Pontius Pilate is one of the central characters in Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita. His name, mentioned in the Bible, is closely related to the last days of the life of Jesus Christ. Pilate, being the Roman governor in Judea, made a decision that became fateful in the short earthly life of a carpenter from Nazareth.
Procurator of Judea
At the beginning of the new era, the Roman government established its direct rule in Judea. The province was headed by a procurator, whom, however, it would be more correct to call the prefect. Researchers have established that the governors of Rome began to be called procurators only in the II century, and before that they were called prefects. This governor had broad powers, although he was subordinate to the proconsul of Syria. Pontius Pilate became the fifth representative of the Roman government to occupy this position by order of the emperor Tiberius.
The name "Pilate" appears to be a nickname frequently used by the Romans. Usually it emphasized some distinctive feature of its owner. There is a version according to which this name comes from the name of a short throwing weapon - a dart, that is, in fact, it means "the one who throws a spear." It is not entirely clear whether the procurator received this nickname for personal military merit or by inheritance.
Sources describe Pilate as a cruel and arrogant ruler who disdained the people of Judea subject to Rome. The procurator more than once insulted the feelings of believers, expressing with disdain and contempt about the religious views of the Jews. Pilate repeatedly misused the temple money, although it was intended for the construction of an aqueduct in Jerusalem. The actions of the procurator more than once led to unrest among the population of Judea.
What is Pontius Pilate famous for?
Pontius Pilate went down in history not because of his successes in governing the remote province of Rome. His name is directly related to the events related to the death of Jesus Christ, a carpenter from Nazareth, whom Christians consider to be God who took on a human form and came into the world to save lost mankind. It was Pilate, at the request of the Jewish high priests, who made a decision that doomed Jesus to grievous torment and death on the cross.
The enemies of Jesus themselves made the decision to take his life, but according to the existing laws they could not carry out the sentence until it was approved by the Roman governor. The authors of the Gospels narrate that the high priests, after the night trial, brought Jesus to the court of Pontius Pilate and insisted that the procurator approve the death sentence by his authority. The fate of Christ was in the hands of the Roman governor.
According to legend, Pilate at first wanted to release Christ, who was suspected of sowing confusion among the Jews, before that he had punished him approximately. But the high priests, who saw in Jesus a direct threat to their rule, insistently demanded that Pilate, endowed with full authority, sentence the preacher to crucifixion. After long doubts, the procurator changed his mind and ordered the execution of Jesus along with two robbers.
