Page:The Church, by John Huss.pdf/219

Rh that man shall die." He did not fear to incur irregularity, and if perchance he had been with the Jews in accusing Christ, perhaps he would have said: "His blood be upon us and upon our children; for we have a law and by that law he ought to die." Pilate was not, therefore, excused because he heard the high priests and the magistrates, scribes and elders of the people, for God said: "Thou shalt not follow the multitude to do evil," etc. Here Lyra says the Hebrew is, "Thou shalt not fall away after the rabbins," that is, the teachers or great men, "to commit sin"—whoever the great men and teachers in the city hall were who condemned and decreed many things which down to this day they have not shown should be condemned at their pleasure.

And according to the purpose of the doctors, in the Scripture quoted, some might Judaize and say that under the rule of Caiaphas, the high priest, or Annas, who then presided in the holy place which the Lord had chosen, and by Pilate's decree the judge, Jesus Christ, was justly condemned, a thing which is against what Paul says: "They that dwell in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they knew not him or the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. And though they found no cause of death in him, yet asked they of Pilate that they might slay him," Acts 13:27, 28. And it is clear that, in condemning Christ, the high priest was present, the priests of the house of Levi were present, and Pilate, the judge, was present in the place which the Lord had chosen; and these persons Christ Jesus did not wish to obey in the evil they were doing, although he obeyed God, his Father, and Pilate, submitting to death meekly. Did, therefore, the high priest, followed by the priests, the Levites, the magistrates and elders of the people, Pilate and the soldiers, yea, and by the crowd shouting, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!" did they justly condemn Christ the Lord? Yea, truly, because