I.
II. Coursework assignment in "The death of Jesus"
The Sanhedrin was basically the high courts in the time of the Romans. This extract from 'Dimensions in Christianity' sums up pretty well what the roles of the Sanhedrin were: 'the high priest and seventy elders led the council of the Sanhedrin. Members of the council included Pharisees and Sadducees.' The Sadducees were the priestly aristocracy. The high priest was at their head, and they performed the daily sacrifices in the temple, situated in Jerusalem. This sect of people was virtually a 'closed shop' restricted to certain families. It appears that they were more accurately designated as a religious, rather than political party. The Sadducees also had different beliefs from the Pharisees: they denied the resurrection of the dead and the existence of angels and spirits. Whereas the Pharisees were remote from the Jewish people as a whole. The Pharisees were more correctly best described as a Jewish school, probably dating as a distinct body or party from the 2nd century BC. Their chief tendency was to resist all Greek or other foreign influences that threatened to undermine the sacred religion of their fathers and they took their stand most emphatically upon Divine law. The Sadducees differed from them in political and to some extent religious matters. The Pharisees wished the state and all public and political affairs to be directed and measured by the standard of Divine Law
Pontius Pilate was the Roman military governor, or procurator, of the imperial province of Judea from 26 to 36. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus portrayed him as a harsh administrator who failed to understand the religious convictions and national pride of the Jews. Pilate is known mainly for his connection with the trial and execution of Jesus Christ; his culpability in the case has been the subject of debate ever since the event.
The governor of Judea had complete judicial authority over all who were not Roman citizens, but the Sanhedrin, the Jewish supreme council and tribunal decided many cases, particularly those relating to religious matters. According to the gospel accounts, after the Sanhedrin found Jesus guilty of blasphemy, it committed him to the Roman court, having itself no power to pronounce the death sentence. Pilate then refused to approve the judgement without investigation. Pilate appeared to have been impressed with the dignity and frankness of Jesus' answers to his questions. Nevertheless, fear of an uprising in Jerusalem forced Pilate to accede to the demand of the populace, and Jesus was executed. Pilate was recalled to Rome in AD36. According to the theologian and church historian Eusebius of Caesarea, he later committed suicide. Pilate is reserved as a martyr by the Coptic Church, which celebrates his feast day on June 25.
The high-priest alone may enter the holy of holies on the day of atonement, and even he but once a year, to sprinkle the blood of sin-offering and offer incense; He prayed and sacrificed for himself as well as for the people. He likewise officiated "on the seventh days and new moons" and annual festivals. He might marry only a virgin "of his own people", though other priests were allowed to marry a widow; neither was it lawful for him to rend his garments nor to come near the dead even if closely related. It belonged to him also to manifest the Divine Will made known to him by means of the urim and thummim, a method of consulting the Lord about which we have very little knowledge.
After Jesus was arrested in the garden of Gethsemane, he was taken at once to the high priest. The high priest kept on interrogating him about whether he was who he said he was, which was the Son of God. The high priest finally came to the end of his tether and asked Jesus one final time whether he was the messiah, and Jesus replied, "I am, and you will all see the son of man seated on the right hand of the almighty coming with the clouds of heaven." The Jewish leaders were very angry to hear these words. 'I am' were sacred - suggesting that Jesus was divine. He was declared guilty of blasphemy but had no power to condemn him to death, only the governor had that power. The high priests had already spread rumours that Jesus had called himself the king of Jews, and that was treason. Pilate asked him "Are you the king of the Jews?" And Jesus replied, "The words are yours."
Jesus did not reply to any of the accusations made against him. Pilate decided to offer Jesus as one of the prisoners for release for the Passover alongside a murderer called Barrabbas. The crowd called for Barrabbas and when Pilate asked what he should do with the one they called the 'king of the Jews' they called 'crucify him' so to satisfy the mob Pilate had Jesus flogged and handed him over to be crucified.
Before we examine the religious problems associated with evil and suffering we need to be clear about what we mean by using ...
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Jesus did not reply to any of the accusations made against him. Pilate decided to offer Jesus as one of the prisoners for release for the Passover alongside a murderer called Barrabbas. The crowd called for Barrabbas and when Pilate asked what he should do with the one they called the 'king of the Jews' they called 'crucify him' so to satisfy the mob Pilate had Jesus flogged and handed him over to be crucified.
Before we examine the religious problems associated with evil and suffering we need to be clear about what we mean by using these terms. Suffering is clearly a part of what makes us human and at times is a necessary part of keeping us alive and well. For example, imagine a world where there was no suffering at all. What would happen if you put your hand in a flame? What would happen if you ate something poisonous? What would happen if you never felt the emotional pain of letting someone down or being let down yourself? It should be obvious that we can learn a lot about life through suffering. The literary things suffering can be associated with are summed up pretty well in this extract: 'If we are free to use wood to build chairs or tables we are also free to use it to hit others over the head with. God has given us free will so we can respond in love to him and other humans. He could have made robots that would never do any wrong but robots cannot love.
You cannot force love out of anyone. It has to be freely given.
If any virtues are to develop other factors have to be present. For example, if no one were ever in need there would be no call for generosity. If there were no such thing as physical danger there would be no chance of a person showing bravery. If no - one were uninteresting or annoying to be with there would be no need for patience. If we never saw people suffering no one would ever have the emotion of compassion. It does seem that pain and suffering are necessary for the development of character.'
Love and virtue need barriers to overcome if they are to grow. Resurrection and 'new life' can only come out of deaths of different kinds. Yet there is an aspect of suffering which many people believe we can, and should, live without.
Mark's gospel does emphasise the themes of suffering and death, indeed a quarter of the gospels sixteen chapters are devoted to Jesus own suffering and death. Most scholars agree that one of the main reasons for this is that Mark wrote his gospel around AD 60-70 when emperor Nero's cruel persecution of Christians was happening and, according to tradition, when Peter and Paul were martyred. Thus, in order to encourage the Christians of his time who were being persecuted and killed by the Romans not to give up their faith, Mark wrote his gospel to show that Jesus himself had been persecuted, suffered and killed for his beliefs. The point is that Mark is trying to show that suffering, since it follows the example of Jesus, is part of the Christian life but he also states clearly that there is a great reward for those who remain faithful. Mark also tries to show that the death of Jesus was not an accident but was all part of God's plan. This is why there are lots of references in the gospel of Mark to the fact that the messiah must suffer and die. In addition to this Jesus re-iterates that suffering is meant to be when he states in Mark 13.7-13 that; " And don't be troubled when you hear the noise of battles close by and news of battles far away. Such things must happen, but they do not mean that the end has come. Countries will fight each other; kingdoms will attack one another. There will be earthquakes everywhere, and there will be famines. These things are like the first pains of childbirth."
" You yourselves must be on guard. You will be arrested and taken to court. You will be beaten in the synagogues; you will stand before rulers and kings for my sake to tell them the good news. But before the end comes, the gospel must be preached to all peoples. And when you are arrested an taken to court, do not worry beforehand about what you are going to say; when the time comes, say whatever is then given to you. For the words you speak will not be yours, they will come form the Holy Spirit. Men will hand over their own brothers to be put to death, and fathers will do the same to their children. Children will turn against their parents and have them put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me. But whoever holds out to the end will be saved"
Jesus simply dismisses things that we class as major disasters by personifying them as 'the first pains of childbirth.' This is just to play down the fact of a suffering messiah and give people hope. Psychologically - if Jesus who is meant to be the Son of God - is suffering then what hope have us 'ordinary' people got. This is emphasised throughout the gospel to give us a reason to live.
In my opinion Jesus wasn't given a fair trial by a long shot. There were a lot of irregularities and discrepancies that didn't comply with standard procedure according to Mark.
III. The Sanhedrin did not usually meet at the high priests house;
IV. Trials, which involved the possible sentence of death, were not allowed at night;
V. A verdict of guilty required that the sentence should be delayed for twenty-four hours;
VI. Witnesses were warned that if they gave false evidence they would suffer the same verdict which would have been awarded to the accused;
VII. At least two independent witnesses had to agree on their evidence; if witnesses disagreed the trial was stopped and a 'not guilty' verdict was pronounced; and finally
VIII. It was a mockery of the legal system to allow the beating of a prisoner during the court proceedings.
There were also strong opinions between the Sanhedrin about Jesus.
a. Jesus worked on the Sabbath - this was against a fundamental law.
b. Blasphemous - claimed to be the son of God
c. Messiah - They thought that he would lead the Jews to the eradication of the Romans and this would lead to bloodshed
d. They were jealous of his popularity
e. They were contemplating the fact that he could actually be the Messiah
f. They thought to themselves that could the Messiah actually be from Galilee - a poor area
g. They thought he was a false prophet who should die
h. Better for one person to die than for the Romans to destroy the nation
All these opinions gave themselves for an undoubtedly corrupt trial.
Maximilian Kolbe is a fine example of Christians suffering in a similar to the manor Jesus suffered. In July 1914 three prisoners escaped from the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz. The Nazi's picked ten men in reprisal to starve to death in the underground bunker. One of the men was Franiszek Gajowniczek. When he realized his fate he cried out 'o my poor wife, my poor children, I shall never see them again.' It was then that the unexpected happened. From the ranks of watching inmates, prisoner 16670 stepped out and offered himself in the other mans place. Then he was taken with the other nine condemned men to the dreaded bunker, an airless underground cell, to die slowly without food or water.
Prisoner 16670 was a polish catholic priest called Maximilian Kolbe. He was 47 years old. Before the war he had founded one of the largest monasteries in the world, which was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It was called Niepokalanov. He had also travelled as a missionary to the Far East and Russia. In 1930 he helped to start a monastery in the Japanese town of Nagasaki. In 1939 he began helping Jewish refugees.
However, in 1941 he was arrested by the Nazi's and sent to prison in Warsaw and then deported to Auschwitz.
Auschwitz was a terrible place. Human beings were treated in the most inhuman ways imaginable. Thousands died every day from beatings, floggings, torture, disease, and starvation and in the gas chambers. Father Kolbe dedicated his life in Auschwitz to helping his fellow prisoners. He would console them, share his food with them, and organize secret church services. He tried to show by his own example, that even in such a hellish place God still loved and cared for them. He once said: ' Every man has an aim in life. For most men it is to return home to their wives and families, or to their mothers. For my part, I give my life for the good of all men.'
An eyewitness of those last terrible days of Father Kolbe's life tells us what happened.
'In the cell of the poor wretches there were daily loud prayers, the rosary and singing, in which prisoners from neighbouring cells also joined. When no SS men were in the block I went to the bunker to talk to the men and comfort them. Fervent prayers and songs to the holy mother resounded in all the corridors of the bunker. I had the impression I was in a church. Fr. Kolbe was leading and the prisoners responded in unison. They were often so deep in prayer that they did not even hear that inspecting SS men had descended to the bunker; and the voices fell silent only at the loud yelling of their visitors. When the cells were opened the poor wretches cried loudly and begged for a piece of bread and for water, which they didn't receive. If any of the stronger ones approached the door the SS men immediately kicked him in the stomach, so that falling backwards on the cement floor he was instantly killed; or he was shot to death. Father Kolbe bore up bravely; he did not complain but raised the spirits of the others. Since they had grown very weak, prayers were now only whispered. At every inspection, when almost all the others were now lying on the floor, Fr. Kolbe was seen kneeling or standing in the centre as he looked cheerfully in the face of the SS men. Two weeks passed this way. Meanwhile one after another they died, until only Fr. Kolbe was left. This, the authorities felt was too long; the ce0000.ll was needed for new victims. So one day they brought in the head of the sick- quarters, a German, a common criminal named Bock who gave Fr. Kolbe an injection of carbolic acid in the vein of his left arm. Fr. Kolbe, with a prayer on his lips, himself gave his arm to the executioner.
The way Father Kolbe suffered and then as a consequence died is almost identical to that of Jesus. But the underlying similarity is that both Jesus and Father Kolbe died for their faith.
In many ways, suffering seems to be a routine part of human life and many
people would say that it is only through suffering that people can learn to
grow as human beings. They might hold this view because they believe that in
a world where there is no suffering there is nothing to struggle against and
nothing to strive for. For example, if you do not know what it is like to be
ill, starving or enslaved then such people feel it is not possible to fully
understand or appreciate what it is like to be healthy, well fed or free.
Suffering can also help us realise our mistakes and in this way we may
become better people. For example, if a person suffers a serious physical injury
because they crash their speeding car they may become a better person, i.e.
more law abiding or more sympathetic to people with physical handicaps.
However, it is true that suffering is often the result of someone else's
mistake or some natural evil, like an earthquake or a flood, and such
suffering may seem pointless to many people. On the other hand, some people
might agree with the Jews who maintain that even seemingly pointless
suffering is necessary if people are to have a truly free choice about God.
They say that if God only sent people good things, and no suffering, then
people would have no choice but to love God and follow his teaching. So,
some people might believe that, since suffering makes it possible for people to
reject God and do evil, suffering is a test of your faith and if you
maintain your belief in times of suffering then it helps make your faith stronger.
Alternatively, Hinduism teaches that all suffering in this life is a result
of people's actions in their previous life and, therefore, suffering has no
power to make people 'stronger' or 'better'.
Some religions, like Christianity, also teach that there can also be a
spiritual value in suffering which helps them become better people.
Christians maintain that when they suffer they are sharing in Jesus'
suffering for the sins of the whole world (Colossians 1:24) and, because
Jesus himself suffered, Christians believe that God understands human
suffering and offers comfort and strength in times of suffering. Christians
also believe that in life after death there will be no suffering as, "God
will wipe away all tears from their eyes. There will be no more death, no
more grief or crying or pain..." (Revelation 21:3-4).
As far as most people are concerned we live in a world that is less than perfect. Now although it could be argued that we have not experienced any other world, and so be able to assess whether this present world is either better or worse against our experience of any other world, people still sense that all is not well here. Although famine, war, earthquakes, disease and crime are common features of our world, most people would be happy to live without them.
In conclusion you might say that, in some cases, suffering might enable
people to become stronger or better, but that is not guaranteed. Some people
may not be able to cope with their particular suffering and may have a
nervous breakdown or commit suicide because of it.
Brendan Assibi, 10TA, R.E. Coursework