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The law, therefore, has now been abolished, inactive in deeds, but lying in ink; and Jesus, the bound one, abolished it. And Pilate [says]: I find no fault in him. Not you alone, O Pilate, but not even the Jews, nor the blind, nor the dead, nor the sun, nor the moon, nor the world, nor all the just prophets and martyrs, nor the prophet who says: He who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth. All concur with Pilate, bringing a just vote; only the Jews fight, judging by shouting, and striving to overshadow the truth with clamor, and confirming the [word] of Isaiah: I waited for it to make grapes, but it made thorns, and not righteousness, but a cry

. While these things were being done, and Pilate was able neither to speak nor to hear because of the mixed-up tumult, and a sedition was being plotted. His wife sent to him, a good helper, restraining her eager husband, saying: Have nothing to do with that just man; if you can, save him; but if you cannot, save yourself; almost saying the saying of David, Do not destroy my soul with the ungodly, nor my life with men of blood. Have nothing to do with that just man; for I have suffered many things in a dream because of him. Another Joseph, seeing the truth through dreams, testifying against the cries of the Jews; for it was fitting for them to be defeated by women. Rahab the harlot conquered them, the woman with the issue of blood conquered them, the Canaanite woman conquered them; and now again a woman against them. They are pressed; the Jews answered him, We have a law, and according to our law he ought to die.

What law? Confirmed by what words? Perhaps by those read today? As a sheep he was led to the slaughter; and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth; for the transgressions of my people he was led to death. I find these syllables useful for them; but nowhere else [is it found that] Jesus is justly slaughtered. Pilate entered the praetorium, giving in to the anger of the Jews, striving to extinguish an unquenchable flame. He went in, and he came out; rather, he kindled the fire. For he came out having Jesus crowned, an unwelcome wonder to the Jews, showing their enemy already crowned, already victorious, already clothed in royal attire. For what was done was for insult, but it was an enigma of his kingdom by nature. And when they saw him, whom they had often seen, whom they had never seen, whom seeing they are always kindled, consumed by their own fire (for they will wish, if they had become 50.815 fire-burnt), they raised their Sodomite cry, they raised it and were lifted up; Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Shall I crucify your king? We have no king but Caesar, they say. A denial without persecution, atheism after the evils of Egypt; These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. You have no king but Caesar? Who then led you in the desert? Or who fed you? whom does Moses call upon, saying: The Lord reigns forever and ever, and still? Therefore, since you have denied your own king, remain henceforth without a king, dragging an eternal yoke of slavery.

These things were done up to this hour. Let us see also the remaining part of the day; for it is all holy. They took him crowned; with what? With thorns, the gifts of the Jews. I waited for it to make grapes, but it made thorns; he was slapped, he was beaten, he received scourges; but being ashamed of nothing. Stand with Isaiah, and see God with his eyes. What then does he say? Lord, who has believed our report? we saw him, and he had no form, nor beauty; but his form was dishonored, failing beyond the sons of men. He had no beauty, nor form, the craftsman of all beauty; for he was lamenting the evils of the Jews, a man, in affliction

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Λέλυται τοίνυν ὁ νόμος ἤδη, ἐν μὲν πράγμασιν ἀργῶν, ἐν δὲ μέ λανι κείμενος· ἔλυσε δὲ αὐτὸν ὁ δεδεμένος Ἰησοῦς. Ὁ δὲ Πιλᾶτος· Ἐγὼ οὐδεμίαν αἰτίαν εὑρίσκω ἐν αὐτῷ. Οὐ σὺ μόνον, ὦ Πιλᾶτε, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ Ἰουδαῖοι, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τυφλοὶ, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ νεκροὶ, οὐδὲ ἥλιος, οὐδὲ σελήνη, οὐδὲ ὁ κόσμος, οὐδὲ οἱ δίκαιοι πάντες προ φῆται καὶ μάρτυρες, οὐδὲ ὁ λέγων προφήτης· Ὃς ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ εὑρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ. Πάντες Πιλάτῳ συντρέχουσι δι καίαν φέροντες ψῆφον· μόνοι μάχονται Ἰουδαῖοι, κραυγῇ δικαζόμενοι, καὶ θορύβῳ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπι σκιάζειν φιλονεικοῦντες, καὶ τὸ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου βεβαιοῦν τες· Ἔμεινα τοῦ ποιῆσαι σταφυλὴν, ἐποίησε δὲ ἀκάνθας, καὶ οὐ δικαιοσύνην, ἀλλὰ κραυγήν

. Ἐν ὅσῳ ταῦτα ἐπράττετο, καὶ ὁ Πιλᾶτος οὔτε λέγειν οὔτε ἀκούειν ἠδύνατο διὰ τὴν σύμμικτον ταραχὴν, καὶ στάσις ἐμελετᾶτο. Ἔπεμψε πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ, καλὴ βοηθὸς, ἱέμενον ἄνδρα κατέχουσα, Μη δὲν σοὶ καὶ τῷ δικαίῳ ἐκείνῳ, λέγουσα· εἰ μὲν δύνασαι, σῶσον αὐτόν· εἰ δὲ οὐ δύνασαι, σαυτὸν διάσωσον· μονονουχὶ λέγουσα τὸ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ λόγιον, Μὴ συναπολέσῃς μετὰ ἀσεβῶν τὴν ψυχήν σου, καὶ μετὰ ἀνδρῶν αἱμάτων τὴν ζωήν σου. Μηδὲν σοὶ καὶ τῷ δικαίῳ ἐκείνῳ· πολλὰ γὰρ ἔπαθον κατ' ὄναρ δι' αὐτόν. Ἄλλος Ἰωσὴφ, διὰ τῶν ἐνυπνίων τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὁρῶσα, ταῖς Ἰουδαίων κραυγαῖς ἀντι μαρτυροῦσα· ἔπρεπε γὰρ αὐτοὺς ὑπὸ γυναικῶν ἡτ τᾶσθαι. Ἐνίκησεν αὐτοὺς Ῥαὰβ ἡ πόρνη, ἐνίκησεν αὐτοὺς ἡ αἱμοῤῥοοῦσα, ἐνίκησεν ἡ Χαναναία· καὶ νῦν πάλιν γυνὴ κατ' αὐτῶν. Στενοῦνται· ἀπεκρί θησαν αὐτῷ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, Ἡμεῖς νόμον ἔχομεν, καὶ κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἡμῶν ὀφείλει ἀποθανεῖν.

Ποῖον νόμον; ποίαις λέξεσι βεβαιούμενον; τάχα ταῖς σή μερον ἀναγνωσθείσαις; Ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη· καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κείροντος αὐ τὸν ἄφωνος, οὕτως οὐκ ἀνοίγει τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ· ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνομιῶν τοῦ λαοῦ μου ἤχθη εἰς θάνα τον. Ταύτας εὑρίσκω χρησίμους ἐκείνοις τὰς συλ λαβάς· ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ οὐδαμῶς Ἰησοῦν δικαίως σφατ τόμενον. Εἰσῆλθεν ὁ Πιλᾶτος εἰς τὸ πραιτώριον, ἐν διδοὺς τὸν Ἰουδαίων θυμὸν, σβέσαι φιλονεικῶν ἄσβε στον φλόγα. Εἰσῆλθε, καὶ ἐξῆλθε· μᾶλλον τὸ πῦρ ἐξῆψεν. Ἐξῆλθε γὰρ ἔχων τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐστεφανωμένον, ἀβούλητον Ἰουδαίοις θαῦμα, δεικνὺς τὸν πολέ μιον αὐτοῖς ἤδη στεφανωθέντα, ἤδη νενικηκότα, ἤδη βασιλικὸν σχῆμα περιβεβλημένον. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἦν γενόμενον ἐφ' ὕβρει, αἴνιγμα δὲ ἦν τῆς κατὰ φύσιν βασιλείας. Ὡς δὲ εἶδον αὐτὸν, ὃν πολλάκις εἶδον, ὃν οὐδέποτε εἶδον, ὃν ἀεὶ βλέποντες ὑφάπτονται, τῷ οἰ κείῳ δαπανώμενοι πυρὶ (θελήσουσι γὰρ, εἰ ἐγένοντο 50.815 πυρίκαυστοι), ἐπῆραν αὐτῶν τὴν Σοδομιτικὴν κραυ γὴν, ἐπῆραν καὶ ἐπήρθησαν· Αἶρε, αἶρε, σταύρωσον αὐτόν. Τὸν βασιλέα ὑμῶν θέλετε σταυρώσω; Οὐκ ἔχομεν βασιλέα, εἰ μὴ Καίσαρα, φασίν. Ἄρνησις χωρὶς διωγμοῦ, ἀθεΐα μετὰ τὰ Αἰγύπτου κακά· Οὗτοι οἱ θεοί σου, Ἰσραὴλ, οἱ συνάγοντές σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου. Οὐκ ἔχετε βασιλέα, εἰ μὴ Καίσαρα; Τίς οὖν ὡδήγησεν ὑμᾶς ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρήμου; ἢ τίς ἔθρεψε; τίνα ἐπιβοᾶται Μωϋσῆς, λέγων· Κύριος βασιλεύων τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ ἐπ' αἰῶνα, καὶ ἔτι; Οὐκοῦν, ἐπείπερ ἠρνήσασθε τὸν ἑαυτῶν βασιλέα, μείνατε λοιπὸν ἀβασίλευτοι, ζυγὸν δουλείας αἰώνιον ἕλκοντες.

Ταῦτα μέχρι ὥρας ἐπράχθη. Ἴδωμεν δὲ καὶ τὸ λειπόμενον μέρος τῆς ἡμέρας· πᾶσα γάρ ἐστιν ἁγία. Ἔλαβον αὐτὸν ἐστεφανωμένον· τίσιν; Ἀκάνθαις, τοῖς Ἰουδαίων δώροις. Ἔμεινα τοῦ ποιῆσαι σταφυλὴν, ἐποίησε δὲ ἀκάνθας· ἐῤῥαπίσθη, ἐτυπτήθη, μάστιγας ἔλαβεν· ἀλλὰ μηδὲν ἐπαισχυνθείς. Στῆθι μετὰ Ἡσαΐου, καὶ βλέπε Θεὸν τοῖς ἐκείνου βλεφάροις. Τί οὖν ἐκεῖνός φησι; Κύριε, τίς ἐπίστευσε τῇ ἀκοῇ ἡμῶν; εἴδομεν αὐτὸν, καὶ οὐκ εἶχεν εἶδος, οὐδὲ κάλλος· ἀλλὰ τὸ εἶδος αὐτοῦ ἄτιμον, ἐκλεῖπον παρὰ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Οὐκ εἶχε κάλλος, οὐδὲ εἶδος, ὁ παντὸς κάλλους τεχνίτης· ἐθρήνει γὰρ τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὰ κακὰ, ἄνθρωπος, ἐν πληγῇ