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13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.
1 Samuel 8:7 (KJV)
7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
1 Samuel 10:18-19 (KJV)
18 And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you:
19 And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Pilate’s cruel behavior and disregard for Jewish customs began immediately upon his arrival in Palestine in AD 26. He obtained his position through his mentor Sejanus—who was commander of the Praetorian Guard and known to hate Jews (Philo, On the Embassy to Gaius 159). Pilate first offended the Jews by bringing Roman standards—with images of the emperor—into Jerusalem. Previous prefects had not placed any images in Jerusalem. The Jewish people sent a delegation to Caesarea and pleaded with Pilate for five days to remove the images from the city. On the sixth day, Pilate sent soldiers into the crowd. At his signal, they were to draw their swords and cut the Jews to pieces if they did not allow Caesar’s image. The Jews fell down together and exposed their necks, for they would rather die than transgress their law. Pilate, not desiring a revolution, decided to remove the images from Jerusalem (Josephus, Jewish War 2.9.2–3 §§169–74; Antiquities 18.3.1 §§55–59).
A second conflict occurred after Pilate took funds from the sacred treasury to build aqueducts. When Pilate visited Jerusalem, his actions caused uproar among the Jews. He mixed his own soldiers into the crowd disguised as civilians. At his signal, they beat the protestors with clubs. Many Jews died from the beatings or were trampled by the crowd (Josephus, Jewish War 2.9.4 §175–77; Antiquities 18.3.2 §§60–62).
Philo describes an incident where Pilate, in an attempt to honor the Emperor Tiberius, placed shields bearing the emperor’s name in the former palace of Herod in Jerusalem. By placing the shields in the headquarters of the Roman administration, not the temple, Herod was attempting not to offend the Jews (Bond, Pontius Pilate, 36–48; Thatcher, “Philo on Pilate”, 215–18). However, the leading Jews, along with four of Herod’s sons, requested that Pilate remove the shields. When he refused, they appealed to Emperor Tiberius by letter. Tiberius was infuriated and ordered Pilate to remove the shields and place them at the temple of Augustus at Caesarea. Pilate’s attempt to honor Tiberius caused him to fall into disfavor.
The last recorded conflict resulted in Pilate’s removal from office. When a Samaritan false prophet led his followers to Mount Gerizim, claiming to show them Moses’ sacred vessels, Pilate blocked their route with cavalry and armed men. Some followers were able to flee, but others were killed or taken prisoner. The most prominent men were executed. The Samaritans appealed to Vitellius, the prefect of Syria. Vitellius sent Marcellus to temporarily take over Judaea, and ordered Pilate to stand before the emperor in Rome to answer the accusations of the Jews (Josephus, Antiquities 18.4.1–2 §§85–89). This took place at the end of AD 36—or the beginning of AD 37—and he arrived in Rome after Tiberius’ death. Tiberius died in March of 37, before Pilate arrived. Nothing is recorded of Pilate after his arrival in Rome, but he was likely exiled to France. Eusebius recorded that Pilate committed suicide after the trial of Jesus, though no evidence confirms this (Ecclesiastical History 2.7).
Michael Brandon Massey, “Pontius Pilate,” in The Lexham Bible Dictionary, ed. John D. Barry et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
11 God hath spoken once; Twice have I heard this; That power belongeth unto God.
