proceeding, Pilate takes water and ostentatiously washes his hands, a
proceeding introduced by a Greek or Latin scribe, who wished, in all
probability, to throw the blame of the crucifixion entirely upon the
Jews. Pilate, representing the Gentile world, washes his hands of the
responsibility for the death of Jesus, while the Jews are made to say,
"His blood be upon us and our children."

Imagine the clamoring, howling Jews, trampling on one another,
gesticulating furiously, gnashing their teeth, foaming at the mouth,
and spitting in one another's face as they shout, "Crucify him!
Crucify him!" A very powerful stage setting, to be sure--but it is
impossible to imagine that such disorder, such anarchy could be
permitted in any court of justice. But think once more of those
terrible words placed in the mouths of the Jews, "His blood be upon us
and our children." Think of a people openly cursing themselves and
asking the whole Christian world to persecute them forever--"His blood
be upon _us and our children_."

Next, the composers of the gospels conduct us to the Garden of
Gethsemane, that we may see there the hero of the play in his agony,
fighting the great battle of his life alone, with neither help nor
sympathy from his distracted followers. He is shown to us there, on
his knees, crying tears of blood--sobbing and groaning under the
shadow of an almost crushing fear. Tremblingly he prays, "Let this cup
pass from me--if it be possible;" and then, yielding to the terror
crowding in upon him, he sighs in the hearing of all the ages, "The
spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak," precisely the excuse given
by everybody for not doing what they would do if they could. Now, we
ask in all seriousness, is it likely that a God who had come down from
heaven purposely to drink that cup and to be the martyr-Savior of