Pilate in Biblical History

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Schaff's Bible Dictionary

Definitions in Biblical History
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Who is Pilate?
PI'LATE
, John 19:1, or PON'TIUS PI'LATE, Matt 26:2, was appointed procurator of Judaea, a.d. 29. The proper residence of the procurator was Caesarea, but it was customary for him to go to Jerusalem at the great festivals for the purpose of securing order and safety in the city, and thus it happened that Pilate was present in Jerusalem during the Passover when our Lord suffered death. The chief duty of the procurator respected the revenues, but in a minor territory, such as Judaea, which was dependent on a larger contiguous province (Syria), the procurator was the head of the whole administration, and held the highest military and judicial authority; and thus Pilate became the judge of our Lord. The administration of Pilate was extremely offensive to the Jews, and more than once he drove them to the very verge of insurrection. He seems to have nourished a special contempt for them and taken pleasure in showing it, but when, by cruelty and perfidy, he had brought them into a rage, he generally became frightened and yielded. Having transferred the military headquarters from Caesarea to Jerusalem, he sent the standards with the images of the emperor into the city. As soon as this became known the Jews rushed in great multitudes down to Caesarea, and demanded to have the standards removed, because, as idols, they defiled the Holy City. Pilate permitted the multitude to be surrounded by soldiers, and told them to disperse quietly or else they would be massacred. But when the Jews declared that they would die rather than tolerate the images of the emperor within the walls of Jerusalem, Pilate was frightened and yielded. The principal feature in the character of Pilate was weakness, and it became piteously apparent during the trial of our Lord. When Jesus was arraigned before him he was not only anxious to avoid trying him, but he once and again, in the most solemn and impressive manner, even in presence of his malicious and bloodthirsty persecutors, declared his conviction of his perfect innocence. He even remonstrated with them on the iniquity and unreasonableness of their conduct, and would fain throw upon them the whole responsibility of the deed they were about to perpetrate. Nevertheless, as soon as he saw that the acquittal of Jesus might be so construed as to arouse the suspicion of the emperor, he renounced his own conviction and delivered up the innocent Saviour to the hands of the enraged multitude to be crucified. In 36 the governor of Syria raised some severe accusations against Pilate, who went to Rome to defend himself before the emperor. He did not succeed, however, and was banished to Vienne, in 44 Gaul, and there, or, according to another tradition, on the mountain near Lake Lucerne which bears his name, he committed suicide shortly after. The Fathers speak often about an official report of the trial and condemnation of our Lord sent by Pilate to Tiberius, but the Acta Pilati now extant are spurious.

Bibliography Information
Schaff, Philip, Dr. "Biblical Definition for 'pilate' in Schaffs Bible Dictionary".
bible-history.com - Schaff's

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