The question that is often posed, though, is why the Romans should capitulate to the desire of the Jews? It was those Jewish leaders who saw Jesus as a threat and wanted him put to death. However, they could not do so legally: only the Romans could dispense capital punishment. Blasphemy against the Jewish God, which they believed Jesus guilty of, while a capital offense in the Law of Moses, was not any sort of offense at all under Roman law. So those Jews (note that I am not saying all Jews were responsible, just as not all Arabs were responsible for 9/11) had to convince the Romans to find Jesus guilty of something which merited the death penalty under Roman law in order to have him executed.
To the Romans, Caesar was a god, so while blasphemy against the Jewish God was no crime, blasphemy against Caeser was. Rome also didn't take kindly to the appearance of new kings. By portraying Jesus to the local Roman authorities as the self-proclaimed "King of the Jews" and the "son of God," he became a threat to Roman political and religious power and subject to their death penalty.
All of which, to many Christians, is a little beside the point: neither the Romans nor the Jews are solely to blame for his death, which was part of God's plan to bridge the gap between God and man. If you're looking for what or who blame for Jesus' death, blame the gap.
Of course, by putting the foregoing paragraph before this august company, I realize that I leave myself open to accusations of being a dupe. Oh well, call me "a fool for Christ." If you disagree with my *beliefs,* that's your prerogative, but I don't really want to subject Brin-L to that particular debate at this time. If I have made factual errors (Caeser was /not/ a god, etc.), then I stand ready to be corrected.
Have fun,
Dave
------------------------------------------------------------------------ David M. Land [EMAIL PROTECTED] 408-551-0427
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