Rewriting History, Pilate (Part 1)

 

Rewriting History, Pilate (Part 1)

Brett A. Todd

Some would object, yet it is true that Christians have been rewriting history from the very beginning.  No more is this apparent than when we examine the infamous life of Pontius Pilate, (Mark 15:1-47) in ancient Christian literature. 

As most readers know, Pilate is the one who condemned Jesus to a violent death on the cross.  But what happened to Pilate after Jesus' crucifixion?  Though the Bible is silent on this matter, there are an array of ancient Christian literary attempts to put Jesus and his Christian followers in a more favorable light. 

Several of these ancient stories are forgeries and some of them even claimed that it wasn’t Pilate who crucified Jesus but Herod Antipas, the 1st-century ruler of Galilee (Gospel of Peter).  Others claimed Pilate caved into the demands of the Jews and was forced to crucify Jesus and thus innocent (Gospel of Nicodemus).  Still, others claimed Pilate became a faithful Christian (Book of the Cock) and in the Paradosis Pilati (Pilate cycle), though Pilate and his wife are condemned to death, they are forgiven.  Later in the Abyssinian Church, Pilate becomes a Saint.

One example of these forged letters is found in a manuscript dated around the 10th or 11th century.  Allegedly, Tiberius Caesar Augustus, who was the Emperor of Rome wrote a letter scolding Pontius Pilate for condemning Jesus to crucifixion on a cross.   But remember, this is a forged letter, Tiberius did not write it.  

Perhaps the word “scolding” is weak because not only did Tiberius demand justice by calling for the death of the entire Jewish race, but he also called for the execution of Pilate.  “Because you condemned Jesus of Nazareth to a violent death that was completely unjust, and before condemning him to death you handed him over to the insatiably furious Jews…I in turn will deliver you to death justly.”  (The Apocryphal Gospels, Ehrman,  and Pleŝe).  

Call to mind that none of these things are recorded in the Bible, this is made-up history.  The Forger wanted his readers to know that Jesus was innocent and that Emperor Tiberius had become the avenging hand of God by killing the real culprits, Pilate, and the Jews.  Did Tiberius know who Jesus was and that he was crucified?  Did Tiberius slaughter the whole Jewish race?  No.  Did he execute Pilate?  No, more than likely, Pilate retired to Rome with a great pension.

How about the Bible, are there any false narratives about Pilate? Did Pilate really wash his hands and say, Matthew 27:24, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.”  We will talk about this in our next study.