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In the
canonical gospels Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the second century AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message was reported. In this sen ...
, Pilate's court refers to the trial of
Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
in the
praetorium The Latin term ''praetorium'' (also and ) originally identified the tent of a general within a Roman '' castrum'' (encampment), and derived from the title praetor, which identified a Roman magistrate.Smith, William. Dictionary of Greek and Roma ...
before
Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; ) was the Roman administration of Judaea (AD 6–135), fifth governor of the Judaea (Roman province), Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official wh ...
, preceded by the Sanhedrin Trial. In the
Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke is the third of the New Testament's four canonical Gospels. It tells of the origins, Nativity of Jesus, birth, Ministry of Jesus, ministry, Crucifixion of Jesus, death, Resurrection of Jesus, resurrection, and Ascension of ...
, Pilate finds that Jesus, being from
Galilee Galilee (; ; ; ) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon consisting of two parts: the Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and the Lower Galilee (, ; , ). ''Galilee'' encompasses the area north of the Mount Carmel-Mount Gilboa ridge and ...
, belonged to
Herod Antipas Herod Antipas (, ''Hērṓidēs Antípas''; ) was a 1st-century ruler of Galilee and Perea. He bore the title of tetrarch ("ruler of a quarter") and is referred to as both "Herod the Tetrarch" and "King Herod" in the New Testament. He was a s ...
' jurisdiction, and so he decides to send Jesus to Herod. After questioning Jesus and receiving very few replies, Herod sees Jesus as no threat and returns him to Pilate. It was noted that Pilate appears as an advocate pleading Jesus' case rather than as a judge in an official hearing. In the
Gospel of John The Gospel of John () is the fourth of the New Testament's four canonical Gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "Book of Signs, signs" culminating in the raising of Lazarus (foreshadowing the ...
(18:28–19:13), his "to-ing and fro-ing", that is, Pilate's back and forth movement from inside the praetorium to the outside courtyard, indicates his "wavering position".


Background

As prefect of Roman Judea, Pilate was subordinate to the Roman legate in Syria. Pilate resided on the coast at
Caesarea Maritima Caesarea () also Caesarea Maritima, Caesarea Palaestinae or Caesarea Stratonis, was an ancient and medieval port city on the coast of the eastern Mediterranean, and later a small fishing village. It was the capital of Judaea (Roman province), ...
. On those occasions when he had to be in Jerusalem, he used the palace compound built by
Herod the Great Herod I or Herod the Great () was a History of the Jews in the Roman Empire, Roman Jewish client king of the Herodian kingdom of Judea. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea. Among these works are the rebuilding of the ...
as his
praetorium The Latin term ''praetorium'' (also and ) originally identified the tent of a general within a Roman '' castrum'' (encampment), and derived from the title praetor, which identified a Roman magistrate.Smith, William. Dictionary of Greek and Roma ...
or headquarters. The palace was located in the western part of the upper city and served as both a comfortable residence and fortress. Early pilgrims to Jerusalem generally identified the praetorium with the
Antonia Fortress The Antonia Fortress (Aramaic: קצטרא דאנטוניה) was a citadel built by Herod the Great and named for Herod's patron Mark Antony, as a fortress whose chief function was to protect the Second Temple. It was built in Jerusalem at the easte ...
, where the traditional Way of the Cross begins. However, the archaeological evidence, which dates the fortress remnants to the 2nd century CE, as well as the tense situation requiring Pilate to be near the
Second Temple The Second Temple () was the Temple in Jerusalem that replaced Solomon's Temple, which was destroyed during the Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC), Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 587 BCE. It was constructed around 516 BCE and later enhanced by Herod ...
as the center of
Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Biblical Egypt, Egypt. According to the Book of Exodus, God in ...
activity, support the
Herod's Palace Herod’s Palace may refer to any of several palace-fortresses built (or rebuilt from previous fortresses) during the reign of Herod the Great, King of Judea from 37 BC to 4 BC. Mostly in ruins today, several have been excavated. * Herod's Palace ...
location. The
Gospel of Mark The Gospel of Mark is the second of the four canonical Gospels and one of the three synoptic Gospels, synoptic Gospels. It tells of the ministry of Jesus from baptism of Jesus, his baptism by John the Baptist to his death, the Burial of Jesus, ...
uses the word ''aulē'' ("hall", "palace") to identify the praetorium. Fearing defilement, the Sanhedrin elders did not enter the court, and Pilate's discussion with them occurred outside the praetorium.Bromiley, Geoffrey W. (1995), ''International Standard Bible Encyclopedia''. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. vol. K-P. p. 929. Outside the praetorium proper, there was an area called the Pavement. Pilate's judgement seat (), in which he conversed with the elders, was located there.


Gospel narratives


Overview

The trial of Jesus is retold in all four canonical gospels, in Matthew 26:57–27:31, Mark 14:53–15:20, Luke 22:54–23:26, and John 18:13–19:16. The trial can be subdivided into four episodes: #the Sanhedrin trial of Jesus (before
Caiaphas Joseph ben Caiaphas (; c. 14 BC – c. 46 AD) was the High Priest of Israel during the first century. In the New Testament, the Gospels of Gospel of Matthew, Matthew, Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of John, John indicate he was an organizer of ...
or Annas); #the trial of Jesus at Pilate's court (according to Luke also briefly at the court of Herod Antipas); #Pilate's consideration of the crowd's opinion to give
Barabbas According to the New Testament, Barabbas () was a Jewish bandit and rabble-rouser who was imprisoned by the Judaea (Roman province), Roman occupation in Jerusalem, only to be chosen over Jesus by a crowd to be pardoned by Roman governor Pontius ...
amnesty and condemn Jesus to death; and #the abduction of Jesus by Roman soldiers (according to John the chief priests) and the mistreatment and/or mocking of Jesus (according to Luke and John, this happened before Jesus was condemned by Pilate, according to Mark and Matthew not until after his condemnation).
In all four gospels, the Denial of Peter functions as an additional narrative during the Sanhedrin trial, while Matthew adds an addition during the trial before Pilate where the gospel narrates the suicide of
Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot (; ; died AD) was, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. Judas betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane, in exchange for thirty pieces of sil ...
. As the religions professed by the Israelites (
Second Temple Judaism Second Temple Judaism is the Judaism, Jewish religion as it developed during the Second Temple period, which began with the construction of the Second Temple around 516 BCE and ended with the Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE), destruction of Jerusalem in ...
) and the Romans (
Religion in ancient Rome Religion in ancient Rome consisted of varying imperial and provincial religious practices, which were followed both by the Roman people, people of Rome as well as those who were brought under its rule. The Romans thought of themselves as high ...
) were different, and since at the time Jerusalem was part of Roman Judea, the charges of the Sanhedrin against Jesus held no power before Pilate. From the three charges brought by the Pharisees leaders (perverting the nation, forbidding the payment of tribute, and
sedition Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech or organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, establ ...
against the
Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
), Pilate picks up on the third one, asking: "Are you the King of the Jews?". Jesus replies with "You have said so". Then the hearing continues, and Pilate finally asks Jesus " What is truth?". This is said after learning that Jesus did not wish to claim any terrestrial kingdom. He was therefore not a political threat and could be seen as innocent of such a charge. Pilate does not wait for an answer: J. B. Phillips indicates that Pilate "went straight out again", and
Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626) was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England under King James I. Bacon argued for the importance of nat ...
suggested that Pilate was "jesting" when he asked the question. Back outside, Pilate publicly declares that he has found no basis to charge Jesus, asking the crowd if they wanted Jesus freed. They demanded instead the release of
Barabbas According to the New Testament, Barabbas () was a Jewish bandit and rabble-rouser who was imprisoned by the Judaea (Roman province), Roman occupation in Jerusalem, only to be chosen over Jesus by a crowd to be pardoned by Roman governor Pontius ...
and called for Jesus' death. Fearing a revolt, Pilate relents. The universal rule of the Roman Empire limited capital punishment strictly to the tribunal of the Roman governor, and Pilate decided to publicly wash his hands as not being party to Jesus' death. Nevertheless, since only the Roman authority could order
crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Ancient Carthag ...
and since the penalty was carried out by Roman soldiers, Pilate was responsible for Jesus' death, a judgment Reynolds Price describes as an exercise in skillful backwater diplomacy.


Commentary

Philo Philo of Alexandria (; ; ; ), also called , was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, in the Roman province of Egypt. The only event in Philo's life that can be decisively dated is his representation of the Alexandrian J ...
, who held a negative view of Pilate, mentions him ordering executions without trials. Archaeologist Shimon Gibson argues that recent excavations have uncovered a monumental gateway on the western side of Herod's palace (the praetorium) which could be the place where the trial of Jesus took place. He also notes that "these archeological remains fit very well with John's description of the place of Jesus' temporary incarceration and the trial in front of Pilate, and with the two topographical features that are mentioned by him, the ''lithostrotos'' and ''gabbatha''."


Narrative comparison


Chronological comparison


See also

*
Blood curse The term "blood curse" refers to a New Testament passage from the Gospel of Matthew, which describes events taking place in Pilate's court before the crucifixion of Jesus, and specifically the alleged willingness of the Jewish crowd to accept ...
* Chronology of Jesus * '' Ecce homo'' *
Life of Jesus in the New Testament The life of Jesus is primarily outlined in the four canonical gospels, which includes his Genealogy of Jesus, genealogy and Nativity of Jesus, nativity, Ministry of Jesus, public ministry, Passion of Jesus, passion, prophecy, Resurrection of J ...


References

{{Gospel of Luke Jesus and history Crucifixion of Jesus Passion of Jesus Pontius Pilate