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TRACTATE 114 OnJohn 18.28-32 ET US NEXT SEE what was done with the Lord or concerning our Lord, Jesus Christ, before Pontius Pilate, the governor, as far as John the Evangelist indicates. For he returns to the place in his narrative where he had left it to give an account of the denial of Peter. For he had already said, "And Annas sent him bound to Caiphas, the high priest,"[ and from that point having returned where he had left Peter warming himselfat the fire in the court, after he concluded his whole denial that occurred there, he says, "Then they led Jesus to Caiphas2 into the praetorium." For indeed lJohn] had said that he was sent to Caiphas from Annas, his colleague and father-in-law. But if to Caiphas, why into the praetorium?3 For he intends nothing else to be understood than where the governor Pilate dwelt. Either therefore, for some pressing reason, Caiphas had proceeded from the house of Annas, where both had come for hearing Jesus, to the governor 's praetorium, and leftJesus to be heard by his father-inlaw , or Pilate had had his praetorium given to him in the house of Caiphas, and it was so big a house that it could hold its owner living in one part, and a judge in a separate part. 2. "Now it was morning, and they," that is, those who were leadingJesus, "went not into the praetorium," that is, into that part of the house which Pilate occupied, if this was the house 1. In 18.24· 2. Augustine's text reads ad Caipham, to Caiphas, rather than a Caipha, from Caiphas; the latter is more logical since the Jews would not enter the praetorium at the time of this important feast as the verse continues to point out (see section 2). He has the same reading in De Consensu Evangelistarum 3.7.27 (PL 34.1174) where he gives the same explanation as here. In both Greek and Latin codices the variant readings occur, but "from Caiphas" is clearly preferable . 3. The official praetorium of the procurator of Judaea was at Caesarea. This one atJerusalem was a temporary residence and clearly in a building and not simply a tent. Its exact location is uncertain. See R. E. Brown, 2gA.845. 16 TRACTATE 114 17 of Caiphas. But explaining the reason why they went not into the praetorium, "that they might not be defiled," [the Evangelist ] says, "but that they might eat the pasch." For they had begun to celebrate the days of unleavened bread,4 and on these days it was a defilement for them to enter the dwelling of a foreigner. 0 ungodly blindness! They would be defiled, of course, by a foreign dwelling-place and would not be defiled by their own crime! They were afraid to be defiled by the praetorium of a foreign judge and were not afraid [to be defiled] by the blood of an innocent brother-to say only this for the time being wherein the conscience of evil men was held guilty. For that he was also the Lord who was being led to death by their ungodliness and [that] the Giver of life was being killed should not be imputed to their conscience, but to ignorance. 3. "Pilate therefore went out to them and said, 'What accusation do you bring against this man?' They answered and said to him, 'If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up to you.''' Let those be questioned and give answers who were freed from unclean spirits, the sick who were healed, the lepers who were cleansed, the deaf who hear, the dumb who speak, the blind who see, the dead who rise again, and, that which surpasses all, the foolish who are become wise-[let these say] whether Jesus is a malefactor. But they were saying these things about which he himself had already foretold through the prophet: "They repaid me evil for good.,,5 4. "Pilate therefore said to them, 'Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.' The Jews therefore said to him, 'It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.' " What is it that a demented cruelty is saying? Can it be that they were not putting to death him whom they were presenting to be put to death? Can it be, perhaps, that the cross does not put to death? Are they so much out...

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