EARLY WISDOM GOSPELS 95
Yeshua responded,
"My kingdom is not of this world.
If my kingdom were of this world
my servants would have fought to keep me
from being delivered to the Jews.^59
But now my kingdom is not here."
Then Pilatus said to him,
"Then you are a king?"
Yeshua answered,
"You say I am a king.
For this I was born
and for this I came into the world
that I might testify to the truth.
Everyone born of truth hears my voice."
Pilatus said to him, "What is truth?"And after he said this, again he went out to the Jews and told them, "I find no
fault in him. But you have this custom that I should release someone to you at
Pesach. So do you want me to release the king of the Jews?"
They shouted back saying, "Not this man but Barabbas."
Now, Barabbas was a robber.
(Chapter 19)PILATUS YIELDS TO THE JEWS AND
ORDERS CRUCIFIXIONThen Pilatus took Yeshua and flogged him. And the soldiers wove a wreath out
of thorns and put it on his head and threw a purple robe around him. And
they went up to him and said, "Hail, king of the Jews!"
And they struck him in the face.
And Pilatus again went outside and said to them, "Look, I am bringing him
out to you so you may know that I find no fault in him."
Then Yeshua came out, wearing the wreath of thorns and the purple robe.- Here the "we and them" reference to Jews means that the speaker and his supporters, incredi-
bly, are not to be identified as Jews, according to this gospel.