Pontius Pilate

What does say the History of Pontius Pilate?

The history says that he was sent as governor to Palestine by Tiberio in the year 26 of our age. He happened in the charge to Valerio Grato and he was the fifth governor of Rome in this zone, which put at the head of a circumscription of the second category to which three small provinces belonged: Judea, Samaria and Idumea. This last had slightly definite borders, for what needed special alertness. It was a difficult and problematic region. In there were frequent revolts. He was not an attorney, since often we have heard, but a simple prefect, since it is demonstrated by the tablet found in Maritime Caesarean the year 1961.

His official residence was in Caesarean, city constructed by Herodes the Big, which put such a name to ingratiate with the emperor Cesar Augusto. The environment of the city was hellenized, for what could take a given life, without smell constant to roast meat of the sacrifices, like happened of residing in Jerusalem. But during the big Jewish festivities in which great number of pilgrims were congregating, he was moving to Jerusalem in order to avoid revolts, since the agglomerations were a culture medium for them. The military garrison of Jerusalem was not overcoming 4.500 soldiers. They were not Roman legionaries, but auxiliary troops recruited between Syrians, Greeks and samaritans.

They divided in  "cohorts" and "wings". In exceptional cases the prefect could resort to the legacy of Syria, his immediate Superior, to ask for reinforcements.

 The assignment of the prefect was to warn to the religious local authorities that not interfere in matters of the civil administration: of collecting the taxes and of avoiding and suppressing secessionist raisings. The prefect's charge were renewed every three years. Pilate was ten, which says very much in his favor in spite of the severe critiques that they have done to him and of the accusation of which he was not worrying about the matters of the metropolis. In this regard let's not forget that Tiberio had habit of retaining some civil servants more than three years, because he was saying that, on having tried to prosper in a little time, could commit misbehaviors. And was putting for example that a man alone and left that the flies were coming to absorb the blood for being full of sores. There passed one who harmonized with the poor person and wanted to frighten to the flies. The sore one objected and shouting he said: " Leave Them, already they have absorbed me enough and they are fed up. If you frighten them hungry others will come and absorb small theirs blood that I still have ".  

Pilate, anti-Semite?

Pilate's management in Palestine was marked by several facts of certain importance. After coming to this region, as recognition of the emperor Tiberio and influenced by the antijewish environment about which we will speak, gave the orders to install in Jerusalem the emblems of his troop with the banner of the emperor, accompanied of the imperial eagles. The presence of human representations in the Holy City exalted the Jews. They went to protest in mass to Caesarean, to Pilate's residence. There they were shouting for five days. Ultimately, Pilate tired of so much shouting, threatened them with the troop that already had prepared.

They, far from being afraid, did the gesture of undressing his necks, demonstrating that they were ready to die. Before this unusual reaction, he gave the orders to remove the images and banners of Jerusalem. A little time later did the same thing. It seems that he received orders of Rome like it is clear of what we are going to say. A few years before, concretly in the year 19 of our age, four representative Jews of the community of Rome cheated such a Fulvia, wife of a high dignitary called Saturnine , friend of Tiberio. The emperor instigated by his friend, gave the orders to expel all the Jews of Rome and surroundings. The fact of the expulsion had serious consequences not only in Rome, but also in many provinces of the empire. It was provoked in addition, an antiJewish climate with repercussions in the bad treat that there was given to them and especially the fact that the prefects sent to Palestine were taking concrete orders to suppress them. This circumstance has to bear in mind to understand Pilate's attitude in Palestine and not to accuse him that was not attending well to the interests of Rome in the zone, and that, instead of attracting his subordinates, was feeling towards them alive scorn that was reverberating in his  proceed with them, looking for occasions to humiliate them. In addition, we know that Tiberio was feeling great antipathy for the Jews and the " All-powerful Sejano ", chief of the imperial guard, he was the prototype of the anti-Semitism.

He took money of the arks of the Temple

Other one of the cases happened during his mandate was the occasion of the aqueduct that he constructed to take water from the surroundings of Bethlehem to Jerusalem. He needed money to finance the work and took it of the arks of the Temple of Jerusalem. Herodes the Big one also had done it and, though he was criticized, the fact did not have major repercussion. But in this case the one that was doing it was pagan and besides an invader. The fact provoked a revolt. To suppress it, Pilato used a curious tactic. He sent welded Jerusalem, countryman's garments, without swords, as any other Jew, but with a cudgel camouflaged between the clothes. They were taking orders to intermingle with the rowdy people and give blows to everyone that was shouting. As consequence of the blows many Jews died, others lost the life trampled by the multitude that was fleeing terrified for the narrow streets of the city.

Pilate and  the samaritans

The worst of the facts happened during his mandate was the year 35 of our age. An illuminated samaritan convinced many people in order that they were raising against the Romans before the proximity of the Messianic times. The people took the weapon and went to Tarante, Garizim Mount. Pilate was anticipated and with his troops he occupied the way that was going to the sacred mount of the samaritans. They died a lot. Others were made prisoners and he executed great number of principal people. Pilate this time had bad luck. The operation of his army with the skirts of the mount coincided with the appointment of a new legacy for Syria, on which Palestine was depending. He was Lucio Vitelio. These, following his custom, wanted to find out about everything what had happened in the region checking the files. In turn, the samaritans, supplies of the fright, sent a commission to complain of them happened with Pilate, adducing that had not been revolted against Rome.

Vitelio, bad companion of Pilate, freed from his position and sent him to Rome to give explanations to the emperor. After 54 days of trip, he landed in Italy some days after the death of his protector Tiberio, happened on March 17, 37. We do not know any more of him. What we know is that all the persons designated by the emperor for a charge, were losing his functions and were going on to the marital status, if the emperor was not renewing the appointment. Because of that, everything what happened after his dismissal has been said of Pilate that belongs to the genre of the legend. The Frenchmen, for example, made die in Vienna of the Delfinado, like they made come to France other evangelical prominent figures, like Martha, Mary and Lazarus. They are legends that appeared in the centuries X and the XIth.  

Pilate and Jesus' process

With regard to Pilate's behavior in Jesus' civil process, we see that again and again he wanted to save Jesus. Before a multitude that was pressing, that it was threatening to accuse Rome, yielded. Of having been Pilate fullly opposite to Jesus, the Evangelists had not stressed so much and so much his will to want to save Jesus of the death in the cross. Pilate was between the sword and the wall, for tired and revolting that was of the case and of those who promoted him, without knowing what to do, he finished off with a juridical, valid procedure for the provinces of the empire, which was consisting in " Lex lulia ", called " Extraordinary cognitio ". Anyhow, condemning Jesus, there was morally guilty and juridically responsible: " the one that delivered me you, has more fault than you "  (Jn 19,11).

How curious note write that the Church of Ethiopia celebrates on June 25 his party as martyr, and the Greek orthodox Church, on October 27, celebrates the one of it's wife Procula.

This headstone contains the only inscription that is known by the name of "Pilate", whom deliver to Jesus to the Romans in order that they were giving him death. 

Decades before, during an excavation in the ruins of Maritime Caesarean, old headquarters of the Roman government in Judea, was found a headstone with a very damaged inscription, and that the specialists translated this way: " Pontius Pilate, prefect of Judea, has dedicated to the village of Caesarean a temple in Tiberio's honor ".

 These is considered to be an extraordinary find, since it is the unique inscription where Pilate's name appears and verifies the existence of the man mentioned in the Gospels, as the Roman governor of Judea that send to flog the Nazarene, later to execute him.

During the last 40 years, the archeologists have found information that corroborate the historical background of the Gospels, and of the tortuous death in the cross like later we will share with you in the following scientific find.

In 1968, was revealed in a funeral cave to the north of Jerusalem, the osseous remains of a man crucified and tortured severely. This one was an exceptional find, since though the Romans were torturing and crucifying thousands of supposed delinquents, they had never found remains of the condemned.

The skeleton, was perfectly well preserved in an ossuary of stone (such and like was getting used to do it in the century I), have when he died between 25 and 30 years of age. Was proving to be wounded by perforation with nails in the wrists and the knees had doubled and separated him, crossing the heels with nails of iron (even have one lodged in the bone of a foot). Seemingly, also there had fractured the shinbone of both legs, which is confirmed in the Gospel according to John 19:32-33 and that says: " The soldiers came then and they broke the legs to the first one and then to other one that had been crucified with  Him".  

Always was believed that the corpses of the crucified ones, were thrown to a common grave in order that the animals were devouring, but sometimes, the Romans were allowing graves as the one that according to the Bible, had given Jesus.

Again the modern Archaeology corroborated us more passages of The Sacred Writings, and you, still  don't believe?

home

Shares these educations, expands the God's Word.

 We want to serve, allow us to do it

Creele a Dios Ministries 2007