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who immediately departed. Pilate passed through the arcade into the garden. There in the presence of all the men he had asked to see, the Procurator solemnly play it again sports asheville nc and curtly repeated that he confirmed the sentence of death on Yeshua Ha-Notsri and enquired officially of the Sanhedrin members as to which of the prisoners it had pleased them to release. On

being told that it was Bar-Abba, the Procurator said: Very well, and ordered the secretary to enter it in the minutes. He clutched the buckle which the secretary had picked up from the sand play it again sports asheville nc and announced solemnly : It is time! At this all present set off down the broad marble staircase between the lines of rose bushes, exuding their stupefying aroma, down towards the palace wall, to a gate leading to the smoothly paved square at whose end could be seen the columns and statues of the Jerusalem hippodrome. As soon as the group entered the square and play it again sports asheville nc began climbing up to the broad temporary wooden platform raised high above the square, Pilate assessed the situation through narrowed eyelids. The cleared passage that he had just crossed between play it again sports asheville nc the palace walls and the scaffolding platform was empty, but in front of Pilate the square could no longer be seen--it had been devoured by the crowd. The mob would have poured on to the platform and the passage too if there had not been two triple rows of soldiers, one from the Sebastian cohort on Pilates left and on his right another from the Ituraean auxiliary cohort, to keep it clear. Pilate climbed the platform, mechanically clenching and unclenching his fist on the useless buckle and frowning hard. The Procurator was not frowning because the sun was blinding him but to play it again sports asheville nc somehow avoid seeing the group of prisoners which, as he well knew, would shortly be led out on the platform behind him. The moment the white cloak with the blood-red lining appeared atop the stone play it again sports asheville nc block at the edge of that human sea a wave of sound-- Aaahh --struck the unseeing Pilates ears. It began softly, far away at the hippodrome end of the square, then grew to thunderous volume and after a few play it again sports asheville nc seconds, began to diminish again. They have seen me, thought the Procurator. The wave of sound did not recede altogether and began unexpectedly to grow again and waveringly rose to a higher pitch than play it again sports asheville nc the first and on top of the second surge of noise, like foam on the crest of a wave at sea, could be heard whistles and the shrieks of several women audible above the roar. That means they have led them out on to the platform, thought Pilate, and those screams are from women who were crushed play it again sports asheville nc when the crowd surged forward. He waited for a while, knowing that nothing could silence the crowd until it had let loose its pent-up feelings and quietened of its own accord. When play it again sports asheville nc that moment came tlie Procurator threw up his right hand and the last murmurings of the crowd expired. Then Pilate took as deep a breath as he could of the hot air and his cracked play it again sports asheville nc voice rang out over the thousands of heads : In the name of imperial Caesar! . . . At once his ears were struck by a clipped, metallic chorus as the cohorts, raising lances play it again sports asheville nc and standards, roared out their fearful response: Hail, Caesar! Pilate jerked his head up straight at the sun. He had a sensation of green fire piercing his eyelids, his brain seemed to burn. In hoarse Aramaic play it again sports asheville nc he flung his words out over the crowd : Four criminals, arrested in Jerusalem for murder, incitement to rebellion, contempt of the law and blasphemy, have been condemned to the most play it again sports asheville nc shameful form of execution--crucifixion! Their execution will be carried out shortly on Mount Golgotha The names of these felons are Dismas, Hestas, Bar-Abba and Ha-Notsri and there they stand before you! Pilate pointed to the right, unable to see the prisoners but knowing that they were standing where they should be. The crowd responded with a long rumble that could have been surprise or relief. When it play it again sports asheville nc had subsided Pilate went on : But only three of them are to be executed for, in accordance with law and custom, in honour of the great feast of Passover the emperor Caesar in his magnanimity will, play it again sports asheville nc at the choice of the Lesser Sanhedrin and with the approval of the Roman government, render back to one of these convicted men his contemptible life! As Pilate rasped out his words he noticed that play it again sports asheville nc the rumbling had given way to a great silence. Now not a sigh, not a rustle reached his ears and there even came a moment when it seemed to Pilate that the people around him had play it again sports asheville nc vanished altogether. The city he so hated might have died and only he alone stood there, scorched by the vertical rays of the sun, his face craning skywards. Pilate allowed the silence to continue and then began to shout again: The name of the man who is about to be released before you . . . He paused once more, holding back the name, mentally