Pilate: What is truth? in "The Passion of the Christ"

CatholicEducation.org ^ | February 2004 | Our Faith in Action

[Salvation]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Faith in Action. "Pilate: What is truth?The Passion of the Christ." Our Faith in Action (February, 2004).

Our Faith in Action is produced by Current Links in Education.

Resource Links

For biographical information about Pontius Pilate www.newadvent.org/cathen/12083c.htm

Business Ethics magazine's site has numerous articles: www.business-ethics.com/

Loyola Marymount University's Center for Ethics and Business has a wealth of information about business ethics: www.ethicsandbusiness.org/

For the history and text of the Nicene Creed: www.newadvent.org/cathen/11049a.htm

Our Faith in Action Study Guides to The Passion of Christ

Our Faith in Action: About the program
Christ Confronts Evil in The Passion of Christ
Mary Witness to Suffering in The Passion of Christ
Obedience to the Father in The Passion of Christ
What is Truth? The Passion of Christ
Christ's Self-Giving Love in The Passion of Christ

[Salvation]

Good Friday Ping!

[2banana]

Pilate just really didn't care. It was a jewish problem. Let the jews take care of their own.

For Pilate, the ends justify the means. He wants to keep peace, to prevent civil unrest. In his final analysis, the death of an innocent man is an acceptable price to achieve his goal.

[narses]

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[Salvation]

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[mardi59]

Pilate believes Christ is innocent, but still allows him to be tortured and killed. Why didn’t he release him?

**********

Pi;ate didn’t want another jewish uprising. He hated where he had been sent, and didn’t want to deal with jewish complaints or problems. He was trying to make a name for himself in Rome and didn’t want anything atanding in his way.

He had Christ crucified because there was something different about Him, something that frightened him. A proposed King.

I watched a show lastnight that said Pilate was murderous and had crucified so many people that he was recalled to Rome where he committed suicide.

[dr_lew]

Review times in your life when you made a decision just to keep people happy.

Did it work out?

Ask Homer Simpson. I mean, let's be real.

[lightman]

Noteworthy that the blessed Theotokos and Pontius Pilate are the only two human beings named in the Creeds.

[Salvation]

That’s a different spin on things. LOL!

[Timber Rattler]

According to Josephus, in terms of historical context, Pilate was also under suspicion for being involved in some plot against Emperor Tiberius, and the last thing he needed was trouble in Jerusalem from troublemaking Jewish “prophets.” Jesus was the Pharisees’ “problem” anyway, so that’s why he “washed his hands” of it after imposing the crucifixion sentence.

[Biggirl]

Do not forget Piliate’s wife, she had a very, very bad dream about all that was going on.

[Biggirl]

I remember in the movie, “The Passion of the Christ”, Piliate was talking to his wife and in that scene, he told her, that the Roman emperior “warned” him that things did not go well in his governing of the ancient Judea providence the emperior would have him executed for it.

[Biggirl]

I sense though, it was both Piliate he did not care but also living in fear of the Roman emperior. Remember by that time the ancient Roman empire became pretty much a brutal dictatorship.

[Biggirl]

I have seen the movie, “The Passion of the Christ” and also have been watching History channel’s “The Bible” and the lesson was very, very clear, the Roman Empire was very, very brutal and Piliate was sent to Judea to keep the peace in that providence.

[circlecity]

"According to Josephus, in terms of historical context, Pilate was also under suspicion for being involved in some plot against Emperor Tiberius"

Pilate was one of Sejanus' men. Sejanus was the head of the Praetorian Guard under Tiberius Caesar and became Tiberius' right hand man. As Sejanus became more powerful he got very ambitious and had designs to take out Tiberius and become Caesar himself. As part of these plans he began placing people loyal to him in positions of power throughout the empire. Pilate was appointed consul of Judea by Sejanus. Tiberius learned of Sejanus' plans and had him executed. Thus, anyone in the Roman empire who had any connection with Sejanus became very nervous.

[circlecity]

Pilate asked Jesus “What is truth”. Interestingly enough, Jesus has just answered that question to his Apostles hours earlier in the upper room. In his High Priestly Prayer Jesus petitions God concerning his Apostles with the words, “Sanctify them in the truth; you word is truth.” (Jn 17:17) Thus, the answer to Pilate’s question is quite clear. What it truth? - God’s word is truth. The only truth.

[SkyPilot]

Great post. It is true - there is some "Pilate" in all of us - especially withouth the Truth of God to guide us in all of our decisions.

We see the weasels of today, talking about "Gay Marriage."

They are swayed by polls, media questions, and propaganda.

Someone who is firm in the belief that God is real, all Truth comes from God, and the Word of God is Truth will have no problem with the question of homosexuality.

God says homosexuality is wrong, therefore it is.

Gee, how hard was that?

The ultimate problem is that the vast, vast majority of this world rejects God and His authority.

That is why Christ told us the path to Hell is wide.

[Northern Yankee]

I thought Pilate was shown to be more compassionate in Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion of the Christ. I was also struck at how weak and effeminate Herod was portrayed. (Not quite as I pictured him to be in the Gospel readings.)

I always think about Pilate forever wondering whether he should dip his toe into a lake. He wanders around the lake for all eternity, unable to decide whether to go swimming or not.

Someone gave me that image years ago and I always think about it during this time of year.

[Northern Yankee]

Great post. God’s ways are not the ways of man.

[NYer]

I always think about Pilate forever wondering whether he should dip his toe into a lake.

An interesting image. Following a dream, hIs wife cautioned him to "leave this innocent man alone". He did not heed her advice. He handed him over to the executioners and washed his hands of Christ's blood. Interestingly enough, there is a mystery associated with Pilate's own death. Some say he committed suicide, others that he was banished and one theory has him converting to christianity. Pontius Pilate is in fact considered a saint by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

I liked Gibson's portrayal of Pilate.

What is truth?