his hand, Judas delivers him to the Jewish authorities. Jesus is brought before Caiaphas and then brought before Pilate. Pilate starts the trial, but sensing that the issue is one of Jewish sensibilities, sends him to Herod Antipas, who, in turn, sends him back. Pilate is infuriated by Antipas' returning of Jesus and commands his soldiers to scourge Jesus. The people demand the release of Barabbas, and Pilate bows to their pressure and sentences Jesus to be crucified. Jesus, wearing a crown of thorns on his head, carries his cross to Golgotha where he is crucified with two thieves, one of them being the penitent thief Dismas and the other, the Impenitent thief, Gestas. Desperate because he has betrayed Jesus to his death, Judas hangs himself and his body is found by Barabbas. Jesus dies in front of his mother, the apostle John, a few soldiers, Claudia (Pilate's wife), and Lucius (who utters the fateful words: "He is truly the Christ"). His body is taken down from the cross and is carried to a rock tomb. Two days later, Mary Magdalene finds the tomb empty, and encounters the Risen Jesus. The film ends on the shores of Lake Tiberias when Jesus appears to the Apostles for "a final time" according to the narration, and tells them to bring his message to the ends of the world. Only his shadow is visible, forming the shape of a cross where it falls on the stretched-out fishing nets. The apostles then leave, and, as the shadow of Jesus falls across the screen, it could be assumed that he is ascending to Heaven. Cast Jeffrey Hunter as Jesus Siobhán McKenna as Mary Hurd Hatfield as Pontius Pilate Ron Randell as Lucius of Cyrene Viveca Lindfors as Claudia Procula Rita Gam as Herodias Carmen Sevilla as Mary Magdalene Brigid Bazlen as Salomé Harry Guardino as Barabbas Rip Torn as Judas Iscariot Frank Thring as Herod Antipas Guy Rolfe as Caiaphas Royal Dano as Peter Robert Ryan as John the Baptist Edric Connor as Balthazar Maurice Marsac as Nicodemus Grégoire Aslan as Herod the Great George Coulouris as a camel driver Conrado San Martín as Pompey Gérard Tichy as Joseph Antonio Mayans as John the Apostle (credited as José Antonio) Luis Prendes as Dismas, the Penitent thief David Davies as burly man José Nieto as Caspar Rubén Rojo as Matthew Fernando Sancho as the demon-possessed man