Unknown Life of Jesus Christ New Edition 2009 Publication

Author(s): Nicholas Notovitch, Virchand R Gandhi, Kumarpal Desai
Publisher: World Jain Confederation

Page 159

- The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ who therefore resolved to intercede in his favor and demand that he be set free before the feast of Passover. Their demand being rejected by Pilate, they insisted that he be brought before the tribunal, so certain were they of his acquittal which seemed the more sure since the entire people ardently desired it.
In the eyes of the priests, Jesus was a saint belonging to the family of David, and his unjust imprisonment or that which was much more serious, his condemnation, would cast a profound gloom over the solemnities of the great national festival of the Israelites. Learning of the refusal of their demands, they begged. that the judgment might take place before the festival. To this Pilate acceded, but he also caused two robbers to be judged at the same time. By this method Pilate endeavored to weaken in the eyes of the people the importance of the fact that the tribunal had tried and rendered judgment against an innocent man alone, which would leave on the minds of the entire nation the sad impression that a verdict had been planned in advance. On the contrary, the condemnation of Jesus simultaneously with that of the thieves would almost efface the injustice.committed against one of the prisoners The accusation was founded upon the evidence of hired witnesses.
During the trial, Pilate perverted the words of Jesus (which taught of the kingdom of Heaven) to" justify the accusation which was formulated against him. lie reckoned, it would seem, on the effect produced by the answers of Jesus and upon his personal authority to influence the members of the tribunal not to examine too minutely the details of the case in hand to secure a verdict according to his desire.
After having heard the perfectly natural answer of the judges that the words of Jesus were diametrically opposed to the accusation, and therefore he could not be condemned thereon, Pilate had no other recourse but to employ, the evidence of an
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