“The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.”
The Jews answered him, 'We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die, because he has claimed to be the Son of God.' — At last, the Jewish charge emerges clearly: blasphemy (Leviticus 24:16), Jesus' claim to be God's Son. The phrase "according to that law he ought to die" (kata ton nomon hēmin opheilan apothanein) invokes Torah's capital penalty for blasphemy. This charge, not political kingship, constitutes the true religious indictment. John reveals that the political prosecution masks theological rejection of Jesus' divine claims.
Church Fathers on John 19:7
When the chief priests therefore and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, Crucify Him, crucify Him.
Pilate says to them, Take you Him, and crucify Him. This is the speech of a man abhorring the deed, and urging others to do a deed which he abhors himself. They had brought our, Lord indeed to him that He might be put to death by his sentence, but the very contrary was the result; the governor acquitted Him: For I find no fault in Him. He clears Him immediately from all charges: which shows that he had only permitted the former outrages, to humor the madness of the Jews. But…
but he was more afraid, lest he should slay the Son of God
Read all 8 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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