Meanwhile the fact of His condemnation had become known[526] to the traitor Judas (Mtt. xxvii. 3), and filled him with the deepest remorse. Hitherto he had been lured on by covetousness, and his eyes had been blinded by the Evil One. Now they were opened, and he saw what he had done. _He had betrayed innocent blood_ (Mtt. xxvii. 4). Filled with terror and anguish, he hurried to the chief priests and elders, and openly confessed his awful crime. But they received his confession with gibes and taunts. _What is that to us?_ said they; _see thou to that_ (Mtt. xxvii. 4). In frantic despair the wretched man resolved to get rid of the reward of his treachery. Rushing into the sanctuary[527] he flung down the thirty pieces of silver before the priests, and went and hanged himself[528] (Mtt. xxvii. 5), but, probably in consequence of the rope breaking, he _fell headlong, and burst asunder in the midst_ (Acts i. 18), so that, when his body was found, _all his bowels had gushed out_. With the blood-money he had left in the Temple the chief priests were at first perplexed what to do. Though they had not scrupled to pledge it as the reward of the basest treachery, yet they were unwilling to return it to the Temple funds, and at length resolved to apply it to the purchase[529] of a field for the burial of strangers, which was afterwards known as Aceldama[530] (Acts i. 19), or the _Field of Blood_ (Mtt. xxvii. 6–10; Zech. xi. 13). CHAPTER VII. _THE TRIAL BEFORE PILATE――THE CONDEMNATION._ A.D. 30. WHAT amount of knowledge Pilate already possessed of the Saviour’s person and character is not known. But he could not fail to have been surprised, on this occasion, at the earnest request so early in the morning to decide the question respecting the Teacher from Galilee. The deputation from the Sanhedrin would not enter his prætorium, lest they should incur pollution, and be unable to keep the Passover (Jn. xviii. 28). Yielding, therefore, to the popular custom[531], with political tact he came forth from his palace (Jn. xviii. 29), and enquired the nature of the accusation against the Redeemer. At first they replied evasively, and as if they felt hurt at the question, _If this fellow were not a malefactor we would not have delivered Him unto thee_ (Jn. xviii. 30). But this would not satisfy Pilate, and he replied ironically[532], _Then take ye Him, and judge Him according to your law_, as if anxious to refer the whole matter back to themselves. To this the Jews replied that it was not lawful for them to put any one to death (Jn. xviii. 31), and having thus intimated that the Redeemer had committed a crime, for which the punishment of death was due, artfully put forward a charge, which, as a Roman procurator, Pilate could not overlook. _We found this fellow_, said they, _perverting our nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Cæsar, saying that He is Christ a King_ (Lk. xxiii 2).