JEWS ACCUSED OF NAILING JESUS

Matthew 27:26 clearly says Jesus was handed over to Pilate's own soldiers for crucifixion. Codex Siniaticus makes it clear that Pilate handed Jesus over to the Jews! It is true that only a couple of manuscripts manipulate the text. But it shows how antisemitism in early Christianity was so intensely about framing the Jews for killing Jesus.

Luke says that Pilate reluctantly surrendered Jesus to the will of the Jews (Luke 23:25).  Luke 24:20 states that the Jews handed Jesus over for sentencing and then they crucified him. John 19:16 does the same thing as Luke. It says Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified. And when we ask to whom we have to go to the previous verse which mentions only the Jews. This evidently accuses the Jews of crucifying Jesus. This is a very serious slander.

Luke and John must have been written very late when it was able to make statements like that. The Jews were not to blame for Jesus’ death. The gospel evidence that they were is dubious.

The New American Bible, Living Word Edition, note for John 19:16 confesses that out of the desire to blacken the Jews John like Luke was deliberately ambiguous to give the impression that the Jews were the killers of Christ and that he was handed over to the Jews for crucifixion.

All scholars of the Bible agree that New Testament writers sometimes made a link with the Old Testament by using its wording and chain of thought to write the stories about Jesus.  Theologians call this typology.  Some feel that as the New Testament writes history using typology - that is that there is much to be gleaned from how Judas is written in a way that he symbolises Jews. Funk feels that Judas was made up to be the appointed representative of the Jews and their type.

WORKS CONSULTED
 
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The Metaphor of God Incarnate, John Hick, SCM Press Ltd, London, 1993
The Passover Plot, Hugh Schonfield, Element Books, Dorset, 1996
The Resurrection Factor, Josh McDowell, Alpha Scripture Press Foundation, Bucks, 1993
The Resurrection of Jesus, Pinchas Lapide, SPCK, London, 1984
The Truth of Christianity, WH Turton, Wells Gardner, Darton & Co Ltd, London, 1905
The Turin Shroud is Genuine, Rodney Hoare, Souvenir Press, London, 1998HoarHo
The Unauthorised Version, Robin Lane Fox, Penguin, Middlesex, 1992
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The Womb and the Tomb, Hugh Montefiore, Fount – HarperCollins, London, 1992
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Who Moved the Stone? Frank Morison, OM Publishing Cumbria, 1997
Why People believe Weird Things, Michael Shermer, Freeman, New York, 1997