The Via Dolorosa

Chapter III

The Sources of the Gospels and the Way of Writing Them

Section VI

The Texts which were quoted from the Old Testament, but they have not been attributed directly to it

In this section will examine the texts which were quoted from the Old Testament, but they have not been attributed directly to it, as is the case in the previous sections, which I call it Storyline or Plot-story or screenplay of the Gospels, where we will review the most of the events and stories and sayings that mentioned in the Gospels, and comparing them with the Old Testament and with Jesus as was portrayed in the Gospels, and his attributes in the laws of the faith of the churches as well.

The Via Dolorosa

25 - The Source of Jesus' warning to the Daughters of Jerusalem after his Trial

After the story of the trial; the Gospels authors wrote that the soldiers led Jesus away to a place called Golgotha to crucify him, as in the following texts:

Matthew 27:31 And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.

Matthew 27:32 Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross.

Matthew 27:33 And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull,

Mark 15:20 And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.

Mark 15:21 Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.

Mark 15:22 And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.

Luke 23:26 Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.

Luke 23:27 And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.

Luke 23:28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

Luke 23:29 "For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed’!

Luke 23:30 "Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!"‘

Luke 23:31 "For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?"

Luke 23:32 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.

Luke 23:33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.

Luke 23:34 Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots.

John 19:16 Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away.

John 19:17 And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha,

John 19:18 where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.

As we notice in these texts that there is a difference between the Gospels concerning the one who bore the cross, Matthew and Mark say that they compelled Simon a Cyrenian to bear the cross, and Luke says that they laid hold of Simon a Cyrenian, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus, while John says "And He, bearing His cross", in any event, I will not discuss this difference here because it's not our subject matter, but it gives us an indication and an evidence that the Gospels authors have not written them by the revelation and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, or even through seeing or hearing from trusted sources, otherwise they will write the same events, but what matter is the source of the saying of Luke alone, that Jesus has warned the Daughters of Jerusalem, which is considered a dilemma in the minds and hearts of many good people of the followers of the churches, because it contradicts what is written in the Gospel of Luke himself after a few paragraphs by writing that Jesus said father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. (Luke 23:34).

Moreover, the Daughters of Jerusalem were not glad for crucifying him, but they were mourning and lamenting him, while Luke, and the others as well, did not write anything against Pilate and Herod and the soldiers whom had mocked Jesus and spat on him and flogged and struck him!

Matthew 27:26 Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.

Matthew 27:27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him.

Matthew 27:28 And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.

Matthew 27:29 When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"

Matthew 27:30 Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.

Matthew 27:31 And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.

Luke 23:11 Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate.

So what is the source of this saying?

Let's read the following text:

Hosea 10:8 Also the high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, Shall be destroyed. The thorn and thistle shall grow on their altars; They shall say to the mountains, "Cover us!" And to the hills, "Fall on us!"

As we notice how Luke used the paragraph of the Old Testament to write his own narrative, because when he wrote about the sufferings of Jesus, the second person of the three Persons who are one and have the same nature and essence! He realized that it is inappropriate to talk about him without writing some threats and curses against the Jews, especially that there are many threats and curses in the Old Testament against anyone who do not commit to the commandments of the Lord or tries to kill the prophets.

And all this shows the method and the approach of writing the Gospels, which is the relying upon the Old Testament texts, even in the texts that they have not been attributed to the Old Testament directly, as they have already done in the previous sections, away from the revelation and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, or even seeing or hearing from trusted sources, to bestow a state of holiness and credibility and reliability on the Gospels, which means that the law "do not accept the lying and false" applies to this story.