Pontius Pilate

Pontius Pilate ()

The Synoptic Gospels and John then state that it had been a tradition of the Jews to release a prisoner at the time of the Passover. Pilate offers them the choice of an insurrectionist named Barabbas or Jesus, somewhat confusing because Barabbas had the full name Jesus Barabbas, and "Barabbas" ("bar-Abbas") means "Son of the Father", so the crowd had been given the choice of "Jesus Son of the Father" or "Jesus".

*Retired California politician James R. Mills wrote a novel titled "Gospel According to Pontius Pilate" in 1978. Pilate is described as a routine, cynical politician whose primary concern is to keep the local population content and maintain social order, rather than particular sense of rightness.

*In the rock opera "Jesus Christ Superstar", in the song "Trial Before Pilate", a sympathetic Pilate pleads with Jesus to speak to him, saying that he believes the accused has "done no wrong" but "ought to be locked up" for insanity. Receiving no answer from the silent Jesus, Pilate eventually grows exasperated and tells him, "Die if you want to, you misguided martyr."

* The Collection of Short Stories 'The Night Chicago Died' by Tom Wessex contains a Pilate story, entitled 'An Afternoon on Skull Hill', in which the author supposes that Gestas, one of the thieves crucified with Christ was in fact Pilate's illegitimate son.

References

The references to Pilate, outside the New Testament:
*Josephus, "Antiquities of the Jews" 18.35, 55-64, 85-89, 177; "The Wars of the Jews" 2.169-177;
*Philo, "Legatio ad Gaium" ("Embassy to Gaius") 38;
*Tacitus, "Annals" 15.44.

External links

* [http://www.bible-history.com/empires/pilate.html Pilate in history; the Tiberieum dedication block]
* [http://www.usd.edu/erp/Palestine/administ.htm The Administrative and Military Organization of Roman-occupied Palestine]
* [http://www.livius.org/pi-pm/pilate/pilate01.htm Pontius Pilate] Texts and Jona Lendering's discussion of all sources
* [http://virtualreligion.net/iho/pilate.html fresh translation] of texts and [http://virtualreligion.net/iho/pilate_2.html analysis] of evidence by Mahlon H. Smith
* [http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=312&letter=P&search=Pilate Jewish Encyclopedia: Pilate, Pontius]
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12083c.htm Catholic Encyclopedia (1911): Pontius Pilate]
* [http://www.1911ency.org/P/PI/PILATE_PONTIUS.htm "Encyclopaedia Britannica" 1911:] "Pontius pilate"
* [http://www.batz-hausen.de/pilateng.htm The Hausen Legend of Pontius Pilate]
* [http://www.celt.dias.ie/publications/celtica/c23/c23-211.pdf Brian Murdoch, "The "Mors Pilati" in the Cornish "Resurrexio Domini"]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/lent_talks/scripts/douglashurd.html Fictional Memoires of Pontius Pilate - at BBC Radio 4 by Douglas Hurd]
* [http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/ecclesiastical_latin.htm Pronunciation of Ecclesiastical Latin]