Page:As others saw Him.djvu/192

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186
AS OTHERS SAW HIM.

Hanan said, "What need we of further words? let us proceed to the judgment." And glancing over to Chananyah ben Nedebai, he said, "Chananyah, thou art the youngest; it is thine to pronounce judgment first. Is not this man guilty of death for his manifest blasphemy here before us?" And Chananyah said, "Yea." And so said all till Hanan had called upon thirteen to give judgment. Then said Hanan, "This man is for certain condemned to death, or at least to be handed over to the Roman Procurator: for already a majority of two have declared his death, even if all the rest were for an acquittal, as I cannot think possible. The Court will rise and reassemble at the time of the saying of the morning prayer, in order to confirm this judgment. Ye will not have long to wait, for even now I heard the crowing of the cock, and the dawn cannot be far off."

Then the Court broke up, and many of the younger members met together and discussed the case. And I was somewhat surprised to find that very few words of compassion were raised for Jesus. The