Pilate

At one time Romans started to worship Dionysus, the god of the wine, whom the Romans call Bacchus. Mysteries and bacchanals were a part of this worship. Sometimes they got out of hand. In 186 AD these bacchanals were forbidden, and people who went on with them were killed. Maybe this was the first time people were killed for their religion (it was about 20 years before the prosecution of Antiochus Epiphanes).

Persecutions may have happened in the time of Echnaton, but we do not have information about that.

The most important characteristic of the Romans was their discipline. With that they conquered the world. And they were they only people in the world that killed people (gladiators) just for fun. Killing Christians was fun as well, but that was meant as punishment above all.

They too were the only people who thought that their Senate could decide on the deification of persons, especially of emperors. So both Julius Caesar and Augustus were deified by the Senate when they died.

Their children were “Son of God”.

Later emperors did not want to wait that long for their deification.

Because the Romans did not expect much of the hereafter it was very important for them that they would be remembered positively by following generations. Dying dignified was very important for that purpose.

The religious quarrels of the Jews were completely incomprehensible to them.

Pilate was the fifth governor. The first four are not mentioned in the Bible.

Pilate certainly did not understand the Jews. It was intention to become rich, like all governors. However, Pilate was more corrupt and more cruel than any of his predecessors.

He regularly came into conflict with the Jews. An important collision happened in the year 26 AD, just before Jesus started. Flavius Josephus describes it as follows:

On one occasion, when the soldiers under his command came to Jerusalem, he made them bring their ensigns with them, upon which were the usual images of the emperor. The ensigns were brought in secretly by night, but their presence was soon discovered. Immediately multitudes of excited Jews rushed to Caesarea to petition him for the removal of the obnoxious ensigns. He ignored them for five days, but the next day he admitted the Jews to hear their complaint. He had them surrounded with soldiers and threatened them with instant death unless they ceased to trouble him with the matter. The Jews then threw themselves to the ground and bared their necks, declaring that they preferred death to the violation of their laws. Pilate, unwilling to kill so many, succumbed and removed the ensigns.

This history is not mentioned in the Gospels.

In 36 AD there was another incident.

In Samaria a “prophet” had given out that he could discover the sacred vessels, which, as he alleged, had been hidden by Moses on Mount Gerizim. This was of course impossible, for Moses never crossed the Jordan. But a great multitude gathered when the digging started. Pilate that it might become a row, sent soldiers to attack them, and many were killed. The Samaritans appealed to Vitellius, then legate of Syria, who sent him to Rome, to answer their charges, but Tiberius died before Pilate reached Rome.

His successor, Caligula ignored the charges. Pilate was succeeded by one Marcellus, and he by Herod Agrippa, which will be discussed in more detail.