{{Short description|Pivotal event in Christianity recorded in the canonical gospels}} [[File:Caravaggio - The Taking of Christ restored.jpg|thumb|300px|''[[The Taking of Christ (Caravaggio)|The Taking of Christ]]'' by [[Caravaggio]], 1602]] {{Gospel Jesus}} The '''arrest of Jesus''' was a pivotal event in [[Christianity]] recorded in the [[canonical gospels]]. It occurred shortly after the [[Last Supper]] (during which Jesus gave his [[Last Supper#Sermon|final sermon]]), and immediately after the [[kiss of Judas]], which is traditionally said to have been an act of betrayal since Judas made a deal with the chief priests to arrest Jesus. The event ultimately led, in the Gospel accounts, to [[Crucifixion of Jesus|Jesus's crucifixion]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew+26:14-16|title=Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 26:14-16 - New International Version|website=Bible Gateway}}</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z6b96v4/revision/3 "The death of Jesus", BBC]</ref>
The arrest led immediately to his [[Sanhedrin trial of Jesus|trial before the Sanhedrin]], during which they condemned him to death and handed him to [[Pontius Pilate]] the following morning.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+15&version=NIV|title=Bible Gateway passage: Mark 15 - New International Version|website=Bible Gateway}}</ref> In [[Christian theology]], the events from the Last Supper until the [[Crucifixion of Jesus|crucifixion]] and [[Resurrection of Jesus|resurrection]] of Jesus are referred to as [[Passion of Jesus|the Passion]].
In the [[New Testament]], all four Gospels conclude with an extended narrative of Jesus's arrest, trial, crucifixion, [[Entombment of Christ|burial]], and resurrection. In each Gospel, these five events in the life of Jesus are treated with more intense detail than any other portion of that Gospel's narrative. Scholars note that the reader receives an almost hour-by-hour account of what is happening.<ref name=Powell>Powell, Mark A. ''Introducing the New Testament''. Baker Academic, 2009. {{ISBN|978-0-8010-2868-7}}</ref>{{rp|p.91}}
==Biblical narrative== {{see also|Kiss of Judas}} [[File:Fra Angelico 020.jpg|left|thumb|''The Capture of Christ'' by [[Fra Angelico]], c. 1440, depicting Judas and Peter, cutting the ear of [[Malchus]], the servant of [[Caiaphas]]]] {{Death of Jesus}} [[John 7#Feast of Tabernacles (7:10–52)|John 7:30 and 32]] refer to early attempts to arrest Jesus which were unsuccessful. [[Luke 4#Rejection at Nazareth (verses 16–30)|Luke 4:29]] recounts that "everyone in the synagogue" in [[Nazareth]] laid hold of Jesus and "dragged him out of town", but he escaped and continued "on his way".<ref>{{bibleverse|Luke|4:28-30|GNT}}: [[Good News Translation]]</ref>
According to the canonical gospels, after the Last Supper, Jesus and his disciples went out to [[Gethsemane]], a garden located at the edge of the [[Kidron Valley]], thought by scholars to probably have been an olive grove. Once there, he is described as leaving the group so that he could pray privately.<ref name=Maj169 >''The Synoptics: Matthew, Mark, Luke'' by Ján Majerník, Joseph Ponessa, Laurie Watson Manhardt 2005 {{ISBN|1-931018-31-6}} page 169</ref><ref name=Zuck83 >''The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament'' edited by John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck 1983 {{ISBN|978-0-88207-812-0}} pages 83-85</ref>
The [[Synoptic Gospels|synoptic]]s state that Jesus asked God for the burden of death by crucifixion to save humankind be taken from him, though still leaving the final choice to God. [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] states that an [[angel]] appeared and strengthened Jesus, who then accepted God's will and returned to his disciples. The synoptics state that the three disciples that were with Jesus had fallen asleep, and that Jesus criticized them for failing to stay awake even for an hour, suggesting that they pray so that they could avoid temptation.<ref name=Zuck83 />
At that point, [[Judas Iscariot|Judas]] [[the kiss of Judas|gave Jesus a kiss]], as a pre-arranged sign to those that had accompanied Judas as to who Jesus was.<ref name=Zuck83 /><ref name=CEvans487 /> Having been identified, the officers arrested Jesus, although one of Jesus's disciples attempted to stop them with a sword and cut off the ear of one of the arresting officers.<ref name=Zuck83 /><ref name=CEvans487 /> The [[Gospel of John]] specifies that was [[Simon Peter]] and identifies the wounded officer with [[Malchus]], the servant of [[Caiaphas]], the [[High Priest of Israel]].<ref name=Zuck83 /><ref name=CEvans487 /> Luke adds that Jesus healed the wound. John, [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]], and Luke state that Jesus criticized the violent act, insisting that they do not resist Jesus's arrest. In Matthew, Jesus made the well known statement "[[Live by the sword, die by the sword|all who live by the sword, shall die by the sword]]".<ref name=Zuck83 /><ref name=CEvans487 /> Roman soldiers only help to carry out the arrest in the Gospel of John. Judas leads the arresting party to Jesus, but rather than Judas pointing out Jesus, John has Jesus himself, "knowing all that was to happen to him", ask them whom they are looking for; when they say "Jesus of Nazareth", he replies "I am he",<ref>Note, the word "he" is supplied by the translators; the Greek has "I am", the [[Ego eimi]], which explains why the arresting party is stunned. {{Bibleref|John|18:4|9}}</ref> at which point all members of the arrest party went backward and fell to the ground.<ref name="Zuck83" /><ref name="CEvans487">''The Bible Knowledge Background Commentary: Matthew-Luke, Volume 1'' by Craig A. Evans 2003 {{ISBN|0-7814-3868-3}} page 487-500</ref>
Only in the earliest version of Jesus's capture, appearing in the [[Gospel of Mark]] 14:51–52, is there any mention of a [[Naked fugitive|fleeing naked young man]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Goodacre|first=Mark|title=The Synoptic Problem: A Way Through the Maze|publisher=A&C Black|year=2002|isbn=0567080560|pages=54}}</ref>
The arrest of Jesus and Judas' role in acting as a guide to those arresting him are subsequently referred to by Peter in {{bibleverse||Acts|1:16|NKJV}}.
==Gallery of art== <gallery> File:Duccio Maesta detail3.jpg|From the ''[[Maestà (Duccio)|Maestà]]'' by [[Duccio]], 1308–1311 File:Arrest of Christ (The Karlsruhe Passion) c.1450-55.jpg|from the [[Master of the Karlsruhe Passion|Karlsruhe Passion]], {{Circa|1450-55}} File:Dieric Bouts - The Arrest of Christ with kiss of Judas and ear of Malchus ca1485.jpg|[[Dieric Bouts]], {{Circa|1450}}–1460 File:Douffet, Gérard - Taking of Christ with the Malchus Episode - c. 1620.jpg|''The Taking of Christ'' by [[Gerard Douffet]], c. 1620 </gallery>
==See also== * [[Chronology of Jesus]] * [[Life of Jesus in the New Testament]]
==Notes== {{commons category|Capture of Jesus Christ}} {{reflist}}
==References== *Brown, Raymond E. ''An Introduction to the New Testament'' Doubleday 1997 {{ISBN|0-385-24767-2}} *Brown, Raymond E. et al. ''The New Jerome Biblical Commentary'' Prentice Hall 1990 {{ISBN|0-13-614934-0}} *Kilgallen, John J. ''A Brief Commentary on the Gospel of Mark'' Paulist Press 1989 {{ISBN|0-8091-3059-9}} *Miller, Robert J. Editor ''The Complete Gospels'' Polebridge Press 1994 {{ISBN|0-06-065587-9}}
{{Jesus footer}} {{Life of Jesus in Christian art}}
[[Category:Arrests of individual people]] [[Category:Passion of Jesus]] [[Category:Judas Iscariot]] [[Category:Caiaphas]] [[Category:Gethsemane]]