Date of the birth of Jesus. The information that Dionysius the Small had apart from the gospel was very limited. He probably based his calendar under the assumption that Jesus was 30 years old when He began His ministry, as Luke said, which should have been one or two years after John Baptist began his ministry. As the ministry of the Baptist began in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar (Luke 3:1), which happened, according to present estimates, in the year 29 AC, Dionysius supposed that, if Jesus was then 30 years old, his birth should have been thirty years before. But Dionysius couldn't fix exactly the death of Herod, which was much more important, because Jesus was born while Herod was still alive, as is attested by Matthew and Luke. The date of Herod' death was easy to remember, because there were then many disturbances, and everybody remembered who had been born before or after his death. We know today that the most probable date of Herod's death was the year 4 BC (before Christ), that is, that Jesus was born 4 to 6 years before the year 1 of our era.

Dates of the ministry and death of Jesus. The ministry of Jesus should have started in the year 30 or 31, and Jesus should have been then 34 or 36 years old; that is why Luke said that Jesus Himself began his ministry at about thirty years of age (Luke 3:23), so indicating that this was an approximate age. His ministry should have lasted approximately one year according to the synoptics, or three years according to the gospel of John. At the end of His ministry Jesus came to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, and died there. That might have been the year 32 or 33. But, as none of these figures are certain, the death of Jesus should not be placed before the year 25 nor after the year 36.

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Miraculous conception of Jesus. Luke and Matthew tell us about the conception of Jesus as a miraculous event. Matthew says that, as Joseph didn't want to abandon his wife, Mary, whom he saw pregnant before cohabiting with her, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and told him that her conception was the work of God: Do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit... All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord... Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel (Matthew 1:20-23; Compare Luke 1:31). Luke affirms the same as Matthew, that the conception of Jesus was not the work of a man but of the Holy Spirit, as the angel said to Mary: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

Virginal conception. The whole Christian tradition has recognized the conception of Jesus as a miraculous fact, the work of the Holy Spirit, and that Mary, being still virgin, became pregnant. There are some modern critics, nevertheless, who want to put everything in doubt and say that the quotation made by Matthew of Isaiah 7:14 is incorrect, because what Isaiah says there is that a maid, who was then virgin, was going to conceive not necessarily without losing her virginity. We could answer to this that Isaiah told Ahaz the king: Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord (Isaiah 7:11), and, what kind of sign is this, that a woman conceives if she gives up being a virgin? The prophetical sign accomplished in Mary was, that being still a virgin, she conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Place of the birth of Jesus. The gospels of Matthew and Luke affirm that the birth of Jesus took place in Bethlehem, but they differ on how and why Jesus was born in Bethlehem. According to Matthew, Joseph and Mary lived in Bethlehem, and Jesus was born there (Matthew 1:18 to 2:1); according to Luke, they lived in Nazareth, and from there they came to Bethlehem due to the census of Quirinius (Luke 2:1-39). We must admit that there is inconsistency between the two accounts. Regarding the census of Quirinius, this happened in the year 6 of our era, and Jesus would have been 10 years old then. These mistakes might seem big today; but not at that time, if we take into account that Luke didn't have a proper calendar, that his information was incomplete, and that he wrote his gospel approximately 70 years more or less after these events had happened. Simply, some of the oral transmission were just approximations; but this does not affect the substance of his message in the gospel.

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Are the accounts about the infancy of Jesus historical? A debate has been opened about the historicity of the narratives about the infancy of Jesus. To prove the historicity of the events is impossible, because of the lack of documents; the only source of information that we have are the gospels. The question is then how these narratives could have originated. It could be a little sad for Christians if those beautiful accounts about the infancy of Jesus would have been created just by the piety and devotion of the early Christians; but, even so, they could be true, and are absolutely understandable in the frame of the Jewish mentality of that time.

Parallels with the Old Testament. The more parallels and similarities between a Jew and the great personages of the Old Testament, the better; that is why all Jewish families endeavored to find similarities between their children and the protagonists of the history of Israel. If that was common to everybody, can we imagine what happened when the Jewish-Christians "discovered," by faith, that Jesus was really the Messiah, the Redemptor of Israel and of all nations, and the Son of the Highest God? Their innate instinct impelled them to find accomplished in Jesus all the announcements and prophecies of the Scripture, that they thought were referring to the Messiah. It was absolutely justifiable and normal to apply to Jesus all the oracles of the prophets, and find in Him a parallel with the great personages of the Old Testament. It was in this way that some accounts about the birth and the infancy of Jesus could have been created, which Luke and Matthew wanted to include in their gospels.

The birth in Bethlehem. It could have been that Luke, with the intent of proving that the prophecy of Michah was accomplished in Jesus: Yet out of you, Bethlehem, shall come forth the One to be Ruler of Israel (Michah 5:2), —although, according to his information, Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth (they lived in Bethlehem, according to Matthew)— Luke used the opportunity of Quirinius' census to make them come to Bethlehem to be registered. It seems, historically, that Jesus would have been a boy then. (Remember what we said in Step 4, that it is historically certain that Quirinius was not governor of Syria after the death of Herod, probably the year 6 of our era, Jesus being 10 years old, as we said in Step 11.) This reference to the census creates more problems than solutions, because the objective of the census was to fix the taxes for landowners, and Joseph and Mary, being poor, were exempted from the census.

The Canticles of the New Testament. Luke relates three hymns or Canticles in his gospel: The Magnificat, of Mary (1:46-55); The Benedictus, of Zacharias (1:68-79); and The Nunc dimittis, of Simeon (2:29-32). How were these Canticles originated? We do not know the truth, and one explanation for those who admit a literal inspiration of the hagiographers, word by word, could be inspiration. Others think that these Canticles could have been composed by Christians as hymns of faith, and they put them in their mouths. Hence, even if historically that hadn't happened, their content is true, and they express the faith that early Christians had in the event of salvation of the gospel and the redemptive work of Jesus.

Genocide of the infants. Matthew relates an event more verisimilar, and it is the slaughter of the infants by Herod. Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts (Matthew 2:16). This fact is more understandable because, according to Jesephus the historian, Herod was inhumane. Nevertheless, among the atrocities related by Josephus is not the genocide of the infants; for this reason some cast some doubts on it.

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Jesus is circumcised. Luke says that at the eighth day, Jesus was circumcised, and His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb (Luke 2:21). It seems that the observance of an action that routinely occurred, such as the circumcision, need not be mentioned; so, if Luke did (Matthew and Mark didn't), it was because he had a special reason. This could have been to emphasize the meaning of the name of Jesus, and the accomplishment of the words of the angel to Mary (Luke 1:31) and in a dream to Joseph: You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). The name of Jesus was a sign of His mission, because Jesus means Savior.

Origin and meaning of the circumcision. Circumcision was imposed by God on Abraham as a sign of belonging to the chosen people (Genesis 15:18; 17:10-11), and it became a very important rite in the life of every Israelite. Paul said later that, in the dispensation of the New Testament, neither circumcision nor incircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love (Galatians 5:6),

Dedication of Jesus to Yahveh. The life of every Israelite was devoted to Yahveh and tied to the temple; the life of Jesus was not an exception. By law, any first-born must be devoted to Yahveh: You shall set apart to the Lord all that open the womb (Exodus 13:12), which is the text quoted by Luke. Does Luke want to tell us that Mary wasn't virgin after the birth of Jesus? The Roman Church has believed in the perpetual virginity of Mary, which would have been a miracle; many scholars believe the contrary.

The Canticle "Nunc dimittis." Any Jewish mother, after completing the days of her purification, was to offer a sacrifice according to the law; the one of the poor people was:  A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons (Luke 2:24: Leviticus 12:8). Luke says that on this occasion, an elderly man called Simeon, came by the Spirit into the temple... he took the Child in his arms and said: Lord, now You are letting your servant depart in peace... for my eyes have seen Your salvation (Luke 2:27-30). The historical events of the life of Jesus are inseparable from their soteriological or salvific character (from the Greek soterion, which means freed or saved).

Jesus went to Jerusalem every year to celebrate Passover. We know very little about the adolescence of Jesus. Luke says that His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover; and it happened that, when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast... As they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it (Luke 2:41-43). They returned to Jerusalem, and they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers (Luke 2:46-47). One could think that this is one of those stories created by the piety of the Christians, but the fact is that there is no proof against it.

Observance of the law. The gospels emphasize the observance of the law by Jesus. They did that, perhaps, in preparation for His ministry; no Jew would have been accepted by the Jewish community without the observance of the law; with this, Jesus prepared Himself for His public ministry. These events stress also the Jesus-Man, without a divine aureole, as His fellow citizens perceived and knew Him when Jesus began His ministry.

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Jesus is baptized by John. John had begun preaching and baptizing in the Jordan. When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said: You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased (Luke 3:21-22). We are only establishing the chronological sequence of the events in the life of Jesus, for the time being, not the meaning of facts or of the words; we will do this later.

Jesus began His ministry. After the baptism, Luke adds these words: Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph (Luke 3:23). Luke continues with the genealogy of Jesus immediately after, up to Set, the son of Adam, the son of God (Luke 2:23-38).

The fasting of Jesus. Before Jesus began His ministry, He was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry (Matthew 4:1-2; compare Luke 4:1,2). The account made by Mark of the fasting and temptations of Jesus is limited to two verses; Matthew and Luke make an extensive narrative. The fasting of Jesus was a way of preparing Himself for His public ministry; the number "forty" is a biblical name, in memory of the forty years of journey of Israel through the wilderness. The Jewish fasting does not mean total abstention of food, and we can suppose that He drank water during the time of His fasting.

The temptations of Jesus. The reports made by Matthew and Luke show two supernatural interventions: that of the Spirit and that of Satan. The Spirit of God was in Jesus and, when he felt hungry, Satan came to tempt Him: And He was tempted by Satan, Mark says (Mark 1:13). The temptations of Jesus, following Matthew's order, were: to change the stones into bread; to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple, confident that the angels would take care of Him; and to be given Him all the kingdoms of the world in return for worshipping him. Jesus responded to each temptation with a quotation from the Scripture: Man shall not live by bread alone (Deuteronomy 8:3); You shall not tempt the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 6:16); and, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve (Deuteronomy 6:13). Jesus set the will of God, revealed in the Scriptures, over all. Nor is Jesus interested in working miracles to please the Devil.

The angels serve Jesus. Matthew and Mark conclude the narratives saying that the Devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him (Matthew 4:11; Mark 1:13). Luke says that the Devil departed from Him until an opportune time (Luke 4:13); this makes one think that he was present again during His agony before His death.

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Palestine, the country of Jesus. Jesus was born, lived and died in Palestine, although this name is not mentioned in the gospels when they talk about the country of Jesus. Palestine is a name derived from Philistine, the region occupied by the Philistines, when Israel came to the promised land. Instead of Palestine the gospels mention three provinces into which it was divided: Judea, Galilee and Samaria.

Judea and Galilee. The ministry of Jesus concentrated mainly in two regions: Galilee to the North and Judea to the South. Judea was called also Juda, the name of one of Jacob' sons. Jesus passed most of His life in Galilee, in Nazareth, where His parents lived and worked.

Jerusalem and the Temple. Jerusalem was the principal city of Palestine, the see of the Roman prefecture and of the High Priest. The temple to Yahveh was located in Jerusalem, and every Israelite was supposed to come there every year. As many Jews had emigrated, they didn't come to Jerusalem with the frequency that the law said. The main activity within the temple were the sacrifices. The law prescribed when and what kind of sacrifice should be offered. The priests, with the help of the levites, were in charge of the sacrifices.

Main cities of Judea. The main cities of Judea close to Jerusalem and mentioned in the gospels, are: Jericho, to the North; Bethlehem, to the South, and Bethany to the Southeast. They were, rather, small villages or towns, not cities, with a few thousand people, or less.

Galilee and the Sea of Galilee. Galilee was on the side of the sea carrying its name, Sea of Galilee, which in the gospel is mentioned also as Sea of Genezareth, because of the city on its shore. The gospel of John, which was addressed to the Gentiles, also calls it Sea of Tiberias, name of the town founded by Herod Antipas on the shore. The name sea is not the most appropriate and it could be called Lake of Genezareth or Galilee.

Capernaum, center of the ministry of Jesus. Among the towns of Galilee mentioned in the gospels Capernaum is among the first, because it was the center of the ministry of Jesus (Matthew 4:13; Mark 2:1). It was there where Jesus called some of His disciples. If we take in account that at the multiplication of the breads there were about five thousand people (Matthew 14:15-21), and other events that took place there, Capernaum might have been a town of 20,000 people. As many of them didn't believe in Him in spite of the many miracles Jesus worked there, He predicted its complete destruction (Matthew 11:23). This prophecy was accomplished literally, to the point that at the present time it is not known where the town was located.

Other cities of Galilee. Among those mentioned in the gospels is Nazareth, the home of Jesus' parents, Joseph and Mary (Luke 1:26; 2:4). It was at the synagogue of Nazareth where Jesus read Isaiah the prophet: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me (Luke 4:18; Isaiah 61:1). As its inhabitants didn't believe, Jesus told them: No prophet is accepted in his own country (Luke 4:24). Matthew reports that Jesus came back to Nazareth and taught in the synagogue, so that they were atonished and said: Where does this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?... And He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief (Matthew 13:54, 58). Other towns of Galilee mentioned in the gospels were: Magdala, the town of Mary Magdalene; Betsaida and Corozain.

The province of Samaria. The province of Samaria was located between Judea and Galilee, to the West of the Jordan river. Jesus stayed a short time in Samaria, because Samaritans didn't get along with Jews, as we read in John 4:9. Jesus used this distance and the example of a Samaritan who had compassion on a Jew wounded on the road, to explain the love of neighbor (Luke 10:30-36). To the opposite side of Samaria, to the East of Jordan, was Decapolis, which was a province independent from Palestine. It was in Gadara, one of its towns, where Jesus sent a legion of demons into a large herd of swine (Mark 5:9-13).

The Synagogues. There were synagogues everywhere, including Jerusalem and the small towns. Synagogues were not temples; they were meeting places for the Jews to read the Scriptures and receive instruction. One didn't have to be a priest to do the reading or the instruction, as we saw Jesus did in Nazareth; what counted was the knowledge of Scripture and the respect of the Jewish community. It was not required to be legally clean to come into the synagogue, as it was to come into the temple. The synagogues were an alternative for those who were not able to go to the temple.

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Government of Galilee. Galilee was governed at the time of Jesus by Herod Agripa. The territory of a king could be very small, even one city, as we can see reading the Old Testament. A king could be compared then with a mayor or governor.

Government of Judea. Power was shared more in Judea than in Galilee. What we could call today the civil and military power was under the procurator or prefect; this was a representative of the Roman emperor and had soldiers under his command. The prefect of Judea at Jesus' time was Pontius Pilate. The prefect was the only one with power to condemn to capital punishment. The main duty of the prefect was to collect the taxes, keep the order and avoid insurrection. Romans worried all the time that Jews might revolt and look for independence.

Theocratic power. Israel always had a theocratic government, that is, where religious leaders also had temporal power. The prototype of this power was Moses. The religious leader at Jesus' time was the high priest, Caiaphas. For a while, the high priesthood was a hereditary title, but at the time of Jesus it was the prefect who designated the chief priests. The high priest worked together with the Council or Sanhedrin to govern.

The Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin had civil jurisdiction over Judea, probably not over Galilee, and it was the highest Jewish tribunal; that is why it played such an important roll in the death of Jesus. The Talmud connects the Sanhedrin with the group of seventy elders that helped Moses (Exodus 18:21). It was composed of seventy members from the Jewish aristocracy, and its president was the officiating high priest. There were three classes of members: the elders, belonging to the Jewish aristocracy; those who had been chief priests who, according to Josephus, were saducees; and the scribes or law masters, most of whom were pharisee. Jesus showed to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day (Matthew 16:21).

Sanhedrin's powers. The Sanhedrin was the tribunal of highest appeal in all civil and criminal matters related to the Law of Moses. For a while it had the power to impose capital punishment, but not death by crucifixion, because this was not a punishment according to the Jewish law. At Jesus' times the Sanhedrin required the approval of the Roman procurator —in this case Pontius Pilate— to condemn a malefactor to die. The procurator or tribune was able to reserve some lawsuits, as we saw happen with Paul.

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Chronology of the last week of Jesus. In the last three Steps of this chapter, we will be looking at the chronology of events of the last week of Jesus, from His coming into Jerusalem, up to His death in the Calvary. We are going to look at the facts without considering their meaning, in particular that of His death, which we'll see later. During this short period of His life, Jesus gave many and great teachings, which we'll have the opportunity to study later.

Jesus proposes going to Jerusalem. We do not know with certainty which year Jesus came to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover with His disciples for the last time; Jesus told them: Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again (Matthew 20:18-19). Mark and Luke say, almost with identical words, what Matthew said (Mark 10:33-34; Luke 18:31-33).

Jesus is acclaimed as a King. The three synoptics report the triumphal entrance of Jesus in Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-9; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-40). As a very great multitude spread their garments on the road and cut branches from the trees (Matthew 21:8), and began to rejoice and praise God with loud voice, saying: Blessed the King who comes in the name of the Lord (Luke 19:37); then, some of Pharisees called to Him from the crowd: Teacher, rebuke Your disciples. But He answered and said to them: I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out (Luke 19:39, 40). Matthew, the evangelist who carries the most quotations from the Old Testament accomplished in Jesus, says that all this was done that it might be fufilled which was spoken by the prophet (Zacharias), saying: Tell the daughter of Zion: Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly and sitting on a donkey (Matthew 21:4; Zacharias 9:9). Jesus' acceptance of this homage and acclamation was an implicit recognition that He was really a King. A few days later He will reaffirm the same in the presence of Pilate.

Purification of the temple. Jesus went then to the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seat of those who sold doves, and said to them: My house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves (Luke 19:46; Matthew 21:12). Jesus foretold then the destruction of the temple, saying: Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down (Mark 13:1-2). This prediction has even more value, since Mark wrote it before these events happened in the year 70 AC. The prophecy wasn't a hundred percent accurate in the sense that the temple was not thrown down but burned, and there are some walls standing yet.

Preparation of Passover. We do not know with certainty whose was the initiative to celebrate Passover, whether Jesus', who sent Peter and John to prepare it, as Luke says (22:8); or rather the disciples', asking Jesus: Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover? (Matthew 26:17; Mark 14:12). Whichever way, the disciples followed Jesus' instructions and prepared Passover.

Passover meal and the washing of the feet. Luke says that Jesus sat down to eat the meal with His disciples, and said: With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer (Luke 22:14, 15). It can be said that the mind of Jesus was fixed on the events which were going to follow very soon. Remember that according to the gospel of John, Jesus died Passover day, the 14th of Nissan; but according to the synoptics Jesus celebrated Passover and died the next day, Nissan the 15th (Step 5). It should have been during this Passover meal that Jesus washed His disciples' feet, as reported by John, chapter 13, and when He instituted in His own memory what has been called "The Lord's Supper."

The agony at Gethsemane. Mark says that, when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives (Mark 14:26), where Jesus was accustomed going to pray (Luke 22:39). They came to a place which was named Gethsemane... and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed; and He said to Peter, James and John: My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. (Mark 14:32-34). After having prayed, Judas, one of the twelve, went up to Him and said: Rabbi, Rabbi! and kissed Him (Mark 14:43-45). Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him.

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Jesus is brought to trial. All four evangelists coincide on the account of the imprisonment of Jesus at the Mount of Olives, as well as on His trial, first before the high priest Caiaphas, and then before the procurator Pilate; but the evangelists differ on what happened afterwards. Luke says that Pilate, being aware that Jesus was a Galilean, sent Him to Herod who was in Jerusalem at that time, because Jesus belonged to his jurisdiction; and that Herod sent Him back to Pilate.

Biblical references. The account of the imprisonment of Jesus is in Matthew 26:47; Mark 14:47; Luke 22:54 and John 18:12. Jesus' interrogation before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin is in Matthew 26:57; Mark 14:53; Luke 22:66, and John 18:13. The narrative of Jesus before Pilate is found in Matthew 27:2 and Mark 15:1, who passes immediately to the crucifixion; Luke has it in 23:1 and John in 18:29. Luke is the only one who says that Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, who sent Him back to Pilate, in 23:6-13. The sentencing of Jesus by Pilate is in Luke 23:24. Matthew and Mark say that he delivered Jesus after he had scourged Him, to be crucified (Mark 15:15; Matthew 27:26), but they do not mention specifically a sentence. The differences, as we can see, are minimal and may be considered abbreviations of the same report.

Accusations against Jesus. Everything seems to indicate that Caiaphas as well as the Sanhedrin had decided to kill Jesus, regardless of being guilty or not, because when they learned what he had said in the temple, the scribes and chief priests sought how they might destroy Him (Mark 11:18). This event, —the purification of the temple,— and the prophesy that the temple would be destroyed, induced some false witnesses to say: We heard Him say: I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands (Mark 14:58). But Jesus never said that He would destroy the temple, but that God will destroy it. We can realize that, although they got some false witnesses, they didn't take care to harmonize their accusations, because their testimonies did not agree (Mark 14:56).

The high priest questions Jesus. As Jesus kept silent and answered nothing, the high priest asked Him: Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You? But He kept silent. Then the high priest asked Him again: Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said: I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven (Mark 14:6-62). Then the high priest tore his clothes and said: What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think? And they all condemned Him to be worthy of death (Mark 14:63-64)

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Motives to kill Jesus. It can be inferred from the narrative of the gospels, that the high priest and the Sanhedrin were afraid of the new prophet; many things could happen due to a prophet like Jesus. Herod also was afraid of John the Baptist, and preferred to kill him. They were afraid perhaps that Jesus would incite a revolt with the support of His followers, and it was more prudent to annihilate Him. Besides that, Jesus was found guilty of blasphemy by declaring Himself the Christ, or Messiah, and for saying that He was the Son of the Blessed God. He should die therefore.

Pilate questions Jesus. Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and Pilate called Jesus, and said to Him: Are you the King of the Jews? Jesus answered him: My kingdom is not of this world... Pilate therefore said to Him: Are You king then? Jesus answered: You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth (John 18:28, 33-37, résumé).

Pilate attempts to liberate Jesus. From the narrative of the gospels we may conclude that Pilate was never convinced that Jesus had committed a crime worthy of death, and he would have liked to let Him go, if it hadn't been for the Jews crying out and saying: If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar (John 19:12).

Pilate gives sentence to Jesus. Before condemning Jesus, Pilate endeavored to set Him free and gave the Jews the choice between Jesus and Barabbas (Matthew 27:21); but this means also failed. So he washed his hands before the multitude, saying: I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it (Matthew 27:24). And as the cries of the crowd prevailed, Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested (Luke 23:23, 24), and he delivered Him to be crucified.

Death by crucifixion. Death by crucifixion, as well as being burned alive or devoured by wild animals, were the three most cruel and inhuman punishments the Romans had at the time of Jesus. That is why the death of Jesus hurts the feelings not just of believers but of all who have human feelings. The death by crucifixion was reserved for the lowest guilty felons of the society accused of the worst crimes.

Crucifixion and death of Jesus. Luke says that when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left (Luke 23:33). Luke and Matthew say that they put over His head the accusation written against Him: This is Jesus the King of the Jews (Matthew 27:37). Matthew adds that there were many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him (Matthew 27:55); and John on his part, says that there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, and Mary Magdalene... and the disciple whom He loved (John 19:25, 26). And it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness, and the sun was darkened. And Jesus cried out with loud voice: Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit (Luke 23:44-46).

The burial of Jesus. The gospels account also for the burial of Jesus. It is a simple and truthful narrative,. perfectly adapted to the circumstances. Joseph, disciple of Jesus, born in Arimathea, a city of Galilee, was a member of the council, a good and just man, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God, who had not consented to their counsel and deed, this man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus (Luke 23:50-51). And when Pilate found out from the centurion that Jesus was already dead, he granted the body to Joseph, who wrapped Him in a linen (Mark 15:45, 46), and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before (Luke 23:53).

Critique of a famous writer. J. D. Crossan, ex-Roman priest and vice-president of the "Jesus Seminar" which has been giving opinions about the gospels, says that the worst thing of the death by crucifixion was "that at the end probably there was not anything to be buried." In his book "Jesus, a Revolutionary Biography," Crossan paints the picture immediately following the death of Jesus, and says that with most probability the soldiers left the body of Jesus on the cross, or put it in a grave barely covered with dirt and stone, so that the dogs or beasts could devour it. He does not agree that Joseph of Arimathea would have buried the body of Jesus because, he says, if he would have been an influential member, he wouldn't have allowed the death of Jesus; if he was not able to avoid His death, neither could he get His corpse. Regarding the friends and disciples of Jesus, he thinks that all fled.

Modern critique contradicts itself. Before these opinions of the critics we may ask: how is it possible that dogs would have been able to come and devour the body of Jesus, but His friends and disciples could not obtain Pilate's permission to bury His body, as the gospels say? the dogs could eat up His body, but His friends could not bury Him. This is a simple and absurd contradiction; the whole Jerusalem was shaken by the death of Jesus, as we can conclude from Luke 24:18; this case was unique. We accept that some of His friends fled for a while, but we know that several women stayed with John by the cross up to His death; and we know that Peter wept bitterly and repented for having denied his Master (Matthew 26:75). The narrative of the burial of Jesus is completely truthful and it does not have anything unbelievable or unexplained. Critiques like this of Crossan show us that the critics are not as impartial and objective as they should be.

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