The Bible Book

260

C

onsidering the short length

of each of the four Gospels,

it is remarkable how much

space the authors give to the build-

up to Jesus’s crucifixion, known

as the “passion narrative”—passion

meaning suffering. While the

Gospels (which differ in the level

of detail but largely correspond)

are the accounts of the event drawn

on by Christians, various historical

sources also mention Christ’s trial

and crucifixion, including Annals

by the Roman historian Tacitus

(56–120 ce) and Flavius Josephus’s

Antiquities of the Jews of c. 94 ce.

In the eyes of the Sanhedrin, the

Jewish court that first tries Jesus,

He is guilty of blasphemy, for which

the penalty is death. However, they

cannot enforce this: under the rules

of the Roman occupation, they do

not have the authority to execute

anyone, so, early in the morning,

after Jesus’s arrest and trial, they

take Him to the palace of Pontius

Pilate, the Roman governor, which

is situated beside the Temple in

the Antonia Fortress. As it is the

Passover festival, the Jewish

leaders are careful not to set foot

inside Pontius Pilate’s residence

THE CRUCIFIXION

In Hieronymous Bosch’s Mocking

of Christ (c.1500), the gauntlet of the

man crowning Him with thorns and the

spiked collar worn by the figure on the

right symbolize the mockers’ brutality.

IN BRIEF

PA S SAGE

Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke

23; John 18:28–19:42

THEME

Jesus dies for the

sins of many

SETTING

c. 29 ce The Antonia Fortress,

Herod’s Palace, and Golgotha,

in Jerusalem.

KEY FIGURES

Jesus The Messiah and Son

of God, accused of blasphemy

and treason.

Pontius Pilate Roman

governor who tries Jesus.

Herod Antipas Son of Herod

the Great, who rules the

regions of Galilee and Perea

as client king for the Romans.

Joseph of Arimathea

A member of the Jewish ruling

council, the Sanhedrin, who is

sympathetic to Jesus.

themselves, since doing so would

render them unclean and unable

to participate in the religious

ceremonies later that day. Staying

outside the palace, they send Jesus

in with their charges against Him:

“We have found this man subverting

our nation. He opposes payment of

taxes to Caesar and claims to be

Messiah, a king” (Luke 23:2).

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Foreseeing that Pilate would not

consider the charge of blasphemy

to be sufficiently serious to merit

execution, they tell him that Jesus

is a threat to security and guilty of

treason against Caesar. They know

this will force Pilate to take action.

All four Gospels record Pilate

asking Jesus: “Are you the king

of the Jews?” Jesus asserts that

He is, but points out that He is not

the kind of king who will cause a

military threat to Rome. He says,

“My kingdom is not of this world”

(John 18:36). Impressed by the

authenticity of Jesus’s words, Pilate

realizes that Jesus does not pose

a direct threat to Caesar. He then

goes back to the Jewish authorities

and tells them that Jesus is innocent

of the charges they have brought

against Him.

Brought before Herod

Pilate’s verdict is not the one the

Sanhedrin want. They insist

again that Jesus has been inciting

rebellion, beginning in the region

of Galilee and spreading to

Jerusalem itself. In Luke’s Gospel

(23:6), on hearing of Jesus’s link

with Galilee, Pilate sends Him

under guard to Herod Antipas, the

Jewish king appointed by Rome,

who has jurisdiction in the region.

Herod is delighted to see Jesus,

because he has heard the stories

about Him and hopes to see some

of the miracles for which He is

famous. When Jesus simply stands

in silence before Herod, saying

and doing nothing, Herod is

frustrated. He orders his soldiers

to dress Jesus in a royal robe to

mock the claim that He is a king.

After they have had their fun,

Jesus is escorted back to Pilate.

By this time, a crowd has

gathered at the palace. Pilate,

who must now decide Jesus’s fate,

considers a way to let Him go free.

It is his custom during Passover

to release a prisoner (invariably

one of the Jews’ popular leaders)

to please the crowds who arrive

in Jerusalem for the festival. Pilate

says to the crowd, “There is no

basis for your charges against

Jesus. Therefore, I will punish

Him and then release him.” To

his surprise, the crowd cries out,

“Away with this man! Release

Barabbas to us” (Luke 23:18).

Pilate is unable to believe his ❯❯

See also: The Suffering Servant 154–55 ■ The Nature of Faith 236–41 ■ The Last

Supper 248–53 ■ Betrayal in the Garden 254–55 ■ The Empty Tomb 268–71

THE GOSPELS

Pontius Pilate

Appointed by the Emperor

Tiberius, Pontius Pilate was

the prefect (or governor) of

Judea and the neighboring

regions of Samaria and

Idumea from 26 to 36 ce.

He had a residence in the

provincial capital of Caesarea

and the use of the Antonia

Fortress in Jerusalem.

Pilate’s responsibilities

included taxation, public

spending, and law and order.

His relationship with the

Jewish people was fragile,

particularly because he

repeatedly disregarded their

religious and social customs.

He minted coins bearing

pagan religious symbols

and hung worship images

of the emperor in Jerusalem.

In 36 ce, Pilate was

forced back to Rome after

the Samaritans (an offshoot

of Judaism) lodged an official

complaint about him with the

legate (in charge of provincial

governors) in Syria. Pilate

died shortly after his term of

office in Palestine. According

to the Christian bishop and

historian Eusebius of

Caesarea, in Ecclesiastical

History, Pilate killed himself

on the orders of the Emperor

Caligula in 39 ce.

“Don’t you hear the

testimony they are

bringing against you?”

But Jesus made no reply.

Matthew 27:13

You disowned the Holy

and Righteous One and

asked that a murderer

be released to you.

Acts 3:14

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