The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus ChristEmmerich, Anna Katharina
Religion
The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Emmerich, Anna Katharina
Jesus Christ -- Passion -- Devotional literature
[The cause of the quarrel between Pilate and Herod was, according
to the account of Sister Emmerich, simply this: Pilate had undertaken
to build an aqueduct on the south-east side of the mountain on which
the Temple stood, at the edge of the torrent into which the waters of
the pool of Bethsaida emptied themselves, and this aqueduct was to
carry off the refuse of the Temple. Herod, through the medium of one of
his confidants, who was a member of the Sanhedrin, agreed to furnish
him with the necessary materials, as also with twenty-eight architects,
who were also Herodians. His aim was to set the Jews still more against
the Roman governor, by causing the undertaking to fail. He accordingly
came to a private understanding with the architects, who agreed to
construct the aqueduct in such a manner that it would be certain to
fail. When the work was almost finished, and a number of bricklayers
from Ophel were busily employed in removing the scaffolding, the
twenty-eight builders went on to the top of the Tower of Siloe to
contemplate the crash which they knew must take place. Not only did the
whole of the building crumble to pieces, fall, and kill ninety-three
workmen, but even the tower containing the twenty-eight architects came
down, and not one escaped death. This accident occurred a short time
previous to the 8th of January, two years after Jesus had commenced
preaching; it took place on Herod's birthday, the same day that John the
Baptist was beheaded in the Castle of Marcherunt. No Roman officer
attended these festivities on account of the affair of the aqueduct,
although Pilate had, with hypocritical politeness, been requested to
take a part in them. Sister Emmerich saw some of the disciples of Jesus
carry the news of this event into Samaria, where he was teaching, on
the 8th of January. Jesus went from thence to Hebron, to comfort the
family of John; and she saw him, on the 13th of January, cure many
among the workmen of Ophel who had been injured by the fall of the
aqueduct. We have seen by the relation previously given how little
gratitude they showed him. The enmity of Herod towards Pilate was still
farther increased by the manner in which the latter revenged himself on
the followers of Herod. We will insert here a few details which were
communicated at different times to Sister Emmerich. On the 25th of
March, of the second year of our Lord's preaching, when Jesus and his
disciples were in the neighbourhood of Bethania, they were warned by
Lazarus that Judas of Gaulon intended to excite an insurrection against
Pilate. On the 28th of March, Pilate issued a proclamation to the
effect that he intended to impose a tax, the proceeds of which were
partly to cover the expenses he had incurred in raising the building
which had just fallen to the ground. This announcement was followed by
a sedition headed by Judas of Gaulon, who always stood up for liberty,
and who was (unknown to himself) a tool in the hands of the Herodians.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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