arrestatie 2

Peter, more impetuous than the rest... 

seized the sword and struck at Malchus... 

the servant of the High Priest, who was trying to drive them back, and cut off a piece of his ear. 

Malchus fell to the ground, thereby increasing the confusion.

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At the moment of Peter's impetuous movement, the actors in the scene were situated as follows: 

Jesus was in the hands of the guards, who were about to bind Him, and forming a circle around Him. 

At some little distance were the soldiers, one of whose number, Malchus, had been laid low by Peter. 

The other soldiers were engaged, some in driving back the disciples that were approaching too near, and some in pursuing those that had taken to flight. 

Four of the disciples were wandering around, timidly showing themselves only here and there in the dis­tance. The soldiers were still too much alarmed by their late fall, and too much afraid of weakening the circle around Jesus, to make any very active pursuit.

Judas, who immediately after his traitor­ous kiss wanted to make his escape, was met on his way by some of the disciples, who overwhelmed him with reproaches. 

Six official functionaries hastened to his rescue, while the four guards were busy around Jesus with cords and bands, being on the point of binding Him.

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This was the state of affairs when Peter struck down Malchus... 

and Jesus said: "Peter, put up thy sword, for whoever takes the sword shall perish by the sword." 

"Thinkest thou that I cannot ask My Father to send Me more than twelve legions of angels? Shall I not drink the chalice that My Father has given Me? How will the Scriptures be fulfilled if it shall not thus be done?" 

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Then He added: "Suffer Me to heal the man!" 

And going to Malchus, He touched his ear and prayed, and at the same moment it was healed. 

The guard, the executioners, and the six offi­cers surrounded Jesus. 

They mocked Him, saying to the crowd: "He has dealings with the devil. It was by witchcraft that the ear appeared to be cut off, and now by witchcraft it appears to be healed."

Then Jesus addressed them: "Ye are come out with spears and clubs, to apprehend Me as if I were a murderer. I have daily taught among you in the Tem­ple, and ye dared not lay hands upon Me; but this is your hour and the hour of darkness." 

They ordered Him to be bound still more securely, and said to Him deridingly: "Thou couldst not overthrow us by Thy sorcery!" 

And the archers said: "We shall deprive Thee of Thy skill!" 

Jesus made some reply that I cannot recall, and the disciples fled on all sides. 

The four executioners and the six Pharisees did not fall to the ground... 

nor did they in consequence rise again.

The reason of this was revealed to me. 

They were in the same rank as Judas... 

that is, entirely in the power of Satan. 

Judas did not fall at the words of Jesus, although he was standing among the soldiers. 

All those that fell and rose up again were afterward con­verted and became Christians. Their falling and ris­ing were symbolical of their conversion. They had not laid hands upon Jesus, they merely stood around Him. 

Malchus was, after his healing, already converted to such a degree that he only kept up appearances in  respect to the service he owed the High Priest; and during the following hours, those of Jesus' Passion, he ran backward and forward to Mary and the other friends, giving them news of all that was taking place.

The executioners bound Jesus... 

with the greatest rudeness and barbarous brutality... 

the Pharisees meanwhile uttering insolent and scornful words. 

The executioners were pagans [heidenen] of the very lowest class. Their necks, legs, and arms were naked; their loins were girded with a sort of bandage, and they wore a short jerkin without sleeves, fastened at the sides with straps. They were short, stout [stevig], very active, with a brownish-red complexion like the Egyptian slaves.

They bound Jesus' hands upon His breast in a cruel manner. With sharp new cords, they pitilessly fastened the wrist of the right hand to the left fore­arm just below the elbow and that of the left hand to the right forearm. 

They put around His waist a broad girdle armed with sharp points, and bound His hands again with links of willow, or osier [waterwilg], which were fixed to the girdle.

Around His neck they laid a col­lar in which were points and other instruments to wound, and from it depended two straps, which like a stole were crossed over the breast and bound down to the girdle so tightly that the neck was not free to move. 

At four points of this girdle were fastened four long ropes, by means of which the executioners could drag Our Lord hither and thither according to their wicked will. 

All the fetters [boeien] were perfectly new. They appeared to have been especially prepared, when the plan was formed of apprehending Jesus, for the pur­pose to which they were now being put.

[emmerich]