Why Jesus' Own People Condemned Him to Death

The latest attempt to identify those who were responsible for Jesus' death has been made by the former Pontiff, His Holiness, Pope (Emeritus), Pope Benedict XVI.His Holiness argued in his book(Jesus Of Nazareth, Holy Week: From The Entrance Into Jerusalem To The Resurrection.) that blame for Jesus' death should be limited to the Jewish Religious leaders ("The Religious Aristocracy") and "Barabbas supporters" but must not include all Jews as the Gospel accounts seem to portray.His...
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The latest attempt to identify those who were responsible for Jesus' death has been made by the former Pontiff, His Holiness, Pope (Emeritus), Pope Benedict XVI.His Holiness argued in his book(Jesus Of Nazareth, Holy Week: From The Entrance Into Jerusalem To The Resurrection.) that blame for Jesus' death should be limited to the Jewish Religious leaders ("The Religious Aristocracy") and "Barabbas supporters" but must not include all Jews as the Gospel accounts seem to portray.His Holiness even questioned the historical accuracy of Matthew's account of Jesus' trial.But the author holds the view that the overwhelming number of the Jewish "Religious Aristocracy" (bar two, Nicodemus and Joseph Of Arimathaea) and the overwhelming number of the Jewish populace, Jesus' own people should be held jointly(and severally) responsible for Jesus' suffering and death.With the greatest respect, the author holds the view that His Holiness' attempt to shift the blame on to a section of Barabbas supporters and the Jewish Religious Aristocrats does not portray a full picture of events before, during and after Jesus' trial.Jesus' suffering and death touch raw nerves among Christians.They believe that Jesus' own people treated him so badly and must be held accountable for his death.That is why The Pontiff's intervention is of great significance.The author analyses His Holiness' assertion that Jesus was killed by the "Religious Aristocracy" and "Barabbas Supporters" thus rejecting the widely held concept that Jews of Jesus' time should be held "Collectively" responsible for that horrible maltreatment and death of Jesus, not forgetting the fact that the Religious Leaders("Aristocracy") were the ordinary Jewish people's respected Religious leaders.The author however respectfully disagrees with His Holiness' line of rebuttal, enumerating his disagreement by making references to quotations from the Synoptic Gospels, John's Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles.The author also tackles the issue of Ancient Jewish People's Collective Guilt, basing his analyses on the Gospel accounts in the First Four Gospels of the New Testament.The author points out that contrary to His Holiness' attempt to limit responsibility for the death of Jesus on a small group of people, the prosecution and death of Jesus was a very successful venture undertaken by the Jewish Religious leaders with active support coming from the Jewish people and points out that the success of what happened all those centuries ago has results in Modern Israel for all to see; The glaring and alarming unpopularity of Christianity and Christians in the place or country of its birth!The author points out that Christianity is the only Religion in this world whose members form a very tiny Minority in the place or country of its birth!Jesus' birth and death are not celebrated in Israel.It is only Christian Jews who celebrate those auspicious occasions, in the privacy of their homes.The author also ventures to ask if His Holiness' intervention contained in his latest book is a way of saying "Sorry" to the Jews for atrocities committed by Germany under Hitler, not forgetting that he was a young soldier at that time. The author also holds the view that Matthew's coverage of events, most importantly, his account of the trial of Jesus before Pontius Pilate was historically accurate.All quotations were taken from the KING JAMES VERSION OF THE HOLY BIBLE.