Is Pilate good or bad?

[yablabo]

In the Catholic Church’s creed, it says explicitly that Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate. But in my reading of the gospels, it doesn’t seem that Pilate was really bad. He did ask Jesus “What is truth?” but afterwards it seems that he had come to believe in Jesus as the Son of God as he wrote the inscription King of the Jews and said “I’ve written what I’ve written” to those who disputed it. Also, it seems that Pilate was scared and only let Jesus be crucified when Jesus told him, “you would have no power over me unless it were given you from above and he who delivered me to you has the greater guilt”. Also the gospel account of John clearly says that Pilate was “anxious to set Jesus free”.

I don’t know what the historical Pilate was like but from the gospel readings he doesn’t seem bad at all.

Thoughts?

Pontius Pilate makes explicit the same moral evil present in the abortion industry. It is better that one innocent man die for the sake of another. In the case of Pilate, it is suggested he had Christ crucified to appease the Jews and prevent an insurrection. He KNEW Christ was an innocent man, he even stated he found no cause in Christ…and still, he had Christ scourged and ultimately crucified.

This is not an indifferent or morally neutral action. This shows a HUGE spiritual fault in Pontius Pilate!

– Nicole

 

[patrick457]

He was not a saint. He as a ruthless governor of Judea, where uprisings (talk about today!) were pretty violent. Romans never understood the hebrew monotheistic mentality and the multitude of rules and laws.

The gospels portray Jesus as condemned by the Jews, the Chiefs of them mainly. That gave rise to an anti-semitism which lasted for centuries.

In this context, Pilates is considered to have done what normally the Romans would bo in such a case.The scene of Barrabas, if historical, it is utterly tragic. It poses the question of responsability.

The Creed does not blame Pilates for his crucifixion but puts it into an historical perspective.

Anyhow, he was always considered someone dubious, he was afraid of freeing Jesus and having an uprising on Easter and of condemning him for considering himself the Son of God. Remember that the Romans had 10 thousand gods, so one more one less, he did not see any reason for the condemnation.

I don’t think Pilate executed Jesus so much for charges of blasphemy - he wouldn’t have been too concerned with Judaean religion - but he would get concerned about “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is the Anointed, a king,” (Luke 23:2) which is really tantamount to being a public nuisance and a detriment to the good name of Rome, fomenting a tax rebellion and maiestas or high treason (again cf. Jesus’ preaching the Kingdom of God). The placard which mockingly states Jesus’ crime as being “King of the Judaeans” says as much.

 

[Pfaffenhoffen]

I don’t think Pilate executed Jesus so much for charges of blasphemy - he wouldn’t have been too concerned with Judaean religion - but he would get concerned about “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is the Anointed, a king,” (Luke 23:2) which is really tantamount to being a public nuisance and a detriment to the good name of Rome, fomenting a tax rebellion and maiestas or high treason (again cf. Jesus’ preaching the Kingdom of God). The placard which mockingly states Jesus’ crime as being “King of the Judaeans” says as much.

I do not think so. It appears that the public disturbance of Jesus did not cause him much worry. The gospels portray him as wanting to free him, even after his wife’s counsel.

 

[Pfaffenhoffen]

I venture to raise this question, I wonder what happened to Pilate after the events of the Crucifixion, did he repent? And if he did, then he is most assurdly in heaven or in purgatory. And those who are in heaven are saints. So he could be a saint.

I wonder why history would lose track of Pilate seeing the part he played in the Crucifixion of Christ. I guess it’s an unsolved mystery.

God bless.

It is said that St. Theresa of Avila was told by Crist: “I will not tell you where Judas Iscariot is”. We may reason the same way: where are Hitler, Stalin, Saddham Hussein, Mao Tse Tung, the greatest butchers in Humankind History. Could they be in Heaven?

God Bless You … and Me … and Us …

 

[patrick457]

I do not think so. It appears that the public disturbance of Jesus did not cause him much worry. The gospels portray him as wanting to free him, even after his wife’s counsel.

The question is: why would he argue with the ‘crowd’ (I put that in quotes for reasons I’ll explain later) about whether to release Jesus or not? Sure, it is possible that somehow Pilate became convinced, but I also think that it’s possible, given his track record with the graven images and the aqueduct funds, that he was mostly doing this out of spite for the Jews: he was playing with the priests by deliberately provoking them. Perhaps he knows that something fishy is afoot in all this, and thus attempts to maneuver things so that those who want Jesus dead would have the joke on them. This is where Jesus Barabbas comes in handy: will those present choose a bandit over an itinerant preacher?

Besides, the priests have apparently thought that Jesus was a threat. Unlike in those movies where the Romans patrol the streets and bully the native populace and loot and pillage, the form of government at the time of Jesus was actually an indirect one: Rome mostly left the management of daily affairs in the hands of local magistrates and aristocrats (in Jerusalem, the high priest and his council filled in this position), preferring only to act when things get really nasty. For most of the year the prefect (i.e. Pilate) stayed in the capital of Caesarea Maritima with other gentiles; he only visited key areas such as Jerusalem during pilgrimage seasons to keep an eye for potential unrest. Even then the high priest had the duty of protecting the peace for the prefect, since that was the responsibility of all leading citizens.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Ethiopian Christians venerate Pilate as a saint along with his wife (perhaps based on the more sympathetic portrayal of him in the apocryphal gospel Acts of Pilate), but they’re pretty much unique in this. The West has had a less favorable view of Pilate, as a look through various legends concerning his fate show.

The reason for this was because they believe Pilate converted and was martyred for refusing to keep the events surrounding Christ a secret. As the story goes, he was called back to Rome to give an account on what took place. After Rome heard what he said, he was asked to never speak of it again, which he refused to do

His wife was believed to had become a disciple of Christ after the events of the crucifixion. She even left Pilate after he refused to convert with her. But after his eventual conversion and martyrdom, she died of ecstasy upon receiving a vision of Pilate going to heaven for his martyrdom.

 

[patrick457]

The reason for this was because they believe Pilate converted and was martyred for refusing to keep the events surrounding Christ a secret. As the story goes, he was called back to Rome to give an account on what took place. After Rome heard what he said, he was asked to never speak of it again, which he refused to do

His wife was believed to had become a disciple of Christ after the events of the crucifixion. She even left Pilate after he refused to convert with her. But after his eventual conversion and martyrdom, she died of ecstasy upon receiving a vision of Pilate going to heaven for his martyrdom.

We can compare this to the account found in Eusebius (Church History 2.2.7):

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 [Caligula], 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.

 

[patrick457]

A late apocryphal work known as the Mors Pilati (Death of Pilate) develops the suicide legend further:

Volusianus therefore came with Veronica to Rome, and said to Tiberius the emperor: “Jesus, whom you have been longing for, Pilate and the Jews have delivered to an unjust death, and have through envy affixed to the gibbet of the cross. There has therefore come with me a certain matron, bringing a picture ofJesus himself; and if you will devoutly look upon it, you shall immediately obtain the benefit of your health.” Caesar therefore ordered the way to be strewn with silk cloths, and the picture to be presented to him; and as soon as he had looked upon it, he regained his former health.
Pontius Pilate, therefore, by the command of Caesar, is taken and brought through to Rome. Caesar, hearing that Pilate had arrived at Rome, was filled with exceeding fury against him, and caused him to be brought to him. But Pilate brought down with him the seamless tunic of Jesus; and he wore it on him in presence of the emperor. And as soon as the emperor saw him, he laid aside all his anger, and immediately rose up to meet him. Nor was he able to speak harshly to him in anything; and he who seemed so terrible and fierce in his absence, now in his presence is somehow found to be mild. And when he had sent him away, immediately he blazed out against him terribly, crying out that he was a wretch, inasmuch as he had not at all shown him the fury of his heart. And immediately he made him be called back, swearing and declaring it was infamous that he should live upon the earth. And as soon as he saw him, he immediately saluted him, and threw away all the ferocity of his mind. All wondered; and he himself wondered that he should thus blaze out against Pilate when he was absent, and that while he was present he could say nothing to him roughly. Then, by a divine impulse, or perhaps by the advice of some Christian, he caused him to be stripped of that tunic, and immediately resumed against him his former ferocity of mind. And when at this the emperor wondered very much, it was told him that that tunic had belonged to the Lord Jesus. Then the emperor ordered him to be kept in prison, until he should deliberate in a council of the wise men what ought to be done with him. And a few days after, sentence was therefore passed upon Pilate, that he should be condemned to the most disgraceful death. Pilate, hearing this, killed himself with his own knife, and by such a death ended his life.
When Caesar knew of the death of Pilate, he said: “Truly he has died by a most disgraceful death, whom his own hand has not spared.” He is therefore bound to a great mass, and sunk into the river Tiber. But malignant and filthy spirits in his malignant and filthy body, all rejoicing together, kept moving themselves in the waters, and in a terrible manner brought lightnings and tempests, thunders and hail-storms in the air, so that all men were kept in horrible fear. Wherefore the Romans, drawing him out of the river Tiber, in derision carried him down to Vienna, and sunk him in the river Rhone. For Vienna is called, as it were, Via Gehenna, the way of Gehenna, because it was then a place of cursing. But there evil spirits were present, working the same things in the same place. Those men therefore, not enduring such a visitation of demons, removed from themselves that vessel of malediction, and sent him to be buried in the territory of Losania. And they, seeing that they were troubled by from themselves, and sunk him in a certain pit surrounded by mountains, where to this day, according to the account of some, certain diabolical machinations are said to bubble up.

 

[patrick457]

Yet another slightly earlier work known as the Giving Up of Pontius Pilate meanwhile relates:

And on the following day, the Caesar, sitting in the Capitol with all the senate, tried again to question Pilate. And the Caesar says: “Tell the truth, O most impious, because through your impious action which you have perpetrated against Jesus, even here the doing of your wicked deeds has been shown by the gods having been cast down. Say, then, who is he that has been crucified; because even his name has destroyed all the gods?” Pilate said: “And indeed the records of him are true; for assuredly I myself was persuaded from his works that he was greater than all the gods whom we worship.” And the Caesar said: “For what reason, then, did you bring against him such audacity and such doings, if you were not ignorant of him, and altogether devising mischief against my kingdom?” Pilate said: “On account of the wickedness and rebellion of the lawless and ungodly Jews, I did this.” And the Caesar, being filled with rage, held a council with all his senate and his power, and ordered a decree to be written against the Jews as follows: To Licianus, the governor of the chief places of the East, greeting. The reckless deed which has been done at the present time by the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the cities of the Jews round about, and their wicked action, has come to my knowledge, that they have forced Pilate to crucify a certain god named Jesus, and on account of this great fault of theirs the world has been darkened and dragged to destruction. Go to them speedily, with a multitude of soldiers, and make them prisoners, in accordance with this decree. Be obedient, and take action against them, and scatter them, and make them slaves among all the nations; and having driven them out of the whole of Judaea, make them the smallest of nations, so that it may not any longer be seen at all, because they are full of wickedness."And this decree having come into the region of the East, Licianus, obeying from fear of the decree, seized all the nation of the Jews; and those that were left in Judaea he scattered among the nations, and sold for slaves: so that it was known to the Caesar that these things had been done by Licianus against the Jews in the region of the East; and it pleased him.
And again the Caesar set himself to question Pilate; and he orders a captain named Albius to cut off Pilate’s head, saying: “Just as he laid hands upon the just man named Christ, in like manner also shall he fall, and not find safety.”
And Pilate, going away to the place, prayed in silence, saying: “Lord, do not destroy me along with the wicked Hebrews, because I would not have laid hands upon Thee, except for the nation of the lawless Jews, because they were exciting rebellion against me. But Thou knowest that I did it in ignorance. Do not then destroy me for this my sin; but remember not evil against me, O Lord, and against Thy servant Procla, who is standing with me in this the hour of my death, whom Thou didst appoint to prophesy that Thou shouldest be nailed to the cross. Do not condemn her also in my sin; but pardon us, and make us to be numbered in the portion of Thy righteous.”
And, behold, when Pilate had finished his prayer, there came a voice out of the heaven, saying: “All the generations and families of the nations shall count thee blessed, because under thee have been fulfilled all those things said about me by the prophets; and thou thyself shall be seen as my witness at my second appearing, when I shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel, and those that have not owned my name.” And the prefect struck off the head of Pilate; and, behold, an angel of the Lord received it. And his wife Procla, seeing the angel coming and receiving his head, being filled with joy herself also, immediately gave up the ghost, and was buried along with her husband.

 

[Carolus_Martell]

Pilate’s neither good or bad, he just represents the law of the land.

The great thinkers of the Temple conspired to put Jesus in front of Pilate knowing full well what would happen.

 

[Benadam]

A previous poster mentioned the reason why Pilate’s role is an important revelation of sin against Jesus, this reason is why he washed his hands. In pilate’s judgement Jesus was innocent. This is hammered home when this happened.

Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate: Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am the King of the Jews. [22] Pilate answered: What I have written, I have written.

 

[clmowry]

A previous poster mentioned the reason why Pilate’s role is an important revelation of sin against Jesus, this reason is why he washed his hands. In pilate’s judgement Jesus was innocent. This is hammered home when this happened.

He sentenced Jesus to death because it was politically expediant, despite professing his innocence.

Not a good act in my opinion.

Whether “he” was a good man or not, I’ll leave to God.

Chuck