Christ is condemned to death (John 19:4-16)

The scene of Christ being sentenced to death has a long history in Christian art. This is mostly due to the episode being the very first of the ‘Stations of the Cross’, the popular devotion that encourages Catholics to meditate on the suffering and death of Christ.

Christ’s condemnation to death is covered in all four of the gospels (Matthew 27:1-26; Mark 15:1-15; Luke 22:13-25; John 19:1-16). The event took place at the headquarters of Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judaea. There, Pilate questioned Jesus about the accusations against him and was amazed when he stayed silent.

In the meantime, a crowd had gathered outside to demand the release of a prisoner. This was an annual custom during the Passover festival. So Pilate consulted the crowd about who should be released, thinking that they would ask for Jesus. However, egged on by the chief priests, the mob asked for the release of a murderer named Barabbas. They also demanded that Christ be crucified.

But Pilate did not really think that Christ was guilty, particularly since his wife had tried to talk him out of the idea. He therefore presented Christ to the crowd, wearing a crown of thorns and a purple robe, in the hope that they would take pity on him. Pilate dramatically told them: ‘Here is the man’.

However, the plan backfired. The crowd shouted all the more for the release of Barabbas and for Christ to be crucified. Sensing a riot was about to break out, Pilate finally agreed to their demands. Nevertheless, in an attempt to avoid responsibility for the death, he washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood’.

The Latin wording of Pilate’s announcement to the people: ‘Here is the man’ (Ecce Homo) later inspired a new artistic representation of the suffering Christ. From the 15^th century onwards, artists pictured Jesus in a sorry state, being presented by Pilate to the public.

In this gilded sculpture by the Scottish artist, Archibald Dawson (1892-1938), we see the kneeling Christ in the process of being judged by Pontius Pilate. Dating to around 1933, it’s part of a series of Stations of the Cross found within the church of St Anne’s, in Dennistoun, Glasgow. This church was designed by the modernist architect, Jack Coia (1898-1981).

The sculpture’s Latin caption, tribulatio proxima est et non est qui adjuvet, is taken from Psalm 22:12 and means “trouble is near and no one can help me”. This psalm was later understood to refer to the crucifixion of Christ. The particular choice of this rather obscure quotation is interesting, as it means the artist (or someone who advised him) had a high degree of biblical literacy.

See the full image:

Where to find this work of art
St Anne’s, Dennistoun

Read the relevant passage
John 19:4-16

On a similar theme

• From the Old Testament: The Book of Wisdom describes the condemnation and death of God’s Son.
• From the New Testament: Pontius Pilate condemned Christ to death by crucifixion.