Signora Sheila

Although his date of birth is unknown, Pontius Pilate was born Marcus Pontius Pilates to the Pontii clan in central Italy. He was the prefect or governor of Judea during the reign of the Emperor Tiberius.

We know little more than that. But much of what we do know comes from the Bible, which portrays him as a stern, headstrong authoritarian. But also as weak and vacillating, easily swayed by crowds or when placed under pressure.

Secular historians even doubted his existence until 1961, when a limestone inscription of his name was discovered during an archaeological dig in Israel.

Best known for Christ’s death

He is best known for presiding over the trial and execution of Christ.

As governor he had to protect Rome’s interests, while tring to keep the peace in a volatile region, with little military support. As a result, Pilate became adept at appeasing both sides.

So when the Jewish authorities brought Christ to Pilate, accusing him of being a political threat, Pilate did what was politically expedient at the time. To appease the crowd and prevent a riot, he sent Christ to be crucified.

His duties as governor

According to tradition, Pilate was a Roman knight, which were described by Cicero as “the strength of the Republic” or as “the most upright and respected of men”. But in Palestine, where they were publicans, or tax collectors, the rabbis lumped them together with harlots, pagans, highwaymen, and murderers.

As governor Pilate was required to oversee construction projects and tax collection, as well as maintain order in the territory. He accomplished this by any means necessary, including cruelty and execution.

As oppressive foreign rulers, Roman officials were already greatly disliked in Israel. But Pilate was particularly resented for ordering that all coins be inscribed with pagan religious symbols and that military banners be emblazoned with the image of the emperor. Both were contrary to Jewish religious beliefs.

After his particularly cruel attack on the Samaritans on Mount Gerezim in 36 A.D., Pilate was sent to Rome to stand trial for cruelty, oppression, and for executing people without due process.

His death

According to the historian Eusebius of Ceaserea, Pilate was then ordered by the emperor Caliluga to kill himself. Other accounts claim that he was simply executed, or that he committed suicide after being exiled from Rome. His death is believed to have occurred around 39 AD.

Others say he may have been killed after he later converted to Christianity. Both he and his wife are venerated as saints by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and their feast day is June 25.

However, since there is no evidence of a conversion, this idea is probably based on the episodes of Pilate’s wife telling him to “have nothing to do with this innocent man” and Pilate washing his hands to claim his innocence of Christ’s blood.

His relationship to truth

We know from the book of John that Pontius Pilate was cynical about the truth. He asked Jesus if He was a king. And Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world, that I might bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

Pilate’s cynical response was, “What is truth?” And then he handed Christ over to be crucified. (John 18)

While we cannot know for sure if Pilate ever found the truth he was so skeptical of, we do know that he has sadly gone down in history as a calculating politician who chose political correctness over truth.

May Pilate’s life be a lesson to us in these times of political correctness. We can choose to be on the side of political correctness or on the side of God. We can’t have it both ways.

The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.

Proverbs 29:25

Sources:

• Pontius Pilate, Governor of Judaea, Encyclopedia Brittanica.
• Pontius Pilate Biography, www.biography.com.
• What Does History Tell Us About Pontius Pilate, www.compellingtruth.org.
• The Tragedy of Pontius Pilate, www.christiancourier.com.
• Pontius Pilate, Governor of Judaea, Encyclopedia Brittanica.
• Pontius Pilate Biography, www.biography.com, www.compellingtruth.org.
• The Tragedy of Pontius Pilate, www.christiancourier.com.

Images of Pilate: Pilate in military dress by http://www.LumoProject.com from FreeBibleImages.org | Other image by Antonio Ciseri.