93. Iesus rebuked the crowd for calling him God
Then Iesus, having lifted his hand in token of silence, said:
'Verily ye have erred greatly, O Israelites, in calling me (a man) your God. And I fear that God may for this give heavy plague upon the holy city, handing it over in servitude to strangers. O a thousand times accursed Satan, that hath moved you to this!'
And having said this, Iesus smote his face with both his hands, whereupon arose such a noise of weeping that none could hear what Iesus was saying. Whereupon once more he lifted up his hand in token of silence, and the people being quieted from their weeping, he spake once more:
'I confess before Heaven, and I call to witness everything that dwelleth upon the earth, that I am a stranger to all that ye have said: seeing that I am man, born of mortal woman, subject to the judgement of God, suffering the miseries of eating and sleeping, of cold and heat, like other men. Wherefore when God shall come to judge, my words [like] a sword shall pierce each one {of them} that believe me to be more than man.'
And having said this, Iesus saw a great multitude of horsemen, whereby he perceived that there were coming the governor with Herod and the high-priest.
Then said Iesus:
'Perchance they also are become mad.'
When the governor arrived there, with Herod and the priest, every one dismounted, and they made a circle round about Iesus, insomuch that the soldiery could not keep back the people that were desirous to hear Iesus speaking with the priest.
Iesus drew near to the priest with reverence, but he was wishful to bow himself down and worship Iesus, when Iesus cried out:
'Beware of that which thou doest, priest of the living God! Sin not against our God!'
The priest answered:
'Now is Judaea so greatly moved over thy signs and thy teaching that they cry out that thou art God; wherefore, constrained by the people, I am come hither with the Roman governor and king Herod. We pray thee therefore from our heart, that thou wilt be content to remove the sedition which is arisen on thy account. For some say thou art God, some say thou art son of God, and some say thou art a prophet.'
Iesus answered:
'And thou, O high-priest of Ged, wherefore hast thou not quieted this sedition? Art thou also, perchance, gone out of thy mind? Have the prophecies, with the law of God, so passed into oblivion, O wretched Judaea, deceived of Satan!'