Pilate The Procurator – A Double Minded Psychopath - Part 1 Of 2 Series

PILATE THE PROCURATOR – A DOUBLE MINDED PSYCHOPATH - PART 1

THE CHARACTERS OF JOHN’S GOSPEL

PART A. To understand the man better we will start with some secular history:-

FROM DON STEWART

“Pontius Pilate was the prefect of Judea from A.D. 27 to 37, and sentenced Jesus to death by crucifixion. Although he wished to set Jesus free he gave in to the large crowd who wanted Jesus dead. Pilate tried to absolve himself of any blame in the matter yet the New Testament, as well as the creeds of the church, all recognised that Jesus Christ was crucified by a decree of Pontius Pilate. The New Testament says nothing about Pilate after Jesus' death. In 1961 an inscription was found in Israel in the city of Caesarea that had Pilate's name on it. This was the first archaeological evidence that Pilate existed.”

FROM THE JERUSALEM POST

“Jewish historian Josephus, wrote that Pilate was one of the most hated representatives of Roman rule in the Land of Israel. Josephus describes a governor who antagonised Jews and ordered his troops to slaughter them. From 27 to 37 (CE) AD Pilate imposed Roman rule on Judea. He was hardly a pagan who would be sympathetic to a Jew who rebelled against his authority and that of his masters’ empire.”

We have no certain knowledge of Pilate except in connection with his time of rule in Judea. We know nothing of his birth, his origin, or his earlier years. Tacitus, when speaking of the cruel punishments inflicted by Nero upon the Christians, tells us that Christ, from whom the name "Christian" was derived, was put to death when Tiberius was emperor, by the procurator Pontius Pilate (Annals xv.44). Apart from this reference and what is told us in the New Testament, all our knowledge of him is derived from two Jewish writers, Josephus the historian, and Philo of Alexandria.

Pilate was procurator of Judea, and he held office for 10 years. Josephus tells (Ant., XVIII, iv, 2) that he ruled for 10 years; that he was removed from office by Vitellius, the legate of Syria, and travelled in haste to Rome to defend himself before Tiberius against certain complaints.

On one occasion, when the soldiers under his command came to Jerusalem, he caused them to bring with them their ensigns, upon which were the usual images of the emperor. The ensigns were brought in secretly by night, but their presence was soon discovered. Immediately multitudes of excited Jews hastened to Caesarea to petition him for the removal of the obnoxious ensigns. For five days he refused to hear them, but on the sixth he took his place on the judgment seat, and when the Jews were admitted, he had them surrounded with soldiers and threatened them with instant death unless they ceased to trouble him with the matter. The Jews thereupon flung themselves on the ground and bared their necks, declaring that they preferred death to the violation of their laws. Pilate, unwilling to slay so many, yielded the point and removed the ensigns (Josephus, Ant, XVIII, iii, 1; BJ, II, ix, 2, 3).

At another time he used the sacred treasure of the Temple, called corban (qorban), to pay for bringing water into Jerusalem by an aqueduct. A crowd came together and clamoured against him. We turn to Josephus for the outcome of this desecration: tens of thousands of Jews “gathered and shouted against him, insisting that he abandon such plans. Some of them even hurled insults and abused the man, as such throngs commonly do. Pilate had caused soldiers dressed as civilians to mingle with the multitude, and at a given signal they fell upon the rioters and beat them so severely with staves that the riot was quelled (Josephus, Ant, XVIII, iii, 2; BJ, II, ix, 4).

Josephus (Ant., XVIII, iv, 1, 2) gives an account of the incident which led to Pilate's downfall. A religious pretender arose in Samaria who promised the Samaritans that if they would assemble at Mt. Gerizim, he would show them the sacred vessels which Moses had hidden there. A great multitude assembled in readiness to ascend the mountain, but before they could accomplish their aim they were attacked by Pilate's cavalry, and many of them were slain. The Samaritans thereupon sent an embassy to Vitellius, the legate of Syria, to accuse Pilate of the murder of those who had been slain. Vitellius, who desired to stand well with the Jews, deposed Pilate from office, appointed Marcellus in his place, and ordered Pilate to go to Rome and answer the charges made against him before the emperor. Pilate set out for Rome, but, before he could reach it, Tiberius had died; and it is probable that, in the confusion which followed, Pilate escaped the inquisition with which he was threatened. From this point onward history knows nothing more of Pilate.