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Updated: June 15, 2025
But if we are obstinate enough to search for signs of the days when archbishops ruled instead of dukes and kings, we shall find old remains, the cathedral of course included, and nowhere a more curious one than the Kreuzberg, a place of pilgrimage, where the church of 1627 has replaced an old wood-shrine: its rich gateway was intended to represent the front of Pontius Pilate's palace at Jerusalem, and on it are frescoes of the various scenes of the Passion.
The flames played about it, but still it remained legible; white letters, upon a black ground; then, letters of fire upon grey ashes. Of a sudden the Knight, seizing the faggot-fork, dashed out the words with a stroke. "I would risk the curse," he cried, with passion. "By Pilate's water, I would risk the curse!"
When Pilate had said all he could on the subject, Cassius left him, and he went to offer sacrifice to his gods. The four soldiers who had guarded the tomb arrived shortly after at Pilate's palace, and began to tell him all that he had already heard from Cassius; but he would listen to nothing more, and sent them to Caiphas.
Pilate's wife, nervous and overwrought, must claim Miriam to her apartments, so that nothing remained for me but to go to bed and doze off to the buzz and murmur of the city of madmen. Events moved rapidly. Over night the white heat of the city had scorched upon itself.
As Pilate heard the question of Caiaphas he was dismayed, and the crowd shouted: "Thou canst not show favor to this man; if thou wilt be a faithful servant to Caesar." Then Pilate's resolution forsook him, and turning to his servants he said, "Bring water." Caiaphas said unto him, "The people will not go away from this place until thou hast pronounced sentence of death upon the enemy of Caesar."
Whereupon he told me how Jesus had confounded his confounders when they brought to him for judgment a woman taken in adultery. "And the tax," Pilate exulted on. "'To Caesar what is Caesar's, to God what is God's, was his answer to them. That was Hanan's trick, and Hanan is confounded. At last has there appeared one Jew who understands our Roman conception of the State." Next I saw Pilate's wife.
And as I stayed I knew all the charm of him all that in him had charmed Miriam and Pilate's wife, that had charmed Pilate himself. You know the rest. Pilate washed his hands of Jesus' blood, and the rioters took his blood upon their own heads. Pilate gave orders for the crucifixion. The mob was content, and content, behind the mob, were Caiaphas, Hanan, and the Sanhedrim.
There are several other sacred relics preserved in the church; for instance, the staircase of Pilate's house up which Jesus went, and the porphyry slab on which the soldiers cast lots for his garments. These, however, we did not see.
II. The next point is Pilate's weak attempt to save Jesus. Christ's silence had impressed Pilate, and, if he had been a true man, he would not have stopped at 'marvelling greatly. He was clearly convinced of Christ's innocence of any crime that threatened Roman supremacy, and therefore was bound to have given effect to his convictions, and let Jesus go.
"We will send a message through one of his own people," said the rabbi, and going up the stairs to the balcony of Pilate's house, he knocked gently at the door. Standing and listening, he said, "Surely, there is some one there? Yes, there is some one coming," and retired a little way down the steps, so as to avoid any contact with the Gentile.
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