"[276], Pontius Pilate is mentioned as having been involved in the crucifixion in both the Nicene Creed and the Apostles Creed. Pontius Pilate, therefore, by the command of Csar, is taken and brought through to Rome. Ignatius further dates Jesus's birth, passion, and resurrection during Pilate's governorship in his epistle to the Magnesians (11.1). [268] The 1959 film Ben-Hur shows Pilate (the Australian actor, Frank Thring, Jr.) presiding over a chariot race, in a scene that Ann Wroe says "seemed closely modeled on the Hitler footage of the 1936 Olympics," with Pilate bored and sneering. First Apology 35. The New Testament gospel of Luke records that Pilate had heard about Jesus and His miracles before He was brought before Pilate. Csar, hearing that Pilate had arrived at Rome, was filled with exceeding fury against him, and caused him to be brought to him. First Apology 48. Medieval art frequently portrayed scenes of Pilate and Jesus, often in the scene where he washes his hands of guilt for Jesus's death. "[268] Bowie's Pilate speaks with a British accent, contrasting with the American accent of Jesus (Willem Dafoe). [137] The earliest attestation of a positive tradition about Pilate comes from the late first-, early second-century Christian author Tertullian, who, claiming to have seen Pilate's report to Tiberius, states Pilate had "become already a Christian in his conscience. According to some traditions, the Roman emperor Caligula ordered Pontius Pilate to death by execution or suicide. : the final authority concerned in the condemnation and execution of Jesus Christ. [166][167], Beginning in the eleventh century, more extensive legendary biographies of Pilate were written in Western Europe, adding details to information provided by the bible and apocrypha. Oh, come on, loosen up a little. The Modern Library. What Happened to Pontius Pilate after Jesus? Antiquities of the Jews 18.3.3. My name is pronounced "Pilate." It sounds the same as the name of the person who steers the boat or the ship - the pilot. The story about the Procurator of Judea has two characters: Aelius Lamia, a Roman patrician, and Pontius Pilate. His wife sends him word of a revelatory dream she has had about Jesus and urges him to have nothing to do with that innocent man (Matthew 27:19), and Pilate abdicates his responsibility to the emperor. [271] The Pilate in the film, played by Barry Dennen, expands on John 18:38 to question Jesus on the truth and appears, in McDonough's view, as "an anxious representative of [] moral relativism". [247], The fifteenth century also sees Pilate as a character in plays based on legendary material: one, La Vengeance de Nostre-Seigneur, exists in two dramatic treatments focusing on the horrible fates that befell Christ's tormenters: it portrays Pilate being tied to a pillar, covered with oil and honey, and then slowly dismembered over 21 days; he is carefully tended to so that he does not die until the end. His term of office was during the subsequent reign of Tiberius from 26-36 CE. Pilate has frequently been a subject of artistic representation. Justin Martyr. [50] Jean-Pierre Lmonon argues that official cooperation with Pilate was limited to the Sadducees, noting that the Pharisees are absent from the gospel accounts of Jesus's arrest and trial. Antiquities of the Jews 18.4.2. [147], In the most common version of the passion narrative in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus (also called the Acts of Pilate), Pilate is portrayed as forced to execute Jesus by the Jews and as distraught at having done so. [19], On the basis of the many offenses that Pilate caused to the Judaean populace, some scholars find Pilate to have been a particularly bad governor. Although in Latin, the name Pilate means, "skilled with the javelin." But the Jewish leaders did care. Both Daniel Schwartz and Alexander Demandt do not think this especially likely. It was a fragmentary, undated inscription on a large piece of marble recorded in Ameria, a village in Umbria, Italy. Pontius pilate definition, Roman procurator of Judea a.d. [140][141], Beginning in the fourth century, a large body of Christian apocryphal texts developed concerning Pilate, making up one of the largest groups of surviving New Testament Apocrypha. Pontius was in charge of Judea for about 10 years and was eventually deposed. [139] Tibor Grll believes that this could be a reference to Pilate's actual records,[138] but other scholars argue that Justin has simply invented the records as a source on the assumption that they existed without ever having verified their existence. [64][65] Bond dates the incident to 31, sometime after Sejanus's death in 17 October. Pilate is typically represented in fourteen different scenes from his life;[200] however, more than half of all thirteenth-century representations of Pilate show the trial of Jesus. [254], Pilate features prominently in Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita, which was written in the 1930s but only published in 1966, twenty six years after the author's death. [249] The Mystre de la Passion d'Angers by Jean Michel includes legendary scenes of Pilate's life before the passion. [93] The Samaritans, claiming not to have been armed, complained to Lucius Vitellius the Elder, the governor of Syria (term 3539), who had Pilate recalled to Rome to be judged by Tiberius. But in the end, the fate of Pontius Pilate remains a mystery. [279] Pilate is the only person besides Jesus and Mary mentioned by name in the creeds. [2] In short, the traditions are in conflict and we do not really know where Pilate was born or his life as a teenager or young adult. He had the power to inflict capital punishment, and was responsible for collecting tributes and taxes, and for disbursing funds, including the minting of coins. [168] The tradition may go back to a misread Latin inscription on the tower. Agapius of Hierapolis (10th century historian) said Pilate committed suicide during the first year of Caligula's reign (37-38 AD). "[254] The work features a novel within the novel about Pontius Pilate and his encounter with Jesus (Yeshu Ha-Notsri) by an author only called the Master. Flavius Josephus. Tiberius, however, had died before his arrival. According to one prominent post-war theory, Pilate's treatment of the Jews was motivated by antisemitism, but most modern historians do not believe this theory.[10]. Finally, the corpse is taken to Lausanne in modern Switzerland and buried in an isolated lake (perhaps Lake Lucerne), where demonic visitations continue to occur. [280] The mention of Pilate in the creeds serves to mark the passion as a historical event. [266] Following the Second World War, Pilate and the Romans often take on a villainous role in American film. At this time Tiberius was the Roman Emperor, who succeeded the first Emperor, Augustus. ; "What is truth? Overall he actually mostly unimportant. [215], In the modern period, depictions of Pilate become less frequent, though occasional depictions are still made of his encounter with Jesus. This article was most recently revised and updated by, Historical and traditional accounts of the life of Pontius Pilate, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pontius-Pilate, World History Encyclopedia - Pontius Pilate, McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia - Pontius Pilate, Sagrada Famlia: sculpture of Pontius Pilate. But Pilate brought down with him the seamless tunic of Jesus; and he wore it on him in presence of the emperor. Pontius Pilate travelled constantly, keeping an eye of each area of Judea. How can we know the Messiah would be God incarnate? (59) But they threw themselves upon the ground, and laid their necks bare, and said they would take their death very willingly, rather than the wisdom of their laws should be transgressed; upon which Pilate was deeply affected with their firm resolution to keep their laws inviolable, and presently commanded the images to be carried back from Jerusalem to Cesarea.[4]. Lets discover what happened to Pontius Pilate after the death of Christ? There are these words: At His coming the lame shall leap as an hart, and the tongue of the stammerer shall be clear speaking: the blind shall see, and the lepers shall be cleansed; and the dead shall rise, and walk about. And that He did those things, you can learn from the Acts of Pontius Pilate. He was then ordered back to Rome to stand trial for cruelty and oppression, particularly on the charge that he had executed men without proper trial. They wanted Jesus dead. [142] Originally, these texts served both to unburden Pilate of guilt for the death of Jesus as well as to provide more complete records of Jesus's trial. [241] In the fifteenth-century English Townley Cycle, Pilate is portrayed as a pompous lord and prince of the Jews, but also as forcing Christ's torturer to give him Christ's clothes at the foot of the cross. Home; About us. In them, Pilate is portrayed as wishing to save Jesus, being affected by his charisma, but as too cowardly to do so. [246] In the York passion cycle, Pilate describes himself as a courtier, but in most English passion plays he proclaims his royal ancestry. Pilate then summoned them to an arena, where the Roman soldiers drew their swords. [192] From the eleventh century onward, Pilate is frequently represented as a Jewish king, wearing a beard and a Jewish hat. The fate of Pontius Pilate after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is disputed among historians. [192] Depictions continue to be greatly influenced by the Acts of Pilate, and the number of situations in which Pilate is depicted also increases. Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week . [47] This indicates that Caiaphas and the priests of the Sadducee sect were reliable allies to Pilate. By other accounts, Pontius Pilate was sent into exile and committed suicide of his own accord. [124], Attempts to identify the aqueduct that is attributed to Pilate in Josephus date to the 19th century. [230] In the Italian passion plays, Pilate never identifies himself as a Jew, condemning them in the fifteenth-century Resurrezione and stressing the Jews' fear of the "new law" of Christ. His story represents the counterpoint narrative to the main action in Moscow, and centers on his decision to approve the execution of Yeshua Ha-Nozri in the city of Yershalaim. Except for Pilate, who was a leader blackmailed by the Judaic structures that were against Christ. Herod's sons then threatened to petition the emperor, an action which Pilate feared that would expose the crimes he had committed in office. Others argue that Pilate's duty was not so much to uphold justice as it was to promote peace and Roman interests. This is revealed to be because Pilate is wearing Jesus's coat; when the coat is removed, the Emperor condemns him to death, but Pilate commits suicide first. [50], The Gospel of Luke mentions in passing Galileans "whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices" (Luke 13:1). And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. Almost immediately, troubles started: soldiers had brought statues of the emperor into Jerusalem, and almost the entire population of Jerusalem marched to Caesarea, imploring the new governor to remove the effigies. Yet the Bible isn't the only ancient source of information about Pilate. [52] Based on John 19:12, it is possible that Pilate held the title "friend of Caesar" (Latin: amicus Caesaris, Ancient Greek: K), a title also held by the Jewish kings Herod Agrippa I and Herod Agrippa II and by close advisors to the emperor. It is possible that the ring belonged to another individual named Pilate,[130] or that it belonged to someone who worked for Pontius Pilate. McClintock and Strong. . John P. Meier notes that in Josephus, by contrast, "Pilate alone [] is said to condemn Jesus to the cross. Pontius Pilate lived from around 20BC until some time after AD36. [213] Many, mostly German, engravings and woodcuts of Pilate were created in the fifteenth century. . [187] In later images he is typically shown washing his hands of guilt in Jesus' presence. [62] Helen Bond, Daniel Schwartz, and Warren Carter argue that Philo's portrayal is largely stereotyped and rhetorical, portraying Pilate with the same words as other opponents of Jewish law, while portraying Tiberius as just and supportive of Jewish law. 26-36? Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea [ .. has given?]". [149] Another claims that the records were made by Pilate himself, relying on reports made to him by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. [206] Colum Hourihane argues that all of these plays supported antisemitic tropes and were written at times when persecution of Jews on the continent were high. Pontius Pilate Character Analysis. [15] Besides these texts, dated coins in the name of emperor Tiberius minted during Pilate's governorship have survived, as well as a fragmentary short inscription that names Pilate, known as the Pilate Stone, the only inscription about a Roman governor of Judaea predating the Roman-Jewish Wars to survive. Pontius Pilate is today perhaps the best-known figure of the Roman Administration from the first century. Tradition adds that Pilate died in Vienne, France on the Rhone or on Mount Pilatus, Switzerland. He expresses disgust at the Jewish authorities' treatment of Jesus when Jesus is brought before him and offers Jesus a drink of water. [25] Like all but one other governor of Judaea, Pilate was of the equestrian order, a middle rank of the Roman nobility. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Her grand-father was the notorious King Herod, who executed most of his family and was said to have murdered the Innocents when Jesus was born. Cyclopedia of Biblical Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature. Because of this subject matter, the Master has been attacked for "Pilatism" by the Soviet literary establishment. [126] Lnnqvist notes that the Talmud (Lamentations Rabbah 4.4) records the destruction of an aqueduct from Solomon's Pools by the Sicarii, a group of fanatical religious Zealots, during the First Jewish-Roman War (6673); he suggests that if the aqueduct had been funded by the temple treasury as recorded in Josephus, this might explain the Sicarii's targeting of this particular aqueduct. [115] The more recent scholars Alexander Demandt and Henry MacAdam both believe that the inscription is genuine, but attests to a person who simply had the same cognomen as Pontius Pilate. The Governor was under the impression that Jesus was simply claiming to be "King of the Jews," but it says once Pilate found out that Jesus was claiming to be the Son of God " he was even more afraid " (John 19:8). Pressure was also applied by his wife to have nothing to do with Jesus. By the 2nd century AD, the so-called "Acts of Pilate" document began to circulate among Christians. [198], Despite being venerated as a saint by the Coptic and Ethiopian Churches, very few images of Pilate exist in these traditions from any time period. He connects this change to increased "anti-Judaism. Eusebius records the following for us, It is worthy of note that Pilate himself, who was governor in the time of our Savior, 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. The nineteenth century saw a renewed interest in depicting Pilate, with numerous images made. [43] He seems to have been free to govern the province as he wished, with intervention by the legate of Syria only coming at the end of his tenure, after the appointment of Lucius Vitellius to the post in 35. [253] Shortly afterwards, French writer Roger Caillois wrote a novel Pontius Pilate (1936), in which Pilate acquits Jesus. In Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, Pilate became the focus of a large group of New Testament apocrypha expanding on his role in the Gospels, the Pilate cycle. Following Livia's death, the coins only read . In Roman-occupied Judea, Claudia Lucretia Pilate, daughter of the governor Pontius Pilate, is not happy with her father's choice of husband for her - the handsome Roman Tribune Marcus Gaius Sejanus, who has been assigned the task of ridding Palestine of the troublesome Zealots. In the Cura sanitatis Tiberii (dated variously 5th to 7th century),[162] the emperor Tiberius is healed by an image of Jesus brought by Saint Veronica, Saint Peter then confirms Pilate's report on Jesus's miracles, and Pilate is exiled by the emperor Nero, after which he commits suicide. King Herod hears of this accomplishment and asks him to come to Palestine to aid his rule there; Pilate comes but soon usurps Herod's power. Pontius Pilate's wife is the unnamed spouse of Pontius Pilate, who appears only once in the Gospel of Matthew, where she intercedes with Pilate on Jesus' behalf.It is uncertain whether Pilate was actually married, although it is likely. [210] Images of Pilate were especially popular in Italy, where, however, he was almost always portrayed as a Roman,[211] and often appears in the new medium of large-scale church paintings. Pontius Pilate'. Another tradition states that Pontius Pilate was born in Germany and was a bastard son of Tyrus, king of Mayence. Why would he cave to demands to crucify a man he had proclaimed innocent? Herod the Great, founder of the dynasty, tried to kill the infant Jesus by the "slaughter of the innocents" at Bethlehem. [66], In another incident recorded in both the Jewish Wars (2.9.4) and the Antiquities of the Jews (18.3.2), Josephus relates that Pilate offended the Jews by using up the temple treasury (korbanos) to pay for a new aqueduct to Jerusalem. What do we know about Pontius Pilate? He was the Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea from AD26 to AD36, and is best remembered as the judge at the trial of Jesus Christ in AD33, and the man who subsequently ordered his crucifixion. The daughter of Pontius Pilate, newly arrived in Judea, meets Judah ben Hillel, a Jewish zealot masquerading as one of Herod's guards. For more information about the Acts of Pilate, visit Pontius Pilate refers to Christ in official records.. [195] Pilate also comes to feature in scenes such as the Flagellation of Christ, where he is not mentioned in the Bible. [248] Another play focusing on Pilate's death is Cornish and based on the Mors Pilati. [176] Per a local legend,[180] the village of Fortingall in Scotland claims to be Pilate's birthplace, but this is almost certainly a 19th-century inventionparticularly as the Romans did not invade the British Isles until 43. As a result, pressure was applied by the Jewish Sanhedrin (Luke 23:2-7) upon Pilate. Pilate was also the focus of numerous medieval legends, which invented a complete biography for him and portrayed him as villainous and cowardly. Summoned them to an arena, where the Roman emperor Caligula ordered Pontius,... To Pontius Pilate after the death of Christ Germany and was eventually deposed mark the passion, the... An arena, where the Roman Administration from the first day of emperor. 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