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This is the fourth and final page comparing Chapter 75 of Desire of Ages by Ellen White, with F. Farrar and W.Hanna's writings on the same events.
On this page we cover The Third Trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin
Page one: Chapter 75, The First Trial before Annas
Page two: Chapter 75, The Second Trial, before Caiaphas
Page three: Chapter 75, Peter's Denial during the Trial of Christ
Following I have simply placed the accounts of each writer, as they wrote the story. Similar words have been highlighted but the reader can compare and see not only the similarites but also the difference.
It should also be noted that while Farrar and Ellen White depict three separate trials of Jesus BEFORE He was taken to Pilate's court,while W.Hanna depicts only two--one before the full council was assembled and one after. What you will read on this page in his column is more of a summary as he combines the last two trials and does not treat this as a third trial. However, his summarizing paragraphs have many similarities with Farrar's writing on the third trial.
Frederic Farrar Publisher: A.L. Burt Company, NY
| William Hanna Publisher: The Religious Tract Society, Londan
| Ellen WhitePublisher: Pacific press Assc.
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| Chapter LIX The Interval Between the Trials Page 469And it was this crime, committed against Him by the man who had first proclaimed Him as the Christ-- who had come to Him over the storm water--who had affirmed so indignantly that he would die with him rather than deny Him--it was this denial, confirmed by curses, that Jesus heard immediately after he had been condemned to death, and at the very commencement of His first terrible derision. For, in the guard-room to which he was remanded to await the break of day, all the ignorant malice of religious hatred, all the narrow vulgarity of brutal spite, all the cold innate cruelty which lurks under the abjectness of Oriental servility, was let loose against Him. His very meekness, His very silence, his very majesty-- the very stainlessness of His innocence, the very grandeur of His fame--every divine circumstance and quality which raised him to a height so infinitely immeasurable above His persecutor-- all these made him an all the more welcome victim for their low and devilish ferocity. They spat in His face; they smote Him with rods; they struck Him with their closed fists and with their open palms, in the fertility of their furious and hateful insolence, they invented against Him a sort of game. Blindfolding His eye, they hit Him again and again, with the repeated question, “prophesy to us, O Messiah, who it is that smote thee.” So they whiled away the dark cold hours till the morning, revenging themselves upon , His impassive , innocence for their own present vileness and previous terror’ and there, in the midst of that save and wanton varletry, the Son of God, bound and blindfold, stood in his long and silent agony, defenceless and alone. It was His first derision--His derision as the Christ, the Judge attainted, the holy One a criminal, the Deliverer in bonds. | Section III The TRIAL BEFORE THE SANHEDRIM
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| Chapter 75 BEFORE ANNAS AND THE COURT OF CAIAPHAS DA.710.001 The Sanhedrin had pronounced Jesus worthy of death; but it was contrary to the Jewish law to try a prisoner by night. In legal condemnation nothing could be done except in the light of day and before a full session of the council. Notwithstanding this, the Saviour was now treated as a condemned criminal, and given up to be abused by the lowest and vilest of humankind. The palace of the high priest surrounded an open court in which the soldiers and the multitude had gathered. Through this court, Jesus was taken to the guardroom, on every side meeting with mockery of His claim to be the Son of God. His own words, "sitting on the right hand of power," and, "coming in the clouds of heaven," were jeeringly repeated. While in the guardroom, awaiting His legal trial, He was not protected. The ignorant rabble had seen the cruelty with which He was treated before the council, and from this they took license to manifest all the satanic elements of their nature. Christ's very nobility and godlike bearing goaded them to madness. His meekness,His innocence, His majestic patience, filled them with hatred born of Satan. Mercy and justice were trampled upon. Never was criminal treated in so inhuman a manner as was the Son of God. |
MATTHEW 26.67 Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, 26.68 Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee? MARK
LUKE
III At last the miserable lingering hours were over, and the gray dawn shuddered, and the morning blushed upon that memorable day. And with the earliest dawn--for so the Oral Law ordained, and they who could trample on all (470justice and all mercy were yet scrupulous about all the infinitely little-- Jesus was led into the Lishcat haggazzith, or Paved hall at the south-east of the Temple, or perhaps into the channujoth, or "Shops," which owed their very existence to Hanan and his family, where the Sanhedrin had been summoned, for His third trial, but His first formal and legal trial (Luke xxii. 66-71) It was now probably about six o'clock in the morning, and a full session met. Well-nigh all-for there were the noble exceptions at least of Nicodemus and of Joseph of Arimathea, and we may hope also of Gamaliel, the grandson of Hillel--were inexorably bent upon His death. The Priests were there, whose greed and selfishness he had reproved; the Elders, whose hypocrisy he had branded; the Scribes, whose ignorance he had exposed; and worse than all, the worldly, sceptical, would-be philosophic Sadducees, always the most cruel and dangerous of opponents, whose empty sapience he had so grievously confuted. All these were bent upon his death; all filled with repulsion at that infinite goodness; all burning with hatred against a nobler nature than any which they could even conceive in their loftiest dreams. And yet their task in trying to achieve His destruction was not easy. The Jewish fables of his death in the Talmud, which are shamelessly false from beginning to end, say that for forty days, though summoned daily by heraldic proclamation, not one person came forward, according to custom, to maintain his innocence, and that consequently he was first stoned as a seducer of the people (mesith), and then hung on the accursed tree. The fact was that the Sanhedrists had not the power of inflicting death, and even if the Pharisees would have ventured to usurp it in a tumultuary sedition, as they afterward did in the case of Stephen, the less fanatic and more cosmopolitan Sadducees would be less likely to do so. Not content, therefore, with the cherem, or ban of greater excommunication, their only way to compass His death was to had Him over to the secular arm. At present they had only against Him a charge of constructive blasphemy, founded on an admission forced from Him by the high Priest, when even their own suborned witnesses had failed to perjure themselves to their satisfaction. There were many old accusations against Him on which they could not rely. His violations of the Sabbath, as they called them, were all connected with miracles, and brought them, therefore, upon dangerous ground. his rejection of oral tradition involved a question on which Sadducees and Pharisees were at deadly feud. his authoritative cleansing of the Temple might be regarded with favor both by the Rabbis and the people. The charge of esoteric evil doctrines had been refuted by the utter publicity of His life. The charge of open heresies had broken down, from the total absence of supporting testimony. The problem before them was to convert the ecclesiastical charge of constructive blasphemy into a civil charge of constructive treason. But how could this be done? Not half the members of the Sanhedrin had been present at the hurried nocturnal, and therefore illegal, session in the house of Caiaphas; yet if they were all to condemn Him by a formal sentence, they must all hear something on which to found their vote. In answer to the adjuration of Caiaphas, he had solemnly admitted that he was the Messiah and the Son of God. The latter declaration would have been meaningless as a charge against Him before the tribunal of the Romans; but if He would repeat the former, they might twist it into something politically seditious. But He would not repeat it, in spite of their insistence, because He knew that it was open to their willful misinterpretation, and because they were evidently acting in violation of their own express rules and traditions, which demanded that every arraigned criminal should be regarded and treated as innocent until his guilt was actually proved.
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(484) | Though hurried at last in the time and manner of its execution, it was no hasty purpose on the part of the members of the Jewish Council to put our Lord to death. The proposal of Judas did not take them by surprise, the arrest in the garden did not find them unprepared. They must often have deliberated how they should proceed if they once had him in their hands. And when He was at last before them for formal trial, and they were eager to get him condemned, they had not for the first time to consider what charges they should bring against him. And by what evidence the charges might be sustained. Witnesses enough of all kinds were within their easy reach, nor had they any scruple as to the means they took to get from them the evidence they wanted. But with all their facilities, and all their bribery, they could not substantiate a single charge against Jesus which would justify them in condemning Him. Why, when they found themselves in such difficulty, did they not summon not their presence some of those who had heard Jesus commit that kind of blasphemy, upon the ground of which they had twice, upon the spur of the moment, attempted to stone hi to death? Testimony in abundance to that effect must have been lying ready to their hands. It seems clear to us that the first and earnest desire of the member of the Sanhedrim was to convict Christ of some other breach of their law, sufficient to justify the infliction of death; and that it was not till every attempt of this kind had failed, that, as a last resort, the High Priest put our Lord himself upon his oath.
| As soon as it was day, the Sanhedrin again assembled, and again Jesus was brought into the council room. He had declared Himself the Son of God, and they had construed His words into a charge against Him. But they could not condemn Him on this, for many of them had not been present at the night session, and they had not heard His words. And they knew that the Roman tribunal would find in them nothing worthy of death. But if from His own lips they could all hear those words repeated, their object might be gained. His claim to the Messiahship they might construe into a seditious political claim. DA.714.002 "Art Thou the Christ?" they said, "tell us." But Christ remained silent. They continued to ply Him with questions
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MARK
LUKE
But at last, to end a scene at once miserable and disgraceful, Jesus spoke. "If I tell you,' He said, "ye will not believe; and if I ask you a question, you will not answer me" Still, lest they should have any excuse for failing to understand who He was, He added intones of solemn warning, "But henceforth shall the Son of Man sit on the right hand of the power of God." "Ye say that I am," He answered, in a formula with which they were familiar, and of which they understood the full significance. And then they too cried out, as Caiaphas had done before, "What further need have we of witness? for we ourselves heard from his own mouth." And so in this third condemnation by Jewish authority --a condemnationwhich they thought that Pilate would simply ratify and so appease their burning hate--ended the third stage of the trial of our Lord. And this sentence also seems to have been followed by a second derision resembling the first, but even more full of insult, and worse to bear than the former, inasmuch as the derision of Priests, and Elders, and Sadducees is even more repulsively odious than that of menials and knaves.
But we believe in both, and see both manifested in the very scene that is here before our eyes. Now, with the eye of sense we look on Jesus as he stands before this Jewish tribunal, It is the Man of sorrows, despised and rejected of men; treated by those felons, the very refuse of the earth. Again, with the eye of faith we look on him, and he seems as if transfigured before us, when breaking the long-kept silence, he declares, “I am the Son of God, and hereafter ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” From what a depth of earthly degradation, to what a height of superhuman dignity does Jesus at once ascend! And is it not striking to notice how he himself blends his humiliation and exaltation, his humanity and divinity, as he takes to himself the double title, and binds it to his suffering brow: The Son of man; The Son of God.
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"Art Thou then the Son of God?" they asked with one voice. He said unto them, "Ye say that I am." They cried out, "What need we any further witness? for we ourselves have heard of His own mouth."
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And so by the third condemnation of the Jewish authorities, Jesus was to die. All that was now necessary, they thought, was for the Romans to ratify this condemnation, and deliver Him into their hands.
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Then came the third scene of abuse and mockery, worse even than that received from the ignorant rabble. In the very presence of the priests and rulers, and with their sanction, this took place. Every feeling of sympathy or humanity had gone out of their hearts. If their arguments were weak, and failed to silence His voice, they had other weapons, such as in all ages have been used to silence heretics,--suffering, and violence, and death.
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When the condemnation of Jesus was pronounced by the judges, a satanic fury took possession of the people. The roar of voices was like that of wild beasts. The crowd made a rush toward Jesus, crying, He is guilty, put Him to death! Had it not been for the Roman soldiers, Jesus would not have lived to be nailed to the cross of Calvary. He would have been torn in pieces before His judges, had not Roman authority interfered, and by force of arms restrained the violence of the mob.
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Heathen men were angry at the brutal treatment of one against whom nothing had been proved. The Roman officers declared that the Jews in pronouncing condemnation upon Jesus were infringing upon the Roman power, and that it was even against the Jewish law to condemn a man to death upon his own testimony. This intervention brought a momentary lull in the proceedings; but the Jewish leaders were dead alike to pity and to shame.
DA.715.003
Priests and rulers forgot the dignity of their office, and abused the Son of God with foul epithets. They taunted Him with His parentage. They declared that His presumption in proclaiming Himself the Messiah made Him deserving of the most ignominious death. The most dissolute men engaged in infamous abuse of the Saviour. An old garment was thrown over His head, and His persecutors struck Him in the face, saying, "Prophesy unto us, Thou Christ, Who is he that smote Thee?" When the garment was removed, one poor wretch spat in His face.
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The angels of God faithfully recorded every insulting look, word, and act against their beloved Commander. One day the base men who scorned and spat upon the calm, pale face of Christ will look upon it in its glory, shining brighter than the sun.
LUKE
MATTHEW
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26.67 Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, 26.68 Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee? 27.1 When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: 27.2 And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
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14.65 And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands. 15.1 And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate.
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22.63 And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him. 22.64 And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee? 22.65 And many other things blasphemously spake they against him. 22.66 And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying, 22.67 Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe: 22.68 And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go. 22.69 Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God. 22.70 Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am. 22.71 And they said, What need we any further witness? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth. 23.1 And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate.
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JOHN | 18.28 Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover. |