NEW LIGHT ON CRUCIFIXION.

Shannon News, 13 May 1924, Page 1

NEW LIGHT ON CRUCIFIXION.

DISCOVERY Ofr A ROMAN DECREE. An extraordinary document, which, archaeologists are convinced, is the Roman military order under which Jesus Christ was tried and crucified by Pontius Pilate, has just been discovered by the French Government's • ethnological mission in Southern Tunisia.

It substantiates the history of the Saviour's trial and death described in the New Testament, ,but seems to .place the legal responsibility for the condemnation upon the Roman Government rather than upon the Hebrew high priests. The wording of this'order, written with a stylus on wax, signed by Augustus Caesar, and afterwards copied on stone, according to the "Algerian," is as follows: — "To all Colonial Governors of the Roman Empire in Palestine and Near and Further Arabia:

"Prophets and religious revolutionists have arisen among the people. These prophets are not to be interfered with under.the'Roman law except when their teachings are of such nature as to cause disturbances among the people. In such cases they are to be effectively suppressed. It is phets be not allowed to interfere with the collection of taxes or withi any other political affairs." Pontius Pilate, a Roman official, was the ''procurator" of Galilee at the time of Christ's trial. This meant that he was the civil and military governor of the little province. In that capacity he must have have had among the edicts he was sworn to administer, a copy of this Auguslinian decree.

' Under the Jewish law the Pharisees and high priests' held Christ guilty of blasphemy and worthy of death because, they claimed. He had said, "I am the Son of God," But the Roman law took no interest in purely religious matters, and, as the Pharisees soon discovered at the actual trial, they could not secure his conviction on that.

So they brought anof*er charge, that Christ had said, "I am King of the J«|ws." This* if taken literally, was sedition and interference in political affairs., The Jews under Roman 4*£miniph.., could have jao King but ■ ' '"'•'■/. ?* ; "*' - :

And it was, on this point; finally, ■that Caiaphas and the. high priests, who had brought the complaint forced the conviction and execution of Jesus.—"Science Sittings."