INTRODUCTION
Pilate
is a name that most people connect to the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. He
was
judge and jury for Jesus. There is only sketchy
information on his life, and there are many
questions left unanswered. Each of the Gospels presents
him in a little different light. We have
their opinion on this, and it may be that by
combining these opinions we can arrive at a more
reliable picture of his character. He is both man
and myth.
History
tells us that he past this way. What he did in his journey here opens the door
for
us to create our idea of the man. The world we live
in is very different from his world, and we
must take this into consideration when searching for
the answers to so many questions. Was
Pilate cruel, weak, a typical Governor or Prefect?
We will look at the available information to
attempt to answer these questions. Did Pilate go
from sinner to saint? “What is truth?” was asked
of Jesus by Pilate, but according to the Gospel he
did not wait for the answer. We asked that
question about Pilate, “What is the truth?” Since
the crucifixion he has been created and
recreated in many forms. We create our criminals and
heroes out of our own desires, fears and
concerns. The word says, “Judge not, that ye be not
judged. For with what judgment you
judge,
you will be judged; and with what measure you use,
it will be measured back to you” (Matthew
7: 1-2). We will look at some of the men he has been
considered to be in the last two thousand
years to decide what the truth is.
We
have our salvation because of Pilate’s decision to crucify Jesus. Christ chose
to walk
the road to Calvary, so the heavy debt for our sins
could be paid, and we could stand before God
free from sin. We are washed in his precious blood
that was spilt for us. Pilate was in the
position that he was meant to be in to carry out a
verdict that had to be made to purchase our
salvation. The Romans would say, “The moment we are
born, the day that will end our life is
fixed; we are hurried off to a destiny that is not
announced to us beforehand.” [Seneca the Elder,
54 B.C.-39 A.D.][1]
Methodology
I
have begun my study by doing an exegesis of the Gospels comparing and analyzing
the
material.
Creating a picture of Pilate’s youth must be done by doing a study of Roman
society.
What rituals were done with infants? What type of
education was usual? What was the main
religion of Rome? What were the expectations for a
young man? I have also begun to look into
the duties of a Prefect or Governor. What was
expected of him? I am looking at writings from
Josephus and Plilo. There is not a lot written that
is historically sound. The search for facts is
difficult. There are coins and the Pilate Stone
which I am also studying the information on them I
am reading several books written on this subject
which I will compare, and attempt to collect the
most sound information. It would appear that the
Ethiopian Churches and the Eastern Orthodox
Church have canonized both Pilate and his wife, and
I will attempt to gain some insight on this
determination.
EXEGESIS
OF BIBLICAL TEXT
We
are going to take a close look at what the Bible says about the crucifixion and
Pontius
Pilates involvement in it. It is not easy to write a
biography on Pontius Pilate, because of the lack
of personal information. One must make judgment
calls by observing his actions and listening to
the words he speaks in given situations. There is a
saying, “Your actions speak so loud I cannot
hear what you say.” We will look at what the
scriptures say and attempt to evolve a picture of the
man.
Words can be powerful,
but can be misunderstood or even twisted to be made to fit the
purpose of the listener, but actions can be even
more powerful. What a leader does has to be
taken seriously because of its repercussions. If the
words and actions say the same thing they
become a powerful combination. In the case of
Pontius Pilate his actions have rang loud and
clear through generations. In fact so clear that we
rarely look at what he said as he ordered the
crucifixion of Christ. As we make a judgment upon
his judgment we need to consider what the
results were, and look at what the end results would
have been for us had he not ordered the
crucifixion. It was a two edged sword, with Christ
death and resurrection we gained redemption.
Without Christ death and resurrection we would have
been lost without hope. Pilates’ actions
were necessary for our salvation, but what about his
salvation? Did he go from sinner to saint?
THE
GOSPEL’S PRESENTATION OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST
The
Synoptic Gospels which include Matthew, Mark and Luke are very similar, and yet
have significant differences. The similarities are
in the order and the exact wording of many of
the scriptures. It would appear that there was some
literary dependence. It leaves the question of
who copied who?
John’s Gospel is
considerably different in the way it handles its theology as well as
its portrayal of the life of Christ and the works he
did. John did not share the other three
Gospels source of information, and appears to have
written from his point of view.
The three Gospels
fulfill Duet. 17:6 requirements for two to three witnesses to verify the
truth of a statement. This could account for the
similarities of Matthew, Mark, and Luke,
because the Jewish law required two or three
witnesses. The truth of the Gospel was verified in
the mouth of three witnesses. We will look at
Pontius Pilate through their eyes. We will listen to
what he says as well as his action remembering that
there was not a court recorder to write the
exact words. We have four witnesses to tell us what
transpired, so we can trust their word as
truth.
MATTHEW’S
PRESENTATION OF PILATE
There were two illegal
trials held during the night, and one held in the early morning that
was legal. The religious leaders had determined to
have Christ executed, but they could not do
this. Only the Roman Governor had the authority to
order the death penalty. The legalistic
religious rulers had to make use of the civil
authorities to carry out their corrupt ruling to kill an
innocent man. They were forced to take him to
Pilate. The irony is that Christ would save both
Jews and Gentiles, and both groups had their hands
in his crucifixion. Both groups tried and
contemned him.
Pilate,
as the Roman Governor is in control of the situation. He understands the
religious
leaders, and realizes that,” they had handed Him
over because of envy” (Matt.27:18). Pilate is
competent and shrewd, and his one purpose is to see
that everything done works to Rome’s
advantage. He will give the death penalty, because
it is in his best interest to do so. Jesus is
accused of blasphemy against God, and treason
against Rome.
Pilate questions Jesus
and is amazed at his silence. Jesus did not argue, debate or defend
himself. I am sure Pilate was used to the accused
fighting to be freed. They would shout, curse,
deny, but here was Jesus, “He was led as a lamb to
the slaughter, and as a sheep before it
shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth
(Isaiah53:7b).
There
was an alliance between Rome and the religious leaders with Rome being the one
in control. They were dependent on Pilate to be able
to maintain their status quo. Jesus is of no
real consequence to him. He is a carpenter’s son not
a person of wealth. Pilate does not find any
real threat in Jesus, and so will attempt to free
him He believes him to be innocent, and so
attempts to manipulate the crowd into his release,
but what the religious leaders lack in power
they will make up for with bravado. They will begin
to work on riling up the crowd, and we see
mob mentality. During all of this we see a calm,
controlled Governor working to keep the peace.
Pilate competently works crowd control
by offering to release a prisoner in honor of
the Passover. The religious leaders encourage the
crowd to ask for Barabbas. During this his wife
sends a message to tell him to have nothing to do
with this just man, and seeing that the crowd is
becoming unruly he washed his hands saying, “I am
innocent of the blood of this just person.
You see to it (Matthew 27:24b). The people accept
responsibility by saying, “His blood be on us
and
our children.” The destruction of Jerusalem was part of the results of this.
“The
term “governor” appears seven times in the scene and so keeps Pilates power and
role in the fore (27:11 [twice], 14,15,21,27).”[2]
MARKS
PRESENTATION OF PILATE
Mark
gives a picture similar to that in Matthew. It is abbreviated, but once again
we are
forced to the reality of an alliance between Pilate
and the religious leaders. Pilot says in a letter
to Seneca, “Jesus was arrested late last night. I
provided a troop of soldiers to accompany the
officials of the Sanhedrim. The advantage would be
that as the news spread this morning-if it did
spread-it would be known that the Procurator and
Sanhedrim acted jointly.”[3] Pilate
is aware that
the religious leaders have delivered him because of
envy, and so to mock them he refers to Jesus
as The King of the Jews, and as the Christ. He
wanted to incite them probably for his own
amusement, because this causes them to become
louder, and more insistent. Pilate kept it
relatively peaceful in Judaea for his ten year
reign, because it was his policy to eliminate any
problem before they began. Christ was not a real
problem to him at this point, but if half of what
they said of him was true then he could become a
possible problem later. He can eliminate this
possibility by eliminating Jesus, so he initiates a
mob mentality by mocking them by referring to
Jesus as The King of the Jews. He is at all points
completely in control manipulating them to
resort to mob mentality as they insist on the
crucifixion, and the release of Barabbas who
according to Mark had committed murder in the
rebellion. Pilate felt Jesus was innocent, but
what was Jesus to him. He was of no consequence, so
he delivered him to be scourged and
crucified, the will of the people as defined by the
religious leaders.
We
do not see Pilate again until Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member,
does
a courageous act by asking Pilate for Christ body,
so he may bury him. Pilate is surprised that
Christ is dead. Death by crucifixion can be very
long and terrible. Pilate granted the body to him
after checking with the centurion to be sure he was
dead.
Our
reality is that for all the control that Pilate had he could only exercise the
control God
allowed him. His control was an illusion. God’s plan
for man’s salvation was played out
according to God’s plan. God’s purpose was
accomplished.
LUKE’S
PRESENTATION OF PILATE
They
brought Christ before Pilate on three charges 1) perverting the nations which
would
be disturbing the peace, 2) disallowing payment of
taxes to Rome and 3) saying that he was
Christ a King. The last two charges would have been
against Rome. When he realizes that Jesus
is a Galilean he orders him taken to Herod as a
political courtesy which Herod recognized as
such. Herod had heard much about Jesus and had
wanted to see him hoping to witness a miracle.
He questioned him as the religious leaders accused
him, and then treated him with contempt and
returned him to Pilate since the issue was in
Jerusalem. The picture that Luke gives of Pilate is
considerably different from Matthew and Mark. Pilate
calmly asserts to the High Priests, the
rulers and the people that he finds no quilt in him.
He tells them that he will chastise him and
release him. Three times he repeats this as the
people shout for his crucifixion, and he finally
released Barabbas and delivered Jesus to their will.
“Accordingly Luke does not present Pilate so
much as a very politically astute and effective
manager of Jesus’ crucifixion that Mark and
Matthew present him to be. Rather he appears to be a
very arrogant representative of Rome’s
rule, dismissive of his allies, impervious to the
threat that “The King of the Jews” poses to his
rule and imperial system, and protective of his
own.”[4]
We
don’t have Pilate mocking them with his words, but calmly continuing to state
his
innocence. It would appear that in all of the
Gospels Pilate agrees that he is innocent, but with
mocking. Here as in the other Gospels we see the
quilt for his death laid at the feet of the
religious leaders and the people who are being manipulated
by their religious leaders. Pilate is
only mentioned once more in a sentence stating that
Joseph of Arimathea asked him for his body.
JOHN’S
PRESENTATION OF PILATE
John’s presentation
is the lengthiest of the Gospel’s, and presents a slightly different
version from the other Gospels. John’s Pilate
actually holds a conversation with Jesus, and Pilate
verbalizes the power that he believes he possesses.
Pilate is arrogant and self assured. He feels
completely in control of the situation. Once again
we become aware of the alliance between the
religious leaders and Rome. It is interesting that
Pilate goes in his headquarters to talk to Jesus
and out of his headquarters to speak to the
religious leaders. They feel that they would be
unclean if they enter and it is the Passover, so
they wanted to avoid ceremonial defilement. It is
ironic that they do not see crucifying an innocent
man as enough to defile them. They are
interested in appearances not in the inward man.
Pilate
questioned Jesus, and Jesus asked him, “Are you speaking for yourself about
this,
or did others tell you this concerning me?” (John
18:34b). Pilate answered with contempt, “Am I
a Jew?” As Christ spoke to him he had the
opportunity to know the truth, but he walked away.
He found no fault in Jesus, and offered to release
him. Having rejected the truth he now also
rejects justice. “Apparently Pilate concluded that
Jesus was not a king, at least in the normal
sense, but simply an idealist.”[5] He
offers the release of a prisoner, but he has to do it sarcastically
by referring to Jesus as the King of the Jews. They
cry out for his crucifixion, and the release of
Barabbas.
Pilate
then has him scourged and brought out and says, “Behold the man.” John wants to
express the fact that he was the innocent Lamb of
God willing to die for the sins of the world. Dr.
Constable points out that Pilates reply was one of
disgust with the Jewish leaders. He was
frustrated, because he had made his decision, and
they would not accept it. He had put himself in
a bad position by releasing Barabbas an
insurrectionist, displeased the Jewish leaders, and
alienated many Jews by his actions where Jesus was
concerned.
Another
aspect of it was that he was also concerned that Jesus might be a demigod.
Romans believed that their gods consorted with
humans and had children with super-human
powers, and from what he had heard of Jesus this was
a concern. He did not want to displease his
gods. This is probably why he asked him where he was
from, and Jesus did not answer. The
Jewish leaders told him that he had said he was the
Son of God. This made Pilate more afraid.
Pilate was a deeply religious man according to the
Roman religion. He did not want to displease
the gods. “Then Pilate said to him, “Are you not
speaking to me?” Do you not know that I have
the power to crucify you or release you?” (John
19:10) Christ told him that he had no power
against him except what was given from above. Pilate
tried to release him, but the Jews would
have none of it. They then resorted to politics by
telling him he was not Caesar’s friend, and in
the end he bent to their will, and had him
crucified. Politics won over religious conviction.”The
exact time of his sentence…was noon; the very moment
that the lambs intended for Passover
began to be killed in precincts of the Temple.”[6]
FURTHER
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES TO PILATE
There
are two other scripture references to Pontius Pilate :
1) Acts
3:13-19 is Peter preaching in Solomon’s Portico. The lame man was healed, and
the
people were amazed which gave Peter
the opportunity to witness to them of Christ. They
had delivered him and denied him in
the presents of Pilate. He reminds them
that they asked for a murderer in his place, and killed the Prince of Life whom
God raised from the dead.
2) I
Timothy 6:13 says Christ Jesus witnessed a good confession before Pontius
Pilate.
THE
YOUNG PILATE
We
will look at the young Pilate by looking at the average life of a young Roman
lad. In
every society there are norms, and we will look for
these norms to find him, and try to
understand his outlook on life. We will begin before
he was born, and work forward from there.
Birthplace
and Ancestry
Pilate
is made of the stuff from which legends come. There are many stories that have
been handed down that are believed to be historical,
but appear to be unverifiable. The stories
begin at his birth. There are several places that
claim to be his birth place. His birthplace has
been said to be in the village of Bisenti, Samnite
Territory. This area has ruins that are thought to
be the house that he was born in. We leave Italy,
and move on to Fortingall, Scotland in
Perthshire Highlands, and from there to Tarragona,
Spain, and from Spain to Forchheim,
Germany. There are stories from each place, but it
would appear to be most likely that he was
born in the region south-central of Rome, Italy.
His
family is thought to be the Pontii family who were Samnite nobility. “Of the
Italic
people the Samnites are the ones who appeared
prominently in every account of Roman
expansion in Italy…Yet no attempt has ever been made
to describe the fiercest opponents of
republican Rome from their own point of view.”[7]
They fought long and hard to maintain their
land and independence from Rome. “They were the
stalwart possessors of a larger territory, and
a more determined temperament than any other people
in the peninsula. They were numerous
enough and spirited enough to refuse to submit
tamely to Rome, and the military and political
opposition that they put up against her was the
toughest.”[8]
They made a treaty with Rome in 354 BC, but it
was not long before war broke out
again, and it was not until 290 BC that Rome was
able to bring them under Roman control. In
the Social war they were the last to be able to hold
out, and Lucius Corelius Sulla used ethnic
cleansing to destroy them. There were many brave
Samnites. Among them were Gaius Pontius
and Pontius Telesinus, and many others. They were a
formidable enemy and fought bravely
against the Romans.
This
was Pontius Pilate’s family background. By the time he was born his tribe had
been
dispersed. It is thought that he belonged to the
Equestrian Order which was the upper middle
class of Roman society. Prefects and governors came
from this class, so it would stand to reason
that since Pilate held this position his family would
have belonged to that class.
The
Childhood of a Roman Citizen
When
a baby was born into a Roman family there were religious ceremonies that would
have been carried out. Rome was definitely a man’s
world. The infant was placed before his
father at birth, and if he picked him up he was
acknowledging him as his own, and he would
have all family rights and privileges. In the first
eight days there were religious ceremonies.
“Pilate would have been presented to the gods and
given a bulla, a small golden pouch
containing a protective talisman that would remain
around his neck until he reached adulthood.”[9]
They were taught veneration for the gods, to revere
the law, and unquestioning obedience, to be
honest and to be independent. Until the age of seven
their mother taught them Latin and reading,
writing, arithmetic, and rhetoric.
His father would
introduce him to the world of politics and state affairs which every boy
was expected to be familiar. “In the last years of
school he learned, like a little lawyer, to unpick
the multiple sides of every question. The questions
were well worn: Should Alexander have
sailed the ocean, or not? Should the Spartans have
fled when led against Xerxes?”[10]
Young
men were expected to build strong characters and strong bodies this was the
Roman ideal. The Games were their relaxation. Lions
were imported, and the Gladiators
prepared for the fight. This is how they gained a
reputation, and nothing was more glorious then
to die in battle. These were the young men’s heroes.
They were far more brutal then the super
heroes of today.
Young men would strive to be strong and well able to fight in imitation
of
them.
“Possibly
Pilate would have been given the famous lecture on sex once given (the story
ran) by the philosopher Archytas to Herrinius Pontius, the father of Gavius…
“No more deadly curse than sensual pleasure,” Archytas told Herennius, “has
been inflicted on mankind by nature. It is a fruitful source of treasons,
revolutions secret communications with the enemy. In fact there is no crime, no
evil deed, to which the appetitive for sensual pleasure does not impel
us…Intellect is the best gift of nature or the gods.”[11]
At
age seventeen he would have been considered an adult. There would be a ceremony
held at the family shrine and he would be presented
with his first slave. He would be “dressed in
the white toga of an adult (the toga virilis) to
pray in the sacred Temple of Jupiter. His bulla
would be left behind at the shrine among the statuettes
and flower offerings as a sign of his new
social status.”[12]
A
SOLDIERS LIFE
Pilate
as an adult would have been preparing for a career. It would appear that even
then
the career was a thing that a young man had to
prepare for. He would have to do networking. It
was important to be noticed by an influential man so
he could become his patron. This would put
him in a position to get a commission in the Army.
“Rather than becoming a mere foot soldier,
fighting as a “legionary” and vying for a lifelong
career in the army, Pilate, due to his social
class, most likely joined the military tribute class
(equestrian rank); the pathway to an eventual
foreign posting as the governor of a province.”[13] It
would appear that Pilate fought in several
campaigns.
ROMAN
MILITARY SERVICE
I
asked my husband, who was a Marine, about military training now and in Rome. It
would appear that learning to march was extremely
important. A man had to be able to march,
carrying a heavy pack, and maintain a marching speed
of about twenty miles in five hours. They
also had to maintain their ranks, so they were a
tight unit. If they began to spread out they were
an easy target for the enemy.
They
started out in a probationary period where their medical situation, stamina and
character were assessed. Physical training was a
must. They had to run, and do jumps with heavy
packs on. There was weight training, and swimming.
They had to do a lot of physical exercise.
Marching and fitness were first, and then learning
to use weapons. They learned maneuvers and
formations.
The Romans started out
with weapons made of wood which were twice as heavy as the
real weapons. This made them even more effective
when fighting. They started out attacking a
wooden stake learning strikes, and counter strikes
with good form. When they were proficient at
this they would began training in pairs which was
called Armatura. After they became proficient
with a sword they were trained with other weapons
such as the art of stone throwing and the use
of a sling.
Discipline was of the
utmost importance. Without this an army would fail. When they
had become proficient in these things they would
have battlefield training with experienced
troops. They had to be able to quickly get on a
horse, dig defensive ditches, do camp
construction activities, set up tents in proper
form, take care of their equipment, give first aide,
and many other necessary activities which included
living off the land. They were efficient
fighting machines. They were hardcore. To die in
battle was honorable.
GOVERNOR
OF JUDAEA
Pilate
was a professional soldier. It would seem that he had a Patron that was very
influential, and was able to help him gain this
position. It was thought that it was Sejanus who
was influential with Tiberius. Historians and Bible
scholars concur on this. It is also possible that
Tiberius promoted him for other reasons, but he must
have felt he had the necessary abilities to
do the job. He assumed his duties in 26 A.D. Pilate’s
residence and seat of government was in
Caesaraea Maritima on the Judaean coast.
He
was a representative of Rome, and he enjoyed the power, wealth and status. He
was
ruled the social legal and political structure. He
had to settle disputes and keep order a thing did
very well for the ten years that he ruled. There are
many different depictions of Pilate. It depends
on the source as to how he is depicted.
He was also responsible for collecting taxes,
a thing that would not make him popular,
and since tax collectors received their payment from
over charging the people this made them
hated. He had the responsibility for fiscal
administration which included intervening in
municipal financial affairs.
Pilate
would engage in public works and building projects. In fact he built an
aqueduct
that he
apparently used Temple funds for which caused an issue with the Jews. The
Samaritans
and Galileans as well as people from other regions
were the ones who did the work to build it.
The people of Jerusalem would have no part of it,
because of the issue of the funds, but they had
no problem enjoying the abundance of water it
provided. They felt Rome should pay for it. The
workers received their wages, but there were issues
with paying the contractors. The funds
needed to be drawn from somewhere, and it seems that
they came from Temple funds.
Pilate had troop that
he command and used to put down any rebellions or criminal action.
He was the only one that could have a person
executed which kept the power in his
hands. They were a conquered people, and they were
not allowed to forget this. There were
tributes and laws and the constant reminder that
they were under Roman jurisdiction. The people
could buy favors or bribe the people in charge.
The Governor had
tremendous power, and used it. It was a problem for the Jews, because
they were forced to submit to a person, and they
felt they should only have to submit to
God. The Romans also took a census so they would be
able to collect taxes more effectively. The
Jews did not believe that any one but God should
know the number of the people. It was a
difficult position for them to be in, and a
difficult position for the ones who had to keep the
peace.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL
FINDS
There
have been two archaeological finds that prove the historicity of Pilate. While
Pilate was Governor he created coinage. The symbols
used on the coins would suggest that he
was a religious person, and wanted to promote his
Roman religion in Judaea. There is very
little
hard evidence of Pilate’s existence outside of
literature. This gives opinions with no hard facts.
The coins give us something to look at and hold in
our hands to determine what we can about the
man. In writings he appears to be insensitive to the
religions of others, but could that possibly be,
because his own religious believes were so different
from theirs. There are two types of coins.
“Type one shows a simpulum on the obverse and three
ears of wheat and barley on the reverse
while type 2 shows a lituus on the obverse with a
laurel wreath on the reverse.”[14]
These symbols
represent facets of the Roman Religion. They were
not generic, so there would be a possibility of
this being misunderstood. Pilate did other things
that would lead to one feeling that he was
religious. Bond questioned his reason for creating
this coinage. Could it have been to cause a
revolt among the Jews? It is hard to believe that
was his objective since he kept it relatively
peaceful in Judaea during him Governorship in
Judaea.
The
second item was the Pilate stone. It was discovered in Caesarea, Israel in 1961
in an
Italian excavation done by Antonio Frova. It was a
dedication of a building to Tiberius by
Pontius Pilate the Prefect of Judaea. It was dated at around 26-37 A.D. It is
limestone, and is
about 82 cm high and 65 cm wide. The letters that
are on it are 6 cm high. It has three lines of
writing which are in Latin. It is now in the Israel
Museum. It damaged but partially intact with a
partial inscription.
PILATE
IN JEWISH HISTORY
Josephus
passed no judgment on Pilate, but did mention three incidents where he
provoked the people. Each incident was of a
religious nature. One was the building of the
aqueduct mentioned earlier. He used funds from the
sacred treasury. The Jews surrounded the
tribunal of Pilate. He foresaw this, and had his
soldiers dressed like civilians armed with cudgels
and when the uproar began he gave the signal to
attack which they did, and many civilians were
wounded and killed.
Pilate
tried to introduce standards bearing the emperors image into Jerusalem which
caused the people to protest. He tried threatening
them, but after five days with no results he
relented, and removed them. Josephus said that
Pilate’s Governorship ended when Pilate send
armed men to stop a group of Samaritans from going
to Mt. Gerizim to see artifacts that Moses
had supposedly buried. There was a battle, and many
died. Prisoners were taken and executed.
They complained to the Governor of Syria who sent
Pilate to Rome to Tiberius to explain his
actions. Tiberius died before he got there. Despite
this Josephus seemed to be of the opinion that
Pilate would more likely destroy himself then the
Jews.
Philo
claimed that Pilate was obstinate, proud, patriotic and cunning, flippant and
heavy-
handed. Philo did not have many kind things to say
about Pilate’s personality and disposition. He
pointed out that Pilate was concerned that the
people might protest some of his actions, and in
the process other incidents come out about his
uncouth behaviors.
SINNER
TO SAINT?
The
Ethiopian Church have canonized both Pilate and his wife. According to them
Pilate
became a Christian and was martyred. His wife was
already a Christian, and tried to prevent the
death of Christ. The Gospel of Peter is supposed to
blame the crucifixion on Herod and the Jews.
Pilate washed his hands, and they did not. There is
also the Acts of Pilate which is a 4th century
apocryphal text. In the Middle ages it was accepted
as fact. It was written in a number of
different languages which made it very available. It
had three sections. It had an account of the
crucifixion, with the second part the resurrection,
the third part was an appendix. The Ethiopian
Church canonized him in the 6th century
based on the Acts of Pilate. It is celebrated on the 25th of
June. “It was commemorated in the Ethiopian calendar
with a simple verse:
Salutation
to Pilate who washed his hands
So he
himself was pure of the blood of Christ
And
salutations to Procula, his wife,
Who
sent him the message: Do not condemn him
Because
that man is pure and just.”[15]
There
are many legends about Pontius Pilate. No one is completely sure of his life or
death, and so it is easy to build legends around
him.
CONCLUSION
Pilate
has become the thing that myths are made of which is unverifiable history. We
can
look at the history as it presents family life, and
the life of a Roman soldier, and assume that this
was Pontius Pilates experience also. We are each
created by not just the society we live in, but by
our experiences within this society. I cannot say
with any certainty that he was a sinner who
became a saint, but I can say with certainty that
each one of us must make this choice. By his act
to crucify Christ we can be redeemed it is our
choice to accept or reject what he did on the cross
and with his resurrection or turn our backs and walk
away. Even Pilate was given that option.
Did he accept it or turn away. The answer lies in
the heart of God, but it is certain that where you
here Christ’ name Pilate name is also.
Bibliography
Bond,
Helen K. Pontius Pilate in History and
Interpretation. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
Carter,
Warren. Pontius Pilate: Portrait of a
Roman Governor. Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 1955.
Constable,
Dr. Thomas. “Dr. Constables Expository (Bible Study) Notes,” accessed June 26,
2014, soniclight.com/constable/notes.htm.
Crozier
W.P. Letters of Pontius Pilate.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Fredonia Books, 2002.
Editors,
Charles River. Legends of the Bible: The
Life and Legacy of Pontius Pilate. Create Space Independent Publishing
Platform, 2013.
Henry,
Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary. Greenville,
MS: Hendrickson Publishing, 2009.
Salmon,
E.T. Samnium and the Samnites. New
York: Cambridge University Press,
1967.
Taylor,
Joan E. “Pontius Pilate and the Imperial Cult in Roman Judaea.” New Test. Std. 52, pp. 555-582. UK:
Cambridge University Press, 2006.
Wroe,
Ann. Pontius Pilate. New York: The
Modern Library, 1999.
[1]
Charles River Editors. Pontius Pilate:
Legends of the Bible. Create Space Independent Publishing Platform. 2013,
8.
[2]
Warren Carter. Pontius Pilate”:Portraits
of a Roman Governor, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 1955, 84.
[3] W.P. Crozier. Letters of Pontius Pilate: Written During His Governorship of Judea to
His Friend Seneca in Rome, Amsterdam,
The Netherlands: Fredonia Books, 2002, 163.
[4]
Warren Carter. Pontius Pilate: Portrait
of a Roman Governor, Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2003,124.
[5]
Dr. Constables notes on John, 295.
[6]
Ann Wroe. Pontius Pilate, New York:
Random House, 1999, 120.
[7]
E.T. Salmon. Samnium and the Samnites.
New York: Cambridge University Press, 1967, IX.
[8]
Ibid., 2.
[9]
Charles River Editors. Pontius Pilate:
Legends of the Bible, Create Space Independent Publishing Platform, 2013,
2.
[10]
Ann Wroe. Pontius Pilate, New York:
Random House, 1999, 17.
[11]
Ibid., 19.
[12]
Charles River Editors. Pontius Pilate:
Legends of the Bible, Create Space Independent
Publishing Platform, 2013.
[13]
Ibid., 8
[14]
Joan E. Taylor. “Pontius Pilate and the Imperial Cult in Roman Judaea.” New Test. STD. 52, pp. 555-582. UK:
Cambridge University Press, 2006.
[15]
Ann Wroe. Pontius Pilate.New York: The
Modern Library, 1999, 178.
