52 And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked. 53 *And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes.

54 And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.

55' And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none. 56 For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.

57 And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying,

58 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.

59 But neither so did their witness agree together.

60 And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?

61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the blessed?

m

62 And Jesus said, I am: " and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

63 Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?

64 Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.

65 And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.

k Matt. xxvi. 57.

1 Matt. xxvii. 59.

m Matt. xxiv. 30.

rious temper. The reason for noticing the clothing; but only without the upper incident is therefore apparent.

Verse 52. And fled from them naked. -To be naked does not always, in scripture, signify to be without all

robe.

Verse 53. And they led Jesus away to the high priest.-See the notes on Matt. xxvi. 57-75.

66 ¶And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest:

67 And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.

68 But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew.

69 And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them.

70 And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.

71 But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.

And Peter called

him, Before the cock And when he thought

72° And the second time the cock crew. to mind the word that Jesus said unto crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. thereon, he wept.

CHAPTER XV.

1 Jesus brought bound, and accused before Pilate. 15 Upon the clamour of the common people, the murderer Barabbas is loosed, and Jesus delivered up to be crucified. 17 He is crowned with thorns, 19 spit on, and mocked: 21 fainteth in bearing his cross: 27 hangeth between two thieves: 29 suffereth the triumphing reproaches of the Jews: 39 but confessed by the centurion to be the Son of God: 43 and is honourably buried by Joseph.

a

1 AND straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate.

2 And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it.

3 And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing.

4 And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee. 5 But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled. 6 Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.

7 And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.

8 And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them.

9 But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?

10 For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.

11 But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.

12 And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?

13 And they cried out again, Crucify him.

14 Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify

him.

15 ¶ And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.

16 And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Prætorium; and they call together the whole band.

17 And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,

18 And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews!

b Matt. xxvii. 13.

Verse 16. Prætorium.-The residence of the Roman governor, formerly the

palace of Herod. It was at the Prætorium that justice was administered.

19 And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him.

20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.

C

21 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.

22 And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a scull.

23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh : but he received it not.

24 And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. 25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.

26 And the superscription of his accusation was written. over, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

27 And with him they crucify two thieves: the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.

d

28 And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.

c Matt. xxvii. 32.

Verse 24. And when they had crucified him.-In the very next verse St. Mark repeats, and they crucified him; which repetition is improbable and perplexing. Και σταυρωσανίες αυτον may be taken to signify the commencement of the action: "Proceeding to crucify him, they divided his garments."

Verse 25. Ana it was the third hour.Nine in the morning. St. John says six; but it has been argued, on the authority of some мss., that the true reading there is three.

But, without having recourse to this, even St. John is indefinite in his mode of expression, wpa woel exŋ, almost, or about the sixth hour, which would indicate a period between the third and the sixth hours, but approaching the last, or noon. Now as the Jews divided the day into four portions, which were their hours of sacrifice and prayer,-the

d Isaiah liii. 12.

third, from sun-rise, or our nine; the sixth, or our noon; and the ninth, or our three in the afternoon; which hours on feast-days, were distinguished by the sound of a trumpet; and whatever happened between these stated hours of prayer, was referred sometimes to the preceding, and sometimes to the concluding hour; it would be equally correct, though not equally definite, to say, such an event happened in the third hour, or about, that is, near, the sixth; the portion of time introduced by the third hour not terminating till the sixth came in. Thus the discrepancy is removed; but St. John, by fixing the time of the crucifixion to that portion between the third and the sixth hours, which approached the sixth hour, has expressed himself with more exactness, though apparently more indefinitely.

29 And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,

30 Save thyself, and come down from the cross.

31 Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.

32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.

33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

e

34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabacthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.

36 And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.

37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up

ghost.

the

38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.

39 And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.

40 There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;

f

41 (Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him ;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.

g

42 And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,

e Matt. xxvii. 46.

f Luke viii. 3.

g Matt. xxvii. 57.

παρασκευή,

the

Verse 42. That is, the day before the of Gentiles, explains sabbath.-St. Mark, writing for the use preparation, by poσaßßalov, the day be