From The Sadness of Christ:
This band of soldiers which, as the evangelists do mention, the bishops delivered unto the traitor,
was as I suppose a sort of the Roman soldiers that Pilate licensed the bishops to take, among which
company had the Pharisees, the scribes, and the ancients of the people, set their own servants, either for
that they trusted not well the president Pilate’s men, or else to help them with a greater number, in case
perhaps upon some sudden uproar in the night Christ might by force be conveyed from them, or finally
for that all his apostles (which was the thing that they perchance coveted beside) might be there so taken
all at once, that none of them in the dark should in any wise escape their hands. Which their purpose that
they could not bring about, was wrought by his mighty power, who was therefore taken himself alone,
because it was his pleasure so to be.
Their smoky torches lighted they, and their dim lanterns, to spy out in their dark sinful blindness
the bright shining sun of justice, not to be illumined by him that giveth light to every man which cometh
into this world,207 but to put out clean his everlasting light that cannot possibly be darkened.
And such were the messengers as were they that sent them, who for the maintenance of their
own traditions laboured to put down the law of God.
And in like manner do all they yet still in our days pursue Christ also, which to be renowned
themselves, do their uttermost deavour to minish and deface the great glory of God.
Saint Thomas saw in the Protestant movement an attack on Christ Himself.
