King James Version · Under Rome
Luke 23
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And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto . And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Cesar, saying that he himself is a King. And asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the ? And he answered him and said, Thou sayest it. Then said to the and to the people, I find no fault in this man. And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all , beginning from to this place. When heard of , he asked whether the man were a Galilean. And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto ’s jurisdiction, he sent him to , who himself also was at at that time. And when saw , he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he to have seen some miracle done by him. Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing. And the and stood and vehemently accused him. And with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to . And the same day and were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves. And , when he had called together the and the and the people, Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: 15No, nor yet : for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of is done unto him. I will therefore him, and him. 17(For of necessity he must one unto them at the feast.) And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and unto us Barabbas: (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for , was cast into prison.) therefore, willing to , spake again to them. But they cried, saying, him, him. And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of in him: I will therefore him, and let him go. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be . And the voices of them and of the prevailed. And gave sentence that it should be as they required. And he released unto them him that for sedition and was cast into prison, whom they had ; but he to their will. And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one , a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid , that he might bear it after . And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and him. But turning unto them said, Daughters of , weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, are the , and the wombs that never , and the paps which never gave suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry? And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to . And when they were come to the place, which is called , there they him, and the malefactors, one on , and the other on the left. Then said , , forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. And the people stood beholding. And the also with them derided him, saying, He others; let him himself, if he be , the chosen of . And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and him vinegar, 37And saying, If thou be the king of the , thyself. And a superscription also was written over him in letters of , and Latin, and , THIS IS THE KING OF THE . And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be , thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou , seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto , , remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in . And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and of was rent in the midst. And when had cried with a loud voice, he said, , into thy hands I commend : and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified , saying, Certainly this was a man. And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned. And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from , stood afar off, beholding these things. And, behold, there was a man named , a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a : (The same had not consented to the and deed of them;) he was of Arimathea, a city of the : who also himself waited for of . This man went unto , and begged the body of . And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. And that day was the preparation, and the drew on. And the women also, which came with him from , followed after, and beheld the , and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the according to the .
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
Christians read this chapter differently
Every view at its strongest, with who holds it and what it has to answer for.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.