The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Centurion's Story, by David James Burrell

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Title: The Centurion's Story

Author: David James Burrell

Release Date: August 1, 2009 [EBook #29566]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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THE
CENTURION'S
STORY

DAVID JAMES BURRELL

AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY
150 NASSAU STREET, NEW YORK

COPYRIGHT, 1892 and 1911,
By AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY

THE CENTURION'S STORY

I am an old man now; the burden of fourscore years is resting upon me.
But the events of a certain April day in the year 783 A.U.C.--full
half a century ago--are as fresh in my memory as if they had happened
yesterday.

At that time I was stationed with my Hundred on garrison duty at the
Castle of Antonia, in Jerusalem. I had been ordered to take charge of
the execution of a malefactor who had just been sentenced to death.
Accordingly, on the morning of the day mentioned, I selected twelve
of my men, such as were hardened to bloody deeds, and with them I
proceeded to the Praetorium. All was hurry and excitement there. As
it was the time of the Jewish Passover, the city was thronged with
strangers. A multitude of people had assembled and were clamoring for
the death of this man. On our arrival he was brought forth. He proved
to be that Prophet of Nazareth whose oracular wisdom and wonder-working
power had been everywhere noised abroad. I had heard much about him.

He claimed to be the Messiah for whose advent the Jews had been looking
from time immemorial; and his disciples believed it. They called him by
such well-known Messianic titles as "Son of Man," "Son of David" and
"Son of God." He spoke of himself as "the only-begotten Son of God,"
declaring that he had been "in the bosom of the Father before the world
was," and that he was now manifest in human form to expiate the world's
sin. This was regarded by the religious leaders as rank blasphemy and
they clamored for his death. He was tried before the Roman court, which
refused to consider the charge, inasm