Pilate As A Positive Figure In The Bible

For Jefferson, he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. “The defense argued that Jefferson was innocent of all charges except being at the wrong place at the wrong time.” (Gaines, 7). For Jesus, Pontius Pilate asks the crowd he and Jesus were in front of, what they wanted to happen with him. “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.” (Luke 23:22). In a way Pilate seems to be defending Jesus like the defendant in Jefferson’s trial, trying to see what the jury wants to happen, also trying to bail him out; “Though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:9) “But this man has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:41). “The fact that Mr. Gropé shot only Brother and Bear was proof of Jefferson’s innocence.” (Gaines, 7). Both Jesus and Jefferson were recognized as innocent by some and yet still received a death sentence. In the Old Testament, it was prophesized that Jesus would have done nothing wrong but still be convicted, as well as Jefferson was convicted for something he did not do.

Pilate fear that the people would consider him a traitor to Caesar, instead of a friend. Moreover, Pilate could not ignore the charges brought against Jesus. The Jewish council did not only charge him with blasphemy, besides, the political charges brought against him (misleading the people saying that he was Christ, the king). Such charge that was consider treason, Pilate could not ignore. Which lead to Pilate reacting in such manner. However, after finding no fault against Jesus Pilate refused the verdict. Nonetheless, they sought more charges against Jesus. Leaving Pilate with no choice but to hand him over to them.

Pontius Pilate is one of the most scrutinized characters in the bible. He, on one hand, sentenced Jesus to death on the cross and on the other hand, desired not to kill Jesus, washing his hands as a sign of dissociation. So that raises the question, is Pilate a benevolent character because of his faith in Jesus, a negative character because he allowed him to be crucified, or a mixture of the two? Biblical scholars have written numerous essays and articles offering proof on all sides. It is to a point where there seems to be enough evidence for all three opinions to support any of them. However, Christian author and biblical scholar Callie Callon states the claim in her entry into the Biblical Theology Bulletin that “attributing to Matthew a depiction of Pilate that is in any way positive is incongruent with Matthew's historical context, his view of Jewish Law, as well as numerous internal aspects of his gospel.” while tilting the entry Pilate the villain: an alternative reading of Matthew's portrayal of Pilate. In the entry, she gives details of why many authors today claim that Matthew’s depiction of Pilate is unrealistically favorable and that facts of the day show that Pilate was just as villainous as the priests and elders who persecuted Jesus. Callon offers examples of this when highlighting the key differences in Matthew's translation/choice of words compared to the priests and elders’ speech.

Prior to Peter taking reign, the Russian society was in a rough condition. The economy was failing and the country's standing army was extremely weak. Russia was also in the midst of a war against the Ottoman Turkish Empire, with a goal to secure a Russian port on the northern coast of the Black Sea. Peter the Great ruled over Russia from 1682-1752.He tried to form warm water ports so they had the ability to trade in the in the winter. He also tried to improve Russia and modernize the culture. As an effect of these things, Peter the Great had an overall positive impact on Russia during his rule.

On the whole, Julius Caesar was a villain. He proved through his actions, his power, and his fashion that Caesar was only out for himself and was determined to have his name etched in stone. From his purple robes that represented his egotistical views of himself, his scandalous actions and murderous ways, to his image he projected onto his people, there is no doubt that Julius Caesar was never and will never be a

and symbolic role in the novel. To her father, she represents the child who killed her own mother and took away her father's wife. Seeing that Pontius Pilate sentenced Jesus to death, the name Pilate seems to coincide with her father, Macon Dead's, opinion. Ironically, though, Pilate is a good person and is murdered in the end, just as Jesus was by Pontius Pilate. Another important character in the novel who portrays a great deal of

Even though Pilate is seen as very powerful, she cannot always protect everything that is precious to her. She attempts to help Hagar and prevent her from killing Milkman (129). Pilate loves both Hagar and Milkman and tries to protect them both. Despite her efforts Hagar cannot be controlled. She tries numerous times to hurt Milkman and does not stop until her death. Pilate knows that Hagar is slowly hurting herself and can only be stopped by Milkman, but she cannot make Hagar understand (130). Hagar is so demented that she kills herself because of her obsession. In the bible, Pilate is also ambiguous about what to do. He knows that Jesus is innocent, but he also knows that it will bring him trouble if he disobeys the people ( John 19:12).

Pontius Pilate, as Roman Governor, had a position to fulfill to the Roman population along with the Jewish community. During a time of Jewish Passover, along with the chaos Jesus had created, Pilate was under great influence from many outside factors. “The stir created by Jesus' preaching and the size of his following perturbed both the Roman and the Jewish authorities, fearful of any wind that might fan the smoldering discontent in Palestine into a raging flame of revolt.” (Hexter 62) In the Roman trial, Pilate was chosen to judge Jesus on the act of sedition, however counter to Hexter's perspective, repeatedly stated that he saw no case against him. In the Gospel of John, it is apparent that Pilate not only doesn't want to be involved but is puzzled at the situation at hand. “Your own nation and the chief of priests have handed you over to me; what have you done?” (John 18:33) Pilate is attempting to keep order in his city and rather not involve

Pontius Pilate held the power and was obligated to the authority of the position to make the final ruling. We see him exemplifying this power by questioning Jesus and probing for a response multiple times. As his attempts failed, Pontius Pilate begins to questions the crowd, slowly giving this authority to the crowd as the final decision maker. The crowd then seizes the power from Pontius Pilate dictating the course of action to

Pilate’s life as a whole may be a mystery to many, but as seen today there are historical writings that help us understand who Pilate was. Also seen today was the rocky relationship between the Jews and Pilate. This gives un an interesting insight into the crucifixion. We know Pilate tried to please the Jews, and we know that the religious leaders were not fond of him. Next week we will take a look at the crucifixion, and the trial of Jesus. As noted earlier Pilate played a role in this, but how does his role compare to Passover? Next week we will look into that, and I will show that Pilate’s role is an important one.

Like Sixtus, instead of choosing the morally upright decision, Pilate chose the socially and politically convenient choice and gave into the demands of the Jews and his

“This year...the Jews of Lincoln stole a boy called Hugh...they appointed a Jew of Lincoln judge, to take the place of Pilate...the boy was subjected to various tortures. They scourged him till the blood flowed, they crowned him with thorns, mocked him, and spat upon him; each

There are two sides to every story, and sometimes we forget to look at the other side. Before I picked up Pontius Pilate by Paul L. Maier, I can honestly say I didn’t care so much for Pilate. All I remember based on what I was taught was that Pilate didn’t want Christ’s blood on his hands, so he took the easy way out. As sad as it was, that was my only extensive knowledge about who Pilot was, and how he untimely got to that decision to wash his hands clean of the situation.

In Song of Solomon, the use of names throughout the book are used to signify either a person’s role in the story or their background. For Pilate, her name serves as both a contradiction to the origin of her name and a homonym for her actual role in this story. The origin of the name Pilate, “the Christ killer” from the bible comes from a story in which Pilate condemns Jesus to crucifixion and death on the cross and setting Barabbas free as a result of ignoring the public and his conscious. However her name was chosen by her father because of the sound of the name, "hanging in some princely but protective way over a row of smaller trees”, which is the exact opposite biblical connotation of her name, and what the reader sees in scenes such as

In Morrison's story, the name Pilate loses its original meaning of Christ killer and gains the meaning of one who has control of the direction of her life. Pilate is a seeker. She asks, "What do I need to know to stay alive?" and "What is true in the world?" (149). Dominant culture might only need to ask about truth. Minority culture asks about survival. Because of her gift for penetrating to the heart of her own experience, Pilate becomes a person who can guide others.