John, who professes to have seen it,[1] insists strongly on this circumstance.  It is evident, in fact, that doubts arose as to the reality of the death of Jesus.  A few hours of suspension on the cross appeared to persons accustomed to see crucifixions entirely insufficient to lead to such a result.  They cited many instances of persons crucified, who, removed in time, had been brought to life again by powerful remedies.[2] Origen afterward thought it needful to invoke miracle in order to explain so sudden an end.[3] The same astonishment is found in the narrative of Mark.[4] To speak truly, the best guarantee that the historian possesses upon a point of this nature is the suspicious hatred of the enemies of Jesus.  It is doubtful whether the Jews were at that time preoccupied with the fear that Jesus might pass for resuscitated; but, in any case, they must have made sure that he was really dead.  Whatever, at certain periods, may have been the neglect of the ancients in all that belonged to legal proof and the strict conduct of affairs, we cannot but believe that those interested here had taken some precautions in this respect.[5]

[Footnote 1:  John xix. 31-35.]

[Footnote 2:  Herodotus, vii. 194; Jos., Vita, 75.]

[Footnote 3:  In Matt.  Comment. series, 140.]

[Footnote 4:  Mark xv. 44, 45.]

[Footnote 5:  The necessities of Christian controversy afterward led to the exaggeration of these precautions, especially when the Jews had systematically begun to maintain that the body of Jesus had been stolen.  Matt. xxvii. 62, and following, xxviii. 11-15.]

According to the Roman custom, the corpse of Jesus ought to have remained suspended in order to become the prey of birds.[1] According to the Jewish law, it would have been removed in the evening, and deposited in the place of infamy set apart for the burial of those who were executed.[2] If Jesus had had for disciples only his poor Galileans, timid and without influence, the latter course would have been adopted.  But we have seen that, in spite of his small success at Jerusalem, Jesus had gained the sympathy of some important persons who expected the kingdom of God, and who, without confessing themselves his disciples, were strongly attached to him.  One of these persons, Joseph, of the small town of Arimathea (Ha-ramathaim[3]), went in the evening to ask the body from the procurator.[4] Joseph was a rich and honorable man, a member of the Sanhedrim.  The Roman law, at this period, commanded, moreover, that the body of the person executed should be delivered to those who claimed it.[5] Pilate, who was ignorant of the circumstance of the crurifragium, was astonished that Jesus was so soon dead, and summoned the centurion who had superintended the execution, in order to know how this was.  Pilate, after having received the assurances of the centurion, granted to Joseph the object of his request.  The body probably had already been removed from the cross.  They delivered it to Joseph, that he might do with it as he pleased.