LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY     The Life and Times of Pontius Pilate       Submitted to Dr. Robert Stacy in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of     NBST 515-B01 New Testament Orientation 1       by     Franklin Mosley March 11, 2018 Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………….……………3 Ruling Families Oligarchy…………………………………………………………………….….3 Military Oligarchy…………………………………………………………………………….…..5 Customs And Codes Of The Roman Government…………………………………………….….5 Primary Source Accounts Of Pontius Pilate………………………………………………………7 Secondary Source Accounts Of Pontius Pilate……………………………………………………9 Civil Uprisings…………………………………………………………………………...11 Methods of Ruling……………………………………………………………………….12 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………… 13 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………..14 Introduction Pontius Pilate is the subject of this biographical paper. Pilate is an infamous figure in history because he was the final authority in the trial of Jesus and the one who condemned Jesus to be crucified. The thesis of this paper is this: Pilate dealt with the arrest, trial, and crucifixion, according to the laws and customs of Rome, he did not yield to pressure, as suggested numerous times, but was calculating in his decision. Primary, secondary, and tertiary evidence will show that the Jewish leadership strategized to convince Pilate to crucify Jesus because he was an enemy of the state, in general, and an enemy of the Emperor in particular. Jewish leadership, such as the high priest Caiaphas, worked with the Roman leadership, in this case Pilate, to maintain order in their region. Mutual involvement of local leaders and Rome appointed leaders was the customary way the Roman government-maintained peace, collected taxes, and enforced Roman law. The high priest Caiaphas owed his position to Rome and clearly had a good working relationship with Pilate; both he and Pilate wanted to keep the peace, particularly in a crowded city at Passover. There was no set legal procedure in the case of a provincial such as Jesus; how Pilate handled the case and what sentence he imposed lay entirely with him as governor. Clearly, Pilate regarded Jesus as a trouble maker, a man with dangerous aspirations, and crucified him under the ironically mocking title “King of the Jews”. Joel B. Green, Dictionary of Jesus and the gospels (Downers Grove (Ill.): InterVarsity Press, 1996). 680. “Roman rule had abolished Jewish death penalties.” R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids): Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2007. 51. Therefore, if Jesus was to be killed, Roman involvement was required. Ruling Families Oligarchy The Roman republic has been called a family oligarchy. This oligarchy would have been made up of wealthy land owners. Even though the government of Rome had offices of magistrates and consuls, it was the senate who, in practice, ruled the government. The senate was made up of about 300 land owners who, in practice, controlled the government. Gerrit Parmele Judd,  A history of civilization. New York: Collier-Macmillan, 1966. 70. In the Roman republic, land gave far more social prestige than any other form of wealth. The effective political direction of Roman affairs rested in a small and wealthy governing class operating through the senate. As the magistrates were unpaid, only the rich could afford to hold office. Despite the broad spread of power theory, the Roman republic was an oligarchy of several landed families. Judd, 70. There is no evidence that Pontius Pilate came from a landed family. He was probably an Italian equestrian (a Roman knight) who rose to prominence through military service. Joel B., Green, et al. Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. IVP Academic, 2013. 680. His tenure in office suggests he was a capable leader who fulfilled his responsibilities for at least a decade. Opinions vary on the quality of Pontius Pilate’s performance as governor of Judea. He is accused of being weak, indecisive, cruel, arrogant, ruthless, anti-Semitic-among a bad lot of governors, according to one interpretation, he was the worst by far, or he is sometime, much less often, regarded more favorably as a firm, energetic, and reasonably able provincial officer. Brian C. McGing, 1991. “Pontius Pilate and the sources.” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 53, no.3:416. The nomen Pontius indicates the stock from which Pilate was descended. It was one of the most famous of Samnite names…. The name is often met with in Rom [sic] history after the Samnites were conquered and absorbed…. The cognomen Pilatus indicates the familia, or branch of the gens Pontius, to which Pilate belonged. It has been derived from pileus, the cap worn by freedmen; this is improbable, as Pilate was of equestrian rank. It has also been derived from pilum, a spear. Probably the name was one that had descended to Pilate from his ancestors and had long lost its meaning. R. Larry Overstreet. 1978. “Roman law and the trial of Christ”. Bibliotheca Sacra 135, no. 540: 324. Military Oligarchy The Roman republic is also called a military oligarchy. Slaves made up a large part of the population of the Roman republic. Often the army was used to control the slave population. “The army made possible the unification of Italy and the later conquests of the known world. In realistic terms, the Roman state was not only an oligarchy of landowners but also a military oligarchy.” Judd, A history of civilization, 70, 71. Pilate was not one of the landed oligarchy, but he was an ambitious member of the military oligarchy. Pilate has become the most famous, or infamous, of them [Judean governors], but was probably neither a monster nor a saint, merely one suspects, a typical Roman officer of the type. He carried out his duty for ten years without spectacular incompetence, but was unable, and at times unwilling, to avoid occasions of serious friction with his subjects. McGing, “Pontius Pilate and the sources.” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 53, no.3:416. Pilate started his governorship on the wrong foot. Pilate was one of the emperor's lieutenants, having been appointed governor of Judaea. He, not more with the object of doing honour to Tiberius than with that of vexing the multitude, dedicated some gilt shields in the palace of Herod, in the holy city; which had no form nor any other forbidden thing represented on them except some necessary inscription, which mentioned these two facts, the name of the person who had placed them there, and the person in whose honour they were so placed there. Philo. Works of Philo. Vol. Book 40. XXXVIII. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. Press, 1988. (299 – 306). Customs and Codes of The Roman Government It was foreign policy for the Roman government to include local government leaders in the enforcement of Roman policy in their native region. If Roman laws were enforced, and taxes were collected and sent to Rome, the local leadership had discretion to rule according to their custom and without excessive interference from the Roman authorities. “One significant exception to this was jurisdiction on matters involving capital punishment which was reserved to the procurator.” R. Larry Overstreet. 1978. “Roman law and the trial of Christ”. Bibliotheca Sacra 135, no. 540: 323-332 Historical records tell us that in his position as procurator of Judea, Pilate was cum potestate which means he had civil, military, and criminal jurisdiction. McCartney Wilson. “Pilate, Pontius,” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 2396. Josephus informs us that Pilate created animosity between himself and the Jews. He gives four examples. The first instance seems to have occurred shortly after arrival, or upon arrival, to Jerusalem with his soldiers. His soldiers carried their standards to within sight of the temple. The Jews considered this idolatry and caused such an uproar that Pilate had the standards returned to Caesarea. Josephus Jewish Antiquities (trans. Louis H. Feldman) 18:3.1, Loeb Classical Library (1963), 42-47; Josephus The Jewish wars (Trans. H. St. J. Thackeray) 2.19.2-3, Loeb Classical Library (1927). Pp. 389-91. The remaining three incidents will be discussed in the “Civil Uprisings” section of this paper. As has been stated, “Roman law allowed the local law of each province to be exercised without much interference. The Romans did, for example, reserve the right to impose capital punishment, as in the case of Christ, but the day to day administration was none of their concern. Overstreet, 325-326. This is not to say that the non-Roman subjects enjoyed any of the rights and privileges of a Roman citizen. “They were not liable to military service, but were subject to supervision, and to the heavy burden of Imperial taxation. In terms of strict Roman law, they were rightless and dutiless, existing as objects and not subjects of law. Francis Lyall, “Roman Law in the writings of Paul-Aliens and Citizens,” The Evangelical Quarterly 48 (January-March1976):12. It has been argued that Pilate’s actions against Christ were illegal. Overstreet points out that “…when it is remembered that under Roman law a non-citizen, such as Christ, had no legal rights to begin with, then Pilate could not have acted illegally.” Overstreet, 330. Primary Source Accounts of Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate is mentioned fifty-five times in fifty-three verses in the New Testament. He is not mentioned in a particularly favorable or unfavorable light in any of the verses. “Extra-biblical testimony about Pilate’s personality and behavior does not flatter him. He receives low marks for his sensitivity to the Jews and his meting out of justice and seems simultaneously despotic and insecure.” Craig L. Blomberg, New American Commentary, Matthew. Broadman Press, 1992. 406. Pilate left a history of poor dealings with the Jews. As has been mentioned, he began his time in office by infuriating the Jews of Jerusalem by allowing his soldiers to display shields bearing inscriptions within sight of the Temple. When some Galilean Jews were offering sacrifices, Pilate had them killed (Luke 13:1). Luke 13:1. Unless otherwise noted all scripture is taken from The New American Standard Bible. In yet another incident which outraged the Jews, Pilate used funds from the Temple treasury to pay for the construction of an aqueduct. According to Flavius Josephus, the Jewish population was so furious that they held a mass demonstration protesting Pilate’s use of the Temple funds. Pilate, however, was aware of their plans and had already dispatched some of his troops, in Jewish disguise, into the crowd with the instructions that they were not to draw their swords but club any protesting near them. Josephus claims that many Jews were killed in the riot. Flavius Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, 18:60-62. Messner points out that Pilate had a history of giving in to the Jews. Brian E. Messner, “Pontius Pilate and the trial of Jesus: the crowd,” Stone-Campbell Journal 3 (2000): 195-209. The Samaritans suffered at the hand of Pilate, also. When Pilate learned of a great gathering of Samaritans at Mount Gerizim to follow a prophet up the mountain to find the hidden vessels where it was alleged Moses had buried them Pilate once again dispatched troops. So many were killed, and with such savagery, that the Samaritans appealed to Vitellius, governor of Syria. According to Josephus, Vitellius sent Marcellus to take charge of Judea and then sent Pilate to Rome to answer to the Emperor for his actions. Josephus, 18:85-89. Keeping in mind that Pilate held his office for a full decade these four incidents do not prove unequivocally that Pilate was easily dissuaded by popular pressure. During Pilate’s interrogation of Jesus, it is revealed that Pilate’s primary concern was to stamp out sedition and treason. It is also clear that he was concerned about placating the Jewish leaders. Pilate asks if Jesus is indeed the King of the Jews. Jesus, twists Pilate’s words a little and answers, “you are saying it” (Matthew 27:11). Blomberg points out that Jesus’ reply was sy legeis. According to Blomberg Jesus’ reply should be interpreted precisely as “Your words, not mine.” All three synoptics agree exactly on Jesus’ response of, “Yes, it is as you say.” Yes, Jesus is the king of the Jews, but not in the way Pilate fears (John 18:36-37). Craig Blomberg, New American Commentary Volume 22 - Matthew. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 1992. Accessed March 1, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central. The Sanhedrin’s investigation was a criminal investigation. Pilate was concerned only with definite accusations. Pilate must have, on the previous evening, given consent to the employment of the Roman guards which affected the arrest of Jesus. Out of all of what the Sanhedrin said, Pilate paused only on Jesus’ claim to be king of the Jews.” Alfred Edersheim. The life and times of Jesus the Messiah. McClean, VA: MacDonald Publishing Company, 1990. 569. The Jewish leaders did everything they could think of to insure the outcome they desired. They wanted the issue of whether Jesus was the Messiah settled and dead with Him in the tomb. They entreated Pilate to post a guard at the tomb. They didn’t want any doubt that Jesus was dead. Matthew 27:62-65 gives an account of them asking Pilate to supply a guard and Pilate’s consent to do so. “Though there may be no irony in the speech it evidently insinuated that if the event should be contrary to their wish, it would not be for want of sufficient human appliances to prevent it.” George A. Barton,. A critical and evangelical commentary. Vol. 7. Gospels. 1908. What they had hoped for did not come to pass. What they dreaded did. Matthew 28:11-15 relates how they discovered the empty tomb and then relates their plans for a coverup. The coverup included large sums of money given to soldiers for what today would be called hush money. Barton points out in verse Mt. 28:14 that Pilate may have been open to bribery as well. Barton points us to Acts 24:26 to show that bribery of officials was not an alien practice. Secondary Source Accounts of Pontius Pilate According to Lenski, the reason Matthew included the report of Sanhedrin’s planning was to point out that their scheme included delaying the arrest and execution of Jesus until after the festival. R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Matthew's Gospel. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1964. 1003. Marshall points out that the Sanhedrin had been in session through the night. “By early morning they have not only convinced themselves that, by his own confession, Jesus has shown himself worthy of death, but they have also worked out a strategy for achieving this end.” Ian H. Marshall, The New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1979. Success of their strategy relied upon Pilate’s willingness to execute Jesus. Pilate’s willingness to execute Jesus rested upon the fact that it would be necessary to his mission in Judea which was to keep the peace, collect taxes, and enforce Roman law. To help make their case so that Pilate would have to take it seriously, the Jewish leaders combined three charges into one. Hendriksen makes this argument. The Sanhedrin had accused Jesus of blasphemy but the charge they press to Pilate is treason and sedition. “Connecting the three parts of the charge against Jesus their charge would likely read: We have found Jesus to be a man who has been misleading our nation by forbidding people to pay taxes to Caesar and by claiming that he himself is the Messiah, and, as such, a king.” William Hendriksen, New Testament commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1954). 1009 In spite of the scheming of the Sanhedrin, Pilate was well aware of their real motive. Their real motive was envy (Matthew 27:18). Rice lays out a good linear order for all the events of Jesus’ trial. In it Pilate is shown to be methodical and thorough. Jews bind Jesus and bring him before Pilate. Pilate asks what accusations they bring (John 18:29,30). Pilate orders them to take Jesus and judge him, but they say they have not the power (John 18:31). The Jews charge Jesus with treason for claiming to be a king (Luke 23:2). Pilate asks Jesus, “Art thou a king”? Jesus explains his kingdom, and Pilate declares him guiltless (John 18:32-38. The priests vehemently continue their charges. Pilate wonders at the silence of Jesus. They add the charge of sedition, and again Pilate declares Jesus without fault (Luke 2:4-5). Pilate sends Jesus to Herod (Luke 23:6-12). Pilate declares Jesus innocent (Luke 23:13-16). Pilate seeks to release Jesus (Matthew 27:13-18). Pilate’s wife warns him about Jesus (Matthew 27:19). The priests and people ask for the release of Barabbas. The people cry out, crucify Jesus! Pilate washes his hands (Matthew 27:24-25). Barabbas released. Jesus scourged. Jesus crowned with thorns and mocked by soldiers (Matthew 27:29-30). Pilate shows Jesus to the people, “Ecce homo” Behold the man! Pilate questions Jesus as to his origin; yields to the public clamor and delivers him to be crucified (John 19:4-6). Jesus is lead away to be crucified (Matthew 27:31-32). Edwin Wilbur Rice, Commentary on the Gospel according to Matthew: containing the Common Version, 1611, and the Revised Version, 1881 (American readings and renderings): with critical, exegetical and applicative notes and illustrations drawn from life and thought in the East (Philadelphia: The Union Press, 1122 Chestnut Street, 1900). 285-286 Civil Uprisings Civil uprisings were well known in the region which Pilate governed. A few decades before Pilate arrived on the scene the slave/gladiator Spartacus made history by leading a slave revolt. Though the revolt lasted a few years in the end it was unsuccessful. “After two years the revolt was suppressed, and six thousand slaves were crucified along Rome’s celebrated thoroughfare, the Appian Way”. Gerrit Parmele Judd, A history of civilization. New York: Collier-Macmillan, 1966. 70 Shortly after Jesus was crucified, in the very early days of the Church, two revolts are mentioned. Acts 5:36 mentions Theudas, who had four hundred men rally to his call, was killed and all his followers dispersed. Acts 5:37 mentions Judas the Galilean, who likewise was killed after leading men in revolt. “Judea was a particularly difficult province to govern, and Pilate did as well as might be reasonably have been expected of the kind of low-ranking officials who were appointed to govern lessor provinces.” Ian H Marshall, The New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1979. “The first century A. D. was one of the most violent epochs of Jewish history, with the cauldron of unrest reaching its apex in the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A. D. 70.” Joel B. Green, Jeannine K. Brown, and Nicholas Perrin, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2013). 789 Although this uprising did not seek to overthrow the Roman government, the Sicarii was a movement which caused much turmoil. Josephus describes them: When the country was purged of these, there sprang up another type of robbers in Jerusalem, which were called Sicarii, who killed even in the day time, and in the midst of the city. This they did chiefly at festivals, when they mingled themselves among the multitude, and concealed daggers under their garments, with which they stabbed those that were their enemies: and when they fell down dead, the murders became a part of those who had indignation against them. Flavius Josephus, The works of Josephus: complete and unabridged in one volume (Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson Publishers, 1987) Antiquities 20.185 Methods of Ruling It has been shown that punishments for illegal activities against Rome were harsh. Scourging and beatings were common place. It has also been shown that crucifixions were a common form of execution. These methods address enforcement of the law. However, as Judd has pointed out, cooperation between local leaders and Roman government officials was also a preferred form of government. The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem had vested interest in cooperating with Pilate or any other Roman leader. Likewise, the Roman leaders found it expediate to use local leaders in keeping the peace and collecting the Imperial taxes. Pilate and a small number of Roman troops visited Jerusalem during the festival days in an attempt to keep the peace. As long as Roman law was kept, as long as the peace held, and as long as the taxes were collected Pilate would not have concerned himself with the smaller matters of government. The goal of keeping the peace was one which the Sanhedrin was well aware. Therefore, they wanted Pilate to realize that peace could only be maintained if Pilate granted their request to crucify Jesus. Conclusion There was a reason Pontius Pilate remained in office much longer than most who had ruled before or after him. The fact that within his ten years in office he had four major incidents involving the Jews is not extraordinary. From the viewpoint of a resume’ Pilate’s would not have looked remarkable. As Marshall points out, “Pilate governed as well as could be reasonably expected….” Ian H. Marshall, The New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1979. The thesis of these paper is that Pilate dealt with the arrest, trial, and crucifixion, according to the laws and customs of Rome. He did not yield to pressure, as suggested numerous times, but was calculating in his decision. This is not to say that he was unaware of the pressure of the Sanhedrin, nor to say that he was above reproach in the trial and sentencing of Jesus. In such an area as Judea harsh measures were sometime demanded in order to fulfill his responsibilities. He shows evidence that he was an astute politician even if not a shrewd diplomate. Bibliography Blomberg, Craig L. New American Commentary, Matthew. Broadman Press, 1992. Brian C. McGing, 1991. “Pontius Pilate and the sources.” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 53, no.3:416. Edersheim, Alfred. The life and times of Jesus the Messiah. McClean, VA: MacDonald Publishing Company, 1990. France, R. T. The Gospel according to Matthew: an introduction and commentary. Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2008. Josephus Jewish Antiquities (trans. Louis H. Feldman) 18:3.1, Loeb Classical Library (1963), pp 42-47; Josephus The Jewish wars (Trans. H. St. J. Thackeray) 2.19.2-3, Loeb Classical Library (1927). Judd, Gerrit Parmele, A history of civilization. New York: Collier-Macmillan, 1966. Lyall, Francis. “Roman Law in the writings of Paul-Aliens and Citizens,” The Evangelical Quarterly 48 (January-March1976): Green, Joel B., et al. Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. IVP Academic, 2013. McCartney Wilson. “Pilate, Pontius,” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Messner, Brian E. “Pontius Pilate and the trial of Jesus: the crowd,” Stone-Campbell Journal 3 (2000): Overstreet, R. Larry. 1978. “Roman law and the trial of Christ”. Bibliotheca Sacra 135, no. 540: 324. Philo. Works of Philo. Vol. Book 40. XXXVIII. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. Press, 1988. Rice, Edwin Wilbur. Commentary on the Gospel according to Matthew: containing the Common Version, 1611, and the Revised Version, 1881 (American readings and renderings): with critical, exegetical and applicative notes and illustrations drawn from life and thought in the East (Philadelphia: The Union Press, 1122 Chestnut Street, 1900). 15