1Now when morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 2They bound him, led him away, and delivered him up to Pontius Pilate, the governor.
3Then Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that Jesus was condemned, felt remorse, and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4saying, “I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood.”
But they said, “What is that to us? You see to it.”
5He threw down the pieces of silver in the sanctuary and departed. Then he went away and hanged himself.
6The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It’s not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of blood.” 7They took counsel, and bought the potter’s field with them to bury strangers in. 8Therefore that field has been called “The Field of Blood” to this day. 9Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying,
“They took the thirty pieces of silver,
the price of him upon whom a price had been set,
whom some of the children of Israel priced,
10and they gave them for the potter’s field,
as the Lord commanded me.”
11Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, saying, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
Jesus said to him, “So you say.”
12When he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. 13Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear how many things they testify against you?”
14He gave him no answer, not even one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.
15Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release to the multitude one prisoner whom they desired. 16They had then a notable prisoner called Barabbas. 17When therefore they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18For he knew that because of envy they had delivered him up.
19While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of him.”
20Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21But the governor answered them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”
They said, “Barabbas!”
22Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do to Jesus who is called Christ?”
They all said to him, “Let him be crucified!”
23But the governor said, “Why? What evil has he done?”
But they cried out exceedingly, saying, “Let him be crucified!”
24So when Pilate saw that nothing was being gained, but rather that a disturbance was starting, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this righteous person. You see to it.”
25All the people answered, “May his blood be on us and on our children!”
26Then he released Barabbas to them, but Jesus he flogged and delivered to be crucified.
27Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium, and gathered the whole garrison together against him. 28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. 29They braided a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and a reed in his right hand; and they kneeled down before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31When they had mocked him, they took the robe off him, and put his clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.
32As they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name, and they compelled him to go with them, that he might carry his cross. 33When they came to a place called “Golgotha”, that is to say, “The place of a skull,” 34they gave him sour wine to drink mixed with gall. When he had tasted it, he would not drink. 35When they had crucified him, they divided his clothing among them, casting lots, 36and they sat and watched him there. 37They set up over his head the accusation against him written, “THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
38Then there were two robbers crucified with him, one on his right hand and one on the left.
39Those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads 40and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”
41Likewise the chief priests also mocking with the scribes, the Pharisees, and the elders, said, 42“He saved others, but he can’t save himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. 43He trusts in God. Let God deliver him now, if he wants him; for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44The robbers also who were crucified with him cast on him the same reproach.
45Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46About the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lima sabachthani?” That is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
47Some of them who stood there, when they heard it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.”
48Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave him a drink. 49The rest said, “Let him be. Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”
50Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit.
51Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. 52The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they entered into the holy city and appeared to many.
54Now the centurion and those who were with him watching Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were done, were terrified, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
55Many women were there watching from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, serving him. 56Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
57When evening had come, a rich man from Arimathaea named Joseph, who himself was also Jesus’ disciple, came. 58This man went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given up. 59Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth 60and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out in the rock. Then he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. 61Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.
62Now on the next day, which was the day after the Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together to Pilate, 63saying, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64Command therefore that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest perhaps his disciples come at night and steal him away, and tell the people, ‘He is risen from the dead;’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”
65Pilate said to them, “You have a guard. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone.
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.[4]
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.[5]
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).[6]
His last vicious act was to have his cavalry and infantry kill a number of Samaritans who went for religious purposes to Mount Gerizim.[7] 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.[8] The successor to Tiberius, Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, removed Pilate from his position and exiled him to Vienna-on-Rhone. He is believed to have committed suicide while in exile during the reign of Caligula.[9]
[1] Cornelius Tacitus, Annals 15.44, quoted from Early Christian Writings, http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/tacitus.html (last visited November 8, 2011).
[2] 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).
[3] 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).
[5] 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.
[6] 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).
[7] Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 18.4.1
[8] Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 18.4.1
[9] 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.