflicted Mother of Jesus, with John and Magdalen, stood watching for Him. Her soul was ever united to His; but propelled by her love, she left no means untried which could enable her really to approach Him. She remained at the Cenacle for some time after her midnight visit to the tribunal of Caiphas, powerless and speechless from grief; but when Jesus was dragged forth from His prison, to be again brought before His judges, she arose, cast her veil and cloak about her, and said to Magdalen and John: “Let us follow my Son to Pilate’s court; I must again look upon Him.” They went to a place through which the procession must pass, and waited for it. The Mother of Jesus knew that her Son was suffering dreadfully, but never could she have conceived the deplorable, the heartrending condition to which He was reduced by the brutality of His enemies. Her imagination had depicted Him to her as suffering fearfully, but yet supported and illuminated by sanctity, love, and patience. Now, however, the sad reality burst upon her.

First in the procession appeared the priests, those most bitter enemies of her Divine Son. They were decked in flowing robes; but ah, terrible to say, instead of appearing resplendent in their character of priests of the Most High, they were transformed into priests of Satan, for no one could look upon their wicked countenances without beholding there, portrayed in vivid colours, the evil passions with which souls were filled—deceit, infernal cunning, and a raging anxiety to carry out that most tremendous of crimes, the death of their Lord and Saviour, the only Son of God. Next followed the false witnesses, His perfidious accusers, surrounded by the vociferating populace; and last of all— Himself—her Son—Jesus, the Son of God, the Son of Man, loaded with chains, scarcely able to support Himself, but pitilessly dragged on by His infernal enemies, receiving blows from some, buffets from others, and from the whole assembled rabble curses, abuse, and the most scurrilous language.

He would have been perfectly unrecognisable even to her maternal eyes, stripped as He was of all save a torn remnant of His garment, had she not instantly marked the contrast between His behaviour and that of His vile tormentors. He alone in the midst of persecution and suffering looked calm and resigned, and far from returning blow for blow, never raised His hands but in acts of supplication to His Eternal Father for the pardon of His enemies. As He approached, she was unable to restrain herself any longer, but exclaimed in thrilling accents: “Alas! is that my Son? Ah, yes! I see that it is my beloved Son. O, Jesus, my Jesus!” When the procession was almost opposite, Jesus looked upon her with an expression of the greatest love and compassion; this look was too much for the heartbroken mother: she became for the moment totally unconscious, and John and Magdalen endeavoured to carry her home, but she quickly roused herself, and accompanied the beloved disciple to Pilate’s palace.

Friends Become Enemies
The inhabitants of the town of Ophel were all gathered together in an open space to meet Jesus, but far from administering comfort, they added a fresh ingredient to His cup of sorrow; they inflicted upon Him that sharp pang which must ever be felt by those who see their friends abandon them in the hour of adversity. Jesus had done much for the inhabitants of Ophel, but no sooner did they see Him reduced to such a state of misery and degradation, than their faith was shaken; they could no longer believe Him to be a king, a prophet, the Messias, and the Son of God. The Pharisees jeered and made game of them, on account of the admiration they had formerly expressed for Jesus. “Look at your king now,” they exclaimed; “do homage to Him; have you no congratulations to offer Him now that He is about to be crowned, and seated on His throne? All His boasted miracles are at an end; the High Priest has put an end to His tricks and witchcraft.”

Notwithstanding the remembrance which these poor people had of the miracles and wonderful cures which had been performed under their very eyes by Jesus; notwithstanding the great benefits He had bestowed upon them, their faith was shaken by beholding Him thus derided and pointed out as an object of contempt by the High Priest and the members of the Sanhedrin, who were regarded in Jerusalem with the greatest veneration. Some went away doubting, while others remained and endeavoured to join the rabble, but they were prevented by the guards, who had been sent by the Pharisees, to prevent riots and confusion.

Arrival at Pilate’s Palace
The palace of the Roman Governor, Pilate, was built on the north-west side of the mountain on which the Temple stood, and to reach it persons were obliged to ascend a flight of marble steps. It overlooked a large square surrounded by a colonnade, under which the merchants sat to sell their various commodities. A parapet, and an entrance at the north, south, east, and west sides alone broke the uniformity of this part of the market-place, which was called the forum, and built on higher ground than the adjacent streets, which sloped down from it. The palace of Pilate was not quite close, but separated by a large court, the entrance to which at the eastern side was through a high arch facing a street leading to the door called the “Probatica”, on the road to the Mount of Olives.

The southern entrance was through another arch, which leads to Sion, in the neighbourhood of the fortress of Acre. From the top of the marble steps of Pilate’s palace, a person could see across the court as far as the forum, at the entrance of which a few columns and stone seats were placed. It was at these seats that the Jewish priests stopped, in order not to defile themselves by entering the tribunal of Pilate, a line traced on the pavement of the court indicating the precise boundary beyond which they could not pass without incurring defilement. There was a large parapet near the western entrance, supported by the sides of Pilate’s Praetorium, which formed a species of porch between it and the square. That part of Pilate’s palace which he made use of when acting in the capacity of judge, was called the Praetorium.

A number of columns surrounded the parapet of which we have just spoken, and in the centre was an uncovered portion, containing an underground part, where the two thieves condemned to be crucified with Our Lord were confined, and this part was filled with Roman soldiers. The pillar upon which Our Lord was scourged was placed on the forum itself, not far from this parapet and the colonnade. There were many other columns in this place; those nearest to the palace were made use of for the infliction of various corporal punishments, and the others served as posts to which were fastened the beasts brought for sale. Upon the forum itself, opposite this building, was a platform filled with seats made of stone; and from this platform, which was called Gabbatha, Pilate was accustomed to pronounce sentence on great criminals. The marble staircase ascended by persons going to the governor’s palace led likewise to an uncovered terrace, and it was from this terrace that Pilate gave audience to the priests and Pharisees, when they brought forward their accusations against Jesus. They all stood before him in the forum, and refused to advance further than the stone seats before mentioned. A person speaking in a loud tone of voice from the terrace could be easily heard by those in the forum.

Behind Pilate’s palace there were many other terraces, and likewise gardens, and a country house. The gardens were between the palace of the governor and the dwelling of his wife, Claudia Procles. A large moat separated these buildings from the mountain on which the Temple stood, and on this side might be seen the houses inhabited by those who served in the Temple. The palace of Herod the elder was placed on the eastern side of Pilate’s palace; and it was in its inner court that numbers of the Innocents were massacred. At present the appearance of these two buildings is a little altered, as their entrances are changed. Four of the principal streets commenced at this part of the town, and ran in a southerly direction, three leading to the forum and Pilate’s palace, and the fourth to the gate through which persons passed on their way to Bethsur. The beautiful house which belonged to Lazarus, and likewise that of Martha, were in a prominent part of this street.

One of these streets was very near to the Temple, and began at the gate which was called Probatica. The pool of Probatica was close to this gate on the right-hand side, and in this pool the sheep were washed for the first time, before being taken to the Temple; while the second and more solemn washing took place in the pool of Bethsaida, which is near the south entrance to the Temple. The second of the above-mentioned streets contained a house belonging to St. Anne, the Mother of the Blessed Virgin, which she usually inhabited when she came up to Jerusalem with her family to offer sacrifice in the Temple. I believe it was in this house that the espousals of St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin were celebrated.

The forum, as I have already explained, was built on higher ground than the neighbouring streets, and the aqueducts which ran through these streets flowed into the Probatica pool. On Mount Sion, directly opposite to the old castle of King David, stood a building very similar to the forum, while to the south-east might be seen the Cenacle, and a little towards the north the tribunals of Annas and Caiphas. King David’s castle was a deserted fortress, filled with courts, empty rooms, and stables, generally let to travellers. It had long been in this state of ruin, certainly before the time of Our Lord’s nativity.

Jesus Appears Before Pilate
It was about eight in the morning, according to our method of counting time, when the procession reached the palace of Pilate. Annas, Caiphas, and the chiefs of the Sanhedrim stopped at a part between the forum and the entrance to the Praetorium, where some stone seats were placed for them. The brutal guards dragged Jesus to the foot of the flight of stairs which led to the judgment-seat of Pilate. Pilate was reposing in a comfortable chair, on a terrace which overlooked the forum, and a small three-legged table stood by his side, on which was placed the insignia of his office, and a few other things. He was surrounded by officers and soldiers dressed with the magnificence usual in the Roman army. The Jews and the priests did not enter the Praetorium, for fear of defiling themselves, but remained outside.

When Pilate saw the tumultuous procession enter, and perceived how shamefully the cruel Jews had treated their prisoner, he arose, and addressed them in a tone as contemptuous as could have been assumed by a victorious general towards the vanquished chief of some insignificant village: “What are you come about so early? Why have you ill-treated this prisoner so shamefully? Is it not possible to refrain from thus tearing to pieces and beginning to execute your criminals even before they are judged?” They made no answer, but shouted out to the guards, “Bring Him on—bring Him to be judged!” and then, turning to Pilate, they said, “Listen to our accusations against this malefactor; for we cannot enter the tribunal lest we defile ourselves.” Scarcely had they finished these words, when a voice was heard to issue from the midst of the dense multitude; it proceeded from a venerable-looking old man, of imposing stature, who exclaimed, “You are right in not entering the Praetorium, for it has been sanctified by the blood of Innocents; there is but one Person who has a right to enter, and who alone can enter, because He alone is pure as the Innocents who were massacred there.” The person who uttered these words in a loud voice, and then disappeared among the crowd, was a rich man of the name of Zadoc, first-cousin to Obed, the husband of Veronica; two of his children were among the Innocents whom Herod had caused to be butchered at the birth of our Saviour. Since that dreadful moment he had given up the world, and, together with his wife, followed the rules of the Essenians. He had once seen our Saviour at the house of Lazarus, and there heard Him discourse, and the sight of the barbarous manner in which He was dragged before Pilate recalled to his mind all he himself had suffered when his babes were so cruelly murdered before his eyes, and he determined to give this public testimony of his belief in the innocence of Jesus. The persecutors of Our Lord were far too provoked at the haughty manner which Pilate assumed towards them, and at the humble position they were obliged to occupy, to take any notice of the words of a stranger.

The brutal guards dragged Our Lord up the marble staircase, and led Him to the end of the terrace, from whence Pilate was conferring with the Jewish priests. The Roman governor had often heard of Jesus, although he had never seen Him, and now he was perfectly astonished at the calm dignity of deportment of a man brought before him in so pitiable a condition. The inhuman behaviour of the priests and ancients both exasperated him and increased his contempt for them, and he informed them pretty quickly that he had not the slightest intention of condemning Jesus without satisfactory proofs of the truth of their accusations.

Pilate Questions the Priests
“What accusation do you bring against this man?” said he, addressing the priests in the most scornful tone possible. “If He were not a malefactor we would not have delivered Him up to thee,” replied the priests sullenly. “Take Him,” said Pilate, “and judge you Him according to your law.” “Thou knowest well,” replied they, “that it is not lawful for us to condemn any man to death.” The enemies of Jesus were furious—they wished to have the trial finished off, and their victim executed as quickly as possible, that they might be ready at the festival-day to sacrifice the Paschal lamb, not knowing, miserable wretches as they were, that He whom they had dragged before the tribunal of an idolatrous judge (into whose house they would not enter, for fear of defiling themselves before partaking of the figurative victim), that He, and He alone, was the true Paschal Lamb, of which the other was only the shadow.

First Accusation
Pilate, however, at last ordered them to produce their accusations. These accusations were three in number, and they brought forward ten witnesses to attest the truth of each. Their great aim was to make Pilate believe that Jesus was the leader of a conspiracy against the emperor, in order that he might condemn Him to death as a rebel. They themselves were powerless in such matters, being allowed to judge none but religious offences. Their first endeavour was to convict Him of seducing the people, exciting them to rebellion, and of being an enemy to public peace and tranquility. To prove these charges they brought forward some false witnesses, and declared likewise that He violated the Sabbath, and even profaned it by curing the sick upon that day.

At this accusation Pilate interrupted them, and said in a jeering tone, “It is very evident you were none of you ill yourselves—had you been so, you would not have complained of being cured on the Sabbath-day.” “He seduces the people, and inculcates the most disgusting doctrines. He even says, that no person can attain eternal life unless they eat His flesh and drink His blood.” Pilate was quite provoked at the intense hatred which their words and countenances expressed, and, turning from them with a look of scorn, exclaimed, “You most certainly must wish to follow His doctrines and to attain eternal life, for you are thirsting for both His body and blood.”

The Second Accusation
The Jews then brought forward the second accusation against Jesus, which was that He forbad the people to pay tribute to the emperor. These words roused the indignation of Pilate, as it was his place to see that all the taxes were properly paid, and he exclaimed in an angry tone, “That is a lie! I must know more about it than you.” This obliged the enemies of Our Lord to proceed to the third accusation, which they did in words such as these:

“Although this man is of obscure birth, He is the chief of a large party. When at their head, He denounces curses upon Jerusalem, and relates parables of double meaning concerning a king who is preparing a wedding feast for his son. The multitude whom He had gathered together on a mountain endeavoured once to make Him their king; but it was sooner than He intended: His plans were not matured; therefore He fled and hid Himself. Latterly He has come forward much more: it was but the other day that He entered Jerusalem at the head of a tumultuous assembly, who by His orders made the people rend the air with acclamations of "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed be the empire of our Father David, which is now beginning." He obliges His partisans to pay Him regal honours, and tells them that He is the Christ, the Anointed of the Lord, the Messias, the king promised to the Jews, and He wishes to be addressed by these fine titles.” Ten witnesses gave testimony concerning these things.

The Third Accusation
The last accusation—that of Jesus causing Himself to be called king—made some impression upon Pilate; he became a little thoughtful, left the terrace and, casting a scrutinising glance on Jesus, went into the adjoining apartment, and ordered the guards to bring Him alone into his presence. Pilate was not only superstitious, but likewise extremely weak-minded and susceptible. He had often, during the course of his pagan education, heard mention made of sons of his gods who had dwelt for a time upon earth; he was likewise fully aware that the Jewish prophets had long foretold that one should appear in the midst of them who should be the Anointed of the Lord, their Saviour, and Deliverer from slavery; and that many among the people believed this firmly.

He remembered likewise that kings from the east had come to Herod, the predecessor of the present monarch of that name, to pay homage to a newly-born king of the Jews, and that Herod had on this account given orders for the massacre of the Innocents. He had often heard of the traditions concerning the Messias and the king of the Jews, and even examined them with some curiosity; although of course, being a pagan, without the slightest belief. Had he believed at all, he would probably have agreed with the Herodians, and with those Jews who expected a powerful and victorious king. With such impressions, the idea of the Jews accusing the poor miserable individual whom they had brought into his presence of setting Himself up as the promised king and Messias, of course appeared to him absurd; but as the enemies of Jesus brought forward these charges in proof of treason against the emperor, he thought it proper to interrogate Him privately concerning them.

Pilate Questions Jesus
Art Thou the king of the Jews?” said Pilate, looking at Our Lord, and unable to repress his astonishment at the divine expression of His countenance.
Jesus made answer, “Sayest Thou this thing of thyself, or have others told it thee of Me?”
Pilate was offended that Jesus should think it possible for him to believe such a thing, and answered, “Am I a Jew? Thy own nation and the chief priests have delivered Thee up to me as deserving of death: what hast Thou done?”
Jesus answered majestically, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would certainly strive that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from hence.”
Pilate was somewhat moved by these solemn words, and said to Him in a more serious tone, “Art Thou a king, then?”
Jesus answered, “Thou sayest that I am a king. For this was I born, and for this I came into the world, that I should give testimony to the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice.”
Pilate looked at Him, and rising from his seat said, “The truth! what is truth?”

Pilate States Jesus is Innocent—the First Time
They then exchanged a few more words, which I do not now remember, and Pilate returned to the terrace. The answers and deportment of Jesus were far beyond his comprehension; but he saw plainly that His assumption of royalty would not clash with that of the emperor, for that it was to no worldly kingdom that He laid claim; whereas the emperor cared for nothing beyond this world. He therefore again addressed the chief priests from the terrace, and said, “I find no cause in Him.”

The enemies of Jesus became furious, and uttered a thousand different accusations against our Saviour. But He remained silent, solely occupied in praying for His base enemies, and replied not when Pilate addressed Him in these words, “Answerest Thou nothing? Behold in how many things they accuse Thee!” Pilate was filled with astonishment, and said, “I see plainly that all they allege is false.” But His accusers, whose anger continued to increase, cried out, “You find no cause in Him? Is it no crime to incite the people to revolt in all parts of the kingdom?—to spread His false doctrines, not only here, but in Galilee likewise?”

The mention of Galilee made Pilate pause: he reflected for a moment, and then asked, “Is this man a Galilean, and a subject of Herod’s?” They made answer, “He is; His parents lived at Nazareth, and His present dwelling is in Capharnaum.”

“Since that is the case,” replied Pilate, “take Him before Herod; he is here for the festival, and can judge Him at once, as He is his subject.” Jesus was immediately led out of the tribunal, and Pilate dispatched an officer to Herod, to inform him that Jesus of Nazareth, who was his subject, was about to be brought to Him to be judged. Pilate had two reasons for following this line of conduct; in the first place he was delighted to escape having to pass sentence himself, as he felt very uncomfortable about the whole affair; and in the second place he was glad of an opportunity of pleasing Herod, with whom he had had a disagreement, for he knew him to be very curious to see Jesus.

The enemies of Our Lord were enraged at being thus dismissed by Pilate in the presence of the whole multitude, and gave vent to their anger by ill-treating Him even more than before. They bound Him afresh, and then ceased not overwhelming Him with curses and blows as they led Him hurriedly through the crowd, towards the palace of Herod, which was situated at no great distance from the forum. Some Roman soldiers had joined the procession.

During the time of the trial Claudia Procles, the wife of Pilate, had sent him frequent messages to intimate that she wished extremely to speak to him; and when Jesus was sent to Herod, she placed herself on a balcony and watched the cruel conduct of His enemies with mingled feelings of fear, grief, and horror.

Pilate and his Wife
While the Jews were leading Jesus to Herod, I saw Pilate go to his wife, Claudia Procles. She hastened to meet him, and they went together into a small garden-house which was on one of the terraces behind the palace. Claudia appeared to be much excited, and under the influence of fear. She was a tall, fine-looking woman, although extremely pale. Her hair was plaited and slightly ornamented, but partly covered by a long veil which fell gracefully over her shoulders. She wore earrings, a necklace, and her flowing dress was drawn together and held up by a species of clasp. She conversed with Pilate for a long time, and entreated him by all that he held sacred not to injure Jesus, that Prophet, that saint of saints; and she related the extraordinary dreams or visions which she had had on the previous night concerning Him.

Whilst she was speaking I saw the greatest part of these visions: the following were the most striking. In the first place, the principal events in the life of Our Lord —the annunciation, the nativity, the adoration of the shepherds and that of the kings, the prophecy of Simeon and that of Anna, the flight into Egypt, the massacre of the Innocents, and Our Lord’s temptation in the wilderness. She had likewise been shown in her sleep the most striking features of the public life of Jesus. He always appeared to her environed with a resplendent light, but His malicious and cruel enemies were under the most horrible and disgusting forms imaginable. She saw His intense sufferings, His patience, and His inexhaustible love, likewise the anguish of His Mother, and her perfect resignation.

These visions filled the wife of Pilate with the greatest anxiety and terror, particularly as they were accompanied by symbols which made her comprehend their meaning, and her tender feelings were harrowed by the sight of such dreadful scenes. She had suffered from them during the whole of the night; they were sometimes obscure, but more often clear and distinct; and when morning dawned and she was roused by the noise of the tumultuous mob who were dragging Jesus to be judged, she glanced at the procession and instantly saw that the unresisting victim in the midst of the crowd, bound, suffering, and so inhumanely treated as to be scarcely recognisable, was no other than that bright and glorious being who had been so often brought before her eyes in the visions of the past night.

She was greatly affected by this sight, and immediately sent for Pilate, and gave him an account of all that had happened to her. She spoke with much vehemence and emotion; and although there was a great deal in what she had seen which she could not understand, much less express, yet she entreated and implored her husband in the most touching terms to grant her request.

Pilate was both astonished and troubled by the words of his wife. He compared the narration with all he had previously heard concerning Jesus; and reflected on the hatred of the Jews, the majestic silence of our Saviour, and the mysterious answers He had given to all his questions. He hesitated for some time, but was at last overcome by the entreaties of his wife, and told her that he had already declared his conviction of the innocence of Jesus, and that he would not condemn Him, because he saw that the accusations were mere fabrications of His enemies. He spoke of the words of Jesus to himself, promised his wife that nothing should induce him to condemn this just man, and even gave her a ring before they parted as a pledge of his promise.

Pilate's Character
The character of Pilate was debauched and undecided, but his worst qualities were an extreme pride and meanness, which made him never hesitate in the performance of an unjust action, provided it answered his ends. He was excessively superstitious, and when in any difficulty had recourse to charms and spells. He was much puzzled and alarmed about the trial of Jesus; and I saw him running backwards and forwards, offering incense first to one god and then to another, and imploring them to assist him; but Satan filled his imagination with still greater confusion; he first instilled one false idea and then another into his mind. He then had recourse to one of his favourite superstitious practices, that of watching the sacred chickens eat, but in vain,—his mind remained enveloped in darkness, and he became more and more undecided.

He first thought that he would acquit our Saviour, whom he well knew to be innocent, but then he feared incurring the wrath of his false gods if he spared him, as he fancied he might be a species of demigod, and obnoxious to than. “It is possible,” said he inwardly, “that this man may really be that king of the Jews concerning whose coming there are so many prophecies. It was a king of the Jews whom the Magi came from the East to adore. Perhaps He is a secret enemy both of our gods and of the emperor; it might be most imprudent in me to spare His life. Who knows whether His death would not be a triumph to my gods?” Then he remembered the wonderful dreams described to him by his wife, who had never seen Jesus, and he again changed, and decided that it would be safer not to condemn Him. He tried to persuade himself that he wished to pass a just sentence; but he deceived himself, for when he asked himself, “What is the truth?” he did not wait for the answer. His mind was filled with confusion, and he was quite at a loss how to act, as his sole desire was to entail no risk upon himself.

Jesus before Herod
The palace of the Tetrarch Herod was built on the north side of the forum, in the new town; not very far from that of Pilate. An escort of Roman soldiers, mostly from that part of the country which is situated between Switzerland and Italy, had joined the procession. The enemies of Jesus were perfectly furious at the trouble they were compelled to take in going backwards and forwards, and therefore vented their rage upon Him. Pilate’s messenger had preceded the procession, consequently Herod was expecting them. He was seated on a pile of cushions, heaped together so as to form a species of throne, in a spacious hall, and surrounded by courtiers and warriors.

The Chief Priests entered and placed themselves by his side, leaving Jesus at the entrance. Herod was much elated and pleased at Pilate’s having thus publicly acknowledged his right of judging the Galileans, and likewise rejoiced at seeing that Jesus who had never deigned to appear before him reduced to such a state of humiliation and degradation. His curiosity had been greatly excited by the high terms in which John the Baptist had announced the coming of Jesus, and he had likewise heard much about Him from the Herodians, and through the many spies whom he had sent into different parts: he was therefore delighted at this opportunity of interrogating Him in the presence of his courtiers and of the Jewish priests, hoping to make a grand display of his own knowledge and talents.

Pilate having sent him word, “that he could find no cause in the man,” he concluded that these words were intended as a hint that he (Pilate) wished the accusers to be treated with contempt and mistrust. He, therefore, addressed them in the most haughty distant manner possible, and thereby increased their rage and anger indescribably.

The Priests and Herod
They all began at once to vociferate their accusations, to which Herod hardly listened, being intent solely on gratifying his curiosity by a close examination of Jesus, whom he had so often wished to see. But when he beheld Him stripped of all clothing save the remnant of a mantle, scarcely able to stand, and His countenance totally disfigured from the blows He had received, and from the mud and missiles which the rabble had flung at His head, the luxurious and effeminate prince turned away in disgust, uttered the name of God, and said to the priests in a tone of mingled pity and contempt, “Take Him hence, and bring Him not back into my presence in such a deplorable state.”

The guards took Jesus into the outer court, and procured some water in a basin, with which they cleansed His soiled garments and disfigured countenance; but they could not restrain their brutality even while doing this, and paid no regard to the wounds with which He was covered.

Herod meantime accosted the priests in much the same strain as Pilate had done. “Your behaviour vastly resembles that of butchers,” he said, “and you commence your immolations pretty early in the morning.” The Chief Priests produced their accusations at once. Herod, when Jesus was again brought into his presence, pretended to feel some compassion, and offered Him a glass of wine to recruit His strength; but Jesus turned His head away and refused this alleviation.

Herod Questions Jesus
Herod then began to expatiate with great volubility on all he had heard concerning Our Lord. He asked a thousand questions, and exhorted Him to work a miracle in his presence; but Jesus answered not a word, and stood before him with His eyes cast down, which conduct both irritated and disconcerted Herod, although he endeavoured to conceal his anger, and continued his interrogations. He at first expressed surprise, and made use of persuasive words.

“Is it possible, Jesus of Nazareth,” he exclaimed, “that it is Thou thyself that appearest before me as a criminal? I have heard Thy actions so much spoken of. Thou art not perhaps aware that Thou didst offend me grievously by setting free the prisoners whom I had confined at Thirza, but possibly Thy intentions were good. The Roman governor has now sent Thee to me to be judged; what answer canst Thou give to all these accusations? Thou art silent? I have heard much concerning Thy wisdom, and the religion Thou teachest, let me hear Thee answer and confound Thy enemies. Art Thou the king of the Jews? Art Thou the Son of God? Who art Thou? Thou art said to have performed wonderful miracles; work one now in my presence. I have the power to release Thee. Is it true that Thou hast restored sight to the blind, raised up Lazarus from the dead, and fed two or three thousand persons with a few loaves? Why dost Thou not answer? I recommend Thee to work a miracle quickly before me; perhaps Thou mayest rejoice afterwards at having complied with my wishes.”

Jesus still kept silence, and Herod continued to question Him with even more volubility.

“Who art Thou?” said he. “From whence hast Thou Thy power? How is it that Thou dost no longer possess it? Art Thou He whose birth was foretold in such a wonderful manner? Kings from the East came to my father to see a newly-born king of the Jews: is it true that Thou wast that child? Didst Thou escape when so many children were massacred, and how was Thy escape managed? Why hast Thou been for so many years unknown? Answer my questions! Art Thou a king? Thy appearance certainly is not regal. I have been told that Thou wast conducted to the Temple in triumph a short time ago. What was the meaning of such an exhibition?—speak out at once!— Answer me!”

Herod continued to question Jesus in this rapid manner; but Our Lord did not vouchsafe a reply. I was shown (as indeed I already knew) that Jesus was thus silent because Herod was m a state of excommunication, both on account of his adulterous marriage with Herodias, and of his having given orders for the execution of St. John the Baptist. Annas and Caiphas, seeing how indignant Herod was at the silence of Jesus, immediately endeavoured to take advantage of his feelings of wrath, and recommenced their accusations, saying that He had called Herod himself a fox; that his great aim for many years had been the overthrow of Herod’s family; that He was endeavouring to establish a new religion, and had celebrated the Pasch on the previous day.

Herod Sends Jesus Back to Pilate
Although Herod was extremely enraged at the conduct of Jesus, he did not lose sight of the political ends which he wished to forward. He was determined not to condemn Our Lord, both because he experienced a secret and indefinable sensation of terror in His presence, and because he still felt remorse at the thought of having put John the Baptist to death, besides which he detested the High Priests for not having allowed him to take part in the sacrifices on account of his adulterous connection with Herodias.

But his principal reason for determining not to condemn Jesus was, that he wished to make some return to Pilate for his courtesy, and he thought the best return would be the compliment of showing deference to his decision and agreeing with him in opinion. But he spoke in the most contemptuous manner to Jesus, and turning to the guards and servants who surrounded Him, and who were about two hundred in number, said: “Take away this fool, and pay Him that homage which is His due; He is mad, rather than guilty of any crime.”

Our Lord was immediately taken into a large court, where every possible insult and indignity was heaped upon Him. This court was between the two wings of the palace, and Herod stood a spectator on a platform for some time. Annas and Caiphas were by his side, endeavouring to persuade him to condemn our Saviour. But their efforts were fruitless, and Herod answered in a tone loud enough to be heard by the Roman soldiers: “No, I should act quite wrongly if I condemned Him.” His meaning was, that it would be wrong to condemn as guilty one whom Pilate had pronounced innocent, although he had been so courteous as to defer the final judgment to him.

Priests Fail with Herod
When the High Priests and the other enemies of Jesus perceived that Herod was determined not to give in to their wishes, they dispatched emissaries to that division of the city called Acre, which was chiefly inhabited by Pharisees, to let them know that they must assemble in the neighbourhood of Pilate’s palace, gather together the rabble, and bribe them to make a tumult, and demand the condemnation of Our Lord. They likewise sent forth secret agents to alarm the people by threats of the divine vengeance if they did not insist on the execution of Jesus, whom they termed a sacrilegious blasphemer.

These agents were ordered likewise to alarm them by intimating that if Jesus were not put to death, He would go over to the Romans, and assist in the extermination of the Jewish nation, for that it was to this He referred when He spoke of His future kingdom. They endeavoured to spread a report in other parts of the city, that Herod had condemned Him, but still that it was necessary for the people likewise to express their wishes, as His partisans were to be feared; for that if He were released He would join the Romans, make a disturbance on the festival day, and take the most inhuman revenge. Some among them circulated contradictory and alarming reports, in order to excite the people, and cause an insurrection; while others distributed money among the soldiers to bribe them to ill-treat Jesus, so as to cause His death, which they were most anxious should be brought about as quickly as possible, lest Pilate should acquit Him.

Whilst the Pharisees were busying themselves in this manner, our Blessed Saviour was suffering the greatest outrages from the brutal soldiers to whom Herod had delivered Him, that they might deride Him as a fool. They dragged Him into the court, and one of their number having procured a large white sack which had once been filled with cotton, they made a hole in its centre with a sword, and then tossed it over the head of Jesus, accompanying each action with bursts of the most contemptuous laughter. Another soldier brought the remnant of an old scarlet cloak, and passed it round His neck, while the rest bent their knee before Him—shoved Him—abused Him— spat upon Him—struck Him on the cheek, because He had refused to answer their king, mocked Him by pretending to pay homage—threw mud upon Him—seized Him by the waist, pretending to make Him dance; then, having thrown Him down, dragged Him through a gutter which ran on the side of the court, thus causing His sacred head to strike against the columns and sides of the wall, and when at last they raised Him up, it was only in order to recommence their insults.

The soldiers and servants of Herod who were assembled in this court amounted to upwards of two hundred, and all thought to pay court to their monarch by torturing Jesus in some unheard-of way. Many were bribed by the enemies of Our Lord to strike Him on the head with their sticks, and they took advantage of the confusion and tumult to do so. Jesus looked upon them with compassion; excess of pain drew from Him occasional moans and groans, but His enemies rejoiced in His sufferings, and mocked His moans, and not one among the whole assembly showed the slightest degree of compassion. I saw blood streaming from His head, and three times did the blows prostrate Him, but angels were weeping at His side, and they anointed His head with heavenly balsam. It was revealed to me that had it not been for this, miraculous assistance He must have died from those wounds. The Philistines at Gaza, who gave vent to their wrath by tormenting poor blind Samson, were far less barbarous than these cruel executioners of Our Lord.

The priests were, however, impatient to return to the Temple; therefore, having made certain that their orders regarding Jesus would be obeyed, they returned to Herod, and endeavoured to persuade him to condemn Our Lord. But he, being determined to do all in his power to please Pilate, refused to accede to their wishes, and sent Jesus back again clothed in the fool’s garment.

Jesus led back from the Court of Herod to that of Pilate
The enemies of Jesus were perfectly infuriated at being obliged to take Jesus back, still uncondemned, to Pilate, who had so many times declared His innocence. They led Him round by a much longer road, in order in the first place to let the persons of that part of the town see Him in the state of ignominy to which He was reduced, and in the second place to give their emissaries more time to stir up the populace.

This road was extremely rough and uneven; and the soldiers, encouraged by the Pharisees, scarcely refrained a moment from tormenting Jesus. The long garment with which He was clothed impeded His steps, and caused Him to fall heavily more than once; and His cruel guards, as also many among the brutal populace, instead of assisting Him in His state of exhaustion, endeavoured by blows and kicks to force Him to rise.

To all these outrages Jesus offered not the smallest resistance; He prayed constantly to His Father for grace and strength that He might not sink under them, but accomplish the work of His Passion for our redemption.

Jesus Apprears Before Pilate for the Second Time
It was about eight o’clock in the morning when the procession reached the palace of Pilate for the second time. The crowd was dense, and the Pharisees might be seen walking to and fro, endeavouring to incite and infuriate them still more. Pilate, who remembered an insurrection which had taken place the year before at the Paschal time, had assembled upwards of a thousand soldiers, whom he posted around the Praetorium, the Forum, and his palace.

The Pharisees led Jesus, still clothed in the fool’s garment, through the midst of the insolent mob, and had done all in their power to gather together the most vile and wicked of miscreants from among the dregs of the people. A servant sent by Herod had already reached Pilate, with a message to the effect that his master had fully appreciated his polite deference to his opinion, but that he looked upon the far-famed Galilean as no better than a fool, that he had treated Him as such, and now sent Him back. Pilate was quite satisfied at finding that Herod had come to the same conclusion as himself, and therefore returned a polite message. From that hour they became friends, having been enemies many years; in fact, ever since the falling-in of the aqueduct.

Pilate States Jesus is Innocent—the Second Time
Jesus was again led to the house of Pilate. The archers dragged Him up the stairs with their usual brutality; His feet became entangled in His long robe, and He fell upon the white marble steps, which were stained with blood from His sacred head. His enemies had again taken their seats at the entrance of the forum; the mob laughed at His fall, and the archers struck their innocent victim, instead of assisting Him to rise. Pilate was reclining on a species of easy-chair, with a little table before him, and surrounded with officers and persons who held strips of parchment covered with writing in their hands. He came forward and said to the accusers of Jesus: “You have presented unto me this man, as one that perverteth the people, and behold I having examined Him before you, find no cause in this man in those things wherein you accuse Him. No, nor Herod neither. For I sent you to him, and behold, nothing worthy of death is done to Him. I will chastise Him, therefore, and release Him.”

When the Pharisees heard these words, they became furious, and endeavoured to the utmost of their power to persuade the people to revolt, distributing money among them to effect this purpose. Pilate looked around with contempt, and addressed them in scornful words.

Jesus or Barabbas
It happened to be the precise time when, according to an ancient custom, the people had the privilege of demanding the deliverance of one prisoner. The Pharisees had dispatched emissaries to persuade the people to demand the death, and not the life, of Our Lord. Pilate hoped that they would ask for Jesus, and determined to give them to choose between Him and a criminal called Barabbas, who had been convicted of a dreadful murder committed during a sedition, as also of many other crimes, and was, moreover, detested by the people.

There was considerable excitement among the crowd; a certain portion came forward, and their orators, addressing Pilate in a loud voice, said: “Grant us the favour you have always granted on the festival day.” Pilate made answer: “It is customary for me to deliver to you a criminal at the Paschal time; whom will you that I release to you, Barabbas, or Jesus that is called Christ?”

Although Pilate did not in his own mind feel at all certain that Jesus was the King of the Jews, yet he called Him so, partly because his Roman pride made him take delight in humbling the Jews by calling such a despicable-looking person their king; and partly because he felt a kind of inward belief that Jesus might really be that miraculous king, that Messias who had been promised. He saw plainly that the priests were incited by envy alone in their accusations against Jesus; this made him most anxious to disappoint them; and the desire was increased by that glimmering of the truth which partly enlightened his mind. There was some hesitation among the crowd when Pilate asked this question, and a few voices answered, “Barabbas.” A servant sent by Pilate’s wife asked for him at this moment; he left the platform, and the messenger presented the pledge which he had given her, saying at the same time: “Claudia Procles begs you to remember your promise this morning.” The Pharisees and the priests walked anxiously and hastily about among the crowd, threatening some and ordering others, although, in fact, little was required to incite the already infuriated multitude.

Mary, with Magdalen, John, and the holy women, stood in a corner of the forum, trembling and weeping; for although the Mother of Jesus was fully aware that the redemption of man could not be brought about by any other means than the death of her Son, yet she was filled with the anguish of a mother, and with a longing desire to save Him from those tortures and from that death which He was about to suffer. She prayed God not to allow such a fearful crime to be perpetrated; she repeated the words of Jesus in the Garden of Olives: “If it is possible, let this chalice pass away.” She still felt a glimmering of hope, because there was a report current that Pilate wished to acquit Jesus. Groups of persons, mostly inhabitants of Capharnaum, where Jesus had taught, and among whom He had wrought so many miraculous cures, were congregated in her vicinity; they pretended not to remember either her or her weeping companions; they simply cast a glance now and then, as if by chance, at their closely-veiled figures. Many thought, as did her companions likewise, that these persons at least would reject Barabbas, and beg for the life of their Saviour and Benefactor; but these hopes were, alas, fallacious.

Pilate States Jesus is Innocent—the Third Time
Pilate sent back the pledge to his wife, as an assurance of his intention to keep his promise. He again came forward on the platform, and seated himself at the little table. The Chief Priests took their seats likewise, and Pilate once more demanded: “Which of the two am I to deliver up to you?” A general cry resounded through the hall: “Not this man, but Barabbas!” “But what am I to do with Jesus, who is called Christ?” replied Pilate. All exclaimed in a tumultuous manner: “Let Him be crucified! Let Him be crucified!” “But what evil has He done?” asked Pilate for the third time. “I find no cause in Him. I will scourge and then acquit Him.” But the cry, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” burst from the crowd, and the sounds echoed like an infernal tempest; the High Priests and the Pharisees vociferated and hurried backwards and forwards as if insane. Pilate at last yielded; his weak pusillanimous character could not withstand such violent demonstrations; he delivered up Barabbas to the people, and condemned Jesus to be scourged.

The Scourging of Jesus
That most weak and undecided of all judges, Pilate, had several times repeated these dastardly words: “I find no crime in Him: I will chastise Him, therefore, and let Him go;” to which the Jews had continued to respond, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” but he determined to adhere to his resolution of not condemning Our Lord to death, and ordered Him to be scourged according to the manner of the Romans. The guards were therefore ordered to conduct Him through the midst of the furious multitude to the forum, which they did with the utmost brutality, at the same time loading Him with abuse, and striking Him with their staffs.

The Six Scourgers
The pillar where criminals were scourged stood to the north of Pilate’s palace, near the guard-house, and the executioners soon arrived, carrying whips, rods, and ropes, which they tossed down at its base. They were six in number, dark, swarthy men, somewhat shorter than Jesus; their chests were covered with a piece of leather, or with some dirty stuff; their loins were girded, and their hairy, sinewy arms bare. They were malefactors from the frontiers of Egypt, who had been condemned for their crimes to hard labour, and were employed principally in making canals, and in erecting public buildings, the most criminal being selected to act as executioners in the Praetorium.

Jesus is Tied to the Pillar
These cruel men had many times scourged poor criminals to death at this pillar. They resembled wild beasts or demons, and appeared to be half drunk. They struck Our Lord with their fists, and dragged Him by the cords with which He was tied, although He followed them without offering the least resistance, and, finally, they barbarously knocked Him down against the pillar. This pillar, placed in the centre of the court, stood alone, and did not serve to sustain any part of the building; it was not very high, for a tall man could touch the summit by stretching out his arm; there was a large iron ring at the top, and both rings and hooks a little lower down. It is quite impossible to describe the cruelty shown by these ruffians towards Jesus: they tore off the mantle with which He had been clothed in derision at the court of Herod, and almost threw Him prostrate again.

Jesus trembled and shuddered as He stood before the pillar, and took off His garments as quickly as He could, but His hands were bloody and swollen. The only return He made when His brutal executioners struck and abused Him was to pray for them in the most touching manner: He turned His face once towards His Mother, who was standing overcome with grief; this look quite unnerved her: she fainted, and would have fallen, had not the holy women who were there supported her. Jesus put His arms round the pillar, and when His hands were thus raised, the archers fastened them to the iron ring which was at the top of the pillar; they then dragged His arms to such a height that His feet, which were tightly bound to the base of the pillar, scarcely touched the ground.

The Scourges
Thus was the Holy of holies violently stretched, without a particle of clothing, on a pillar used for the punishment of the greatest criminals; and then did two furious ruffians who were thirsting for His blood begin in the most barbarous manner to scourge His sacred body from head to foot. The whips or scourges which they first made use of appeared to me to be made of a species of flexible white wood, but perhaps they were composed of the sinews of the ox, or of strips of leather.

The Scourging Begins
Our loving Lord, the Son of God, true God and true Man, writhed as a worm under the blows of these barbarians; His mild but deep groans might be heard from afar; they resounded through the air, fording a kind of touching accompaniment to the hissing of the instruments of torture. These groans resembled rather a touching cry of prayer and supplication, than moans of anguish.

The clamour of the Pharisees and the people formed another species of accompaniment, which at times as a deafening thunder-storm deadened and smothered these sacred and mournful cries, and in their place might be heard the words, “Put Him to death!” “Crucify Him!”

Pilate Pleads in Vain
Pilate continued parleying with the people, and when he demanded silence in order to be able to speak, he was obliged to proclaim his wishes to the clamorous assembly by the sound of a trumpet, and at such moments you might again hear the noise of the scourges, the moans of Jesus, the imprecations of the soldiers, and the bleating of the Paschal lambs which were being washed in the Probatica pool, at no great distance from the forum. There was something peculiarly touching in the plaintive bleating of these lambs: they alone appeared to unite their lamentations with the suffering moans of Our Lord.

The Jewish mob was gathered together at some distance from the pillar at which the dreadful punishment was taking place, and Roman soldiers were stationed in different parts round about. Many persons were walking to and fro, some in silence, others speaking of Jesus in the most insulting terms possible, and a few appearing touched, and I thought I beheld rays of light issuing from Our Lord and entering the hearts of the latter. I saw groups of infamous, bold-looking young men, who were for the most part busying themselves near the watch-house in preparing fresh scourges, while others went to seek branches of thorns.

Jews Bribe the Executioners to be More Brutal
Several of the servants of the High Priests went up to the brutal executioners and gave them money; as also a large jug filled with a strong bright red liquid, which quite inebriated them, and increased their cruelty tenfold towards their innocent Victim. The two ruffians continued to strike Our Lord with unremitting violence for a quarter of an hour, and were then succeeded by two others. His body was entirely covered with black, blue, and red marks; the blood was trickling down on the ground, and yet the furious cries which issued from among the assembled Jews showed that their cruelty was far from being satiated.

The night had been extremely cold, and the morning was dark and cloudy; a little hail had fallen, which surprised every one, but towards twelve o’clock the day became brighter, and the sun shone forth.

Second Round of Scourgers and Scourges
The two fresh executioners commenced scourging Jesus with the greatest possible fury; they made use of a different kind of rod—a species of thorny stick, covered with knots and splinters. The blows from these sticks tore His flesh to pieces; His blood spouted out so as to stain their arms, and He groaned, prayed, and shuddered. At this moment, some strangers mounted on camels passed through the forum; they stopped for a moment, and were quite overcome with pity and horror at the scene before them, upon which some of the bystanders explained the cause of what they witnessed. Some of these travellers had been baptised by John, and others had heard the sermon of Jesus on the mountain. The noise and the tumult of the mob was even more deafening near the house of Pilate.

Two fresh executioners took the places of the last mentioned, who were beginning to flag; their scourges were composed of small chains, or straps covered with iron hooks, which penetrated to the bone, and tore off large pieces of flesh at every blow. What word, alas! could describe this terrible—this heartrending scene!

Flesh Torn to Shreds
The cruelty of these barbarians was nevertheless not yet satiated; they untied Jesus, and again fastened Him up with His back turned towards the pillar. As He was totally unable to support Himself in an upright position, they passed cords round His waist, under His arms, and above His knees, and having bound His hands tightly into the rings which were placed at the upper part of the pillar, they recommenced scourging Him with even greater fury than before; and one among them struck Him constantly on the face with a new rod. The body of Our Lord was perfectly torn to shreds,—it was but one wound. He looked at His torturers with His eyes filled with blood, as if entreating mercy; but their brutality appeared to increase, and His moans each moment became more feeble.

Forty-Five Minutes of Horror
The dreadful scourging had been continued without intermission for three quarters of an hour, when a stranger of lowly birth, a relation to Ctesiphon, the blind man whom Jesus had cured, rushed from amidst the crowd, and approached the pillar with a knife shaped like a cutlass in his hand. “Cease!” he exclaimed, in an indignant tone; “Cease! Scourge not this innocent man unto death!” The drunken miscreants, taken by surprise, stopped short, while he quickly severed the cords which bound Jesus to the pillar, and disappeared among the crowd. Jesus fell almost without consciousness on the ground, which was bathed with His blood. The executioners left Him there, and rejoined their cruel companions, who were amusing themselves in the guard-house with drinking, and plaiting the crown of thorns.

Our Lord remained for a short time on the ground, at the foot of the pillar, bathed in His own blood, and two or three bold-looking girls came up to gratify their curiosity by looking at Him. They gave a glance, and were turning away in disgust, but at the moment the pain of the wounds of Jesus was so intense that He raised His bleeding head and looked at them. They retired quickly, and the soldiers and guards laughed and made game of them.

During the time of the scourging of Our Lord, I saw weeping angels approach Him many times; I likewise heard the prayers He constantly addressed to His Father for the pardon of our sins—prayers which never ceased during the whole time of the infliction of this cruel punishment. Whilst He lay bathed in His blood I saw an angel present to Him a vase containing a bright-looking beverage which appeared to reinvigorate Him in a certain degree. The archers soon returned, and after giving Him some blows with their sticks, bade Him rise and follow them.

Jesus Rises
He raised Himself with the greatest difficulty, as His trembling limbs could scarcely support the weight of His body; they did not give Him sufficient time to put on His clothes, but threw His upper garment over His naked shoulders and led Him from the pillar to the guard-house, where He wiped the blood which trickled down His face with a corner of His garment. When He passed before the benches on which the High Priests were seated, they cried out, “Put Him to death! Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” and then turned away disdainfully. The executioners led Him into the interior of the guard-house, which was filled with slaves, archers, hodmen, and the very dregs of the people, but there were no soldiers.

The great excitement among the populace alarmed Pilate so much, that he sent to the fortress of Antonia for a reinforcement of Roman soldiers, and posted these well-disciplined troops round the guard-house; they were permitted to talk and to deride Jesus in every possible way, but were forbidden to quit their ranks. These soldiers, whom Pilate had sent for to intimidate the mob, numbered about a thousand.

Mary during the Scourging of Our Lord
I saw the Blessed Virgin in a continual ecstasy during the time of the scourging of her Divine Son; she saw and suffered with inexpressible love and grief all the torments He was enduring. She groaned feebly, and her eyes were red with weeping. A large veil covered her person, and she leant upon Mary of Heli, her eldest sister,* who was old and extremely like their mother, Anne. Mary of Cleophas, the daughter of Mary of Heli, was there also. The friends of Jesus and Mary stood around the latter; they wore large veils, appeared overcome with grief and anxiety, and were weeping as if in the momentary expectation of death. The dress of Mary was blue; it was long, and partly covered by a cloak made of white wool, and her veil was of rather a yellow white. Magdalen was totally beside herself from grief and her hair was floating loosely under her veil.

Pilate’s Wife and Our Lady
When Jesus fell down at the foot of the pillar, after the flagellation, I saw Claudia Procles, the wife of Pilate, send some large pieces of linen to the Mother of God. I know not whether she thought that Jesus would be set free, and that His Mother would then require linen to dress His wounds, or whether this compassionate lady was aware of the use which would be made of her present. At the termination of the scourging, Mary came to herself for a time, and saw her Divine Son all torn and mangled, being led away by the archers after the scourging: He wiped His eyes, which were filled with blood, that He might look at His Mother, and she stretched out her hands towards Him, and continued to look at the bloody traces of His footsteps. I soon after saw Mary and Magdalen approach the pillar where Jesus had been scourged; the mob were at a distance, and they were partly concealed by the other holy women, and by a few kind-hearted persons who had joined them; they knelt down on the ground near the pillar, and wiped up the sacred blood with the linen which Claudia Procles had sent. John was not at that time with the holy women, who were about twenty in number. The sons of Simeon and of Obed, and Veronica, as also the two nephews of Joseph of Arimathea—Aram and Themni—were in the Temple, and appeared to be overwhelmed with grief. It was not more than nine o”clock A.M. when the scourging terminated.

The Crowning with Thorns
No sooner did Sister Emmerich recommence the narrative of her visions on the Passion than she again became extremely ill, oppressed with fever, and so tormented by violent thirst that her tongue was perfectly parched and contracted; and on the Monday after Mid-Lent Sunday, she was so exhausted that it was not without great difficulty, and after many intervals of rest, that she narrated all which Our Lord suffered in His crowning with thorns. She was scarcely able to speak, because she herself felt every sensation which she described in the following account:

Pilate States Jesus is Innocent—the Third Time
Pilate harangued the populace many times during the time of the scourging of Jesus, but they interrupted him once, and vociferated, “He shall be executed, even if we die for it.” When Jesus was led into the guard-house, they all cried out again, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

After this there was silence for a time. Pilate occupied himself in giving different orders to the soldiers, and the servants of the High Priests brought them some refreshments; after which Pilate, whose superstitious tendencies made him uneasy in mind, went into the inner part of his palace in order to consult his gods, and to offer them incense.

When the Blessed Virgin and the holy women had gathered up the blood of Jesus, with which the pillar and the adjacent parts were saturated, they left the forum and went into a neighbouring small house, the owner of which I do not know. John was not, I think, present at the scourging of Jesus.

A gallery encircled the inner court of the guard-house where Our Lord was crowned with thorns, and the doors were open. The cowardly ruffians, who were eagerly waiting to gratify their cruelty by torturing and insulting Our Lord, were about fifty in number, and the greatest part slaves or servants of the jailers and soldiers. The mob gathered round the building, but were soon displaced by a thousand Roman soldiers, who were drawn up in good order and stationed there. Although forbidden to leave their ranks, these soldiers nevertheless did their utmost by laughter and applause to incite the cruel executioners to redouble their insults; and as public applause gives fresh energy to a comedian, so did their words of encouragement increase tenfold the cruelty of these men.

Crown of Thorns for a King
In the middle of the court there stood the fragment of a pillar, and on it was placed a very low stool which these cruel men maliciously covered with sharp flints and bits of broken potsherds. Then they tore off the garments of Jesus, thereby reopening all His wounds; threw over His shoulders an old scarlet mantle which barely reached His knees; dragged Him to the seat prepared, and pushed Him roughly down upon it, having first placed the crown of thorns upon His head. The crown of thorns was made of three branches plaited together, the greatest part of the thorns being purposely turned inwards so as to pierce Our Lord’s head. Having first placed these twisted branches on His forehead, they tied them tightly together at the back of His head, and no sooner was this accomplished to their satisfaction than they put a large reed into His hand, doing all with derisive gravity as if they were really crowning Him king. They then seized the reed, and struck His head so violently that His eyes were filled with blood; they knelt before Him, derided Him, spat in His face, and buffeted Him, saying at the same time, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they threw down His stool, pulled Him up again from the ground on which He had fallen, and reseated Him with the greatest possible brutality.

It is quite impossible to describe the cruel outrages which were thought of and perpetrated by these monsters under human form. The sufferings of Jesus from thirst, caused by the fever which His wounds and sufferings had brought on, were intense. He trembled all over, His flesh was torn piecemeal, His tongue contracted, and the only refreshment He received was the blood which trickled from His head on to His parched lips. This shameful scene was protracted a full half-hour, and the Roman soldiers continued during the whole time to applaud and encourage the perpetration of still greater outrages.

Pilate States Jesus is Innocent—the Fourth Time
The cruel executioners then reconducted Our Lord to Pilate’s palace, with the scarlet cloak still thrown over His shoulders, the crown of thorns on His head, and the reed in His fettered hands. He was perfectly unrecognisable, His eyes, mouth, and beard being covered with blood, His body but one wound, and His back bowed down as that of an aged man, while every limb trembled as He walked. When Pilate saw Him standing at the entrance of his tribunal, even he (hard-hearted as he usually was) became startled, and shuddered with horror and compassion, whilst the barbarous priests and the populace, far from being moved to pity, continued their insults and mockery. When Jesus had ascended the stairs, Pilate came forward, the trumpet was sounded to announce that the governor was about to speak, and he addressed the Chief Priests and the bystanders in the following words: “Behold, I bring Him forth to you, that you may know that I find no cause in Him.”

Ecce Homo
The archers then led Jesus up to Pilate, that the people might again feast their cruel eyes on Him, in the state of degradation to which He was reduced. Terrible and heartrending, indeed, was the spectacle He presented, and an exclamation of horror burst from the multitude, followed by a dead silence, when He with difficulty raised His wounded head, crowned as it was with thorns, and cast His exhausted glance on the excited throng. Pilate exclaimed, as he pointed Him out to the people: “Ecce homo! Behold the man!”

The hatred of the High Priests and their followers was, if possible, increased at the sight of Jesus, and they cried out, “Put Him to death; crucify Him.” “Are you not content?” said Pilate. “The punishment He has received is, beyond question, sufficient to deprive Him of all desire of making Himself king.” But they cried out the more, and the multitude joined in the cry, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

Pilate then sounded the trumpet to demand silence, and said: “Take you Him and crucify Him, for I find no cause in Him.” “We have a law, and according to that law He ought to die,” replied the priests, “because He made Himself the Son of God.”

These words, “He made Himself the Son of God,” revived the fears of Pilate; he took Jesus into another room, and asked Him; “Whence art Thou?” But Jesus made no answer. “Speakest Thou not to me?” said Pilate; “knowest Thou not that I have power to crucify Thee, and power to release Thee?” “Thou shouldst not have any power against Me,” replied Jesus, “unless it were given thee from above; therefore he that hath delivered Me to thee hath the greater sin.'

Pilate’s Wife Again Intervenes
The undecided, weak conduct of Pilate filled Claudia Procles with anxiety; she again sent him the pledge, to remind him of his promise, but he only returned a vague, superstitious answer, implying that he should leave the decision of the case to the gods. The enemies of Jesus, the High Priests and the Pharisees, having heard of the efforts which were being made by Claudia to save Him, caused a report to be spread among the people, that the partisans of Our Lord had seduced her, that He would be released, and then join the Romans and bring about the destruction of Jerusalem, and the extermination of the Jews.

Pilate’s Mind is in Turmoil
Pilate was in such a state of indecision and uncertainty as to be perfectly beside himself; he did not know what step to take next, and again addressed himself to the enemies of Jesus, declaring that “he found no crime in Him,” but they demanded His death still more clamorously. He then remembered the contradictory accusations which had been brought against Jesus, the mysterious dreams of his wife, and the unaccountable impression which the words of Jesus had made on himself, and therefore determined to question Him again in order thus to obtain some information which might enlighten him as to the course he ought to pursue; he therefore returned to the Praetorium, went alone into a room, and sent for our Saviour. He glanced at the mangled and bleeding Form before him, and exclaimed inwardly: “Is it possible that He can be God?” Then he turned to Jesus, and adjured Him to tell him if He was God, if He was that king who had been promised to the Jews, where His kingdom was, and to what class of gods He belonged. I can only give the sense of the words of Jesus, but they were solemn and severe. He told him “that His kingdom was not of this world,” and He likewise spoke strongly of the many hidden crimes with which the conscience of Pilate was defiled; warned him of the dreadful fate which would be his, if he did not repent; and finally declared that He Himself, the Son of Man, would come at the last day, to pronounce a just judgment upon him.

Pilate States Jesus is Innocent—the Fifth Time
Pilate was half frightened and half angry at the words of Jesus; he returned to the balcony, and again declared that he would release Jesus; but they cried out: “if thou release this man, thou art not Caesar’s friend. For whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.” Others said that they would accuse him to the Emperor of having disturbed their festival; that he must make up his mind at once, because they were obliged to be in the Temple by ten o”clock at night. The cry, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” resounded on all sides; it re-echoed even from the flat roofs of the houses near the forum, where many persons were assembled. Pilate saw that all his efforts were vain, that he could make no impression on the infuriated mob; their yells and imprecations were deafening, and he began to fear an insurrection. Therefore he took water, and washed his hands before the people, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just man; look you to it.” A frightful and unanimous cry then came from the dense multitude, who were assembled from all parts of Palestine, “His blood be upon us, and upon our children.”

Jesus Condemned to be Crucified
Pilate, who did not desire to know the truth, but was solely anxious to get out of the difficulty without harm to himself, became more undecided than ever; his conscience whispered— “Jesus is innocent.” His wife said, “He is holy.” His superstitious feelings made him fear that Jesus was the enemy of his gods; and his cowardice filled him with dread lest Jesus, if He was a god, should wreak His vengeance upon His judge. He was both irritated and alarmed at the last words of Jesus, and he made another attempt for His release; but the Jews instantly threatened to lay an accusation against him before the Emperor. This menace terrified him, and he determined to accede to their wishes, although firmly convinced in his own mind of the innocence of Jesus, and perfectly conscious that by pronouncing sentence of death upon Him he should violate every law of justice, besides breaking the promise he had made to his wife in the morning. Thus did he sacrifice Jesus to the enmity of the Jews, and endeavour to stifle remorse by washing his hands before the people, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just man; look you to it.” Vainly dost thou pronounce these words, O Pilate! For His blood is on thy head likewise; thou canst not wash His blood from thy soul, as thou dost from thy hands.

His Blood be Upon Us and Upon Our Children
Those fearful words, “His blood be upon us and upon our children,” had scarcely ceased to resound, when Pilate commenced his preparations for passing sentence. He called for the dress which he wore on state occasions, put a species of diadem, set in precious stones, on his head, changed his mantle, and caused a staff to be carried before him. He was surrounded with soldiers, preceded by officers belonging to the tribunal, and followed by Scribes, who carried rolls of parchments and books used for inscribing names and dates. One man walked in front, who carried the trumpet.

The procession marched in this order from Pilate’s palace to the forum, where an elevated seat, used on these particular occasions, was placed opposite to the pillar where Jesus was scourged. This tribunal was called Gabbatha; it was a kind of round terrace, ascended by means of staircases; on the top was a seat for Pilate, and behind this seat a bench for those in minor offices, while a number of soldiers were stationed round the terrace and upon the staircases. Many of the Pharisees had left the palace and were gone to the Temple, so that Annas; Caiphas, and twenty-eight priests alone followed the Roman governor on to the forum, and the two thieves were taken there at the time that Pilate presented our Saviour to the people, saying: “Ecce homo!”

No King but Caesar
Our Lord was still clothed in His purple garment, His crown of thorns upon His head, and His hands manacled, when the archers brought Him up to the tribunal, and placed Him between the two malefactors. As soon as Pilate was seated, he again addressed the enemies of Jesus, in these words, “Behold your King!”

But the cries of “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” resounded on all sides.
“Shall I crucify your King?” said Pilate.
“We have no King but Caesar!” responded the High Priests.

Pilate found it was utterly hopeless to say anything more, and therefore commenced his preparations for passing sentence. The two thieves had received their sentence of crucifixion some time before; but the High Priests had obtained a respite for them, in order that Our Lord might suffer the additional ignominy of being executed with two criminals of the most infamous description. The crosses of the two thieves were by their sides; that intended for Our Lord was not brought, because He was not as yet sentenced to death.

The Blessed Virgin, who had retired to some distance after the scourging of Jesus, again approached to hear the sentence of death pronounced upon her Son and her God. Jesus stood in the midst of the archers, at the foot of the staircase leading up to the tribunal. The trumpet was sounded to demand silence, and then the cowardly, the base judge, in a tremulous undecided voice, pronounced the sentence of death on the Just Man. The sight of the cowardice and duplicity of this despicable being, who was nevertheless puffed up with pride at his important position, almost overcame me, and the ferocious joy of the executioners—the triumphant countenances of the High Priests, added to the deplorable condition to which our loving Saviour was reduced, and the agonising grief of His beloved Mother—still further increased my pain. I looked up again, and saw the cruel Jews almost devouring their victim with their eyes, the soldiers standing coldly by, and multitudes of horrible demons passing to and fro and mixing in the crowd. I felt that I ought to have been in the place of Jesus, my beloved Spouse, for the sentence would not then have been unjust; but I was so overcome with anguish, and my sufferings were so intense, that I cannot exactly remember all that I did see. However, I will relate all as nearly as I can.

Sentence Pronounced and Written
After a long preamble, which was composed principally of the most pompous and exaggerated eulogy of the Emperor Tiberias, Pilate spoke of the accusations which had been brought against Jesus by the High Priests. He said that they had condemned Him to death for having disturbed the public peace, and broken their laws by calling Himself the Son of God and King of the Jews; and that the people had unanimously demanded that their decree should be carried out. Notwithstanding his oft repeated conviction of the innocence of Jesus, this mean and worthless judge was not ashamed of saying that he likewise considered their decision a just one, and that he should therefore pronounce sentence—which he did in these words: “I condemn Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews, to be crucified ”; and he ordered the executioners to bring the cross. I think I remember likewise that he took a long stick in his hands, broke it, and threw the fragments at the feet of Jesus.

On hearing these words of Pilate the Mother of Jesus became for a few moments totally unconscious, for she was now certain that her beloved Son must die the most ignominious and the most painful of all deaths. John and the holy women carried her away, to prevent the heartless beings who surrounded them from adding crime to crime by jeering at her grief; but no sooner did she revive a little than she begged to be taken again to each spot which had been sanctified by the sufferings of her Son, in order to bedew them with her tears; and thus did the Mother of Our Lord, in the name of the Church, take possession of those holy places.

Pilate then wrote down the sentence, and those who stood behind him copied it out three times. The words which he wrote were quite different from those he had pronounced; I could see plainly that his mind was dreadfully agitated—an angel of wrath appeared to guide his hand. The substance of the written sentence was this: “I have been compelled, for fear of an insurrection, to yield to the wishes of the High Priests, the Sanhedrim, and the people, who tumultuously demanded the death of Jesus of Nazareth, whom they accused of having disturbed the public peace, and also of having blasphemed and broken their laws. I have given Him up to them to be crucified, although their accusations appeared to be groundless. I have done so for fear of their alleging to the Emperor that I encourage insurrections, and cause dissatisfaction among the Jews by denying them the rights of justice.”

He then wrote the inscription for the cross, while his clerks copied out the sentence several times, that these copies might be sent to distant parts of the country.

High Priests Unhappy with the Wording of the Death Sentence
The High Priests were extremely dissatisfied at the words of the sentence, which they said were not true; and they clamorously surrounded the tribunal to endeavour to persuade him to alter the inscription, and not to put “King of the Jews,” but that “He said, I am the King of the Jews.”

Pilate was vexed, and answered impatiently, “What I have written I have written !”

They were likewise anxious that the cross of Our Lord should not be higher than those of the two thieves, but it was necessary for it to be so, because there would otherwise not have been sufficient place for Pilate’s inscription; they therefore endeavoured to persuade him not to have this obnoxious inscription put up at all. But Pilate was determined, and their words made no impression upon him; the cross was therefore obliged to be lengthened by a fresh bit of wood. Consequently the form of the cross was peculiar—the two arms stood out like the branches of a tree growing from the stem, and the shape was very like that of the letter Y, with the lower part lengthened so as to rise between the arms, which had been put on separately, and were thinner than the body of the cross. A piece of wood was likewise nailed at the bottom of the cross for the feet to rest upon.

Pilate’s Wife Claudia
During the time that Pilate was pronouncing the iniquitous sentence, I saw his wife, Claudia Procles, send him back the pledge which he had given her, and in the evening she left his palace and joined the friends of Our Lord, who concealed her in a subterraneous vault in the house of Lazarus at Jerusalem. Later in the same day, I likewise saw a friend of Our Lord engrave the words, Judex injustus, and the name of Claudia Procles, on a green-looking stone, which was behind the terrace called Gabbatha—this stone is still to be found in the foundations of a church or house at Jerusalem, which stands on the spot formerly called Gabbatha. Claudia Procles became a Christian, followed St. Paul, and became his particular friend.

Jesus Dragged Away
No sooner had Pilate pronounced sentence than Jesus was given up into the hands of the archers, and the clothes which He had taken off in the court of Caiphas were brought for Him to put on again. I think some charitable persons had washed them, for they looked clean. The ruffians who surrounded Jesus untied His hands for His dress to be changed, and roughly dragged off the scarlet mantle with which they had clothed Him in mockery, thereby reopening all His wounds; He put on His own linen under-garment with trembling hands, and they threw His scapular over His shoulders. As the crown of thorns was too large and prevented the seamless robe, which His Mother had made for Him, from going over His head, they pulled it off violently, heedless of the pain thus inflicted upon Him. His white woollen dress was next thrown over His shoulders, and then His wide belt and cloak. After this, they again tied round His waist a ring covered with sharp iron points, and to it they fastened the cords by which He was led, doing all with their usual brutal cruelty.

Two Thieves
The two thieves were standing, one on the right and the other on the left of Jesus, with their hands tied and a chain round their necks; they were covered with black and livid marks, the effects of the scourging of the previous day. The demeanour of the one who was afterwards converted was quiet and peaceable, while that of the other, on the contrary, was rough and insolent, and he joined the archers in abusing and insulting Jesus, who looked upon His two companions with love and compassion, and offered up His sufferings for their salvation. The archers gathered together all the implements necessary for the crucifixions, and prepared everything for the terrible and painful journey to Calvary.

His Blood Be Upon Us
Annas and Caiphas at last left off disputing with Pilate, and angrily retired, taking with them the sheets of parchment on which the sentence was written; they went away in haste, fearing that they should get to the Temple too late for the Paschal sacrifice. Thus did the High Priests, unknowingly to themselves, leave the true Paschal Lamb. They went to a temple made of stone, to immolate and to sacrifice that lamb which was but a symbol, and they left the true Paschal Lamb, who was being led to the Altar of the Cross by the cruel executioners; they were most careful not to contract exterior defilement, while their souls were completely defiled by anger, hatred, and envy. They had said, “His blood be upon us and upon our children !” And by these words they had performed the ceremony, and had placed the hand of the sacrificer upon the head of the Victim. Thus were the two paths formed—the one leading to the altar belonging to the Jewish law, the other leading to the Altar of Grace: Pilate, that proud and irresolute pagan, that slave of the world, who trembled in the presence of the true God, and yet adored his false gods, took a middle path, and returned to his palace.

The iniquitous sentence was given at about ten in the morning.