ps Rolph V. Snyder RR D. 3 Faint JOY, Pr. SUSQUEHANNA BULLETIN Susquehanna Times & The Mount Joy Bulletin MARIETTA & MOUNT JOY, PA. Vol. 75 No. 12 - March 26, 1975 The bad news Friday A recently popular reli- gious leader, who was ac- claimed less than a week ago when he rode into town, was captured by a mob and taken away to be tried by religious authorities. The religious leader was identified for the mob by one of his followers who had been bribed to point him out by kissing him. In the scuffle that follow- ed a member of the mob had his ear but off by one of the leader’s followers, but the leader disapproved of this action, and was led away peacefully. The followers fled for their lives. One denied any knowledge of the leader. The leader was taken to a religious court for trial. His judges accused him of threatening to tear down a religious temple and of hav- ing delusions of being the son of God. They then took him to the civil government for trial before the governor. The governor wasn’t Photo by Susquehanna Bulletin much interested in the case. His wife had had a bad dream the night before and had warned him against hav- ing anything to do with the case. The good news Sunday Because the religious lead- er had said at one time that he would come to life again three days after his death, the religious authorities ask- ed the governor to place an armed guard at the tomb where the leader was buried. Otherwise, the authorities were afraid that the leader’s followers would come to the grave, steal the body from it, and claim that their leader had come to life again. The governor agreed to put a guard at the tomb. It is reported that early Sunday morning two female followers of the leader came to his grave. There was a violent earthquake when they got there. They saw an angel come down from heaven, roll the stone away that covered the opening to the tomb, and sit on the stone. A brilliant light given off by the angel fright- ened the guards, so that they shook and lay down like corpses. The angel told the wo- men not to be afraid, that their leader was not dead, that he had left the tomb, and let them inspect the slab where the body of the leader had been placed. The women were ecstatic with joy and ran to tell the leader’s followers. Suddenly, standing in the path before them, they saw their beloved leader him- self. He told them not to be afraid. He ‘told them to get in touch with his followers and tell them that he would see them in Galilee. The religious authorities said that the followers had stolen the body of their leader from the tomb. But the followers, minus The people had the right to free one prisoner at this time of year, and the gover- nor asked the people wheth- er he should free the reli- gious leader or a notorious convict named Barabbas. The people all shouted, “Barabbas!” “Then what am I to do with this religious leader?” the governor asked the peo- ple. And they all shouted, “Kill him!” “Why, what harm has he done?” the governor asked. “Kill him!” the crowd shouted back. The governor saw that a riot was starting. He saw he couldn’t stop the mob. In front of them he washed his hands and said, “My hands are clean of this man’s blood.” The governor had the religious leader beaten and turned over to his soldiers to be killed. The soldiers stripped all the clothes off the leader, put a crown made of thorns on his head, a purple mantle around his shoulders, and then they all started bow- ing down to him and calling him, “King.” They also spit on him. When they finished mak- ing fun of him they took him off to be killed. the one who had betrayed their leader, went to Galilee and met their leader, come to life again, on top of a mountain. He told them: “Full authority in heaven and on earth has been committed to me. Go forth, therefore, and make all nations my disciples: baptize men every- where in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all that I have commanded you. And be assured, I am with you al- ways, to the end of time.” The way they were going to kill him was to place his body with outstretched hands on two crossed beams of wood, and fasten his body to the crossed beams by driving nails through his hands and feet into the wood. The crossed beams would then be set upright in the ground, and the man would be left to hang there to die slowly. According to one report the leader carried the cross- ed beams himself to the place where he was to be executed. When he had arrived at the place of execution, he —— Raa Window in Trinity Lutheran Church, Mount Joy Ten Cents was nailed to the cross, and it was set upright. Some bystanders said to him, “If you are the son of God, why don’t you come down from your cross?” There were also two pri- soners who were being put to death on crosses beside him. They also asked him why he didn’t demonstrate the supernatural powers he claimed. About 3 p.m. the leader let out a cry, “My God, my God, why did you forsake me?” There was another cry. Then the leader was dead. hr
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers