Lactantius — Divine Institutes 4.18

When, therefore, Christ fulfilled these things which God would have done, and which He foretold many ages before by His prophets , incited by these things, and ignorant of the sacred Scriptures, they conspired together to condemn their God. And though He knew that this would come to pass, and repeatedly said that He must suffer and be put to death for the salvation of many, nevertheless He withdrew Himself with His disciples , not that He might avoid that which it was necessary for Him to undergo and endure, but that He might show what ought to take place in every persecution , that no one should appear to have fallen into it through his own fault: and He announced that it would come to pass that He should be betrayed by one of them. And thus Judas, induced by a bribe , delivered up to the Jews the Son of God .

But they took and brought Him before Pontius Pilate , who at that time was administering the province of Syria as governor, and demanded that He should be crucified, though they laid nothing else to His charge except that He said that He was the Son of God , the King of the Jews ; also His own saying, Destroy this temple, which was forty-six years in building, and in three days I will raise it up again without hands, — signifying that His passion would shortly take place, and that He, having been put to death by the Jews , would rise again on the third day. For He Himself was the true temple of God . They inveighed against these expressions of His, as ill-omened and impious. And when Pilate had heard these things, and He said nothing in His own defense, he gave sentence that there appeared nothing deserving of condemnation in Him.

But those most unjust accusers, together with the people whom they had stirred up, began to cry out, and with loud voices to demand His crucifixion. Then Pontius was overpowered both by their outcries, and by the instigation of Herod the tetrarch, who feared lest he should be deposed from his sovereignty. He did not, however, himself pass sentence, but delivered Him up to the Jews , that they themselves might judge Him according to their law. Therefore they led Him away when He had been scourged with rods, and before they crucified Him they mocked Him; for they put upon Him a scarlet robe, and a crown of thorns, and saluted Him as King, and gave Him gall for food, and mingled for Him vinegar to drink.

After these things they spat upon His face, and struck Him with the palms of their hands; and when the executioners themselves contended about His garments, they cast lots among themselves for His tunic and mantle. And while all these things were doing, He uttered no voice from His mouth, as though He were dumb. Then they lifted Him up in the midst between two malefactors, who had been condemned for robbery , and fixed Him to the cross. What can I here deplore in so great a crime? Or in what words can I lament such great wickedness ? For we are not relating the crucifixion of Gavius, which Marcus Tullius followed up with all the spirit and strength of his eloquence, pouring forth as it were the fountains of all his genius, proclaiming that it was an unworthy deed that a Roman citizen should be crucified in violation of all laws .