The mysterious life of the Roman Governor who ordered the crucifixion of Jesus

Best known as the man who sentenced Jesus to death, Pontius Pilate is also a controversial figure in both the Bible and history.

Pontius Pilate (or Pontius Pilate) was the Roman Governor of Judaea (the land now known as Palestine and Israel), for about 10 years. Best remembered by history for his role in the crucifixion of Jesus (or Jesus), Pilate is also a historical figure shrouded in mystery.

The painting "Ecce Homo" by Antonio Ciseri, recreates the scene before Jesus' crucifixion.

Contradictory historical records and descriptions in the Bible portray Pilate as a cruel tyrant with no regard for the law or the feelings of his subjects, or as an erratic, easily angered leader. . Even the circumstances surrounding his condemnation of Jesus remain mysterious.

Pontius Pilate became Governor of Judaea

Pontius Pilate was the fifth governor of Judaea from 26 AD to 36 AD during the reign of Roman Emperor Tiberius. But there are few historical records of Pilate's life before he became doge.

According to historical documents, some scholars believe that he was born in Italy and came from an equestrian family - part of the Roman nobility.

From there, it is believed that Pilate may have joined the army, partly based on his name. As reported by the Society for Biblical Archeology, the word 'Pilatus' (Greek name for Pilate) means 'armed with a spear', suggesting that Pilate may have served in the military as is a skilled javelin thrower.

'Based on information about other Roman governors and about how the Roman imperial system maintained control, we can reasonably guess that Pilate probably had a military career that "It is very possible that he distinguished himself in some way as an officer," says scholar Warren Carter in his book "Pontius Pilate: Portraits of a Roman Governor." ). 'We can also be quite confident that he belonged to the upper class of Roman society, that his family was very wealthy.'

During his 10 years as Doge, Pilate was in charge of collecting taxes and supervising Judaea's construction projects. However, he is most famous for his role in maintaining law and order in the region.

Although Pontius Pilate held power with a Jewish council, historians say he had a stormy relationship with the people he ruled. According to Flavius ​​Josephus, a first-century Roman-Jewish historian, in his book "The War of the Jews" , Pilate once angered local Jews by ordering the death penalty. Photo of Caesar in Jerusalem.

Josephus wrote that Pilate 'intended to destroy the customs of the Jews by introducing into the city a bust of the emperor Caesar, notwithstanding our laws forbidding the making of such images'.

When the people protested, with five days of rioting, Pilate ordered soldiers to surround the protesters and threatened to kill them if they did not stop protesting. When the Jews said they would rather die than see the law broken, he gave in and had the images of Caesar removed.

Additionally, Josephus wrote that Pilate had once again insulted the Jews by using money from the Jewish Temple to build the aqueduct to Jerusalem. When a crowd gathered to confront Pilate, he had his soldiers brutally beat them until they dispersed, or died.

The Gospel of Luke also recalls an example of Pilate's brutality, stating: 'Some in the crowd told Jesus that Pilate had killed some Jews in Galilee. pears when they offered sacrifices in the temple, mixing their blood with the offerings they offered'.

Clearly, historical records portray Pilate as a harsh and sometimes cruel ruler, willing to use force to force Judaea into submission. But many biblical texts show that Pilate was actually more sympathetic, even though he was the one who sentenced Jesus to death. Some Christian churches even recognize the Roman governor as a saint.

The trial and crucifixion of Jesus

A statue of Pontius Pilate (left) and Jesus in Rome.

According to the Gospels, the Sanhedrin arrested Jesus because they felt threatened by his teachings, claiming that he called himself 'King of the Jews' and this was considered blasphemous. corruption and treason.

Soldiers brought Jesus before Pontius Pilate for trial, but Pilate was reluctant to condemn him. The Gospels also portray Pilate as quite conflicted and indecisive when judging Jesus' fate.

'What do you accuse this man of?' , he asked the Sanhedrin. The Jewish Council replied: 'If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.'

Not seeing any legal basis for sentencing Jesus to death, Pilate sought to delay responsibility, telling the Jewish elders: 'Arrest him and judge him according to your laws. '. But they refused. After all, Pilate was the only one with the authority to order the death penalty, and they wanted Jesus executed.

According to the New Testament, at the insistence of the Jewish elders, Pilate finally gave in to the demands of the Jewish authorities and ordered Jesus to be crucified. It is said that at that time, Pilate literally washed his hands of the Jewish Council, denying his responsibility and blaming the Jews.

Historian Matthew wrote: 'When Pilate saw that he had nothing to gain and caused more chaos, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, then said: "I am innocent of this man's blood; take care of yourself'' .

Pilate is then said to have ordered the inscription 'Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews' on the cross of Jesus. Some people think this was meant to mock Jesus, but others believe that Pilate really meant it and that he actually referred to Jesus as King of the Jews.

The mysterious last years of Pontius Pilate's life

According to "The Letters of Herod and Pilate" - a collection of letters exchanged between Pontius Pilate and King Herod, Pilate is said to have been tormented by guilt after Jesus' crucifixion.

Painting of Pilate attempting to commit suicide after being disgraced.

In one letter, Pilate talks about meeting the resurrected Jesus and repenting for his role in His death. 'As for us, when we saw Him, we all fell down at His feet. And I said loudly, I have sinned. I knew that He was God, the Son of God, and I saw His humanity and not His divinity. But King Herod and the sons of Israel tempted me to do evil for him. Therefore have mercy on me, O Lord of Israel!'

Although many scholars doubt the authenticity of these letters, these texts explore one theory about what happened to the Governor after Jesus' crucifixion: he converted converted to Christianity and became a devout follower of Jesus.

According to other, more reliable historical accounts, Pilate lost his position after he allegedly massacred a group of Samaritans who were trying to ascend a mountain in search of holy relics in the place where they believed Moses ( Jewish leader) was buried there.

Pontius Pilate was taken to Rome to report his actions to the Roman emperor himself.

Historians are uncertain whether he returned safely from Rome. If he had done so, it is likely that the emperor would have dismissed him or he would have retired, because Pilate never returned to rule Judae.

Some sources say that Pontius Pilate converted to Christianity, while others say that his end was darker. Some believe that Roman Emperor Caligula executed Pilate, or that he was exiled and died by suicide.