Nations rage: Herod and Pilate against the Lord and his Christ
David speaks again thus of Christ’s passion: ‘Why have the nations raged, and the peoples meditated vain things? The kings of the earth have risen against him, and the rulers have gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ.’ (Ps 2:1-2; Acts 4:25-28)
For Herod, king of the Jews, and Pontius Pilate, the emperor’s procurator, agreed together to condemn him to be crucified. Herod supposed that the Christ was to be an earthly king and feared being dispossessed of his kingdom by him. At the instigation of Herod and of the Jews around him, Pilate was driven, though unwilling, to hand Christ over to death; for if he had not done so, he would have acted against the emperor by saving a man who called himself king. (Lk 23:7-12; Jn 19:12-16)
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About this text
Irenaeus’s short handbook of the apostolic preaching (Epideixis), preserved in Armenian. English here is a densified reading translation for study. Prior English exists (Robinson / Wilson) — this is not an Original English Translation.
English follows the Armenian of Patrologia Orientalis XII.5. Barthoulot’s French was used as a sense-check only. Robinson (1920) and Wilson’s prior English exist and were checked for independence — this page is densified English, not Original English Translation / no-previous-English.
Witnesses
- Copy-text PO XII.5 Epideixis (Armenian, Matenadaran M3710) (Armenian · §§1–10)
- Checked print Barthoulot French (PD) (French · §§1–10)
- Prior English Check Robinson 1920 / Wilson English (English · full work (prior complete English exists))
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.