The Crowning with Thorns.
No sooner did Sister Emmerich recommence the narrative of her
visions on the Passion than she again became extremely ill, oppressed
with fever, and so tormented by violent thirst that her tongue was
perfectly parched and contracted; and on the Monday after Mid-Lent
Sunday, she was so exhausted that it was not without great difficulty,
and after many intervals of rest, that she narrated all which our Lord
suffered in this crowning with thorns. She was scarcely able to speak,
because she herself felt every sensation which she described in the
following account:
Pilate harangued the populace many times during the time of the
scourging of Jesus, but they interrupted him once, and vociferated, 'He
shall be executed, even if we die for it.' When Jesus was led into the
guardhouse, they all cried out again, 'Crucify him, crucify him!'
After this there was silence for a time. Pilate occupied himself in
giving different orders to the soldiers, and the servants of the High
Priests brought them some refreshments; after which Pilate, whose
superstitious tendencies made him uneasy in mind, went into the inner
part of his palace in order to consult his gods, and to offer them
incense.
When the Blessed Virgin and the holy women had gathered up the blood
of Jesus, with which the pillar and the adjacent parts were saturated,
they left the forum and went into a neighbouring small house, the owner
of which I do not know. John was not, I think, present at the scourging
of Jesus.
A gallery encircled the inner court of the guardhouse where our Lord
was crowned with thorns, and the doors were open. The cowardly
ruffians, who were eagerly waiting to gratify their cruelty by
torturing and insulting our Lord, were about fifty in number, and the
greatest part slaves or servants of the jailers and soldiers. The mob
gathered round the building, but were soon displaced by a thousand
Roman soldiers, who were drawn up in good order and stationed there.
Although forbidden to leave their ranks, these soldiers nevertheless
did their utmost by laughter and applause to incite the cruel
executioners to redouble their insults; and as public applause gives
fresh energy to a comedian, so did their words of encouragement
increase tenfold the cruelty of these men.
In the middle of the court there stood the fragment of a pillar, and
on it was placed a very low stool which these cruel men maliciously
covered with sharp flints and bits of broken potsherds. Then they tore
off the garments of Jesus, thereby reopening all his wounds; threw over
his shoulders an old scarlet mantle which barely reached his knees;
dragged him to the seat prepared, and pushed him roughly down upon it,
having first placed the crown of thorns upon his head. The crown of
thorns was made of three branches plaited together, the greatest part
of the thorns being purposely turned inwards so as to pierce our Lord's
head. Having first placed these twisted branches on his forehead, they
tied them tightly together at the back of his head, and no sooner was
this accomplished to their satisfaction than they put a large reed into
his hand, doing all with derisive gravity as if they were really
crowning him king. They then seized the reed, and struck his head so
violently that his eyes were filled with blood; they knelt before him,
derided him, spat in his face, and buffeted him, saying at the same
time, 'Hail, King of the Jews!' Then they threw down his stool, pulled him
up again from the ground on which he had fallen, and reseated him with
the greatest possible brutality.
It is quite impossible to describe the cruel outrages which were
thought of and perpetrated by these monsters under human form. The
sufferings of Jesus from thirst, caused by the fever which his wounds
and sufferings had brought on, were intense.11 He trembled all over,
his flesh was torn piecemeal, his tongue contracted, and the only
refreshment he received was the blood which trickled from his head on
to his parched lips. This shameful scene was protracted a full
half-hour, and the Roman soldiers continued during the whole time to
applaud and encourage the perpetration of still greater outrages.