Pontius Pilate (Speculative Study)

[Cretien]

Question. Was Pontius Pilate a Jew? Was he a good man, or a bad man?Many people today will say, he's a cruel roman who crucified Jesus Christ, but let's hold that thought for a moment while I point out some things.I'm going to try and show you the mind that goes on in Pilate with these verse from John 18:29 KJV: Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man? Here, Pilate questioned the Jews, asking what accusations they have...31 KJV: Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death: Here, Pilate did not want anything to do with this man, Jesus, but at the same time, knew the Jews have their own Levitical laws.33 KJV: Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? Here Pilate seems to have recoginzed that this Jesus was the Messiah, the King of the Jews. If indeed, Pilate was not a Jew, then he would have no concerns, nor would even mention that title.34 KJV: Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me? 35 KJV: Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? Here, Pilate again saying, "Am I a Jew?" also to signify that he was one, and that he knew that this Jesus was indeed the Christ.37 KJV: Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate then again, without any doubt that this Jesus is the Christ, for he always trys to get Jesus to confess to him that he was indeed the King of the Jews.38 KJV: Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. If Pilate was not a Jew, then he would not have asked for a confession from Jesus if he was the Christ, but because deep down inside, he knew that this Jesus was the Christ, he went back outside and declared there was no fault in this Jesus.39 KJV: But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? Now again, Pilate knows about the customs and traditions of the Jews. No roman officer, or lord of a region would even regard this, but instead, makes mention of Jesus as "King of the Jews" again.40 KJV: Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber. Here is the tricky part. In this verse, you have to understand that when Pilate asked to release Jesus, the "King of the Jews", the people cried out that this man "Jesus" was not the Christ, but instead, was "Barabbas".John 19:1 KJV: Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. Here, it gets interesting. When Pilate was convinced that this Jesus was not the Christ, but Barabbas, Pilate immediately took Jesus and scourged him.2 KJV: And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, Now keep in mind what they soldiers put on Jesus, this purple robe.5 KJV: Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! Now, you see the change of title. Pilate then being convinced that this was not the Christ, he proclaimed... "Behold the man!" Previously before, Pilate always proclamed the title "King of the Jews".7 KJV: The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. Now, here is where it changes again, as the crowd finally chants that this Jesus made himself the "Son of God".8 KJV: When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid; With that statement, Pilate became afraid, because knowing that, Pilate has just scourged the "Son of God", or the "King of the Jews".9 KJV: And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. Now, Pilate, being afraid and even more scared, tries again to get a confession if this Jesus was indeed the "King of the Jews". If Pilate was just a roman, and not a Jew, then this would not have mattered much to him. 11 KJV: Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. By now, Pilate was convicted of sin, and he knows this.12 KJV: And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: By now, Pilate knows for certain that this Jesus is indeed the Messiah and he tried to do all he can to release him. If Pilate was just a normal roman officer, he would not have troubled himself.14 KJV: And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! Here, after Jesus has confessed what HE must do, how he must die and revealed all the prophecies that must come to pass, Pilate then proclaimed once again... "Behold your King!"19 KJV: And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. Here Pilate inscribed the full title of Jesus. He even wrote it in Hebrew, he being himself a Jew also.23 KJV: Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. Now, noticed the garments that was changed. Earlier, after Jesus was scourged, he was wearing a purple robe, full of blood and stained. But now, you noticed it described this new "Coat" was without seam and woven from top throughout. A VERY expensive robe that Pilate has put on Jesus.24 KJV: They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did. If this was the blood soaked purple robe, the soldiers would not have cared to cast lots for it, or would have wanted it. So that because of Pilate, this scripture was fuifilled.31 KJV: The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. I will leave you with this verse from Timothy:Timothey 6:13 KJV: I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; Remember, that it was Jesus Christ, which confessed who HE was in from of Pilate, so that scriptures would be fulfilled. Otherwise, Pilate, being a Jew and at the same time, KNEW that this Jesus was the Christ, he would have no way have surrendred Jesus to be Crucified. Just my studies, please feel free to ask.God Bless.Tim

 

[Christina]

Pontius Pilate was not a Jew he was a Roman ... He asks the question "Am I a Jew"? Because the things Jesus was accused of were not against his Roman Law..Jesus had broke no Roman laws it was Saducees and the Pharisees the Jewish leadership i.e. religious leaders of the day that wanted this trouble maker Jesus dead ... remember he had tipped over their money tables,healed on the Sabbath he was breaking all their religious traditions.... Pontius Pilate could find no Roman law broken this displeased the Jewish leaders Pontius ask am I a Jew??? meaning he has broken none of my Roman laws its your laws you are complaining that he broke not mine ... Pontius had been warned by his wife dream,he was aware of all the rumors of the miracles this Jesus had performed. , If this was the messiah/king of Jews he didnt want his death on his head. As Jesus stood before this Roman governor, Pilate, His countenance and innocence went to the heart of Pilate, and in John 19 we see that Pilate is still trying to find a way to release of Jesus. Fresh in Pilates mind is the warning from his wife that he was about to judge an innocent man. God gave her that warning in a dream the night before. This is why he was afraid

 

[Christina]

Pontius Pilate.... Biography (36 - )Lat Pontius Pilatus (died 36) Roman prefect of Judaea ( 26–36) who presided at the trial of Jesus and gave the order for his crucifixion. The New Testament represents Pilate as a weak and vacillating man who found no fault with Jesus but ordered his execution to please the mob calling for his death. Known for his severity toward the Jews, he was eventually ordered back to Rome to stand trial for cruelty and oppression. A tradition of uncertain accuracy holds that he killed himself on orders from Caligula in 39; another legend relates that both Pilate and his wife converted to Christianity............................................................another sourceWho was Pontius Pilate?: Pontius Pilate was prefect (not procurator, as some sources say) of Judea during the reign of emperor Tiberius Caesar. He was the fifth Roman appointed to govern Judea and held that office for the second-longest time: 26-36 CE. This was the same time during which John the Baptist and Jesus would have been active. As prefect, he was responsible for Tiberius’ estates, collecting taxes, and maintaining order. His rank was equestrian and thus he was subordinate to the senate legate of Syria.When did Pontius Pilate live?: We know that Pilate was prefect of Judea between 26 and 36 CE. Other than that, though, we have no information about any other dates in his life — including his birth or death. What little information we do have outside the gospels comes from Josephus and Philo. Eusebius, the 4th century church historian, also provides some material but its authenticity can be questioned due to its late dating.Where did Pontius Pilate live?: During his time as prefect of Judea, Pilate’s headquarters were located at Caesaria Maritima on the coast. Where he might have lived before and after this is unknown.What did Pontius Pilate do?: Information about Pilate comes from the writings of Philo Judaeus and Flavius Josephus. Neither has positive things to say about him: he is described as insensitive, cruel, ready to use brutal force to keep order, and incompetent. Because he kept his post for 10 years, it’s unlikely that he was incompetent. Brutality was, however, the norm for people in his position. Pilate was recalled to Rome for brutality, even by Roman standards, when he massacred a group of Samaritans at Mount Gerizim.Why was Pontius Pilate important?: Hardly anyone cares much about what Pontius Pilate actually did in Judea. Today, his importance is tied completely to the gospel stories about Jesus’ trial and crucifixion. Pilate, according to the gospels, was in charge of whether Jesus would be condemned or set free. Some gospel accounts attach more responsibility to Pilate while others depict Pilate as weak and wavering, finally just giving in to the pressure from Jewish authorities. This latter image of Pilate is historically inaccurate and likely exists only because of the need to exonerate Roman authorities in order to avoid further persecutions. Philo’s description of Pilate as “inflexible, merciless, and obstinate” may also be biased, but is likely far closer to the truth. Some later Christian stories even go so far as to depict Pilate as repenting of his actions and converting to Christianity.