idea of "a crown of thorns" has been heightened partly by a generous indignation at the treatment of our Lord and Saviour; partly by the representations of distinguished painters, who have been fond of displaying their own powers in the portraiture of a bleeding Christ, with those mingled expressions of pain and patience which they conceived to be appropriate to this occasion. That the crown of thorns was a mockery and insult, I am very far from denying; it was a part of the royal dress designed to ridicule the "King of the Jews." But while the soldiers indulged a malicious humour, which appears to have been usual with them upon similar occasions*, there is no reason to suppose that they could have any particular enmity towards Christ, or any wish to hurt him by cruelly binding his temples with thorns in the manner in which it has been the custom to portray it on canvas, whence it has been transferred to our imaginations. But the original word does by no means necessarily convey this sense. The Greek language has no term corresponding to the English" weeds." In consequence of which, the same word is employed to signify thorns,

*See Bishop Pearce's note upon Matt. xxvii. 26. And, in the same spirit, Virgilius, Æn. ii. 65. "Certantque illudere capto."

straws, or any useless herbs *. In our Bible the word is generally, perhaps always, translated "thorns;" but the latitude in which this is to be understood, is in many instances apparent from the context; as when it is said that " some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked it † ;” likewise," the earth, which beareth thorns and briars ." In these instances it only means weeds and useless herbs. And in the case of our Saviour, it is most probable this mock crown was composed of straw, rushes, or any weeds that might happen to be at hand. Of the same kind, it may be supposed, was the wisp of rushes §, with which Jesus drove the traders out of the temple.

Two circumstances deserve consideration in this

γη εκφερουσα ακανθας. Heb. vi. 8. akavoaç. Matt. xiii. 7. also Mark iv. 7.

αλλα δε επεσεν επι τας and Luke viii. 14. And

in the Septuagint, εξεκαύθησαν ὡς πυρ εν ακανθαις. Psalm exviii. 12. In Homer it seems to signify straws, or any light substances,

̔Ως δ' ότ' οπωρινος βορέης φορεησιν ακανθας,

Αμπεδιον, πυκιναι δε προς αλλήλησιν εχονται. Od. 5, 328.

+ Matt. xiii. 7.

Heb. vi. 8.

§ In the Greek it is ποιησας φραγελλιον εκ σχοινίων. John

ii. 15.

place. For it may with reason be asked, how it happened that the Jewish populace, who had so lately hailed their Messiah's entrance into Jerusalem with branches of palm trees, and acclamations to the "King of Israel *,” should now join in the cry, "away with him, crucify + him." Again, if Pilate, as he said, found no fault in Jesus, why did he nevertheless accede to the wicked purpose of the rulers to crucify him? And first, with regard to the Jews, their hostility is not entirely to be ascribed to the notorious fickleness of a mixed multitude; but was greatly owing to the false ideas they had all along cherished, that their Messiah would come in the character of a temporal prince, to deliver their country from the power of the Romans, and to establish among them the seat of universal dominion. When therefore they saw Jesus quietly submit to the judgment of the Roman governor, their fond hopes were lost in disappointment, and the memory of

* Chap. xii. 12.

† An example of the same kind occurs in the history of St. Paul at Lystra, where the same people, who would have offered him sacrifice as to a God, were presently afterwards persuaded to stone him. Acts xiv. 19.

Ver. 15.

his miracles faded in the persuasion of his being no more than an impostor, and their veneration was converted into rage.

To account for Pilate's inconsistency, we ought for a time to divest ourselves of our Christian feelings, and to look upon him as a heathen, and a man of little conscience, or regard for justice, in a cause, where his own personal interest, or that of his master, did not appear to be concerned. To save his prisoner he made indeed some feeble attempts, extorted by the irresistible force of innocence; but too easily yielded to the importunity of the inflamed Jews, not without some suspicion of being influenced by the fear of impeachment for former acts of misconduct, if he should provoke them too far *. A threat of this kind seems to be concealed in their cry, "If thou let this man go, thou art not Cæsar's friend."

Ver. 11. When Jesus says to Pilate, "Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above," we read the same sentiment that was expressed twice before nearly

• Such accusations against the Roman provincial governors were by no means uncommon, and were generally well deserved. In fact we are told that Pilate was some years afterwards impeached and banished.

in the same words- -“A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from above* ;" and again, "No man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father +." The meaning is, that all power is derived from God. Jesus therefore goes on to say that Pontius Pilate having, by the permission of God, been invested with legal authority over him, an equal degree of sin did not attach to him for the wrong exercise of that authority, (which was, as it were, extorted from him by violence,) as to the Jews for their false accusation, and wilful perversion of the truth, in order to accomplish his death.

Ver. 14. When we read of the sixth hour, this is to be reckoned, according to the manner of the ancients, from sun-rise, or six o'clock in the morning, making the time of the crucifixion to correspond with noon ‡.

* Chap. iii. 27.

+ Chap. vi. 65.

It has been supposed that the sixth hour has got into this text instead of the third hour; and it has been shewn how easily such a mistake might arise. This is besides countenanced by the authority of some manuscripts. But I suspect that the whole has arisen from a wish to make St. John's account tally with that of St. Mark. "It was the third hour, and they crucified him." Mark xv. 25. It seems to me more probable that St. Mark meant to apply "the third hour" to the time of Jesus being