The Death of Jesus

The Death of Jesus

From the sixth hour darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. At about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama Sabachtani?” which means: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? When they heard this, some of the bystanders said, “He is calling for Elijah.” And one of them ran, took a sponge and soaked it in vinegar and, putting it on a reed, gave him to drink. Others said, “Let us see whether Elijah comes to his rescue." Then Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and gave up his spirit. Suddenly the curtain of the Temple sanctuary was torn in two, from top to bottom; the earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened, and several holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after the resurrection of Jesus they entered the Holy City and appeared to many. The captain and the soldiers who guarded Jesus were greatly terrified when they saw the earthquake and all that had happened, and said, “Truly, this man was the Son of God.” There were also some women who watched from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and saw to his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.