“Even more subtle, technically, he didn’t condemn Jesus. He said that he could find no fault and washed his hands of the whole matter.”
Not quite right.
Luke 23:23-24, “And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.”
This was one of the flaws of Gibsons' "The Passion of Christ." -- the Jews were all salivating animals while so many of the Roman soldiers were sorrowful and reluctant, as now they tell us Pilate was.
Boo-hoo. More revisionism from the masters of the rewrite.
***“Even more subtle, technically, he didn’t condemn Jesus. He said that he could find no fault and washed his hands of the whole matter.”
Not quite right.
Luke 23:23-24, “And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.”***
In other words, he passed allowed an innocent man to be part of a political ploy.
Luke 23:
20
Again Pilate addressed them, still wishing to release Jesus,
21
but they continued their shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
22
Pilate addressed them a third time, “What evil has this man done? I found him guilty of no capital crime. Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him.”
23
With loud shouts, however, they persisted in calling for his crucifixion, and their voices prevailed.
24
The verdict of Pilate was that their demand should be granted.
25
So he released the man who had been imprisoned for rebellion and murder, for whom they asked, and he handed Jesus over to them to deal with as they wished.
He handed Jesus over to them to deal with as they wished. He washed his hands of the whole matter; he never condemned Jesus.