According to Josephus, Pilate was especially insensitive and oppressive toward the Jews, seeking to abolish their peculiar laws and offending them by displaying in Jerusalem imperial banners bearing the image of Caesar ( Ant 18.3.1; War 2.9.2). [246] In the York passion cycle, Pilate describes himself as a courtier, but in most English passion plays he proclaims his royal ancestry. Pilate and his wife arrived at Caesarea in 26. [124], Attempts to identify the aqueduct that is attributed to Pilate in Josephus date to the 19th century. John P. Meier notes that in Josephus, by contrast, "Pilate alone [] is said to condemn Jesus to the cross. Pontius Pilate lived from around 20BC until some time after AD36. [263] In the 1927 silent film The King of Kings, Pilate is played by Hungarian-American actor Victor Varconi, who is introduced seated under an enormous 37 feet high Roman eagle, which Christopher McDonough argues symbolizes "not power that he possesses but power that possesses him". "[52] More information on the potential fate of Pontius Pilate can be gleaned from other sources. [208] Depictions of Pilate in this period are mostly found in private devotional settings such as on ivory or in books; he is also a major subject in a number of panel-paintings, mostly German, and frescoes, mostly Scandinavian. [270], Only one film has been made entirely in Pilate's perspective, the 1962 French-Italian Ponzio Pilato, where Pilate was played by Jean Marais. 2. Herod's sons then threatened to petition the emperor, an action which Pilate feared that would expose the crimes he had committed in office. [283][284], Pilate's washing his hands of responsibility for Jesus's death in Matthew 27:24 is a commonly encountered image in the popular imagination,[75] and is the origin of the English phrase "to wash one's hands of (the matter)", meaning to refuse further involvement with or responsibility for something. [35][36] These proposed dates have not been widely accepted by other scholars. Without his protector in power, Pilate made a major error and suppressed a small uprising in Samaria. In Western Christian texts, he was instead portrayed as a negative figure and villain, with traditions surrounding his death by suicide featuring prominently. [195] Pilate also comes to feature in scenes such as the Flagellation of Christ, where he is not mentioned in the Bible. Herod Antipas was one of the co-conspirators who carried out the condemnation and execution of Jesus Christ. The disciples truly believed that Jesus was the Messiah and they loved Him, but their fear of arrest kept them bound in tearful silence. Why would he cave to demands to crucify a man he had proclaimed innocent? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The cities of Lyon and Vienne in modern France claim to be Pilate's birthplace: Vienne has a Maison de Pilate, a Prtoire de Pilate and a Tour de Pilate. He had the power to inflict capital punishment, and was responsible for collecting tributes and taxes, and for disbursing funds, including the minting of coins. According to Josephus (Ant, XVIII, iv, 2) Pilate held office in Judea for 10 years. [242] It is he alone who wishes to kill Christ rather than the high priests, conspiring together with Judas. He was sent back to Rome by the legate of Syria to answer for this incident before Tiberius, but the emperor died before Pilate arrived in Rome. [279] Pilate is the only person besides Jesus and Mary mentioned by name in the creeds. Both Daniel Schwartz and Alexander Demandt do not think this especially likely. [57] Bond argues that the fact that Josephus says that Pilate brought in the standards by night, shows that he knew that the images of the emperor would be offensive. "[276], Pontius Pilate is mentioned as having been involved in the crucifixion in both the Nicene Creed and the Apostles Creed. [163][164] In the Mors Pilati (perhaps originally 6th century, but recorded c.1300 CE),[165] Pilate was forced to commit suicide and his body thrown in the Tiber. But in 31 AD, Sejanus ended up on the wrong side of a political feud and was sentenced to . [187] In later images he is typically shown washing his hands of guilt in Jesus' presence. "), and John 19:22 (Quod scripsi, scripsi, "What I have written, I have written"). [81][82] All four gospels also mention that Pilate had the custom of releasing one captive in honor of the Passover festival; this custom is not attested in any other source. [231] The earliest surviving passion play, the thirteenth-century Ludus de Passione from Klosterneuburg, portrays Pilate as a weak administrator who succumbs to the whims of the Jews in having Christ crucified. The Apostles Creed states that Jesus "suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. 10. Only the highest representative of the occupying powerthe Roman prefect over Judea, Pontius Pilatewielded that authority. [83], The Gospels' portrayal of Pilate is "widely assumed" to diverge greatly from that found in Josephus and Philo,[84] as Pilate is portrayed as reluctant to execute Jesus and pressured to do so by the crowd and Jewish authorities. "[289] However, Paul Maier argues that Pilate's long term as governor of Judaea indicates he must have been a reasonably competent administrator,[290] while Henry MacAdam argues that "[a]mong the Judaean governors prior to the Jewish War, Pilate must be ranked as more capable than most. [192] From the eleventh century onward, Pilate is frequently represented as a Jewish king, wearing a beard and a Jewish hat. He did not prevent their petition. The inscription reads () (Pilato(u)), meaning "of Pilate". One tradition says that he was a member of the Pontii tribe and of Samnite nobility. [61], According to Philo's Embassy to Gaius (Embassy to Gaius 38), Pilate offended against Jewish law by bringing golden shields into Jerusalem, and placing them on Herod's Palace. . Five chapters of the novel are featured as chapters of The Master and Margarita. Pilate was wary; he wanted to remain on good terms with the Jewish authorities, but he also Mar 3, 2017. Some traditions assert that after he committed suicide, his body was thrown into the Tiber River. According to Josephus, Pilate's removal from office occurred because he violently suppressed an armed Samaritan movement at Mount Gerizim. Britannica 2005. . [56] Schwartz suggests that Pilate's entire tenure was characterized by "continued underlying tension between governor and governed, now and again breaking out in brief incidents. [102] Maier argues that "[i]n all probability, then, the fate of Pontius Pilate lay clearly in the direction of a retired government official, a pensioned Roman ex-magistrate, than in anything more disastrous. [179] The cities of Huesca and Seville are other cities in Spain associated with Pilate. Pilate, who was the fifth, succeeding Valerius Gratus in A.D. 26, had greater authority than most procurators under the empire, for in addition to the ordinary duty of financial administration, he had supreme power . Pontius Pilate was a prefect of the Roman Empire serving in Judea under the reign of Tiberius. But in the end, the fate of Pontius Pilate remains a mystery. In them, Pilate is portrayed as wishing to save Jesus, being affected by his charisma, but as too cowardly to do so. Omissions? Josephus tells us more. The Pontii were a Samnite gens. 1887, p. 201. Pontius Pilate is one of the exceptions. They wanted Jesus dead. M. P. Charlesworth argues that Pilate was "a man whose character and capacity fell below those of the ordinary provincial official [] in ten years he had piled blunder on blunder in his scorn for and misunderstanding of the people he was sent to rule. [121] As was typical of Roman coins struck in Judaea, they did not have a portrait of the emperor, though they included some pagan designs. [192] Depictions continue to be greatly influenced by the Acts of Pilate, and the number of situations in which Pilate is depicted also increases. Josephus states his inferential judgment that Pilate was deeply affected with their firm resolution, suggesting his own strength of character. The king reads in the stars that he will bear a son who will rule over many lands, so he has a miller's daughter named Pila brought to him whom he impregnates; Pilate's name thus results from the combination of the names Pila with Atus. History records that Pilate avoided her counsel and crucified Jesus Christ. Her grand-father was the notorious King Herod, who executed most of his family and was said to have murdered the Innocents when Jesus was born. Jeremiah 9:23-24. [168] The tradition may go back to a misread Latin inscription on the tower. And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children" (Matthew 27:24-25). Why did Pilate give in to the pressure . Cyclopedia of Biblical Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature. [31] Like other Roman governors of Judaea, Pilate made his primary residence in Caesarea, going to Jerusalem mainly for major feasts in order to maintain order. A second inscription, which has since been lost,[114] has historically been associated with Pontius Pilate. McClintock and Strong. [235] In the 1493 Frankfurter Passionsspiel, on the other hand, Pilate himself accuses Christ. [31] Josephus states that Pilate governed for 10 years (Antiquities of the Jews 18.4.2), and these are traditionally dated from 26 to 36/37, making him one of the two longest-serving governors of the province. [80] Pilate may have judged Jesus according to the cognitio extra ordinem, a form of trial for capital punishment used in the Roman provinces and applied to non-Roman citizens that provided the prefect with greater flexibility in handling the case. [147], In the most common version of the passion narrative in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus (also called the Acts of Pilate), Pilate is portrayed as forced to execute Jesus by the Jews and as distraught at having done so. [271] Speaking of Dennen's portrayal in the trial scene, McDonough describes him as a "cornered animal. [117][116] MacAdam argues that "[i]t is far easier to believe that this very fragmentary inscription prompted the legend of Pontius Pilate's association with the Italian village of Ameria [] than it is to posit someone forging the inscription two centuries agoquite creatively, it would seemto provide substance for the legend. [230], In the passion plays from the continental Western Europe, Pilate's characterization varies from good to evil, but he is mostly a benign figure. Archpriest Oleg Stenyayev. The nineteenth century saw a renewed interest in depicting Pilate, with numerous images made. [236] The fifteenth-century German Benediktbeuern passion play depicts Pilate as a good friend of Herod's, kissing him in a reminiscence of the kiss of Judas. "[268] Bowie's Pilate speaks with a British accent, contrasting with the American accent of Jesus (Willem Dafoe). [41] Because the Romans allowed a certain degree of local control, Pilate shared a limited amount of civil and religious power with the Jewish Sanhedrin. 1. [262], Pilate has been depicted in a number of films, being included in portrayals of Christ's passion already in some of the earliest films produced. The Modern Library. In doing so, he sided himself against peace with God. [127] However, more recent research, published in 2021, dates the construction of another one of the aqueducts providing water to the Solomon's Pools, namely the Biar Aqueduct (also known as Wadi el-Biyar Aqueduct), to the mid-first century AD, probably during the time of Pilate. [66], In another incident recorded in both the Jewish Wars (2.9.4) and the Antiquities of the Jews (18.3.2), Josephus relates that Pilate offended the Jews by using up the temple treasury (korbanos) to pay for a new aqueduct to Jerusalem. Except for Pilate, who was a leader blackmailed by the Judaic structures that were against Christ. So Pilate, when he had tarried ten years in Judea, made haste to Rome, and this in obedience to the orders of Vitellius, which he dare not contradict; but before he could get to Rome, Tiberius was dead.[10]. Pilate is the protagonist. [258] Pilate's burden of guilt is finally lifted by the Master when he encounters him at the end of Bulgakov's novel. Yet the Bible isn't the only ancient source of information about Pilate. This document, allegedly derived from Pilate's own records, says that he and his wife became believers in Jesus. According to the gospels, he actually believed that Jesus was innocent, and wanted to save him, but was pressured into ordering his death by the Jewish religious leaders and a disorderly crowd of spectators. [238], Hourihane argues that in England, where the Jews had been expelled in 1290 CE, Pilate's characterization may have been used primarily to satyrize corrupt officials and judges rather than to stoke antisemitism. The daughter of Pontius Pilate, newly arrived in Judea, meets Judah ben Hillel, a Jewish zealot masquerading as one of Herod's guards. [20] His praenomen (first name) is unknown;[21] his cognomen Pilatus might mean "skilled with the javelin (pilum)," but it could also refer to the pileus or Phrygian cap, possibly indicating that one of Pilate's ancestors was a freedman. Pontius Pilate, Latin in full Marcus Pontius Pilatus, (died after 36 ce), Roman prefect (governor) of Judaea (2636 ce) under the emperor Tiberius who presided at the trial of Jesus and gave the order for his crucifixion. . [5], While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him. Matthew 27:19(NASB). [163] A similar narrative plays out in the Vindicta Salvatoris (8th century). [32] As Tiberius had retired to the island of Capri in 26, scholars such as E. Stauffer have argued that Pilate may have actually been appointed by the powerful Praetorian Prefect Sejanus, who was executed for treason in 31. Pontius Pilate was appointed governor of Judea (A.D. 26-36) under Tiberius Caesar. His term of office was during the subsequent reign of Tiberius from 26-36 CE. He is frequently depicted as a more important character to the narrative than even Jesus,[227] and became one of the most important figures of medieval drama in the fifteenth century. Flavius Josephus. [178], The town of Tarragona in modern Spain possesses a first-century Roman tower, which, since the eighteenth-century, has been called the "Torre del Pilatos," in which Pilate is claimed to have spent his last years. [173], One important version of the Pilate legend is found in the Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine (12631273 CE), one of the most popular books of the later Middle Ages. Yet, no judge could justly condemn a man he considered innocent. Tiberius died in Misenum on the 16th of March in 37, in his seventy-eighth year (Tacitus, Annals VI.50, VI.51). 1999, p. 14. [190], The older Byzantine model of depicting Pilate washing his hands continues to appear on artwork into the tenth century;[191] beginning in the seventh century, however, a new iconography of Pilate also emerges, which does not always show him washing his hands, includes him in additional scenes, and is based on contemporary medieval rather than Roman models. Although in Latin, the name Pilate means, "skilled with the javelin." The year is AD28. Brown also rejects the historicity of Pilate washing his hands and of the blood curse, arguing that these narratives, which only appear in the Gospel of Matthew, reflect later contrasts between the Jews and Jewish Christians. First we meet Lamia ambling idly on the coast near Rome. [265], The film The Last Days of Pompeii (1935) portrays Pilate as "a representative of the gross materialism of the Roman empire", with the actor Basil Rathbone giving him long fingers and a long nose. [231], Pontius Pilate appears as a character in a large number of literary works, typically as a character in the judgment of Christ. 23:13-25; Jn. What happened to Pontius Pilate after the death of the Lord Jesus Christ? [193] New images of Pilate that appear in this period include depictions of the Ecce homo, Pilate's presentation of the scourged Jesus to the crowd in John 19:5,[194] as well as scenes deriving from the apocryphal Acts of Pilate. Responding to Celsus, the Christian apologist Origen, writing c.248 AD, argued that nothing bad happened to Pilate, because the Jews and not Pilate were responsible for Jesus' death; he therefore also assumed that Pilate did not die a shameful death. Pontius Pilate (Pontius Pilatus) lived in the 1st century CE.His name literally means "Pilate of Pontus". [33] Other scholars have cast doubt on any link between Pilate and Sejanus. He is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of Jesus and ultimately ordered his crucifixion. After questioning Jesus and receiving very few responses, Herod decides that Jesus poses no threat and returns you to Pilate. Herod Philip, uncle and first husband of Herodias, was not a ruler. This is revealed to be because Pilate is wearing Jesus's coat; when the coat is removed, the Emperor condemns him to death, but Pilate commits suicide first. . by the Russian painter Nikolai Ge, which was completed in 1890; the painting was banned from exhibition in Russia in part because the figure of Pilate was identified as representing the tsarist authorities. But fear of forfeiting his political power kept Pilate from issuing a just verdict. Pilate then summoned them to an arena, where the Roman soldiers drew their swords. [172], The trial and judgment of Jesus then happens as in the gospels. [292], Beginning with E. Stauffer in 1948, some scholars have argued, on the basis of his possible appointment by Sejanus, that Pilate's offenses against the Jews were directed by Sejanus out of hatred of the Jews and a desire to destroy their nation, a theory supported by the pagan imagery on Pilate's coins. He became famous for the trial and crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth (c. 30 CE). 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