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Jesus before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin

Matt 26:57–68; Mark 14:53–65; Luke 22:54, 63–71 · Passion week in Jerusalem

Scripture

Matthew 26:57–68

nd they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. 58But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest’s palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end. 59Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; 60But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, 61And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. 62And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? 63But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. 64Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 65Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. 66What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death. 67Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, 68Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?

King James Version · public domain

Mateu 26:57–68

dhe ata si zunë Jisunë, e prunë te Kaiafa kryeprifti, atje ku ishinë mbledhurë shkronjësit’ edhe pleqtë. 58Po Pjetri i vate prapa për-së-largu, gjer ndë avlit të krye-priftit; edhe si hyri brenda, rrinte bashkë me shërbëtorëtë, që të shihte fundinë. 59Edhe krye-priftërit’ e pleqt’ e gjithë bashkë-ndënja kërkoninë dëshmim të-rrem kundrë Jisujt, që t’a vrisninë atë, po nukë gjetnë; 60Edhe ndonëse erthnë shumë dëshmimtarë të-rrem, nukë gjetnë. Po pastaj erthnë dy dëshmimtarë të-rrem, e thanë, 61Ky tha, se Munt të prish tempullin’ e Perëndisë, edhe për tri dit t’a ndërtonj atë. 62Edhe kry-prifti ungrit e i tha, Nukë përgjigjesh fare? ç’dëshmojnë këta kundrë teje? 63Po Jisuj nukë bënte zë. Edhe krye-prifti upërgjeq e i tha, Të vë mbë be për Perëndin’ e gjallë, të na thuash, ndë je ti Krishti, i Bir’ i Perëndisë. 64Jisuj i thot’ atij, Ti po thua; po unë po u them juve, Që ndashti e paskëtaj dotë shihni të Birr’ e njeriut dyke ndënjurë mb’anë të-djathtë të fuqisë, e dyke ardhurë mbi ret të qiellit. 65Atëhere kryeprifti çori rrobat e tia, dyke thënë, Se vllasfimisi; ç’nevojë kemi më për dëshmimtarë? ja ndashti tek e dëgjuatë vllasfimin’ e ati. Si u duketë juve? 66Edhe ata upërgjeqnë e thanë, Eshtë fajtuar për vdekje. 67Atëhere e pshtynë atë ndër sy, edhe i ranë me grusht, edhe të-tjerë i ranë me shuplaka, 68dyke thënë, Profiteps-na, o Krisht, cili ësht’ ay që të ra?

Kristoforidhi, Dhiata e Re Toskërisht 1879 · zotërim publik

In their own words

On that face which the sea, when it saw it, had reverenced, from which the sun, when it beheld it on the cross, turned away his rays, they did spit, and struck it with the palms of their hands, and some upon the head; giving full swing in every way to their own madness.

St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew, Homily 85 (on Matthew 26:67–68)

Jesus before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin (Matthew 26:57–68)

The texts below are quoted verbatim from public-domain English translations; nothing is paraphrased.

St. John Chrysostom (c. 347–407)

Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew, Homilies 84–85 (on Matthew 26:57–68) Source: trans. in the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 10. Public domain. Full text: https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf110

On the assembled council that clothed a plot in the appearance of a trial:

Wherefore also they were all assembled together, and it was a council of pestilent men, ... and they ask some questions, wishing to invest this plot with the appearance of a court of justice. For "neither did their testimonies agree together;" ... so feigned was the court of justice, and all things full of confusion and disorder.

On the false witnesses, who misreported the saying about the temple:

And indeed He had said, "In three days," but He said not, "I will destroy," but, "Destroy," and not about that temple but about His own body.

On the silence of Jesus, who held His peace before the high priest:

Willing to press Him to a defense, that by that he might take Him, he saith, "Hearest Thou not what these witness against Thee? But He held His peace."

On why, having been silent, He confessed His majesty at the last:

To take away all their excuse, because unto the last day He taught that He was Christ, and that He sitteth at the right hand of the Father, and that He will come again to judge the world, which was the language of one manifesting His full accordance with the Father.

On the face they spat upon and buffeted:

On that face which the sea, when it saw it, had reverenced, from which the sun, when it beheld it on the cross, turned away his rays, they did spit, and struck it with the palms of their hands, and some upon the head; giving full swing in every way to their own madness.

St. Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376–444)

Commentary on the Gospel of Luke (on Luke 22:69–70) As preserved in the Catena Aurea on Luke, trans. J. H. Newman, 1841. Public domain. Full text: https://isidore.co/aquinas/english/CALuke.htm

On the majesty signified when the Son of man sits on the right hand of power:

Whenever sitting and a throne are spoken of God, His kingly and supreme majesty is signified. For we do not imagine any judgment-seat to be placed, on which we believe the Lord of all takes His seat; nor again, that in anywise right hand or left hand appertain to the Divine nature; for figure, and place, and sitting, are the properties of bodies.

On His sitting together on the same throne as Son by nature:

But how shall the Son be seen to be of equal honour and to sit together on the same throne, if He is not the Son according to nature, having in Himself the natural property of the Father?

Theophylact of Ohrid (c. 1055–1107)

Explanation of the Gospel of Luke (on Luke 22:63–69) As preserved in the Catena Aurea on Luke, trans. J. H. Newman, 1841. Public domain. Full text: https://isidore.co/aquinas/english/CALuke.htm

On the Lord of prophets derided as a false prophet, and the blindfolding:

Likewise the Lord of prophets is derided as a false prophet. ... And they blindfolded Him, not that He should not see their wickedness, but that they might hide His face from them.

On "Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of power":

As if He said, There is no time left to you any longer for discourses and teaching, but hereafter shall be the time of judgment, when ye shall see Me, the Son of man, sitting on the right hand of the power of God.

Origen of Alexandria (c. 185–254)

Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew (on Matthew 26:62–66) As preserved in the Catena Aurea on Matthew. Public domain. Full text: https://www.ccel.org/ccel/aquinas/catena1.ii.xxvi.html

On the silence of Jesus before slanderers and false witnesses:

This place teaches us to contemn the clamours of slanderers and false witnesses, and not to consider those who speak unbeseeming things of us worthy of an answer; but then, above all, when it is greater to be manfully and resolutely silent, than to plead our cause in vain.

On the error of pronouncing the Author of life guilty of death:

How great their error! to pronounce the principle of all men's life to be guilty of death, and not to acknowledge by the testimony of the resurrection of so many, the Fount of life, from Whom life flows to all that rise again.

Blessed Augustine of Hippo (354–430)

Questions on the Gospels, Book I (on Matthew 26:67) As preserved in the Catena Aurea on Matthew. Public domain. Full text: https://www.ccel.org/ccel/aquinas/catena1.ii.xxvi.html

On the mystical sense of the spitting, the buffeting, and the blows:

That, "they did spit in his face," signifies those who reject His proffered grace. They likewise buffet Him who prefer their own honour to Him; and they smite Him on the face, who, blinded with unbelief, affirm that He is not yet come, disowning and rejecting His person.

St. Jerome (c. 347–420)

Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew (on Matthew 26:60–67) As preserved in the Catena Aurea on Matthew. Public domain. Full text: https://www.ccel.org/ccel/aquinas/catena1.ii.xxvi.html

On what makes them false witnesses, though they repeat His own words:

A false witness is one who takes what is said in a different sense from that in which it was said. Now this the Lord had spoken of the temple of His Body, and they cavil at His expressions, and by a slight change and addition produce a plausible charge.

On the misreporting of "Destroy this temple":

The Lord's words were, "Destroy this temple;" this they make into, I can destroy the Temple of God. He said, "Destroy," not, I will destroy, because it is unlawful to lay hands on ourselves.

On the rending of the high priest's garments and the vacant priesthood:

And by this rending his garments, he shews that the Jews have lost the priestly glory, and that their High Priest's throne was vacant. For by rending his garment he rent the veil of the Law which covered him.

On the spitting and the smiting that fulfilled Isaiah:

"They spit in his face, and buffeted him," to fulfil the prophecy of Esaias, "I gave my cheek to the smiters, and turned not away my face from shame and spitting."

Patristic sources

Read the sources: Chrysostom on Matthew (CCEL, NPNF1-10) · Catena Aurea on Matthew, ch. 26 (CCEL) · Catena Aurea on Luke (isidore.co)