Not only was Pilate a Christian; he was a confessor and even a martyr. One eastern text, The Handing Over of Pilate , has Tiberius ordering the governor to be beheaded for having allowed the Crucifixion to go ahead. First Pilate repents and then a voice from heaven proclaims that all nations will bless him, because under his governorship the prophecies about Christ were fulfilled.
Finally an angel takes charge of his severed head. The Copts and Christians of Ethiopia took the next step and canonised Pilate himself. Salutation to Pilate, who washed his hands To show he himself was innocent of the blood of Jesus Christ. Those familiar with the western tradition may find the idea of St Pontius Pilate curious or even absurd. But the fascination with Pilate never abates.
Perhaps that is why people can sympathise with him: we too must sometimes face a difficult choice; though, fortunately for us, its legacy is likely to be less enduring. History Matters. According to other stories, Pilate did not embrace the truth that Jesus was innocent simply because he was too afraid for himself and his position in the Roman Empire.
Little do we actually know about Pontius Pilate. However, what we do know, is that he existed and was the prefect of Judea at the time when Jesus was convicted and crucified. It is all up to historians and archeologists to reveal the real truth behind one of the most important figures in human history. There is almost nothing said about Pilate after his year rule of Judea.
He was sent back to Rome where he literally disappeared. Nothing was ever written about him after his return. Some believe that he was executed by Emperor Caligula or was exiled after his latest years of rule were unsuccessful.
Other stories tell that he eventually accepted Christianity and even tried to turn the emperor towards that same faith. For all we know, he could have even received another position and continued his life in the Roman Empire. Depictions of Pontius Pilate in art have been very popular from early Christian times, mainly after the 4 th century CE, and all the way till the present. He is commonly depicted with Jesus Christ or washing his hands in guilt. Although there are many artworks adopting this theme, one of the most strange portrayals of Pilate washing his hands is a painting by J.
The artwork was made in but its use of color could be called impressionist at a time when impressionism was non-existent. This was one of the favorite artworks of the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy. Most critics, however, were shocked by the unconventional, shadowy figure of Jesus. Notable works presenting this scene include paintings by Hieronymus Bosch , Titian , Mantegna , Caravaggio , Antonio Ciceri, and so many more. Pilate has also appeared as a character in literature with a major role in medieval passion plays and multiple literary works dealing with the life of Christ.
Yet it was not just another day in his life. There were perhaps a hundred thousand people in the city, three times the normal population, and he was in the midst of trouble. The judgments he had to make would be easy at one level but vexed at another, when he had to consider how the crowd would react. He was keeping order like a soldier, but he had to be careful like a politician, and he was not good at this.
It was-to take one of the possible dates at random-the sixth before the Kalends of April. This was not in itself inauspicious. The unlucky days were those that immediately followed the Kalends, the Ides or the Nones; these, and some others, would be marked in his calendar with the letter N as nefastus, unlawful. On those days, in Rome, the courts could not open. Other days were partly lawful: on NP days nefastus parte the morning was unlawful, but if the gods were propitiated with sacrifice the afternoon could be used for court business; on EN days endotereisi , hearings were allowed in the middle of the day.
There remained the days, like this one, that were reminders of previous troubles. It is probable that the dates around Passover were already marked in his calendar with the special dots or seals proclaiming them unlucky, auspicio malo. At such times, even an unsuperstitious man might start to look for auguries and signs: the wavering flight of birds, water spilled on a table, the left shoe put on unluckily before the right in the dark.
If a man of great power were about to appear, palm trees would spring from cracks in the paving stones, put out suckers and draw wild pigeons to nest in their branches. Yellowing sprays of ilex or laurel suddenly revived. Eagles perched on the roofs of houses, or were seen flying where they had never ventured before.
They fought with crows and defeated them. Some even swooped down to take food, as one had snatched a piece of bread from Augustus while he dined in a wood at the fourth milestone on the Campanian Road; after soaring to a prodigious height, it dived down again and returned it to him. Before the fall of Sejanus, crows had flocked around him and cawed as he took the auspices, and a weasel had darted through the crowd outside his house.
Perhaps omens of this sort had already been spotted in Jerusalem, and Pilate, too busy, had missed them. Even good omens had to be received correctly. A sneeze had to be greeted with "Salve! A sputtering lamp had to be calmed with a few careful drops of wine, an empty eggshell pierced or crushed as soon as the egg had been eaten. A bad omen—even one as slight as a misformed cloud, a dropped glass, a horse stumbling-called for certain precautions.
To ensure your physical safety you could touch your hand to your heart, murmuring "Salvum sit, quod tango," "May what I touch be safe. If you were at dinner, you could kiss the table; at home, you could kiss the shrine of the household gods, wishing all the while for the horror to stay away.
Pilate that morning would probably have stood before the shrine anyway, with his head covered and with as many members of his household as he could gather, to pour out the wine and make the morning invocations. This was how the business day started.
His statuettes of household gods would probably have traveled with him from Caesarea, as Aeneas' gods journeyed with him from Troy to Latium. And they would have included a little bronze or gold Tiberius, perhaps the one to whom Pilate directed his most earnest prayers. It did not need to take long: "Bene nos, been te, pater pacriae, optime Caesar," was the brief and acceptable form. He would touch the altar as he prayed, or lift his arms, palms upward; the burning grains of incense crackled in a bowl.
Servants, or children if he had any, might deck the little statues with flowers clumsily knotted together.
He could give an extra touch to Apollo, the god of good luck. And perhaps all that would be enough to keep him safe. He was probably forewarned of the delegation that brought Jesus to the palace.
Since his first question to the chief priests, inquiring about the charges, was a formal one, it did not necessarily mean he was ignorant of the case. When Paul was tried before Felix and later before Festus, the Roman governor on each occasion asked the accusers to bring their complaints to him beforehand. This was how the medieval writers imagined the case of Jesus was handled. In the York play, Annas, Caiaphas and a Jewish doctor come to Pilate complaining about Jesus before Judas has even thought of selling him.
Pilate agrees that "if that wretch in our ward has wrought any wrong" he will act. But he feels they are too angry, doesn't quite understand. This prompts an exasperated remark from Caiaphas: "Ah, please, sit, shut up. On the evening before the trial, according to the fourth-century fantasies of the Acta Pilati, Pilate sat up late discussing the case of Jesus with Caiaphas, Levi, Nephlahim and the rest of the chief priests. Together, they were drawing up a charge sheet against him; or rather, the priests were arguing the charges among themselves, while Pilate sat in bewilderment.
He was still unconvinced of the danger of Jesus, and the priests were furious at his obtuseness. Then you can find out yourself whether what we are saying is true or not. That's what he says of himself," said the priests. Pilate decided to summon Jesus. He called a messenger and ordered Jesus to be brought to him, "but with gentleness.
The messenger went out and, when he found Jesus, knelt and worshipped him. He spread Pilate's cloak on the dusty ground, one more robe on the Messiah's path of triumph, and invited him to dismount and come to the praetorium. Jesus began to follow him. Meanwhile, the Pilate of the Acta waited in the praetorium. In the center stood the judgment seat; around the walls, the golden standards.
Jesus fully expected everything that happened, and He knew it must happen or else there would be no redemption of sin. Without that redemption, that payment of death, there would never be hope for heaven for any of us. While the priests were indeed evil in their hearts, all of it had to happen. I can only imagine his frustration, anger, and despair.
Sinners like you and me. Maybe instead we ought to thank the Lord this Easter for using Pilate to help make His plan so overwhelmingly successful. Thank you for this article. I taught a Sunday School class today and this very question came to my mind, was Pilate a bad person. Friend, whoever you are, thank God for putting this in your heart and thank you for sharing it with us.
Such a refreshing perspective. I think we need this kind of help to get off our high horses and get a closer look at what he was dealing with.
Thank you for your kind words. God has challenged me to speak truth and teach others. Hope you stop by again. Great article! I have heard stories that Pilate became a Christian before he was ordered to commit suicide by Caligula. There are many stories about what happened to Pilate, so it is not certain. But he is called a saint by Ethiopian Christians. I never knew that! If he did become a Christian and I pray he did , it surely was because of his encounter the day Jesus was crucified.
Thanks so much for teaching me today. God bless! Thank you so much for your analysis of Pontius Pilate!
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