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1 And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate. 2 And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it. 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing. 4 And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee. 5 But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled. 6 Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired. 7 And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. 8 And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them. 9 But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? 10 For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. 11 But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. 12 And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? 13 And they cried out again, Crucify him. 14 Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. 15 And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified. 16 And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band. 17 And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, 18 And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! 19 And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. 21 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. 22 And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. 23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. 24 And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. 25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. 26 And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27 And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. 28 And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors. 29 And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, 30 Save thyself, and come down from the cross. 31 Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. 32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him. 33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. 36 And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. 37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. 38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. 39 And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God. 40 There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; 41 (Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem. 42 And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathaea, and honourable counseller, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. 44 And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. 45 And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre. 47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.
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[AD 220] Tertullian on Mark 15:1
For Him it behoved to be made a sacrifice on behalf of all Gentiles, who "was led as a sheep for a victim, and, like a lamb voiceless before his shearer, so opened not His mouth" (for He, when Pilate interrogated Him, spake nothing ); for "in humility His judgment was taken away: His nativity, moreover, who shall declare? "Because no one at all of human beings was conscious of the nativity of Christ at His conception, when as the Virgin Mary was found pregnant by the word of God; and because "His life was to be taken from the land.

Source: An Answer to the Jews
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:1-5
(de Con. Evan. iii. 8) Luke has also laid open the false charges which they brought against Him; for he thus relates it: And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Cæsar, saying that he himself is Christ a King. (Luke 23:2) There follows: And Pilate asked him, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:1
And immediately, forming a plan, in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole council, binding Jesus, led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate. He was led not only to Pilate but also to Herod, so that both might mock the Lord. And observe the priests' diligence in evil. All night they stayed awake to commit murder, and they handed over the bound one to Pilate. For they had this custom, that whoever they sentenced to death, they handed over bound to the judge. Nevertheless, it should be noted that they did not bind Him for the first time then, but as soon as He was apprehended in the night in the garden, as John declares, they bound Him and thus brought Him first to Annas.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:1-5
(in Marc. 4, 44) The Jews had a custom of delivering him whom they had condemned to death, bound to the judge. Wherefore after the condemnation of Christ, the Evangelist adds: And straightway in the morning the Chief Priests held a consultation with the elders and Scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate. But it must be observed, that they did not then first bind Him, but they bound Him on first taking Him in the garden by night, as John declares.

(ubi sup.) By Pilate's asking Him about no other accusation, except whether He was King of the Jews, they are convicted of impiety, for they could not even find a false accusation against our Saviour. It goes on: And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest. He answers in this way so as both to speak the truth, and yet not to be open to cavil.

(ubi sup.) He indeed who condemns Jesus is a heathen, but he refers it to the people of the Jew's as the cause. There follows: But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled. He was unwilling to give an answer, lest He should clear Himself of the charge, and be acquitted by the judge, and so the gain resulting from the Cross should be done away.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 1107] Theophylact of Ohrid on Mark 15:1-5
They then gave Jesus up to the Romans, but were themselves given up by God into the hands of the Romans, that the Scriptures might be fulfilled, which say, Recompense them after the work of their hands. (Ps. 28:5) It goes on: And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews?

For His answer is doubtful, since it may mean, Thou sayest, but I say not so. 1And observe that He does somewhere answer Pilate, who condemned Him unwillingly, but does not choose to answer the priests and great men, and judges them unworthy of a reply. It goes on: And the Chief Priests accused him of many things.

But Pilate wondered, because, though He was a teacher of the law, and eloquent, and able by His answer to destroy their accusations, He did not answer any thing, but rather bore their accusations courageously.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:2
And Pilate asked Him: "Are you the king of the Jews?" Pilate, asking no other crime except whether He was the king of the Jews, the Jews are accused of impiety, because they could not find even falsely something to charge against the Savior.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:2
But he, answering, said to him: You say it. He answered in such a way that he both spoke the truth and his speech could not be accused of calumny. And note that to Pilate, who was reluctantly passing judgment, he responded in part, but to the priests and leaders, he did not want to respond and judged them unworthy of his speech.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 258] Cyprian on Mark 15:4
What great patience this is that he who is adored in heaven is not yet avenged on earth! Let us think of his patience, beloved brothers and sisters, in our persecutions and sufferings. Let us show forth the full obedience that is inspired by our expectation of his coming. Let us not hasten with the impious and shameless haste of a servant to defend ourselves before the Lord. Let us rather persevere and let us labor, and be watchful with all our heart and steadfast even to total resignation. Let us guard the precepts of the Lord, so that when the day of wrath and vengeance comes, we may not be punished with the impious and sinners but may be honored with the just and those who fear God.

Source: Treatise IX. On the Advantage of Patience 24
[AD 390] Gregory of Nazianzus on Mark 15:4
A lamb, he is silent—yet he is “word,” proclaimed by “the voice of one crying in the wilderness.” He is weakened, wounded6—yet he cures every disease and every weakness. He is brought up to the tree8 and nailed to it—yet by the tree of life he restores us.

Source: ORATION 29, ON THE SON 20
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:4
Pilate, however, again asked him, saying: Do you not answer anything? See in how many things they accuse you. But Jesus no longer answered anything. Although it is a Gentile who condemns Jesus, he attributes the cause to the Jewish people: See in how many things they accuse you. Jesus, however, did not want to answer, lest, by dispelling the accusation, he would be released by the governor, and the benefit of the cross delayed.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 258] Cyprian on Mark 15:5
He is the One who, although he was silent in his passion, will not be silent finally in the day of reckoning. He is our God, even if unrecognized. He is already known among the faithful and all who believe. When he comes manifesting himself in his second coming, he will not be silent. For although he was formerly hidden in humility, he will come manifested in power.

Source: Treatise IX. On the Advantage of Patience 23
[AD 373] Ephrem the Syrian on Mark 15:5
The Lord became the defender of truth, and came in silence before Pilate, on behalf of truth which had been oppressed. Others gain victory through making defenses, but our Lord gained victory through his silence, because the recompense of his death through divine silence was the victory of true teaching. He spoke in order to teach, but kept silent in the tribunal. He was not silent over that which was exalting us, but he did not struggle against those who were provoking him. The words of his calumniators, like a crown on his head, were a source of redemption. He kept silent so that his silence would make them shout even louder, and so that his crown would be made more beautiful through all this clamor.

Source: COMMENTARY ON TATIAN’S DIATESSARON
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:5
This silence of our Lord Jesus Christ took place more than once. It occurred before the chief priest, and before Herod, and before Pilate himself. So it was not in vain that the prophecy regarding him had preceded: “As the lamb before its shearer was dumb, so he opened not his mouth,” especially on those occasions when he did not answer his questioners. Usually he replied to questions addressed to him, but in this case he declined to make any reply. The metaphor of the lamb is used to indicate that his silence does not imply guilt but innocence. When he did not open his mouth as he passed through the process of judgment, it was in the character of a lamb that he did so; that is, not as one with an evil conscience who was convicted of his sins, but as one who in his meekness was sacrificed for the sins of others.

Source: TRACTATES ON JOHN 116.4
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:6-15
(ubi sup.) No one can feel it a difficulty that Matthew is silent as to their asking some one to be released unto them, which Mark here mentions; for it is a thing of no consequence that one should mention a thing which another leaves out. There follows: But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? For he knew that the Chief Priests had delivered him for envy. Some one may ask, which were the words of which Pilate made use, those which are related by Matthew, or those which Mark relates; for there seems to be a difference between, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? as Matthew has it; and, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? (Matt. 27:17) as is here said. But since they gave to kings the name of Christs, he who said this man or that must have asked whether they wished the King of the Jews to be released unto them, that is, Christ. It makes no difference to the sense that Mark has said nothing of Barabbas, wishing only to mention what belonged to the Lord, since by their answer he sufficiently showed whom they wished to have released to them. For there follows, But the Chief Priests moved the people that he should rather release unto them Barabbas.

(ubi sup.) It now is clear enough that Mark means by King of the Jews what Matthew means by the word Christ; for no kings but those of the Jews were called Christs. For in this place according to Matthew it is said, What then shall I do with Jesus which is called Christ? There follows, And they cried out again, Crucify him. (Matt. 27:22)

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:6-15
(ubi sup.) Pilate furnished many opportunities of releasing Jesus, in the first place contrasting a robber with the Just One. Wherefore it is said, Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.

(ubi sup.) This demand which the Jews made with such toil to themselves still sticks to them. Because, when the choice was given to them, they chose a robber instead of Christ, a murderer instead of the Saviour, they deservedly lost their salvation and their life, and they subjected themselves to such a degree to robbery and sedition, that they lost their country and their kingdom which they preferred to Christ, and never regained their liberty, body or soul. Then Pilate gives another opportunity of releasing the Saviour, when there follows, And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I should do unto the King of the Jews?

(ubi sup.) But the Jews giving loose to their madness do not answer the question of the judge. Wherefore it goes on, And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him, that those words of the Prophet Jeremiah might be fulfilled, Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest, it crieth out against me. (Jer. 12:8) There follows, And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.

(ubi sup.) We must understand that Jesus was scourged by no other than Pilate himself. For John writes, Pilate took Jesus, and scourged him, (John 13:1) which we must suppose that he did, that the Jews might be satisfied with His pains and insults, and cease from thirsting for His blood.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 1107] Theophylact of Ohrid on Mark 15:6-15
Now see the wickedness of the Jews, and the moderation of Pilate, though he too was worthy of condemnation for not resisting the people. For they cried out, Crucify; he faintly tries to save Jesus from their determined sentence, and again puts a question to them. Wherefore there follows, Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? For he wished in this way to find an opportunity for releasing Christ, who was innocent.

He wished indeed to satisfy the people, that is, to do their will, not what was agreeable to justice and to God.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 1274] Pseudo-Jerome on Mark 15:6-15
Here are two goats; one is the scape goat, that is, one loosed and sent out into the wilderness of hell with the sin of the people; the other is slain, as a lamb, for the sins of those who are forgiven. The Lord's portion is always slain; the devil's part, (for he is the master of those men, which is the meaning of Barabbas,) when freed, is cast headlong into hell.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 1274] Glossa Ordinaria on Mark 15:6-15
(non occ.) Which indeed he was accustomed to do, to obtain favour with the people, and above all, on the feast day, when the people of the whole province of the Jews flocked to Jerusalem. And that the wickedness of the Jews might appear the greater, the enormity of the sin of the robber, whom they preferred to Christ, is next described. Wherefore there follows: And there was one Barabbas, who lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. In which words their wickedness is shown both from the heinousness of his signal crime, in that he had committed murder, and from the way in which he did it, because he had in doing it raised a sedition and disturbed the city, and also because his crime was notorious, for he was bound with seditious persons. It goes on: And the multitude, when it had come up, began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 220] Tertullian on Mark 15:8
And "the clouds were commanded not to rain a shower upon the vineyard of Sorek," -the clouds being celestial benefits, which were commanded not to be forthcoming to the house of Israel; for it "had borne thorns"-whereof that house of Israel had wrought a crown for Christ-and not "righteousness, but a clamour,"-the clamour whereby it had extorted His surrender to the cross. And thus, the former gifts of grace being withdrawn, "the law and the prophets were until John," and the fishpool of Bethsaida until the advent of Christ: thereafter it ceased curatively to remove from Israel infirmities of health; since, as the result of their perseverance in their frenzy, the name of the Lord was through them blasphemed, as it is written: "On your account the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles: " for it is from them that the infamy (attached to that name) began, and (was propagated during) the interval from Tiberius to Vespasian.

Source: An Answer to the Jews
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:11
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd that he might rather release Barabbas to them. To the Jews to this day remains their request, which they obtained with such effort. For given the choice, they chose a thief over Jesus, a murderer over the Savior, the taker of life over the giver of life, and deservedly lost both salvation and life, and submitted themselves so much to robbery and sedition that they lost both their country and kingdom, which they loved more than Christ, and have not yet deserved to regain that liberty of either soul or body which they sold.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:12
Those who cried out that he should be crucified were the Lord’s real crucifiers, rather than those who simply discharged their service to their chief according to their duty. .
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:12
But Pilate again, answering, said to them: What then do you want me to do with the king of the Jews? But they again shouted: Crucify him. However, Pilate was saying to them: What evil has he done? Pilate gave many opportunities to free the Savior: first, comparing him to the thief, then saying: What then do you want me to do with the king of the Jews? And when they answered, "Crucify him," he did not immediately comply, but, according to the suggestion of his wife who had sent word to him, as Matthew writes: Have nothing to do with that just man (Matthew 27), he himself also seriously responding: What, he said, has he done wrong? By saying this, Pilate absolved Jesus.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:13
Mark, who studies brevity more than any of the Evangelists, has given a concise indication of Pilate’s desire and of his efforts to save the Lord’s life. For, after giving us the statement, “And they cried again, ‘Crucify him’ ” (which makes it clear that they had cried out before for Barabbas to be released), he has appended these words: “Then Pilate continued to say to them, “Why, what evil has he done?” Thus by one short sentence he has given us an idea of matters which took a long time for their transaction.

Source: HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS 3.13.47
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:14
But they cried out more: Crucify him. That it might be fulfilled which was said in the twenty-first psalm: Many dogs surrounded me, the assembly of the wicked enclosed me (Psalm XXI); and that from Jeremiah: My heritage is become to me as a lion in the forest, they have given forth their voice against me (Jeremiah XII). Isaiah also agrees in this sentiment: And I looked for judgment, but behold iniquity and not righteousness, but a cry (Isaiah V).

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 258] Cyprian on Mark 15:15
He himself suffered the lash, in whose name his servants now scourge the devil and his angels. He who now crowns the martyrs with eternal garlands was himself crowned with thorns.

Source: Treatise IX. On the Advantage of Patience 7
[AD 373] Ephrem the Syrian on Mark 15:15
[The daughter of Zion] repaid him with evil for the immensity of his grace. The Father had washed her from her blood, but she defiled his Son with her spitting. The Father had clothed her with fine linen and purple, but she clothed him with garments of mockery. He had placed a crown of glory on her head, but she plaited a crown of thorns for him. He had nourished her with choicest food13 and honey, but she gave him gall. He had given her pure wine, but she offered him vinegar in a sponge. The One who had introduced her into cities, she drove out into the desert. The One who had put shoes on her feet, she made hasten barefoot towards Golgotha. The One who had girded her loins with sapphire, she pierced in the side with a lance. When she had outraged the servants [of God] and killed the prophets, she was led into captivity to Babylon, and when the time of her punishment was completed, her return [from captivity] took place.

Source: COMMENTARY ON TATIAN’S DIATESSARON
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:15
The criminal escaped; Christ was condemned. The one guilty of many crimes received a pardon; he who had remitted the crimes of all who confess was condemned. And yet the cross itself also, if you reflect upon it, was a courtroom. In the middle of it stood the final judge.

Source: TRACTATES ON JOHN 31.11
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:15
For Christ was not separated from the ungodly, but was judged with the ungodly; for it was said about him, “He was counted among the wicked.”

Source: TRACTATES ON JOHN 31.11
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:15
But Pilate, willing to satisfy the people, released Barabbas to them and delivered Jesus, after having him scourged, to be crucified. Jesus, however, is understood to have been scourged not by another, but by Pilate himself. For John writes openly: They all cried again, saying: Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber. Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him (John XVIII). And then he adds: And the soldiers, weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on his head, etc. (John XIX). Indeed, he is believed to have done this and to have delivered him to the soldiers to be mocked, so that, satisfied with his pains and insults, they might willingly stop desiring his death. This was done, for it was written: Many are the stripes of the wicked (Psalm XXXI), he was scourged so that we might be freed from beatings, the Scripture saying: The scourge shall not approach your tabernacle (Psalm XC).

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:16-20
(de Con. Evan. iii. 9) But we must understand that the words of Matthew, they put on him a scarlet robe, Mark expresses by clothed him in purple; for that scarlet robe was used by them in derision for the royal purple, and there is a sort of red purple, very like scarlet. It may also be that Mark mentions some purple which the robe had about it, though it was of a scarlet colour.

(ubi sup.) It appears that Matthew and Mark here relate things which took place previously, not that they happened when Pilate had already delivered Him to be crucified. For John says that these things took place at Pilate's house; but that which follows, And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put on him his own clothes, must be understood to have taken place last of all, when He was already being led to be crucified.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:16-18
But the soldiers led Him into the courtyard of the praetorium, and called together the entire cohort, and they clothed Him in purple, and after weaving a crown of thorns, they placed it on Him, and began to salute Him: Hail, King of the Jews. The soldiers did this because He had been called the King of the Jews, and because the scribes and the priests had accused Him of seizing power in the Israelite people for Himself. They did this in mockery, stripping Him of His former clothes, dressing Him in purple, which ancient kings used, placing a crown of thorns on Him instead of a diadem, giving Him a reed instead of a royal scepter, as Matthew writes, and worshipping Him as though He were a king. But let us understand all these things mystically. As Caiaphas said: It is expedient that one man should die for the people (John XVIII), not knowing what he said (Luke IX); so whatever they did, although they did it with a different intent, nevertheless, for us who believe, they were administering the sacraments.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:16-20
(ubi sup.) We must understand that Jesus was scourged by no other than Pilate himself. For John writes, Pilate took Jesus, and scourged him, (John 13:1) which we must suppose that he did, that the Jews might be satisfied with His pains and insults, and cease from thirsting for His blood.

(ubi sup.) For since He had been called King of the Jews, and the scribes and priests had objected to Him as a crime that He usurped rule over the Jewish people, they in derision strip Him of His former garments, and put on Him a purple robe, which ancient kings used to wear.

(ubi sup.) But instead of the diadem, they put on Him a crown of thorns, wherefore it goes on, And platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head. And for a royal sceptre they give Him a reed, as Matthew writes, and they bow before Him as a king, wherefore there follows, And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! And that the soldiers worshipped Him as one who falsely called Himself God, is clear from what is added: And bowing their knees, worshipped him, as though He pretended to be God.

Or else, by the purple robe, with which the Lord is clothed, is meant His flesh itself, which He gave up to suffering, and by the thorny crown which He carried is meant, the taking upon Him of our sins.

(ubi sup.) But they smite the head of Christ, who deny that He is very God. And because men are wont to use a reed to write with, they, as it were, smite the head of Christ with a reed, who speak against His divinity, and endeavour to confirm their error by the authority of Holy Writ. They spit in His face, who spit from them by their accursed words the presence of His grace. There are some also in this day, who adore Him, with a sure faith, as very God, but by their perverse actions, despise His words as though they were fabulous, and think the promises of that word inferior to worldly allurements. But just as Caiaphas said, though he knew not what it meant, It is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, (John 11:50) so also the soldiers do these things in ignorance.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 1107] Theophylact of Ohrid on Mark 15:16-20
The vainglory of soldiers, ever rejoicing in disorder and in insult, here displayed what properly belonged to them. Wherefore it is said, And the soldiers led him away into the hall called Prætorium, and they call together the whole band, that is, the whole company of the soldiers, and they clothed him with purple as a king.

Let us also put on the purple and royal robe, because we must walk as kings treading on serpents and scorpions, and 1 having sin under our feet. For we are called Christians, that is, anointed ones, just as kings were then called anointed. Let us also take upon ourselves the crown of thorns, that is, let us make haste to be crowned with a strict life, with self-denials and purity.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 1274] Pseudo-Jerome on Mark 15:16-20
His shame took away our shame; His bonds made us free; by the thorny crown of His head, we have obtained the crown of the kingdom; by His wounds we are healed.

But in a mystic sense, Jesus was stripped of His clothes, that is, of the Jews, and is clothed in a purple robe, that is, in the Gentile church, which is gathered together out of the rocks. Again, putting it off in the end, as offending, He again is clothed with the Jewish people, for when the fulness of the Gentiles is come in, then shall all Israel be saved. (Rom. 11:25.)

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 258] Cyprian on Mark 15:17
He who now gives true palms to the victors was beaten in the face with hostile palms; he who clothes all others with the garment of immortality was stripped of his earthly garment.

Source: Treatise IX. On the Advantage of Patience 7
[AD 386] Cyril of Jerusalem on Mark 15:17
When they “clothed him in purple,” it was in mockery, yet ironically it was a fulfillment of prophecy, for he indeed was a king, so even their parody indirectly served divine revelation. Even though they did it in a spirit of derision, still they did it, and his regal dignity was by that symbolically heralded. So, likewise, though it was with thorns they crowned him, it was still a crown.

Source: SERMON ON THE PARALYTIC 12
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:17
It is to be noted, however, that for what Mark says: And they clothed Him in purple, Matthew puts it thus: And stripping Him, they put on Him a scarlet robe (Matthew XXVII). From which it is understood that what Matthew says: They put on Him a scarlet robe, Mark states as: Clothed in purple. For that scarlet robe was used in mockery as royal purple, and it is a kind of red-purple similar to scarlet. It is also possible that Mark mentioned purple, which the cloak had, although it was scarlet. Mystically, therefore, in the purple with which the Lord is clothed, His very body, which He subjected to sufferings, is indicated. Concerning this, prophecy had already said: Why then is Your apparel red, and Your garments like one treading in the winepress? (Isaiah LXIII).

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:17
In the crown of thorns He wore is shown the taking up of our sins, for which He deigned to become mortal. As His forerunner bearing witness to Him said: Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world (John I). For the Lord Himself bears witness that thorns are customarily placed as a sign of sins, who said to the first man fallen into sin: Your land will bring forth thorns and thistles for you (Genesis III). Which is to say openly: Your conscience will constantly generate for you the stings and thorns of vices. But according to the Gospel of Luke, the Lord is clothed in a white robe before Herod, while in the other Gospels He is mocked by the soldiers of Pilate under a scarlet or purple garment. Comparing both narratives, in one the innocence and chastity of the assumed humanity are expressed, while in the other, the truth of the passion through which He was to attain the glory of the immortal kingdom is expressed. For just as purple mimics the color of the blood shed for us, so also the habit of the kingdom, into which He entered after the passion and which is open to us to enter, is insinuated. But since the Apostle says: For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Galatians III); and Isaiah instructs the Lord about all the elect: These, he says, will be clothed as with an ornament (Isaiah XLI), in this double attire of the Lord, contemptible indeed in the view of enemies but most glorious in the election of the Lord Himself, the entire multitude of His elect, divided into the venerated martyrs and the remaining faithful, can be most aptly designated. For He is clothed in a white robe when He is surrounded by the pure confession of the righteous. He is dressed in purple or scarlet, when he glories in the triumph of victorious martyrs.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 258] Cyprian on Mark 15:19
In that very hour of his passion and cross, before they had come to the cruel act of his slaughter and the shedding of his blood, what violent abuses he listened to with patience, and what shameful insults he endured! He was even covered with the spittle of his revilers, when, but a short time before, with his own spittle he had cured the eyes of the blind man.

Source: Treatise IX. On the Advantage of Patience 7
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:19
And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him. And kneeling down, they worshipped him. These things then the soldiers of Pilate did, these things up to today the heretics and pagans do, indeed the soldiers of the devil. For since Christ's head is God, they strike his head who deny that he is true God. And because Scripture is usually written with a reed, they strike the head of Christ as it were with a reed, who, denying his divinity, try to confirm their error with the authority of Sacred Scripture. They spit in his face, who reject his presence of grace with execrable words conceived from the insanity of a blinded mind, and deny that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:19
And indeed the soldiers, as if he had falsely claimed to be God, mocked and adored him. But today there are those, with greater madness, who adore him with firm faith as true God, but by perverse actions soon despise his words as if fanciful, and place the promises of his kingdom far behind worldly allurements.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 258] Cyprian on Mark 15:20
He who has given the food of heaven was fed with gall; he who has offered us the cup of salvation was given vinegar to drink. He the innocent, he the just, nay rather, innocence itself and justice itself is counted among criminals, and truth is concealed by false testimonies. He who is to judge is judged and the Word of God, silent, is led to the cross. The elements are disturbed, the earth trembles, night blots out the day, “the sun withdraws both its rays” and its eyes lest it be forced to gaze upon the crime of the people. Though the stars are confounded at the crucifixion of the Lord, he does not speak, nor is he moved, nor does he proclaim his majesty, even during the suffering itself. He endures all things even to the end with constant perseverance so that in Christ a full and perfect patience may find its realization.

Source: Treatise IX. On the Advantage of Patience 7
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:20-28
(de Con. Evan. iii. 11) This we must understand to be what Matthew expresses by, mixed with gall; for he put gall for any thing bitter, and wine mingled with myrrh is most bitter; although there may have been both gall and myrrh to make the wine most bitter.

(ubi sup.) That which follows, But he received it not, must' mean, He received it not to drink, but only tasted it, as Matthew witnesses. And what the same Matthew relates, he would not drink, Mark expresses by, he received it not, but was silent as to His tasting it.

(de Con. Evan. iii. 13) If Jesus was given up to the Jews to be crucified, when Pilate sat down at his tribunal about the sixth hour, as John relates, how could He be crucified at the third hour, as many persons have thought from not understanding the words of Mark? First then let us see at what hour He might have been crucified, then we shall see why Mark said that He was crucified at the third hour. It was about the sixth hour when He was given up to be crucified by Pilate sitting on his judgment seat, as has been said, for it was not yet fully the sixth hour, but about the sixth, that is, the fifth was over, and some of the sixth had begun, so that those things which are related of the crucifixion of our Lord took place after the finishing of the fifth, and at the commencement of the sixth, until, when the sixth was completed and He was hanging on the cross, the darkness which is spoken of took place. Let us now consider, why Mark has said, It was the third hour. He had already said positively, And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments; as also the others declare, that when He was crucified His garments were divided. Now if Mark had wished to fix the time of what was done, it would have been enough to say, And it was the third hour, why did He add, and they crucified him, unless it was that he wished to point to something which had gone before, and which if enquired into would be explained, since that same Scripture was to be read at a time, when it was known to the whole Church at what hour our Lord was crucified, by which means any error might be taken away, and any falsehood be refuted. But because he knew that the Lord was fixed to the cross not by the Jews but by the soldiers, as John very plainly shows, he wished to intimate that the Jews had crucified Him, since they cried out, Crucify Him, rather than those who executed the orders of their chief according to their duty. It is therefore implied, that it took place at the third hour when the Jews cried out, Crucify Him, and it is most truly shown that they crucified Him, when they so cried out. But in the attempt of Pilate to save the Lord, and the tumultuous opposition of the Jews, we understand that a space of two hours was consumed, and that the sixth hour had begun, before the end of which, those things occurred which are related to have taken place from the time when Pilate gave up the Lord, and the darkness overspread the earth. Now he who will apply himself to these things, without the hard-heartedness of impiety, will see that Mark has fitly placed it at the third hour, in the same place as the deed of the soldiers who were the executors of it is related. Therefore lest any one should transfer in his thoughts so great a crime from the Jews to the soldiers, he says it was the third hour, and they crucified him, that the fault might rather by a careful enquirer be charged to them, who, as he would find, had at the third hour cried out for His crucifixion, whilst at the same time it would be seen that what was done by the soldiers was done at the sixth hourd.

(ubi sup.) Still there are not wanting persons who assert that the preparation, mentioned by John, Now it was the preparation about the sixth hour, was really the third hour of the day. For they say that on the day before the sabbath day, there was a preparation of the passover of the Jews, because on that sabbath, they began the unleavened bread; but however that the true passover, which is now celebrated on the day of our Lord's Passion, that is, the Christian not the Jewish passover, began to be prepared, or to have its parasceue, from that ninth hour of the night, when His death began to be prepared by the Jews; for parasceue means preparation. Between that hour therefore of the night and His crucifixion occurs the sixth hour of preparation, according to John, and the third hour of the day, according to Mark. What Christian would not give in to this solution of the question, provided that we could find some circumstance, from which we might gather that this preparation of our Passover, that is, of the death of Christ, began at the ninth hour of the night? For if we say that it began when our Lord was taken by the Jews, it was still early in the night, but if when our Lord was carried away to the house of the father in law of Caiaphas, where also He was heard by the chief priests, the cock had not crowed; but if when He was given up to Pilate, it is very plain that it was morning. It remains therefore that we must understand the preparation of our Lord's death to have commenced when all the Chief Priests pronounced, He is guilty of death. For there is nothing absurd in supposing that that was the ninth hour of the night, so that we may understand that Peter's denial is put out of its order after it really happened. It goes on: And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:20-28
(ubi sup.) Or, since this Simon is not called a man of Jerusalem, but a Cyrenian, (for Cyrene is a city of Libya,) fitly is he taken to mean the nations of the Gentiles, which were once foreigners and strangers to the covenants, but now by obedience are heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. Whence also Simon is fitly interpreted 'obedient,' and Cyrene 'an heir.' But he is said to come from a country place, for a country place is called 'pagos' in Greek, wherefore those whom we see to be aliens from the city of God, we call pagans. Simon then coming out from the country carries the cross after Jesus, when the Gentile nations leaving pagan rites embrace obediently the footsteps of our Lord's Passion. There follows: And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is being interpreted, the place of Calvary. There are places without the city and the gate, in which the heads of condemned persons are cut off, and which receive the name of Calvary, that is, of the beheaded. But the Lord was crucified there, that where once was the field of the condemned, there the standards of martyrdom might be lifted up.

(ubi sup.) Bitter the vine which bore the bitter wine, set before the Lord Jesus, that the Scripture might be fulfilled which saith, They gave me gall to eat, and when I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar to drink. (Ps. 69:22)

(ubi sup.) Or else, in the transverse beam of the cross, where the hands are fixed, the joy of hope is set forth; for by the hands we understand good works, by its expansion the joy of him who does them, because sadness puts us in straits. By the height to which the head is joined, we understand the expectation of reward from the lofty righteousness of God; by the length, over which the whole body is stretched, patience, wherefore patient men are called long-suffering; by the depth, which is fixed in the ground, the hidden Sacrament itself. As long therefore as our bodies work here to the destruction of the body of sin, it is the time of the cross for us.

(ubi sup.) But this superscription on the cross shows, that they could not even in killing Him take away the kingdom over them from Him who was about to render unto them according to their works. There follows: And with him they crucify two thieves, the one on his right hand, the other on his left.

(ubi sup.) Mystically, however, the thieves crucified with Christ signify those, who by their faith and confession of Christ undergo either the struggle of martyrdom, or some rules of a stricter discipline. But those who do these deeds for the sake of endless glory, are signified by the faith of the right hand robber; those again who do them for worldly praise copy the mind and the acts of the left hand robber.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:20
And they led him out to crucify him. And they compelled a certain passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. Simon seems to have been of great repute then, as his sons also are named as already known to all. But it must be avoided lest anyone thinks contrary to what John writes, that the Lord himself carried his cross; for the other evangelists relate that this Simon of Cyrene carried it.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 1107] Theophylact of Ohrid on Mark 15:20-28
Now John says that He Himself bare His cross, for both took place; for He first bore the cross Himself, until some one passed, whom they compelled, and who then carried it. But he mentioned the name of his sons, to make it more credible and the affirmation stronger, for the man still lived to relate all that had happened about the cross.

THEOPHYLACT.a Or, they may have brought different things, in order, some vinegar and gall, and others wine mixed with myrrh.

But their casting lots for His garments was also meant as an insult, as though they were dividing the clothes of a king; for they were coarse and of no great value. And John's Gospel shows this more clearly, for the soldiers, though they divided every thing else into four parts, according to their number, cast lots for the coat, which was without seam, woven from the top throughout. (John 19:23)

They wrote this superscription, as the reason why He was crucified, thus wishing to reprove His vainglory in making Himself a king, that so the passers by might not pity Him, but rather hate Him as a tyrant.

They did this that men might have a bad opinion of Him, as though He also were a robber and a malefactor. But it was done by Providence to fulfil the Scriptures. There follows: And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.

Or else; the two robbers were meant to point out the two people, that is, the Jews and the Gentiles, for both were evil, the Gentile as transgressing natural law, but the Jew by breaking the written law, which the Lord had delivered to them; but the Gentile was penitent, the Jew a blasphemer unto the end. Between whom our Lord is crucified, for He is the corner stone, which binds us together.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 1274] Pseudo-Augustine on Mark 15:20-28
(Quæst. Vet. et Nov. Test. 65) Therefore he wishes to imply that it was the Jews who passed sentence concerning the crucifixion of Christ at the third hour; for every condemned person is considered as dead, from the moment that sentence is passed upon him. Mark therefore showed that our Saviour was not crucified by the sentence of the judge, because it is difficult to prove the innocence of a man so condemned.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 1274] Pseudo-Jerome on Mark 15:20-28
Here Abel is brought out into the field by his brother, to be slain by him. Here Isaac comes forth with the wood, and Abraham with the ram caught in the thicket. Here also Joseph with the sheaf of which he dreamed, and the long robe steeped in blood. Here is Moses with the rod, and the serpent hanging on the wood. Here is the cluster of grapes, carried on a staff. Here is Elisha with the piece of wood sent to seek for the axe, which had sunk, and which swam to the wood; that is, mankind, which by the forbidden tree, fell down to hell, but by the wood of the cross of Christ, and by the baptism of water, swims to paradise.z Here is Jonah out of the wood of the ship sent down into the sea and into the whale's belly for three days. There follows: And they compel Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.

Now since some men are known by the merits of their fathers, and some by those of their sons, this Simon, who was compelled to carry the cross, is made known by the merits of his sons, who were disciples. By this we are reminded, that in this life, parents are assisted by the wisdom and the merits of their children, wherefore the Jewish people is always held worthy of being remembered on account of the merits of the Patriarchs, Prophets, and Apostles. But this Simon who carries the cross, because he is compelled, is the man who labours for human praise. For men compel him to work, when the fear and love of God could not compel him.

But the Jews relate, that in this spot of the mountain the ram was sacrificed for Isaac, and there Christ is made bald1, that is, separated from His flesh, that is, from the carnal Jews. There follows: And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh.

Or else, wine mingled with myrrh, that is, vinegar; by it the juice of the deadly apple is wiped away.

He also refused to take sin for which He suffered, wherefore it is said of Him, I then paid the things that I never took. There follows: And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. (Ps. 68:5. Vulg.) In this place salvation is figured by the wood; the first wood was that of the tree of knowledge of good and evil; the second wood is one of unmixed good for us, and is the wood of life. The first hand stretched out to the wood caught hold of death; the second found again the life which had been lost. By this wood we are carried through a stormy sea to the land of the living, for by His cross Christ has taken away our torment, and by His death has killed our death.b With the form of a serpent He kills the serpent, for the serpent made out of the rod swallowed up the other serpents. But what means the shape itself of the cross, save the four quarters of the world; the East shines from the top, the North is on the right, the South on the left, the West is firmly fixed under the feet. Wherefore the Apostle says: That we may know what is the height, and breadth, and length, and depth. (Eph. 3:18) Birds, when they fly in the air, take the shape of a cross; a man swimming in the waters is borne up by the form of a cross. A ship is blown along by its yards, which are in the shape of the cross. The letter Tau is written as the sign of salvation and of the cross.

Now the garments of the Lord are His commandments, by which His body, that is, the Church, is covered; which the soldiers of the Gentiles divide amongst themselves, that there may be four classes with one faith, the married, and the widowed, those who bear rule, and those who are separatec. They cast lots for the undivided garment, which is peace and unity. It goes on: And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. Mark has introduced this truly and rightly, for at the sixth hour darkness overspread the earth, so that no one could move his head.

He wrote it in three languages, in Hebrew, Melech Jeudim; in Greek, βασιλεὺς ἐξομολογητῶν in Latin, Rex confessorum. These three languages were consecrated to be the chief, in the superscription on the cross, that every tongue might record the treachery of the Jews.

Truth was numbered with the wicked; He left one on His left hand, the other He takes on the right, as He will do at the last day. With a similar crime they are allotted different paths; one precedes Peter into Paradise, the other Judas into hell. A short confession won for him a long life, and a blasphemy which soon ended is punished with endless pain.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 1274] Glossa Ordinaria on Mark 15:20-28
(non occ.) After the condemnation of Christ, and the insults heaped upon Him when He was condemned, the Evangelist proceeds to relate His crucifixion, saying, And led him out to crucify him.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 220] Tertullian on Mark 15:21
Christ, moreover, he affirms to have been sent, not by this maker of the world, but by the above-named Abraxas; and to have come in a phantasm, and been destitute of the substance of flesh: that it was not He who suffered among the Jews, but that Simon was crucified in His stead: whence, again, there must be no believing on him who was crucified, lest one confess to having believed on Simon.

Source: Pseudo-Tertullian Against All Heresies
[AD 407] John Chrysostom on Mark 15:21
When they went out of the Praetorium, Christ was carrying it: but as they proceeded Simon took it from him and bore it.
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:21
Firstly, it was carried by the Lord, and then it was imposed on Simon, whom they happened to meet as they were going out. And this is in a fitting order of mystery. For he undoubtedly suffered for us, leaving us an example that we might follow in his footsteps.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:21
And because this Simon is said to be not from Jerusalem but a Cyrenian (for Cyrene is a city of Libya, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles), it is rightly by him that the peoples of the Gentiles are designated, who once were strangers and foreigners to the covenants, now by obeying are citizens and household members of God, and, as it is said elsewhere, heirs indeed of God, but co-heirs of Christ (Romans VIII). Thus fittingly Simon the obedient, Cyrene, is interpreted as heir. And it should not be overlooked that the same Simon is reported to have come from the country. The country in Greek is called πάγος. From this, we call pagans those whom we see as alien to the city of God and almost devoid of urban conversation. But Simon, coming out of the country, carries the cross after Jesus, as the people of the nations, having abandoned pagan rites, obediently embrace the footsteps of the Lord’s passion.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:22
And they bring him to a place called Golgotha, which is interpreted as the place of the Skull. Outside the city gate are places where the heads of the condemned are cut off, and they have taken the name Calvariae, that is, of those beheaded. For this reason, the Lord was crucified there, so that where there was once the ground of the condemned, the banners of martyrdom might be raised. And just as for us, He became the curse of the cross, and was scourged and crucified, so for the salvation of all, He is crucified as a guilty one among the guilty.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 386] Cyril of Jerusalem on Mark 15:23
What sort of gall did they put in my mouth? “They gave him,” it says, “wine mixed with myrrh.” Myrrh is like gall in taste, and very bitter. “Is the Lord to be thus repaid by you?” Are these the offerings you make to your master, O vine? Catechetical Lectures
[AD 390] Gregory of Nazianzus on Mark 15:23
He is given vinegar to drink and gall to eat—and who is he? Why, One who turned water into wine, who took away the taste of bitterness, who is all sweetness and desire. Oration , On the Son
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:23
Be cautious and receive the words of our adversaries in order to spit them out, not to gulp them down and ingest them. Do in this instance what the Lord did when they offered him a bitter drink; he tasted it, and spat it out. So also should you, taste and spit.
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:23
The gall is mentioned with a view to express the bitterness of the potion. And wine mingled with myrrh is remarkable for its bitterness. The fact may also be that gall and myrrh together made the wine exceedingly bitter. Again, when Mark says that “he did not receive it,” we understand the phrase to denote that he did not receive it so as actually to drink it. He did taste it.
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:23
And they gave Him wine mixed with myrrh to drink, and He did not accept it. God speaks to Jerusalem: I planted you, my true vineyard; how have you turned into a bitter wild vine (Jeremiah II)? The bitter vine produced bitter wine: which is offered to the Lord Jesus, so that what is written may be fulfilled: They gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink (Psalm LXVIII). But when it is said: And He did not accept it, or according to Matthew: When He had tasted it, He did not want to drink (Matthew XXVII), this indicates that He indeed tasted the bitterness of death for us, but on the third day He rose again.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:23
For what Mark says: he did not take, it is understood: he did not take to drink. However, he tasted, as Matthew is a witness, so that what the same Matthew says, He did not want to drink, Mark says He did not take, but he is silent on the tasting. And what Mark says, Wine mixed with myrrh, it is to be understood Matthew said with gall mixed (Matthew 27). For Matthew indeed uses gall to signify bitterness. And wine mixed with myrrh is very bitter, although it might be that both with gall and myrrh the wine is made very bitter.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 339] Eusebius of Caesarea on Mark 15:24
What death is more shameful than to be crucified? What death worse than this condemnation is conceivable? Even now he remains a reproach among all who have not yet received faith in him! Proof of the Gospel
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:24
And crucifying him, they divided his garments, casting lots upon them, who should take what. This the evangelist John explains more fully: namely, that the soldiers divided the rest into four parts, according to their number, casting lots for the tunic, which was seamless, woven from the top throughout.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:24
The fourfold garment of the Lord, therefore, prefigured His fourfold Church, spread throughout the whole world (which consists of four parts) and equally, that is, harmoniously, distributed in all those parts. But that tunic, acquired by lot, signifies the unity of all the parts, which is preserved by the bond of charity. For if charity, according to the Apostle, has both a more excellent way and surpasses knowledge, and is above all precepts, rightly the garment by which it is signified is said to be woven from the top. In the casting of lots, what else is commended but the grace of God? Thus it reaches all in one, as the lot pleased all, because God's grace reaches all in unity. And when the lot is cast, it is believed not to be due to any person's merits, but to the hidden judgment of God. And because, as the Apostle says, our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin (Rom. VI), as long as our works are aimed at destroying the body of sin and as long as the outer man is being corrupted so that the inner man is renewed day by day, it is the time of the cross. These also are good works, yet still laborious, whose reward is rest. But it is said, Rejoicing in hope (Rom. XII), so that we work with cheerfulness in labors for the future rest. This cheerfulness is signified by the width of the cross in the transverse wood where the hands are fixed. For by the hands we understand works, by the width, the cheerfulness of the worker, because sadness causes narrowness. By the height, to which the head is attached, we understand the expectation of the reward from the sublime justice of God, who will repay everyone according to their works (Matt. XVI), to those indeed according to the endurance of good work, seeking glory, honor, and immortality, eternal life. Hence also the length, by which the whole body is extended, signifies endurance itself, whence those who endure are called long-suffering. The depth, however, which is fixed in the earth, prefigures the secret of the sacrament. You may remember, if I am not mistaken, that the words of the Apostle are expounded in this description of the cross, where he says: Rooted and grounded in charity, that you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length, width, height, and depth (Eph. III).

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 380] Apostolic Constitutions on Mark 15:25
Let your prayers be made at “the third hour”; for then it was that Pilate gave sentence upon our Lord and savior to have him crucified…. Let your prayers be made also at the sixth hour; for at that time he was crucified…. We observe also “the ninth hour” of prayer; for at that time the sun was darkened and the earth shaken with horror, as being not able to look upon those bitter cruelties.

Source: CONSTITUTIONS OF THE HOLY APOSTLES
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:25
He who was able not to die unless he willed it, did die because he willed it. So he made a show of principalities and powers, openly triumphing over them in himself. By his death the one and most real sacrifice was offered up for us. Whatever were the charges by which the principalities and powers held us under bondage, he cleansed, abolished, extinguished. .
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:25
One Evangelist says that the Lord was crucified at the sixth hour, and another at the third hour. Unless we understand it, we are left wondering. When the sixth hour was already beginning, Pilate is said to have sat on the judgment seat. In reality when the Lord was lifted up upon the tree, it was the sixth hour…. They had killed him already at the time when they were crying out. The government officials at the sixth hour crucified, the transgressors of the law at the third hour cried out. That which some did with hands at the sixth hour, others did with tongue at the third hour. More guilty are they that with crying out were raging, than they that in obedience were serving.
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:25
It was the third hour, and they crucified him. There are those who believe that the Lord was crucified at the third hour, but that darkness came from the sixth hour until the ninth, so that the three hours from when He was crucified until the darkness came are understood to have passed. And this could indeed be very rightly understood, except that John says that Pilate sat on the judgment seat in a place called the Stone Pavement, in Hebrew Gabbatha, at about the sixth hour (John 19). He continues: "It was the Day of Preparation of the Passover, about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews: 'Behold your King,'" etc. Therefore, if at about the sixth hour, when Pilate was seated on the judgment seat, He was handed over to the Jews to be crucified, how was He crucified at the third hour, as some have misunderstood the words of Mark? For Mark had surely said: "And when they crucified him, they divided his garments." Therefore, if he wanted to mention the time when the event took place, it would suffice to say: “And it was the third hour”; why did he add: “And they crucified him,” unless he wanted to signify something by recapitulating, which would be found upon investigation, since the Scripture was read at a time when the whole Church knew at what hour the Lord was hung on the wood, from which either this error could be corrected or the lie refuted? But because he knew that the Lord was crucified by soldiers and not by Jews, he wanted to reveal secretly that those who shouted for Him to be crucified were more responsible for the crucifixion than those who performed their service according to the duty assigned by their ruler. Therefore, it is understood that it was the third hour when the Jews cried out for the Lord to be crucified. And it is very rightly shown that they crucified Him when they cried out, especially since they did not want to appear to have done it, and therefore they handed Him over to Pilate, as their words clearly indicate according to John. Thus, what they especially did not want to appear to have done, Mark shows they did at the third hour, very rightly indicating that the tongue of the Jews was more the killer of the Lord than the hands of the soldiers.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 220] Tertullian on Mark 15:26
He was not hailed as the king of glory by the angels until he had been censured on the cross as “King of the Jews.” … You owe your life to him as a debt for these favors. So try as best you can to be accountable to him in the same way that he became accountable for you. Or, be not crowned with flowers at all if you cannot bear the thorns, because with flowers you cannot be crowned.

Source: THE CHAPLET 14
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:26
And the inscription of the charge against Him read: King of the Jews. The inscription placed above His cross, in which it was written: King of the Jews, showed that even by putting Him to death, they could not make it so that they did not have Him as a king, who, with manifest and most eminent power, was going to repay them according to their deeds. Hence it is sung in the psalm: But I am established king by Him over Zion, His holy mountain (Psalm II). Who, fittingly, since He is both king and priest, when He was offering the extraordinary sacrifice of His flesh to the Father on the altar of the cross, also exhibited the dignity of the king with which He was endowed, so that He might suggest to all who wished to read, that is, to hear and believe, that through the gibbet of the cross He did not lose His dominion, but rather confirmed and strengthened it.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 386] Cyril of Jerusalem on Mark 15:27
Of the robbers crucified with him, it was said: “He was reckoned among the wicked.” Up to this time both were wicked, but one of them was wicked no longer. For one was wicked to the end, yielding not to salvation, and, though his hands were fastened, he struck blasphemously with his tongue.

Source: Catechetical Lecture 13:30
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:27
Amid the courtroom of the cross, one robber who believed was freed, the other who insulted him was condemned. He was then signifying in advance what he would do concerning the living and the dead, putting some on his right and some on his left. The one robber was like to those who would be on the left; the other, to those who would be on the right. He who was being judged was anticipating final judgment.

Source: TRACTATES ON JOHN 31.11
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:27
And with Him they crucified two robbers, one on His right, and the other on His left. The robbers who are crucified with the Lord signify those who, under the faith and confession of Christ, undergo either the struggle of martyrdom or any other practices of stricter continence. But whoever undertakes these solely for the eternal and heavenly glory, these are undoubtedly identified by the merit and faith of the right-hand thief. But those who, either in view of human praise or any less worthy intention, renounce the world, they justly imitate the mind and actions of the blasphemous and left-hand thief. Of whom the Apostle says: If I give my body so that I may be burned, if I give all my resources to feed the poor, if I seem to do many other works of piety or to have received spiritual gifts, but do not have charity, it profits me nothing (I Cor. XIII). Blessed are those who leave their own things for the Lord, and for the Gospel. Blessed are those who suffer persecution for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matt. V).

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 386] Cyril of Jerusalem on Mark 15:29
Those who passed by wagged their heads, mocking the crucified, fulfilling the Scripture: “When they see me, they shake their heads.”

Source: Catechetical Lecture 13:30
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:29-32
(de Con. Evan. 3. 16) How can this be, when according to Luke one only reviled Him, but was rebuked by the other who believed on God; unless we understand that Matthew and Mark, who touched but slightly on this place, put the plural for the singular number?

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:29-32
(ubi sup.) Thus also they confess, though against their will, that He saved many. Therefore your words condemn you, for He who saved others could have saved Himself. It goes on: Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 1107] Theophylact of Ohrid on Mark 15:29-32
For the passers by blasphemed Christ, reproaching Him as a seducer. But the devil moved them to bid Him come down from the Cross; for he knew that salvation was being won by the Cross, therefore he again proceeded to tempt Christ, so that if He came down from the Cross, he might be certain that He is not truly the Son of God, and so the salvation, which is by the Cross, might be done away. But He being truly the Son of God, did not come down; for if He ought to have come down, He would not have ascended there at all; but since He saw that in this way salvation must be effected, He underwent the crucifixion, and many other sufferings, unto the finishing of His work. It goes on: Likewise also the Chief Priests mocking said among themselves with the Scribes, He saved others, himself he cannot save. They said this, to do away with His miracles, as though those which He had done were but the semblance of them, for by working miracles He saved many.

Or else, both at first reviled Him, then one recognising Him as innocent, rebukes the other for blaspheming Him.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 1274] Pseudo-Jerome on Mark 15:29-32
The foal of Judah (Gen. 49:11.) has been tied to the vine, and his clothes dyed in the blood of the grape, and the kids tear the vine, blaspheming Christ, and wagging their heads. Wherefore it is said: And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple.

Afterwards they saw Him arise from the grave, though they would not believe that He could come down from the tree of the Cross. Where, O Jews, is your lack of faith? Your own selves I appeal to; your own selves I bring as judges. How much more wonderful is it that a dead man should arise, than that one yet living should choose to come down from the cross. Ye asked but small things, till greater should have come to pass; but your want of faith could not be healed by signs much greater than those for which you sought. Here all have gone out of the way, all are become abominable. (Ps. 14:4) Wherefore it goes on: And they that were crucified with him reviled.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:31
Such he appeared on the cross, such when crowned with thorns did he exhibit himself, disfigured, and without comeliness, as if he had lost his power, as if not the Son of God. Such did he seem to the blind.

Source: SERMONS ON THE GOSPELS 138.6
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:31
Similarly, the chief priests, mocking, said to one another with the scribes: He saved others, etc. Even unwillingly, the scribes and priests confess that He saved others. Therefore, your own judgment condemns you. For He who saved others could indeed, if He willed, save Himself.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 407] John Chrysostom on Mark 15:32
In the case of the robbers, one Evangelist says that the two blasphemed, another that one of them reproved him who was reviling the Lord. Yet in this again there is no contradiction. Both things took place, and at the beginning both the men behaved badly. Afterwards when signs occurred, when the earth shook and the rocks were torn apart, and the sun was darkened, one of them was penitent, became more chastened, recognized the crucified One and acknowledged his kingdom.

Source: THE PARALYTIC LET DOWN THROUGH THE ROOF 3
[AD 420] Jerome on Mark 15:32
The foal of Judah has been tied to the vine, and his clothes dyed in the blood of the grape, and the kids tear the vine, blaspheming Christ, and wagging their heads. Wherefore it is said: “And they that passedby railed on Him, wagging their heads and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple.”
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:32
Christ, King of Israel, descend now from the cross, so that we may see and believe. False promise. What is greater, to descend from the cross while still alive, or to rise from the tomb when dead? He rose, and you do not believe; therefore, even if He had descended from the cross, you similarly would not believe.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:32
And those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him. How were those who were crucified with Him insulting Him, when indeed one of them insulted Him, according to the testimony of Luke, the other rebuked him and believed in God? Unless we understand that Matthew and Mark, summarizing briefly, used the plural number for the singular in this place, as we read it is said in the plural in the Epistle to the Hebrews: They shut the mouths of lions (Heb. 11), when it is understood to mean Daniel alone. And it is said in the plural: They were sawn in two (Ibid.), though it is traditionally said of Isaiah alone. But what is more common, for example, than for someone to say: The peasants insult me, even if only one insults? For it would be contradictory to what Luke clearly stated about one, if they had said both thieves insulted the Lord, when one could not be understood under the plural number. When it is said thieves, or, those who were crucified with Him, without adding both, not only if both had done it could this be said, but also because one did it, it could be expressed using the plural number in the usual way. With Luke testifying that one thief blaspheming the Lord said: If you are the Christ; save yourself and us (Luke 23), the other, however, rebuked him with fitting reproach, and prayed to the Lord with faithful supplication saying: Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom (Ibid.), we see this still happening today in the Church, when those touched by worldly afflictions, both true and false Christians, indeed those who bear the sacraments of the Lord's Passion with a feigned mind, wish to be liberated by the Lord for the joys of this present life. But those who with sincere intention do not glory except in the cross of our Lord with the Apostle, rather desire to be delivered from present troubles in such a way that they commend their spirit into the hands of their Creator, and desire to be partakers of the heavenly kingdom with Him. Hence well did he who prayed to the Lord with doubtful faith was utterly scorned by the Lord and deemed worthy of no response. But indeed, the prayers of him who sought eternal salvation from Him, the Lord was soon pleased to receive with pious hearing. Because clearly, whosoever placed in tribulation seeks only temporal comfort from the Lord, deprives himself equally of both temporal and eternal joys. But those who sincerely long for the good things of the heavenly homeland, come to them without any doubt, Christ granting mercy.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 220] Tertullian on Mark 15:33
But My People hath changed their glory: whence no profit shall accrue to them: the heaven turned pale thereat" (and when did it turn pale? undoubtedly when Christ suffered), "and shuddered," he says, "most exceedingly; " and "the sun grew dark at mid-day: " (and when did it "shudder exceedingly" except at the passion of Christ, when the earth also trembled to her centre, and the veil of the temple was rent, and the tombs were burst asunder? "because these two evils hath My People done; Me," He says, "they have quite forsaken, the fount of water of life, and they have digged for themselves worn-out tanks, which will not be able to contain water.

Source: An Answer to the Jews
[AD 339] Eusebius of Caesarea on Mark 15:33
Note how clearly was fulfilled the prophecy of our Savior’s passion. It was to be a day in which “there shall be no light.” “From the sixth hour to the ninth hour there was darkness over all the earth.” … This was also fulfilled figuratively by his priestly persecutors, for among them came darkness, cold and ice, following upon their indignities to the anointed One. Their understanding also was darkened, so that the light of the gospel did not shine in their hearts, and their love to God grew cold. Then in the evening the light of the knowledge of the Christ arose, so that they who sat in darkness and the shadow of death saw a great light.

Source: PROOF OF THE GOSPEL 10.7
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:33
The Lord was crucified at the third hour by the tongues of the populace, at the sixth hour by the hands of the soldiers. When Pilate took his seat before the tribunal, it was “about the sixth hour,” or early in the sixth hour. When Jesus was nailed to the tree between two thieves, it was the end of the sixth hour. It was between the sixth and ninth hour that the sun was obscured and the darkness prevailed, as we have it jointly attested on the authority of the three Evangelists Matthew, Mark and Luke.

Source: TRACTATES ON JOHN 117.1
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:33-37
(de Con. Evan. 3, 17) Luke added to this account the cause of the darkness, that is, the darkening of the sun.

(ubi sup.) Matthew has not related, that the man who brought the sponge filled with vinegar, but that the others spoke about Elias; from whence we gather that both said it.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:33
And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. The most brilliant light of the world withdrew its rays, lest it see the Lord hanging, or the impious blasphemers enjoy its light. And it is to be noted, that the Lord was crucified at the sixth hour, that is, when the sun was about to withdraw from the center of the world; but at dawn, that is, when the sun was rising, He celebrated the mysteries of His resurrection. For He marked with the hour of time what He showed by the effectiveness of the work. Because He died for our sins and rose for our justification. For it is written of Adam sinning that he heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day (Gen. III). In the cool of the day, namely with the light of faith declined; and in the cool, with the fervor of charity cooling. He was heard walking because He had withdrawn from sinful man. Therefore, the order of reason, or rather of divine piety, demanded that at the same time in which He had then closed to the transgressing Adam, now the Lord might open the gates of paradise to the penitent thief, and at the hour at which the first Adam had brought death to this world by sinning, at the same hour the second Adam might destroy death by dying.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:33-37
(ubi sup.) This most glorious light took away its rays from the world, lest it should see the Lord hanging, and lest the blasphemers should have the benefit of its light. Wherefore it goes on: And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

(ubi sup.) For when Adam sinned, it is also written that he heard the voice of the Lord, walking in paradise, in the cool after mid-day; (Gen. 3:8.) and in that hour when the first Adam by sinning brought death into the world, in that same hour the second Adam by dying destroyed death. And we must observe, that our Lord was crucified, when the sun was going away from the centre of the world; but at sunrise He celebrated the mysteries of His resurrection; because He died for our sins, but rose again for our justification. Nor need you wonder at the lowliness of His words, at the complaints as of one forsaken, when you look on the offence of the cross, knowing the form of a servant. For as hunger, and thirst, and fatigue were not things proper to the Divinity, but bodily affections; so His saying, Why hast thou forsaken me? was proper to a bodily voice, for the body is never naturally wont to wish to be separated from the life which is joined to it. For although our Saviour Himself said this, He really showed the weakness of His body; He spoke therefore as man, bearing about with Him my feelings, for when placed in danger we fancy that we are deserted by God.

(ubi sup.) These however I suppose were Roman soldiers who did not understand the peculiarity of the Hebrew tongue, but, from His calling Eloi, thought that Elias was called by Him. But if the Jews are understood to have said this, they must be supposed to do this, as accusing Him of folly in calling for the aid of Elias. It goes on: And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone: let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. John shows more fully the reason why the vinegar was given to the Lord to drink, saying, that Jesus said, I thirst, (John 19:28.) that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. They however applied a sponge full of vinegar to His mouth.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 1107] Theophylact of Ohrid on Mark 15:33-37
If this had been the time for an eclipse, some one might have said that this that happened was natural, but it was the fourteenth moon, when no eclipse can take place. There follows: And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.

Or, He speaks this as man crucified by God for me, for we men have been forsaken by the Father, but He never has. For hear what He says; I am not alone, because the Father is with me. (John 16:32) Though He may also have said this as being a Jew, according to the flesh, as though He had said, Why hast thou forsaken the Jewish people, so that they have crucified Thy Son? For as we sometimes say, God has put on me, that is, my human nature, so here also we must understand thou hast forsaken me, to mean my nature, or the Jewish people. It goes on: And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.

He who both rules over death and commands it dies with power, as its Lord. But what this voice was is declared by Luke: Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. For Christ would have us understand by this, that from that time the souls of the saints go up into the hands of God. (v. note u, p. 217) For at first the souls of all were held in hell, till He came, who preached the opening of the prison to the captives.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 1274] Pseudo-Jerome on Mark 15:33-37
At the ninth hour, the tenth piece of money which had been lost is found, by the overturning of the house.

Here he points out a similitude for the Jews; a sponge on a reed, weak, dry, fit for burning; they fill it with vinegar, that is, with wickedness and guile.

Though the flesh was weak, yet the heavenly voice, which said, Open me the gates of righteousness, (Ps. 117:19) waxed strong.  Wherefore there follows: And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. We who are of the earth die with a very low voice, or with no voice at all; but He who descended from heaven breathed His last with a loud voice.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 397] Ambrose of Milan on Mark 15:34
As human he doubts. He experiences amazement. It is not his divinity that doubts, but his human soul. He had no difficulty being amazed because he had taken humanity fully to himself. In taking upon himself a human soul, he also took upon himself the affections of a soul. As God he was not distressed, but as a human he was capable of being distressed. It was not as God he died, but as man. It was in human voice that he cried: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” As human, therefore, he speaks on the cross, bearing with him our terrors. For amid dangers it is a very human response to think ourself abandoned. As human, therefore, he is distressed, weeps, and is crucified.

Source: Exposition of the Christian Faith 2.7.56
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:34
Out of the voice of the psalmist, which our Lord then transferred to himself, in the voice of this infirmity of ours, he spoke these words: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He is doubtless forsaken in the sense that his plea was not directly granted. Jesus appropriated the psalmist’s voice to himself, the voice of human weakness. The benefits of the old covenant had to be refused in order that we might learn to pray and hope for the benefits of the new covenant. Among those goods of the old covenant which belonged to the old Adam there is a special appetite for the prolonging of this temporal life. But this appetite itself is not interminable, for we all know that the day of death will come. Yet all of us, or nearly all, strive to postpone it, even those who believe that their life after death will be a happier one. Such force has the sweet partnership of flesh and soul.

Source: LETTER 140, TO HONORATUS 6
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:34
In his most compassionate humanity and through his servant form we may now learn what is to be despised in this life and what is to be hoped for in eternity. In that very passion in which his proud enemies seemed most triumphant, he took on the speech of our infirmity, in which “our sinful nature was crucified with him” that the body of sin might be destroyed, and said: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” … Thus the Psalm begins, which was sung so long ago, in prophecy of his passion and the revelation of the grace which he brought to raise up his faithful and set them free.

Source: LETTER 140, TO HONORATUS 5
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:34
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying: "Heloi, Heloi, lama sabachthani?" which is interpreted, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" He used the beginning of the twenty-second psalm. That which is read in the middle of the verse: "Look upon me," is superfluous. For in Hebrew it is read, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" Do not marvel at the humility of the words, the complaints of the forsaken, when, knowing the form of a servant, you see the scandal of the cross. For just as to hunger, and to thirst, and to be fatigued were not proper to divinity, but bodily passions, so also what is said, "Why have you forsaken me?" was proper to the bodily voice, because it is natural for the body not to wish to be deprived of the life joined to it. For although the Savior himself said this, he properly showed the fragility of the body, remaining the power and wisdom of God. Therefore, as a man, he speaks, carrying my emotions, that in perils we think we are forsaken by God; as a man he is troubled, as a man he weeps, as a man he is crucified.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:35
And some of those standing by, hearing this, said: "Behold, he calls Elijah." Not all, but some. I think these were Roman soldiers, not understanding the Hebrew language, but from what he said "Heloi, Heloi," thinking Elijah was being invoked by him. But if you prefer to understand Jews saying this, they also do it as is their custom, to dishonor the Lord with weakness, who is seen as seeking Elijah's help.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:36
Among the other things prophesied about him, it was also written, “They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” We know in the gospel how these things happened. First, they gave him gall. He took it, tasted it, and spit it out. Later while hanging on the cross, that all prophecies might be fulfilled, he said, “I thirst.” They took a sponge full of vinegar, fastened it on a reed, and offered it to him as he hung there. He took it and said, “It is finished.” What does “It is finished” mean? All that had been prophesied before my passion has been fulfilled. What then is there still for me to do?

Source: TRACTATES ON JOHN 37.9
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:36
But running, one of them, and filling a sponge with vinegar, and putting it around a reed, offered him a drink, saying: Wait, let us see if Elijah will come to take him down. For which cause the Lord was given vinegar for drink, John shows more fully, saying: Afterward Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, says: I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar. So they filled a sponge with vinegar, and putting it upon hyssop, offered it to his mouth. Seeing then that all things were accomplished which were necessary to be done, before he received the vinegar and gave up the ghost, and that this also might be fulfilled which he said: And in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink (Psalm 118), he says: I thirst. As though he said: This you have left undone; give what you have. Certainly, the Jews themselves were the vinegar, degenerate from the wine of the patriarchs and prophets; as it were, from a full vessel, filled with the iniquity of this world, having a heart like a sponge, in a way crooked and deceitful with hollow and tortuous cavities. The hyssop, around which they put the sponge full of vinegar, since it is a lowly herb and cleanses the flock, we fittingly take to mean the humility of Christ himself, which they surrounded, and thought they had circumvented. Whence it is said in the Psalm: Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be clean (Psalm 50); for we are cleansed by the humility of Christ, since unless he had humbled himself, made obedient to the Father even unto death of the cross (Philippians 2), surely his blood would not have been shed for the remission of sins, that is, for our cleansing. But by the reed upon which the sponge was placed, Scripture is signified, which was fulfilled by this act. For just as a tongue is said to be either Greek, or Latin, or any other, signifying the sound which the tongue utters, so a reed can be said to be the letter which is written with a reed. Yet we more commonly call the sounds of the human voice tongues; but for Scripture to be called a reed, though less usual, is more mysteriously symbolic.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:37
Those robbers crucified next to him, did they breathe their last when they wanted to? They were held fast by the chains of the flesh because they were not the creators of the flesh. Fastened by nails, they were tormented for a long time because they were not masters of their infirmity. But the Lord took on flesh in the virgin’s womb when he wished it. He came forth to humanity when he wished it. He lived in history as long as he wished it. He departed from the flesh when he wished it. This is a sign of power, not of necessity.

Source: TRACTATES ON JOHN 37.9
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:37
He departed by his [own] power; for he had not come by necessity. And so some marveled more at his power of dying than at his power of performing miracles.

Source: TRACTATES ON JOHN 31.6
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:37
But Jesus, having cried out with a loud voice, expired. What the Lord said with this loud voice, Luke clearly indicates, saying: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit. And having said this, he expired (Luke 23). What John writes, however, that when Jesus had received the vinegar, he said: It is finished, and bowing his head, gave up his spirit (John 19), between that which he said: It is finished, and that: And bowing his head, gave up his spirit, the loud voice was emitted, which John kept silent about, but the other three mentioned.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 253] Origen of Alexandria on Mark 15:38-41
(in Matt. Tract. 35) But it seems to me, that here three women are chiefly named, by Matthew and Mark. Two indeed are set down by each Evangelist, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James; the third is called by Matthew, the mother of the sons of Zebedee, but by Mark she is called Salome.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 373] Ephrem the Syrian on Mark 15:38
The curtain was torn. [This was] to show that [the Lord] had taken the kingdom away from them and had given it to others who would bear fruit. An alternative interpretation is: By the analogy of the torn curtain, the temple would be destroyed because his Spirit had gone away from it. Since the high priest had wrongfully torn his robe, the Spirit tore the curtain to proclaim the audacity of the pride [of the Jews], by means of an action on the level of created beings. Because [the high priest] had torn his priesthood and had cast it from him, [the Spirit] also split the curtain apart. Or [alternatively], just as the temple in which Judas had thrown down the gold was dissolved and rejected, so too [the Lord] pulled down and rent asunder the curtain of the door through which [Judas] had entered. Or, [it was] because they had stripped him of his garments that he rent the curtain in two. For the heart of the rock was burst asunder, but their own hearts did not repent.

Source: COMMENTARY ON TATIAN’S DIATESSARON
[AD 390] Gregory of Nazianzus on Mark 15:38
He surrenders his life, yet he has power to take it again. Yes, the veil is torn, for things of heaven are being revealed, rocks split, and dead men have an earlier awakening.

Source: ORATION 29, ON THE SON 20
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:38-41
(de Trin. 4, 13) This also he most of all wondered at, that after that voice which He sent forth as a figure of our sin, He immediately gave up His spirit. For the spirit of the Mediator showed that no penalty of sin could have had power to cause the death of His flesh; for it did not leave the flesh unwillingly, but as it willed, for it was joined to the Word of God in the unity of person.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:38
And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The veil of the temple is torn, so that the ark of the covenant and all the sacraments of the law, which were covered, may appear and pass on to the people of the nations. For it had been said before: God is known in Judah, his great name in Israel (Psalm 76). But now: Be exalted above the heavens, O God, and your glory over all the earth (Psalm 66). And previously in the Gospel, he said: Do not go into the way of the gentiles (Matthew 10). But after his passion, he said: Go and teach all nations (Matthew 28).

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:38-41
(ubi sup.) Now the cause of the centurion's wonder is clear, that seeing that the Lord died in that way, that is, sent forth His spirit, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God. For no one can send forth his own spirit, but He who is the Creator of souls.

(ubi sup.) He means by James the Less, the son of Alphæus, who was also called the brother of our Lord, because he was the son of Mary, our Lord's mother's sister, whom John mentions, saying, Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother and his mother's sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. (John 19:25) And he seems to call her Mary of Cleophas, from her father or some relation. But he was called James the Less, to distinguish him from James the Great, that is, the son of Zebedee, who was called amongst the first of the Apostles by our Lord. Further, it was a Jewish custom, nor was it thought blamable after the manners of an ancient people, that women should furnish to teachers food and clothing out of their substance. Wherefore there follows: Who also when he was in Galilee followed him, and ministered unto him. They ministered unto the Lord of their substance, that He might reap their carnal things whose spiritual things they reaped, and that He might show forth a type for all masters, who ought to be content with food and clothing from their disciples. But let us see what companions He had with Him, for it goes on: And many other women which came up with him into Jerusalem.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 1107] Theophylact of Ohrid on Mark 15:38-41
Again, God by the rending of the veil implied that the grace of the Holy Spirit goes away and is rent from the temple, so that the Holy of holies might be seen by all;e also that the temple will mourn amongst the Jews, when they shall deplore their calamities, and rend their clothes. This also is a figure of the living temple, that is, the body of Christ, in whose Passion His garment is torn, that is, His flesh. Again, it means another thing; for the flesh is the veil of our temple, that is, of our mind. But the power of the flesh is torn in the Passion of Christ, from the top to the bottom, that is, from Adam even down to the latest man; for also Adam was made whole by the Passion of Christ, and his flesh does not remain under the curse, nor does it deserve corruption, but we all are gifted with incorruption. And when the centurion who stood over against him saw. He who commands a hundred soldiers is called a centurion. But seeing that He died with such power as the Lord, he wondered and confessed.

And so the order is inverted, for the Jew kills, and the Gentile confesses; the disciples fly, and the women remain. For there follows: There were also women looking on afar off, amongst whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 1274] Pseudo-Jerome on Mark 15:38-41
The veil of the temple is rent, that is, the heaven is opened.

But the last are now made the first. The Gentile people confesses. The blinded Jew denies, so that their error is worse than the first.

As the female sex through the Virgin Mary is not shut out from salvation, so it is not thrust away from the knowledge of the mystery of the cross, and of the resurrection, through the widow Mary Magdalene, and the others, who were mothers.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 1274] Glossa Ordinaria on Mark 15:38-41
After the Evangelist has related the Passion and the death of Christ, he now goes on to mention those things which followed after the death of our Lord. Wherefore it is said: And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 390] Gregory of Nazianzus on Mark 15:39
Many indeed are the wondrous happenings of that time: God hanging from a cross, the sun made dark and again flaming out; for it was fitting that creation should mourn with its creator. The temple veil rent, blood and water flowing from his side: the one as from a man, the other as from what was above man; the earth shaken, the rocks shattered because of the rock; the dead risen to bear witness to the final and universal resurrection of the dead. The happenings at the sepulcher and after the sepulcher, who can fittingly recount them? Yet no one of them can be compared to the miracle of my salvation. A few drops of blood renew the whole world, and do for all men what the rennet does for the milk: joining us and binding us together.

Source: ON THE HOLY PASCH, ORATION 45.1
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:39
But the centurion, who stood opposite, seeing that he had expired in such a way, said: Truly this man was the Son of God. The clear cause of the miracle concerning the centurion is explained: seeing that the Lord had expired in this way, that is, having given up his spirit, he said: Truly this man was the Son of God. For no one has the power to give up the spirit, except he who is the creator of souls. And it should be considered that the centurion, before the cross, in the very scandal of the passion, confesses truly the Son of God, and Arius in the Church proclaims a creature. Hence, deservedly, through the centurion, the faith of the Church is designated, which, with the veil of the heavenly mysteries revealed through the death of the Lord, immediately confirms Jesus as both a truly just man, and truly the Son of God, while the Synagogue remains silent.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:40
As they were “looking on,” so we too gaze on his wounds as he hangs. We see his blood as he dies. We see the price offered by the redeemer, touch the scars of his resurrection. He bows his head, as if to kiss you. His heart is made bare open, as it were, in love to you. His arms are extended that he may embrace you. His whole body is displayed for your redemption. Ponder how great these things are. Let all this be rightly weighed in your mind: as he was once fixed to the cross in every part of his body for you, so he may now be fixed in every part of your soul.

Source: ON VIRGINITY
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:40
How can we understand the same Mary Magdalene both to have stood afar off along with other women as the accounts of Matthew and Mark bear, and to have been by the cross, as John tells us? It could have been the case that these women were at such a distance as made it quite natural to say at once that they were near because they were at hand there in the sight of him, and yet afar off in comparison with the crowd of people who were standing round about in closer vicinity along with the centurion and the soldiers. It is open for us, then, to suppose that those women who were present at the scene along with the Lord’s mother, after he commended her to the disciple, began then to retire with the view of extricating themselves from the dense mass of people, and from a greater distance looking on at what remained to be done.

Source: HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS 3.21.58
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:40
How could it be said that the brother of the Lord was not the apostle, but a third James, since Paul also gives him the name of an apostle, saying, “I saw none of the other apostles except James, the brother of the Lord”; and the evangelist Mark names the same man, not a third, but one of the two Jameses, saying, “There were women also watching from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of the James the younger and of Joseph and Salome?” Now “greater and lesser” are customarily used to establish a difference not among three, but between two. Hence the lesser James is named “of Alphaeus,” in distinction from the greater, who was the son of Zebedee.

Source: Commentary on Acts 1.13
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:40
There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome. And when he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him. James the Less is said to be James the son of Alphaeus, who was also called the brother of the Lord, because he was the son of Mary, the Lord’s aunt, of whom John makes mention in his Gospel, saying: Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas (John 19). He seems to call her Mary of Cleophas, either from her father or from her kinship. James was called the Less to distinguish him from James the Greater, the son of Zebedee, who was called among the first apostles and chosen by the Lord. It was the Jewish custom, and not considered blameworthy by the ancient custom of the people, that women provided food and clothing for teachers from their substance; Paul recalls having renounced this in case it could cause scandal among the Gentiles: Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a wife, as the other apostles do (1 Cor. 9)? They ministered to the Lord from their substance, so that he reaped their carnal things, of which they reaped spiritual things. Not that the Lord of creatures needed food, but to show a pattern for teachers, that they should be content with food and clothing from their disciples. But let us see what companions he had. Namely, Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven devils, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, his aunt, and others, which we read of in the other Gospels.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 407] John Chrysostom on Mark 15:41
For what reason then was he being supported by women? For women, it is said, followed him and ministered to him. It was to teach us from the first that he is ready to receive those who do the good. Could not Paul, who supported others by his own hands, have maintained himself without assistance from others? But you see him receiving and requesting aid. Now hear the reason for it. “Not because I want a gift,” he says, “but I want fruit that may abound to your account.”

Source: HOMILIES ON TITUS 6
[AD 220] Tertullian on Mark 15:42
Being, therefore, observers of "seasons" for these things, and of "days, and months, and years," we Galaticize. Plainly we do, if we are observers of Jewish ceremonies, of legal solemnities: for those the apostle unteaches, suppressing the continuance of the Old Testament which has been buried in Christ, and establishing that of the New. But if there is a new creation in Christ, our solemnities too will be bound to be new: else, if the apostle has erased all devotion absolutely "of seasons, and days, and months, and years," why do we celebrate the passover by an annual rotation in the first month? Why in the fifty ensuing days do we spend our time in all exultation? Why do we devote to Stations the fourth and sixth days of the week, and to fasts the "preparation-day? " Anyhow, you sometimes continue your Station even over the Sabbath,-a day never to be kept as a fast except at the passover season, according to a reason elsewhere given. With us, at all events, every day likewise is celebrated by an ordinary consecration. And it will not, then, be, in the eyes of the apostle, the differentiating principle-distinguishing (as he is doing) "things new and old" -which will be ridiculous; but (in this case too) it will be your own unfairness, while you taunt us with the form of antiquity all the while you are laying against us the charge of novelty.

Source: On Fasting
[AD 390] Gregory of Nazianzus on Mark 15:42
Yesterday the lamb was slain, and the door posts sprinkled with his blood, while Egypt mourned for her firstborn. But the destroying angel and his sacrificial knife, fearful and terrifying, passed over us, for we were protected by the precious blood. This day we have wholly departed from Egypt, and from Pharaoh, its cruel tyrant, and his oppressive overseers. We are freed from laboring with bricks and straw, and no one forbids us celebrate the festival of our passing over, our pasch, and to celebrate not with the leaven of malice and wickedness but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. … Yesterday I was crucified with Christ; today I am glorified with him. Yesterday I died with him; today I am given life with him. Yesterday I was buried with him; today I rise again with him.

Source: ON THE HOLY PASCH AND HIS OWN RELUCTANCE
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:42
Scripture again witnesses that the space of those three days did not imply whole days in their entirety. Rather the first day is counted as whole from its last part, and the third day is itself also counted as a whole from its first part; but the intervening day, i.e., the second day, was absolutely whole with its twentyfour hours, twelve of the day and twelve of the night. For he was crucified first by the voices of the Jews in the third hour, when it was the sixth day of the week. Then he hung on the cross itself at the sixth hour, and yielded up his spirit at the ninth hour.

Source: ON THE TRINITY 4.6, 10
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:42-47
(ubi sup.) What is called parasceue in Greek, is in Latin præparatio; by which name those Jews, who lived amongst Greeks, used to call the sixth day of the week, because on that day they used to prepare what was necessary for the rest of the sabbath day. Because then man was made on the sixth day, but on the seventh the Creator rested from all His work, fitly was our Saviour crucified on the sixth day, and thus fulfilled the mystery of man's restoration. But on the sabbath, resting in the tomb, He was waiting for the event of the resurrection, which was to come on the eighth day. So we must also in this age of time be crucified to the world; but in the seventh day, that is, when a man has paid the debt to death, our bodies indeed must rest in the grave, but our souls after good works in hidden peace with God; till in the eighth period, even our bodies themselves, glorified in the resurrection, receive incorruption together with our souls. But the man who buried the body of the Lord must needs by his righteous merits have been worthy, and by the nobility of worldly power able to perform this service. Therefore it is said, An honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God. He is called in Latin, decurio, because he is of the order of the curia, and served the office of a provincial magistracy; this officer was also called curialis, from his care of civic duties. Arimathæa is the same as Ramathain, the city of Elkanah and Samuel.

(ubi sup.) But it was not an obscure person, nor a man of mean rank, who could come to the governor and obtain the body. There follows: And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen.

(ubi sup.) By this however, according to a spiritual meaning, we may understand that the body of the Lord should not be wrapped in gold or gems, or silk, but in a clean linen cloth. Hence it became a custom in the Church that the sacrifice of the altar should not be celebrated in silk, or in a dyed cloth, but in linen produced from the earth, just as the body of the Lord was wrapped in clean linen; as, we read in the Pontifical acts, it was ordered by the blessed Sylvesterf. Though it has also another meaning, that he who receives Jesus in a pure mind wraps Him in clean linen. There follows: And laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre. It is said that the sepulchre of the Lord is a round cell, hewn out of the rock which was around it, so high, that a man standing upright could scarcely touch the roof with his outstretched hand; and it has an entrance to the east, to which the great stone was rolled, and placed upon it. In the northern part of it is the tomb itself, that is, the place where our Lord's body lay, made of the same rock, seven feet in length, raised three palms higher than the floor. It is not open from above, but on the south side, the whole of which is open, and through which the body was brought in. The colour of the sepulchre and of the recess is said to be a mixed white and red.

We read in Luke, that His acquaintances and the women who had followed Him stood afar off. When these then who were known to Jesus returned home after the burial of His body, the women alone, who were bound to Him with a closer love, after following the funeral, took care to see how He was laid, that they might be able at a fitting season to offer Him the sacrifice of their devotion. But on the day of the parasceue, that is, of the preparation, the holy women, that is, humble souls, do the same, when they burn with love for the Saviour, and diligently follow the steps of His Passion in this life, where their future rest is to be prepared; and they weigh with a pious minuteness the order in which His passion was accomplished, if perchance they be able to imitate it.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:42
And when evening had already come, because it was the day of preparation, which is before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a noble councillor, came. He is called a councillor because he is from the order of the council and administers the office of the council. He is also usually called a curial by handling civic duties. Arimathea itself is Ramathaim, the city of Elkanah and Samuel in the region of Thamna near Diospolis. Παρασκευὴ in Greek is called preparation in Latin. By this name, the Jews who lived among the Greeks used to call the sixth day of the Sabbath, because on that day they were accustomed to prepare what was necessary for the rest of the Sabbath. According to what was once commanded about manna: On the sixth day you will collect double, etc. Because man was made on the sixth day, and the whole creation of the world was completed, and on the seventh, the Creator rested from His work, hence He wished to call it the Sabbath, that is, rest. The Savior, rightly crucified on the same sixth day, fulfilled the mystery of human restoration. Therefore, when he received the vinegar, he said: It is finished, which means, on the sixth day, what I have undertaken for the world's restoration, the whole work is now completed. And resting in the tomb on the Sabbath, He awaited the event of the resurrection which was to come on the eighth day. Here shines the example of our devotion and blessed reward, that in this sixth age of the world we must suffer for the Lord and as if be crucified to the world. In the seventh age, that is, when someone pays the debt of death, the bodies indeed rest in graves, but the souls remain in secret peace with the Lord and must rest after good works, until finally, when the eighth age comes, even the bodies themselves, glorified by the resurrection, with the souls receive the incorruption of the eternal inheritance.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 1107] Theophylact of Ohrid on Mark 15:42-47
He was bold with a praiseworthy boldness; for he did not consider within himself, I shall fall from my rich estate, and I shall be expelled by the Jews, if I beg for the body of Him, who was condemned as a blasphemer. It goes on: And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead. For he thought that He should continue long alive upon the cross, as also the thieves used to live long, upon the instrument of their execution. It goes on: And calling unto him the centurion, he asked him if he had been any while dead; that is, before the time when other executed persons usually died. There follows: And when he knew it of the centurion, (that is, that He was dead,) he gave the body to Joseph.

Burying the precious body preciously; for being a disciple of our Lord, he knew how greatly the Lord's body ought to be honoured.

Let us too imitate Joseph, taking to ourselves the body of Christ by Unity, and let us place it in a sepulchre, hewn out of the rock, that is, in a soul recollected, never forgetful of God; for this is a soul hewn out of the rock, that is, out of Christ, for He is our rock, who holds together our strength. We ought also to wrap Him in linen, that is, to receive Him in a pure body; for the linen is the body which is the clothing of the soul. We must, however, not throw open, but wrap Him up; for He is secret, closed and hidden. There follows: And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 1274] Pseudo-Jerome on Mark 15:42-47
As the female sex through the Virgin Mary is not shut out from salvation, so it is not thrust away from the knowledge of the mystery of the cross, and of the resurrection, through the widow Mary Magdalene, and the others, who were mothers.

It is interpreted, taking down, of which was Joseph, who came to take down the body of Christ from the cross. There follows: Came and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.

By the burial of Christ we rise again, by His going down into hell we mount up into heaven; here is found the honey in the mouth of the dead lion.

These things also fit the Jewish people, which finally is believing, which is ennobled by faith to become the child of Abraham. It lays aside its despair, it waits for the kingdom of God, it goes in to the Christians, that it may be baptized; which is implied by the name of Pilate, which is interpreted, 'One who works with a hammer,' that is, he who subdues the iron nations, that he may rule them with a rod of iron. It seeks for the sacrifice, that is, the viaticum, which is given to penitents at their last end, and wraps it up in a heart clean and dead to sin; it makes it firm in the safeguard of faith, and shuts it up with the covering of hope, through works of charity; (for the end of the commandment is charity;) (1 Tim. 1:5) whilst the elect, who are the stars of the sea, are looking on from afar, for, if it be possible, the very elect shall be offended.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 1274] Glossa Ordinaria on Mark 15:42-47
(non occ.) After the passion and death of Christ, the Evangelist relates His burial, saying, And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathæa.

Source: Catena Aurea by Aquinas
[AD 108] Ignatius of Antioch on Mark 15:43
At the sixth hour he was crucified. At the ninth hour he yielded up his spirit. Before sunset he was buried. During the sabbath he continued under the earth in the tomb in which Joseph of Arimathea had laid him.

Source: TO THE TRALLIANS 9
[AD 407] John Chrysostom on Mark 15:43
This was Joseph, who had been concealing his discipleship. Now he became very bold, after the death of Christ. For neither was he an obscure person nor unnoticed. He was one of the council, and highly distinguished, and as we see, courageous. For he exposed himself to death, taking upon himself the enmity of all by his affection to Jesus. He begged for the body and did not desist until he obtained it. Not only that, but by laying it in his own new tomb, he actively demonstrated his love and courage.

Source: THE GOSPEL OF ST MATTHEW, HOMILY 88
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:43
Joseph of Arimathea, a noble councilor, who also awaited the kingdom of God, came and boldly approached Pilate and requested the body of Jesus. This Joseph indeed is praised for his great standing in the world but is lauded even more for his merit with God. For it was fitting that such a man should exist who would bury the body of the Lord, one who by his righteousness of merits would be worthy of such a ministry, and by the nobility of his secular power would have the capacity to obtain the ability to minister. For not just anyone, unknown or of moderate status, could approach the governor and request the body of the crucified.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 1107] Theophylact of Ohrid on Mark 15:43
While yet a servant of the law, the blessed Joseph recognized Christ as God, and this is why he dared to do such a praiseworthy deed of courage. He did not stop to think to himself, "I am a wealthy man, and I will lose my wealth if I ask for the body of one condemned by the rulers authority, and I will be slandered by the Jews." No such thoughts did he harbor, but placing all other considerations second, he begged to bury the Body of the One condemned. Pilate wondered if He were already dead, for Pilate thought that Jesus would endure on the cross for a long time, as did the thieves. So he asked the centurion if Jesus had already died some time before. Joseph then took the Body, having bought linen, and when he had taken It down from the cross he wrapped It in the linen, and buried reverently that which was worthy of all reverence. For Joseph too was a disciple of Christ, and he knew that it was necessary to honor the Master. He was noble, that is, devout, pious, and blameless. And he held the rank of counsellor, a title which conferred duties of public service and responsibility; the counsellors supervised the affairs of the marketplace, and danger often befell one holding this position because of the evildoings in the market. Let the wealthy, and those engaged in public business, heed that Josephs high rank in no way hindered him from living a virtuous life. Joseph means "increase," and Arimathea means "taking hold of that." Let us be like Joseph, always increasing in virtue, and taking hold of that which is truly good. Let us also take the Body of Jesus, through Holy Communion, and place It in a tomb hewn out of a rock, that is, place It within a soul which always remembers God and does not forget Him.
And let that soul be hewn from a rock, that is, from Christ Who is the Rock on which we are established. Let us wrap the Body of Jesus in the linen, that is, let us receive It within a pure body. For the body is the linen and the garment of the soul. We must receive the divine Body of the Lord not only with a pure soul, but with a pure body as well. And we must wrap It and enfold It within ourselves, and not leave It exposed. For this Mystery is something veiled and hidden, not something to be exposed.
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Mark 15:44
As the Gospel declares, those who were present particularly marveled at this: After the lament in which he expressed the figure of sin, he immediately gave up his spirit. For those who were suspended on the cross were tortured by a lingering death. Consequently, the legs of the thieves were broken, in order that they might quickly die and be taken down from the cross before the Sabbath. But that he was found to be already dead was a cause for amazement. And we read that Pilate also wondered at this, when the body of the Lord was asked of him for burial.

Source: ON THE TRINITY 4.13.16
[AD 373] Athanasius of Alexandria on Mark 15:46
This above all shows the foolishness of those who say that the Word was changed into bones and flesh. For if this had been so, there would have been no need of a tomb. For the body would have gone by itself to preach to the spirits in Hades. But as it was, he himself went to preach, while the body that Joseph wrapped in a linen cloth laid away at Golgotha. And so it is demonstrated to all that the body was not the Word, but body of the Word.

Source: LETTER 59, TO EPICTETUS 6
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:46
Joseph then bought a linen cloth, and taking Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth. And by the simple burial of the Lord, the ambition of the rich is condemned, who cannot even do without riches in their tombs. We can, however, understand this spiritually to mean that the body of the Lord should not be wrapped in gold, gems, or silk, but in pure linen, although this also signifies that he who wraps Jesus in clean linen has received Him with a pure mind. Hence the custom obtained in the Church that the sacrifice of the altar is celebrated not in silk, nor in dyed cloth, but in plain linen, just as the body of the Lord was buried in a clean linen cloth, as we read it was decreed in the pontifical acts by the blessed Pope Sylvester.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:46
And they laid him in a tomb, which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone to the door of the tomb. Those who have come from Jerusalem to Britain in our age report of the Lord's tomb, that it was a round house hewn from underlying rock, of such height that a man standing inside could scarcely touch the top with an outstretched hand. It has an entrance from the East, to which that great stone was rolled and placed. In the northern part of this tomb, the actual sepulcher, that is, the place of the Lord's body, was made from the same rock, being seven feet long and measuring three palms higher than the surrounding floor. The place indeed is not open from above, but from the southern side it is open throughout, from where the body was brought in. The color of this same tomb and the coffin is said to be a mix of reddish and white.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark
[AD 735] Bede on Mark 15:47
But Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid. In Luke, we read that all his acquaintances and the women who followed him stood at a distance. Therefore, with Jesus' acquaintances returning to their own homes after his body was laid down, it was only the women who loved more fervently who cared to observe how he was placed, so they might offer him a fitting gift of devotion at an appropriate time. Likewise, until now, holy women on the day of Preparation, that is, the day of Preparation for the Sabbath, do the same, diligently following the footsteps of his passion in this world, where the future rest is to be prepared. And if they might perhaps be able to imitate with pious curiosity, they consider in what order the same passion was completed.

Source: On the Gospel of Mark