MORE VERMES ON CAIAPHAS: Geza Vermes e-mails the following:

I have read the comments made by Mark Goodacre and Helen Bond on my sketch of Caiaphas. I dare say I prefer hers. There is only one point I need to clarify. I have never intended to imply that the high priest was Jesus' friend. I accept no responsibility for the headline of the article, "Never mind what Mel Gibson says, Caiaphas was innocent". To make myself clear, I have rewritten the relevant paragraph for future use. It now runs:

"From all this we can draw an important conclusion: the decision of Caiaphas to hand Jesus' case over to Pontius Pilate did not reflect his legal incapacity to execute him, but his unwillingness to do so. He was passing the buck. He was responsible however for delivering Jesus to the Roman governor. This responsibility is already stated by the first century historian Josephus. It is obvious, nevertheless, that the decision to crucify Jesus was Pilate's and Pilate's alone."