he Jewish capital for the double
purpose of keeping order while the city was crowded with all kinds of
persons who came up to the feast, and of trying cases reserved for his
decision. And the Jews no doubt thought it would be easy to persuade a
man who, as they knew to their cost, set a very low value on human blood
to add one victim more to the robbers or insurgents who might be
awaiting execution. Accordingly, as soon as day dawned and they dared to
disturb the governor, they put Jesus in chains as a condemned criminal
and led Him away, all their leading men following, to the quarters of
Pilate, either in the fortress Antonia or in the magnificent palace of
Herod. Into this palace, being the abode of a Gentile, they could not
enter lest they should contract pollution and incapacitate themselves
for eating the Passover,--the culminating instance of religious
scrupulosity going hand in hand with cruel and blood-thirsty
criminality. Pilate with scornful allowance for their scruples goes out
to them, and with the Roman's instinctive respect for the forms of
justice demands the charge brought against this prisoner, in whose
appearance the quick eye so long trained to read the faces of criminals
is at a loss to discover any index to His crime.

This apparent intention on Pilate's part, if not to reopen the case at
least to revise their procedure, is resented by the party of Caiaphas,
who exclaim, "If He were not a malefactor we would not have delivered
Him up unto thee. Take our word for it; He is guilty; do not scruple to
put Him to death." But if they were indignant that Pilate should propose
to revise their decision, he is not less so that they should presume to
make him their mere executioner. All the Roman pride of office, all the
Roman contempt and irritation at this strange Jewish people, come out in
his answer, "If you will make no charge against Him and refuse to allow
me to judge Him, take Him yourselves and do what you can with Him,"
knowing well that they dared not inflict death without his sanction, and
that this taunt would pierce home. The taunt they did feel, although
they could not afford to show that they felt it, but contented
themselves with laying the charge that He had forbidden the people to
give tribute to Caesar and claimed to be Himself a king.

As Roman law permitted the examination to be conducted within the
praetorium, though the judgment must be pronounced outside in public,
Pilate re-enters t