1The whole company of them rose up and brought him before Pilate. 2They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting the nation, forbidding paying taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.”
3Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
He answered him, “So you say.”
4Pilate said to the chief priests and the multitudes, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”
5But they insisted, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee even to this place.”
6But when Pilate heard Galilee mentioned, he asked if the man was a Galilean. 7When he found out that he was in Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem during those days.
8Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad, for he had wanted to see him for a long time, because he had heard many things about him. He hoped to see some miracle done by him. 9He questioned him with many words, but he gave no answers. 10The chief priests and the scribes stood, vehemently accusing him. 11Herod with his soldiers humiliated him and mocked him. Dressing him in luxurious clothing, they sent him back to Pilate. 12Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before that they were enemies with each other.
13Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, 14and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one that perverts the people, and behold, having examined him before you, I found no basis for a charge against this man concerning those things of which you accuse him. 15Neither has Herod, for I sent you to him, and see, nothing worthy of death has been done by him. 16I will therefore chastise him and release him.”
17Now he had to release one prisoner to them at the feast. 18But they all cried out together, saying, “Away with this man! Release to us Barabbas!”— 19one who was thrown into prison for a certain revolt in the city, and for murder.
20Then Pilate spoke to them again, wanting to release Jesus, 21but they shouted, saying, “Crucify! Crucify him!”
22He said to them the third time, “Why? What evil has this man done? I have found no capital crime in him. I will therefore chastise him and release him.” 23But they were urgent with loud voices, asking that he might be crucified. Their voices and the voices of the chief priests prevailed. 24Pilate decreed that what they asked for should be done. 25He released him who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus up to their will.
26When they led him away, they grabbed one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, and laid the cross on him to carry it after Jesus. 27A great multitude of the people followed him, including women who also mourned and lamented him. 28But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29For behold, the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ 30Then they will begin to tell the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and tell the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31For if they do these things in the green tree, what will be done in the dry?”
32There were also others, two criminals, led with him to be put to death. 33When they came to the place that is called “The Skull”, they crucified him there with the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.
34Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”
Dividing his garments among them, they cast lots. 35The people stood watching. The rulers with them also scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others. Let him save himself, if this is the Christ of God, his chosen one!”
36The soldiers also mocked him, coming to him and offering him vinegar, 37and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”
38An inscription was also written over him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
39One of the criminals who was hanged insulted him, saying, “If you are the Christ, save yourself and us!”
40But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Don’t you even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42He said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”
43Jesus said to him, “Assuredly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
44It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 45The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. 46Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” Having said this, he breathed his last.
47When the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous man.” 48All the multitudes that came together to see this, when they saw the things that were done, returned home beating their breasts. 49All his acquaintances and the women who followed with him from Galilee stood at a distance, watching these things.
50Behold, there was a man named Joseph, who was a member of the council, a good and righteous man 51(he had not consented to their counsel and deed), from Arimathaea, a city of the Jews, who was also waiting for God’s Kingdom. 52This man went to Pilate, and asked for Jesus’ body. 53He took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb that was cut in stone, where no one had ever been laid. 54It was the day of the Preparation, and the Sabbath was drawing near. 55The women who had come with him out of Galilee followed after, and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. 56They returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
Pontius Pilate (Πόντιος Πίλατος) is one of the most well known figures of ancient history, most of his familiarity based on his judgment of Jesus the Messiah recorded in the New Testament. Jesus' appearance before Pontius Pilate is recorded by all four Gospels (Matt 27:2; Mark 15:1-15; Luke 23:1-5; John 18:28- 19:16), but information about him also occurs in the writings of Josephus, Tertullian, Eusebius, Philo, Tacitus and Agapius of Hierapolis. For example, Tacitus says regarding Pilate:
Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular.1
He has been vilified by some and canonized by others,2 considered as evil since he sentenced Jesus to death and viewed as a Christian by others who influenced Tiberius to be favorable to Christianity.3
Pilate was the fifth Roman governor of Judea, and had a troubled, and less than lustrous (undistinguished), career in that capacity. The date of his appointment and dismissal is subject to debate, but Pilate is commonly thought to have been appointed governor in A.D. 26 or 27, and removed from office in A.D. 36. He is reported to have died by suicide.
He had a rugged rule in Judea. Previous rulers in Judea had respected Jewish customs and sensitivities, but Pilate seemed to have little regard for them. He sneaked in images of the emperor ensigns brought into Jerusalem at night, which he finally removed due to the protests of the Jews. He, first, threatened them with death, but afterwards relented. At another time, he received a rebuke from emperor Tiberius after he had irritated the Jews to insurrection when he set up gold-coated shields in Herod’s palace, having Pilate to remove the shields to Caesarea and place them in the temple of Augustus.4
In the second episode, Pilate was not so pliable. He had appropriated funds from the temple treasury to pay for the construction of an aqueduct, to carry water to Jerusalem. Josephus does not say that this action violated Jewish law, but he does say that the indignant Jerusalemites surrounded Pilate as he heard cases, and protested angrily. Pilate, however, had taken the precaution of planting “plain-clothes” soldiers among the crowd. At the appropriate moment he signaled for them to draw their clubs and beat the protesters. Josephus says that many Jews perished, either from the blows or from being trampled in the escape. Thus, under Pilate, the Jews were reduced to fearful silence (2.177).5
His last vicious act was to have his cavalry and infantry kill a number of Samaritans who went for religious purposes to Mount Gerizim.6 After the Samaritans complained, the Roman governor of Syria, Vitellius, sent Pilate to Rome to explain himself to Tiberius, but before Pilate arrived, Tiberius had died.7 The successor to Tiberius, Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, removed Pilate from his position and exiled him to Vienne-on-Rhone. He is believed to have committed suicide while in exile during the reign of Caligula.8
Cornelius Tacitus, Annals 15.44, quoted from Early Christian Writings, http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/tacitus.html (last visited November 8, 2011). ↩︎
A. N. Sherwin-White, “Pontius Pilate,” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, Ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1988; 2002): “Origen described Pilate’s wife as a convert, and the Coptic church ultimately canonized Pilate himself.” Coptic should probably be understood as Ethiopic. “The Coptic Church or the Abyssinian Coptic Orthodox Church referred to in this article is the Ethiopian church, but they are sometimes confused because of their origins in Egypt. The fourth or fifth century Gospel of Nicodemus (which contains the Acts of Pilate), does not make Pilate a Christian, but depicts him as more friendly towards Jesus than any of the canonical gospels. Pilate was soon canonized by the Ethiopic churches. See Questions and Answers, Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States, http://www.suscopts.org/q&a/index.php?qid=766&catid=446 (last visited November 8, 2011). ↩︎
See discussion in Philip Schaff, The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers Second Series Vol. I (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, 1997), 105-06. Numerous stories arose regarding Pilate seeking to exonerate him or recognize him as a Christian. “For instance, the apocryphal Acts of Pilate recounts the trial showing that Pilate’s decision was forced upon him. Colorful embellishments bring home the point: when Jesus enters Pilate’s praetorium, the imperial standards miraculously bow down. Tertullian even speaks of Pilate as a “Christian at heart” and contributes to the legendary conversion of both Pilate and his wife (who later gains the name Procula).” Gary M. Burge, “Pilate, Pontius,” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Eds. Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1988), 1694-95. The suicide is described by Eusebius (H.E. 2.7) was precipitated by his actions against the Samaritans, discussed by Arthur Cushman McGiffert, “Eusebius: Church History,” in Philip Schaff, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1995, second printing), 110, n 13. “Pilate’s downfall occurred in the following manner. A leader of the Samaritans had promised to disclose the sacred treasures which Moses was reported to have concealed upon Mt. Gerizim, and the Samaritans came together in great numbers from all quarters. Pilate, supposing the gathering to be with rebellious purpose, sent troops against them and defeated them with great slaughter. The Samaritans complained to Vitellius, governor of Syria, who sent Pilate to Rome (36 a.d.) to answer the charges brought against him. Upon reaching Rome he found Tiberius dead and Caius upon the throne. He was unsuccessful in his attempt to defend himself, and, according to tradition, was banished to Vienne in Gaul, where a monument is still shown as Pilate’s tomb. According to another tradition he committed suicide upon the mountain near Lake Lucerne, which bears his name.” Ibid. Also see, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1988; 2002). ↩︎
Philo, On The Embassy of Gaius, Book XXXVIII 299-305. See the translation of this event in Charles Duke Yonge, The Works of Philo: Complete and Unabridged (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1996), 784. See Paul L. Maier, “The Episode of the Golden Roman Shields at Jerusalem, Harvard Theological Review 62 (1969): 109-121. ↩︎
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 18.3.2. See the following for discussion of this, and other acts of Pilate: Steve Mason, Josephus and the New Testament (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1992). ↩︎
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 18.4.1 ↩︎
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 18.4.1 ↩︎
Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2.7: “It is worthy of note that Pilate himself, who was governor in the time of our Saviour, is reported to have fallen into such misfortunes under Caius, whose times we are recording, that he was forced to become his own murderer and executioner; and thus divine vengeance, as it seems, was not long in overtaking him. This is stated by those Greek historians who have recorded the Olympiads, together with the respective events which have taken place in each period.” Philip Schaff, The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers Second Series Vol. I (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, 1997), 110. ↩︎