ACC ~ John 18 v32

DEATH BY THE GENTILES

AUGUSTINE: If it were so [i.e., that they could judge him according to their law], couldn’t they have taken him and crucified him themselves if they wanted to avoid putting him to death by such a punishment [as the cross]? But who is there that may not see the absurdity of allowing those to crucify anyone who were not allowed to put anyone to death? In fact, didn’t the Lord himself call that same death of his, that is, the death of the cross, a putting to death, as we read in Mark, where he says, “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem. And the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes. And they shall condemn him to death and shall deliver him to the Gentiles”? [1] … There is no doubt, therefore, that in speaking in this way, the Lord signified what death he should die: not that he meant here the death of the cross but that the Jews were to deliver him up to the Gentiles, or, in other words, to the Romans. For Pilate was a Roman and had been sent by the Romans into Judea as governor. And so, this saying of Jesus was fulfilled. … Therefore when Pilate, who was the Roman judge, tried to hand him back to the Jews so that they might judge him according to their law, they refused to receive him, saying, “It is not lawful for us to put any person to death.” TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 114.5. [2]

[1] Mk 10:33-34.

[2] CCL 36:642-43; NPNF 1 7:422**.