SOCI ETA S DANICA I NDA GAT ION I S A t\ TIQV 'T AT I S ET ME DII A E V I

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CLASS ICA

ET MEDIAEVA LIA

Danish Journal ofPhilology and f-listory

EDI TE D BY

Tennes Bekker-Nielsen· Marianne Pade

E D IT OR I AL BOAR D

jesper Carlsen · Karsten Friis-jensen

Vincent Gabrielsen· George H inge . BirgeI' Munk Olsen

,uia

VOLUME 61
MUSU;VI TUSCl U '. I. M PRESS

UN I V ERSIT Y O F CO PEN H AGE N

2.010
 THE LEGENDARY FATE

igrllata 257
OF PONTIUS PILATE
By Tibor Gridl

Liber exulis Summary: The extremely complex apocryphal acta Filtti-tradition was comprised of four
.1359-159 2 ) 293 different phases. The first phase is the official record of the imperial magist rate. The second
component of the tradition is definitely pagan in origin and was used in anti-Christian
propaganda. Christian texts which may have arisen in response to the pagan forgeries ca n be
rt considered the third component of the tradition. The Christian texts can be divided into
nd sein two separate branches: the Western textual tradition written in Latin usually demonizes Pi­
337 late, while in the Eastern tradition Pilate's character has totally metamorphosed: the praefec­
tus became a co nfessor, saint, and martyr of the Church.

349

PILATE IN HISTORY

Pontius Pilate was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judea, hold­
ing office from AD 26-37. As prefectus Iudaeae Pilate was in charge of main­
taining law and order in probably the smallest imperial province, overseeing
. legal matters and supervising the collection of taxes. Governors of Judea, as
was customary in a relatively unimportant imperial province, were drawn
from the equestrian order. Despite its small size, the province presented
many difficulties, significant being the fact that it was composed of different
ethnic groups, each with its own religious sensitivities. In order to uphold
law and order, an equestrian governor had only auxiliary troops at his dis­
posal. In Judea these amounted to five infantry cohorts and one cavalry regi­
ment. On the occasions when these auxiliary forces were not able to check
riots and disturbances amongst the people, the prefect would call upon the
Syrian legate to intervene with his legions. A further aspect of the

Tibor Grwl The Legendary Fate of Ponrius Pilate' C:,)k/ 6r (2010) 151-76. © 2O ro Museum Tuscu lanum Press'
www.mtp.dk!classicaetmediaevalia
152 TIBOR GRULL

maintenance of law and order was the prefect's supreme judicial power
within the province. In Judea, the prefect had the authority to try and to
execute provincials and probably also citizens within his area of jurisdiction.
Due to his role in the trial of Jesus, Pilate became the most well known Ro­
man provincial governor ever. 1
Pontius Pilate is, however, one of the New Testament characters about
whom we have several literary descriptions from roughly contemporary non­
biblical sources. 2 Our earliest surviving literary reference to Pontius Pilate is
found in Philo's Embassy to Gaius, which describes how Pilate offended
against the Jewish Law by setting up gilded shields in Jerusalem (Leg. 299­
305).3 In his Jewish war, Josephus relates two incidents involving Pilate: one
describing his introduction of iconic standards into Jerusalem,4 the other his
appropriation of Temple funds to build an aqueduct in the city (Bell. 2.169­
77).5 The Antiquities contains four narratives involving Pilate. The first two a neighbouring pr
- the standards and the aqueduct - were also found in the war (18.55-62). must report to Rom
These are followed by the highly controversial text on Jesus and the Chris­ norY Flavius Joseph
tians (18.63-64, cf. Tac. Ann. 15-44) and an incident involving Samaritans rlTIdyC'w), so it is
which culminated in Pilate's departure to Rome on the orders of Vitellius November roth and
(18.85-88). T hese last events have no parallel in the war. We are also in pos­ clausum), despite th
session of significant archaeological material from Pilate's term as governor. 6
Bronze coins minted during his administration can be dated to three con­ 8

secutive years, i.e. AD 29/30, 30/r and 31h. 7 Perhaps the most dramatic ar­ 9
chaeological evidence concerning Pilate is the stone found in I961 in
Caesarea, on which his name and tide are clearly legible: (Pon}tius Pilatus /
[praefJectus Iuda{ea}e. The first line of the inscription has been, however, the
object of a great deal of debate and speculation. Recently G. Alfbldy has separate province at
Vi[elJius had impml'
[hough [here are op
Smallwood 1954; Schw
1 A highly selective bibliography on [his ropic from [he last six decades: Kilpa[rick 1953; II Flavius Josephus' (ext
Blimler 1959; Winter 1961; Sherwin-White 1965; Bammel 1970; Ca[chpole 1971; Cohn recognized [h e Sam ­
1972; Bauman 1974; Harvey 1976; Be[z 1982; Rivkin 1986; Millar 1990; Brown 1994; Ver­ cal impl ica[ions. For
mes 2005. MacDonald 196~ 361' I
2 Lemonon 1981; McGing 1991; McLaren 1991; Bond 1998.
3 Kraeling 1942; Brandon 1967; Maier 1969; Fuks 1982; Davies 1986. ince a[ once, and Il
4 Ro[h 1956; Bond 2007. momhs', Dio 53.15. 6. er.­
5 Lonnqvist 2000. 13 For the dates see Veg.
6 Evans 2006. from La[in authors ro
7 Bond 1996; Hoffecli[z 2006. cary (esp. 201-3) and co

CLASSICA ET MEDIAEVALIA 61 . 2010 CLASSICA ET MEDIAEVALI

 THE LEGEN DARY FATE OF PONTIUS PILATE 153

d e Arbulo. (eds.) 1999. Guide concluded that the inscription concerns a lighthouse called Tiberieum that
Itona. Pilate restored for the seamen of Caesarea. 8
7tos. Campanas de excavationes Josephus explains that the cause of Pilate's removal from his post, after ten
J.ii.a 65). Madrid.
years as governor, was the massacre at Mount Gerizim.9 The koinon of
I n.
Samaria sent a delegation to Vitelli us, the legatus Syriae, and the Jews joined
i dans'lRS 58, 32-50.
them in complaining against the praeftctus. lO Vitellius was willing to listen
l iterary Study. Oxford.
to the accusations of these undoubtedly influential leaders. He recalled Pilate
(Srudia Patristica XIV). Ber­ immediately and sent him back to Rome to report on his official conduct.
Pilate would probably have arrived in Rome shortly after the death of Ti­
man Empire. London. berius, on 16th March 37- But when might Pilate have started his journey?
1 Study of Treason against the The massacre on Mount Gerizim probably took place in the month of Sep­
.' ~ First Century AD. Munich. tember, on the Samaritans' Day of AtonementY Pilate's successor, Marcel­
.mpetes. La legende de Ponce lus, could have arrived in Judea very soon after his departure, since Syria was
'<IIIe siecle' le monde alpin et a neighbouring province. Moreover, the law required that an ex-governor
must report to Rome within three months after the arrival of a new gover­
TRW II. 2p, 565-647­ nor.12 Flavius Josephus suggests that Pilate 'hurried to Rome' (El<; 'Pwf1llv
r tes ethiopiens derives des r'jncLYE'W), so it is easily conceivable that in the winter months (bet\'veen
/Iilologie et linguistique I, 181­ November 10th and March 10th) he sailed through the 'closed sea' (mare
clausum), despite the fact that the journey would be very risky.13 Pilate had

. : Part of an Attempt to Pro­

8 Alfoldy 1999 (with extensive bibliography); cf. Grull 2001; Alfoldy 2002.
9 Ant. 18+1-2 [85-89]. According co Niese's edition, only one manuscript reads 'Samari­
Empire?' jJS 27, 241-62.

cans' ; the Others, as well as the Epicome and the Latin version read 'Jews'. This textual ver­
.md Interpretation (SNTSMS

sion, however, was rejecred by most scholars, except by Naber (in his edition) and Bran­
don 1968: 528 n. 3.
ins: Jewish Reactions to As­ IO The praeftctus ludaeae was subordjnated co the !egatus Syriae, because Judea was nor yer a

re' in S.c. Barton (ed.) Idola­ separate pcovince at this rime, see Corron 1999. According to Mommsen and Dessau,
m and Christianity. London,
llS 6,7 0 .
2 8.
nchester.
ry and Legend' History To-
he Administration of Justice
Vitdlius had imperillm maius in the East, as earlier Gaius Caesar and Germanicus, al­
though there are opposing views as well, see, e.g., de LaC( 1939; Magie 1950. See also
Smallwood 1954; Schwart2 1992.
II Flavius Josephus' texr does not refer to the direct cause of Pilate's attack. Pilate probably
recognized the Samaritans' gathering at Mount Gerizim as a messianic claim with politi­
cal implications. For this view see, Bowman 1955; Bowman 1958; Bowman 1959: 47;
M:lcDonald 1964: 361; Collins 197Z.
l2 It was Augustus' provision that 'when their successors arrived, they were to leave the prov­
ince at once, and not to delay on the return journey, bur to ger back wirhin three
months', Dio 53.15.6. rransl. by Earnest Cary (Loeb Classical Library).
13 For the dates see Veg. De re mi!. 4.39. De Saint-Denis 1947 supplies numerous references
from Latin aurhors co the sailing season and a review of om-of-season voyages both mili­
tary (esp. 201-3) and commercial (esp. 203-7). Rouge 1952 adds references from the church

S ICA ET MEDIAEVALIA 61 . 2010 CLASSICA ET MEDIAEVALIA 61 . 2010

154 TIBOR GRULL THE L EC

to give his report and defend himself against the accusations of Vitelli us, the found Pilate the arch-crimin
Samaritans, and most probably the Jews, in front of Caligula. 14 But did the Easterners acquitted him of
ex-governor have something to fear? Hardly anything. When the new em­ East paid more respect to CI
peror acceded to the throne he proclaimed general amnesty,I5 and could not for they know not what the}
take Vitelli us' accusations seriously either, of whose successes in the east he - as it is well known - the
was very jealous. Gaius did recall Vitellius from Syria in AD 38/39, and ap­ ers both in the West and rhe
pointed his friend, Marullus, in his place. Historical sources are silent about Saviour. 66 It cannot be said ~
Pilate's fate after his arrival in Rome. There is no literary or epigraphic evi­ son to hate the state power ­
dence concerning his late career or his death. - than their brethren in the
cuted in both parts of the Rc
The aim of this paper is
EARLIEST SOURCES ON PILATE'S FATE apocryphal Pila te tradition v
(CELSUS AND ORIGEN) historical person. We still d,
his return to Rome, nor hm,
Pilate, as one of the few key figures of the New Testament, became a popular just as nothing proves - tha
character in apocryphal literature. Pilate's character could be used as 'authen­ of public office. In that case
tication' in these simple-minded stories filled with countless anachronisms. the former territory of the R.
To a historian, however, neither the pious legends of the church fathers, nor
the apocryphal correspondence, nor the ramose Acta Pilati-literature provide
66 T he best comprehensive mo nO]
valuable information on the fate of the historical Pilate. Except, probably,
67 Barnes 1968; Plescia 1971; P. Ke
one case which can be considered only as an argumentum e silentio.
Celsus, one of the first and severest critics of Christianity, argues in his On
I
fathers. For a useful summary of this queS[ion, see Casson 1971: 270-96. Accordingly I
cannot agree with Maier who says that 'we may reasonably assume that he [i.e. Pilate] was Alfbldy, G. 1973 . FLam ines pr
forced ro rerum via the overland route which led accross Asia Minor and the Via Egnatia
Alfbldy, G . 1975. Die romiscl
[Q Brundisium, because his journey would have been undenaken in (h e middle of mare
Alfbldy, G 1978. RE Suppl. }.
clausum ... Josephus' statemerH that Pilate 'hurried' [Q Rome ... indicate that Pilate did
not wait urHil spring and the time of secura navigatio ... The length of the journey would Alfbldy, G 1991. Tarraco. Tar:
have been approximately 80 days', see Maier 1971: 364. Alfbldy, G . 1999. 'Pontius P
14 Maier is cenainly right in supposing that the Samaritan (and possibly Jewish ) delegation rna' SCI 18, 85-108.
'did not go the expense and inconvenience of making a trip [Q accuse a governor who was Alfbldy, G. 2002. 'Nochmal
already dismissed, the case need not have come [Q a formal hearing or trial before Gaius'
sarea Maritima' SCI 21, 13.
(Maier 19 71: 366) .
15 Criminum, si quae residua ex priore tempore manebant, omnium gratiam fecit, Suet. Gaius
15.2: 'took no cognizance of any charges that remained urHried from an earlier time',
transl. by].C. Rolfe (Loeb Classical Library). According [Q Maier 'it is tempting [Q con­
clude that Pilate would clearly have been included in such a general amnesty' (Maier 1971:
367) ·

CLASSICA ET MEDIAEVALIA 61 . 20ro CLASS[CA ET MEDIAE VA LfA 61 ­


re communicated to the em­
rom the dead of our Saviour
g/; t reflect knowledge of a text
-a Pilati, but to him it seems
dge from Tertullian. (3) T he
ne or more C hristian texts
In forgeries. T hus, the birth of
J with the specific climate of
.h entury. Our proof for the
wry comes from Epiphanius
sect of Q uatordecimans in
. the AP for determining the
TS that date not because the
because, he knows other ver­
i£Ferent date for the Passion .
. the text of the AP appears to
liries. 63 (4) The C hristian AP­
es. T he first is the Western
of these mss. goes as far back
1 h later, and it is also signifi­
nrury bishop of C onstantin­
ide ntified with the AP. 64 The
Ire's character. (5) T he AP did
cld but were translated and
j tian communities .65 In the
character has been totally
le, and martyr of the Church.
n Eastern Pilate-tradition is a
. Besides the numerous possi­
I or ecclesiastical history, the
one thing: that the Western
h rucifixion of the Saviour
hile the Western Christians
SS ICA ET MEDI A EVALIA 61 . 20[ 0
THE LEGE DARY FATE OF PONTIUS PILATE [55
the True Doctrine (A6yoe; M1l8ije;), written around 178, that Pilate d id not
suffer at all for having had Jesus executed: 'But the one who condem ned
him [i.e., Jesus] did not even suffer any such fate as that of Pentheus by go­
ing mad 0 r being torn in pieces'. 16 Celsus all udes to the old G reek myth of
the curse of Pentheus. According to E uripides' Bacchae, Pentheus was the
king of Thebes who arrested, bound and scourged a stranger whom he failed
to recognize as the god D ionysus. In turn, D ionysus arranged a special curse
for the king, maddening Pentheus' own mother and sisters who saw him
only as a lion and tore him limb from limb in a bacchic frenzy. But at the
last moment, Dionysus opened all eyes: Pentheus knew he was paying with
his life for having punished a god, and the women realized their atrocity.
O rigen, interestingly, in his response to the work of C elsus in 248, does
not refute this statement, but claims that responsibility for Jesus' death rests
with the Jews:
OUK dbE b' on OUX Ol),[(v I1LAa'we; ~v KCt1:abLKaCJlXe; aU1:ov, oc; yE "~bEL
on Dux <:p8ovov 7wQEDwKav aU1:ov" 01. 10uDaLOL, we; 1:0 10ubaLwv
E8voc; onEQ Ka1:abEbLKaa1:lXL uno 8£00 anaQax8£v Kai. Ele; naaav
1:tlv yrlv un£Q 1:0V I1Ev8Ewe; anaQaYflov bLaanaQEv. twx 1:l bE Kat.
EKWV naQEnEfltpa1:0 1:a 'If]c; YUVlXLKOe; I1LAa1:0U, EWQaKULae; ovaQ Kat.
oihw KEKLVllflEVT]e; un' alnov, we; nQoanE,utplXL 1:y aVbQi. Kat. MYELV
"MllbEv aOL Ka t. 1:y av8Qc.:.mctJ 1:0t)'[ctJ 1:y oLKalctJ, aT] flEQOV yaQ Ka1:'
ovaQ noMa Ena80v bL' aU1:ov".
He [i.e., Celsus] did not see that it was not so much Pilate who con­
demned Him, since 'he knew that for envy the Jews had given him up'
(Marth. 27.18), as the Jewish people. This nation has been condemned by
God and torn in pieces, and scattered over all the earth, a fate more terri­
ble than the rending suffered by Pentheus. Why also did he intentionally
omit the story of Pilate's wife, who was so moved by a dream, she had
seen that she sent to her husband and said: 'Have thou nothing to do
with that righteous man; for I have suffered many things this day in a
dream because of him' (Matt. 27.19)?I7
16 Orig. Contra Cefsum 2.34. = GCS Origenes 1, 160. Trans!. by Henry Chadwick, in Origen
19 8 6: 95·
17 See [he previous no[e.
CLASSICA ET MED f AEVALlA 61 . 20[ 0
 TIBOR GRULL TH E L EG

Why did not Origen reflect on Pilate's fate? Perhaps because he had no reli­ 5. Abarkylle [i.e., Proda].
able information on his later career; or if he had, but it did support Celsus' fants, the blessed ones, an
statement. I8 In any case, it is remarkable that neither Philo nor Tacitus men­ 6. Pray (for us), oh Po nl
tions Pilate's natural or unnatural death, though they were well aware of (forgive our sins)!
him. Philo of Alexandria, who visited Rome as an envoy during the time of
Caligula (AD 39-40), gave an account of Pilate's governorship in his Legatio. Similar hymns composed in
Tacitus' silence also speaks, because in his Annales, published around AD Pilate's relation with the
120., he referred not only to Pilate's activity, but also to the Christians', as his Egyptian origin. Traces (
well as to the unlawful activities of the emperors. As a matter of fact, Pilate's bic) version of the Gesttl 1
later life - since he was a lower-rank official - may have been of no signifI­ against 'Pilate the king [sic].
cance to either Philo or Tacitus. and again, in speaking to 1
thee his words, seeing he !iet

PILATE AS A PROPAGANDA HERO

In the co urse of time, as Christianity was becoming stronger and more wide­
spread, Pilate's character became increasingly significant, even in pagan cir­ The extremely complex tr­
cles. As a governor of the Roman Empire, and as a pagan himself, Pilate had opinion, was comprised of
sentenced the God of the Christians, whose existence threatened the Empire record of the deeds of the i
and its religion, to death. Moreover, he had to make official records of this (commentarii I hypomnemam
event: second to third-century church fathers were referred to these archival priests, down to the mum .~
sources. I9 T hus, anti-Christian pamphlets put into circulation under Pilate's non-apocryphal acta Pilati J
name seemed to be a good choice from the perspective of the government. official report of the goverm
According to Eusebius' Church history, it was Maximinus Daia (310-313) who tabularium principis. 62 Th
first used this idea. It is conceivable, of course, that such anti-Christian (Apol. 1.35.9; 1.48.3) and pr
propaganda texts compiled in Pilate's name existed earlier, nevertheless, in second component of the a
the absence of hard evidence, the existence of this 'anonymous Urtext' can­ origin. Eusebius in his Eccl
not be proved. Daia persecuted Christians with incredible severity and un­ edly refers to hypomnemata
dying cruelty, continuing the work of Diocletian, and in order to defame propaganda, with the apprc
them, he ordered the 'Pilate-files' to be written and distributed?O T hese
58 Cerulli 19n Cerulli 1975-76;
18 According to Maier 'Clearly, then, there was no church tradition of Pilate's suicide, execu­ 59 Cod. Vat. Syr. (Karshiini) 199.
tion, or punishment in the second or third centuries' (Maier 1971: 370). (British Museum, Orient. 690
19 Ju st. Apol. 1. 35.6-9, 48.1-3; Ten. Apol. 21.1 7-19; 21.23-24. According to Barnes, Tertullian's mistranslation from [he Arabi
source might be the Apology of Apollonius, who converted under Com modus, see Barnes 60 Pa ris Mss. Arabe 152, 15a, cited
1968, esp. 32-33. On Apollonius, see Sordi 1955. 61 Mourgues 1998; Burton 1975.
20 We are in possession of numerous literary and documentary evidence relating to the per­ 62 The official archive of Rome
secution of Christians under Maximinus Daia, see Mitchell 1988; Christensen 1989. CentUlY AD. See Purcell 1993·

CLASSICA ET MEDIAEVALIA 6r . 201 0 CLASSICA ET MEDIAEVALIA 61 . J


j th e second half of the fo ur­
ur the Gospel ofNicodemus [0
ti -simorum trium regurn tram­
JUfCe, that in Coptic ChUI h
C h urch: [fo!' 94a]l"S", we rnd
CXV1:o<; 0 rij<; 71CXQIXCJT) flBWCJ€cu<; XQovov 1:WV 71€71AIXK01:CUV a71€MYKn
19) T his day has died Pilate,
1:0 !fJ€uoo<;. E71\. 1:fj<; 1:aCtQTIl<; 0' OVV lJ71IX1:€la.<; T l13€ QLOU, il yEYOV£V
< nds from the blood of Jesus
ETOU<; e13Mf1ou rij<; l3IXCJLA€la.<; CXV1:0U . 1:a 71€Ql 1:0 CJCU1:rlQlOV 71CtSO<;
llowing: 'Month of Sane. 25th
J h is hands in order to sh
r, and hail to Abroqla,5 6 his
Because this man [i.e. Jesus
nineteenth century, and used
Zo uaila (CaIro), contains an
Bu ntl [Pila te of the Pontii]:
ciry of Jerusalem, in order t( l
ity of Rome, because of the
'm; Pontius Pilate was trans-
agreed with, oh governor,
was called Claudia Procla. In the
-6: 223). ' Origene et N iceph ol''; la
ciy tes de la Porte' avanr de croire a
rh e name Claudia Procl a has been
opinion it originates from AD 12)­
~h ly dubious , see Caringron Smith
ASS ICA ET MEDIAI'.V A Ll A 61 . 201 0
THE LEGENDARY FATE OF PONTIUS PIL ATE 157
were later probably incorporated in[O the first six chapters of the apocryphal
Gospel of NicodemusY
OVKOUV CJcxcpw<; amArlAEYK'Wl 1:0 71ACtCJflcx 1:Wv K(l1:a 1:0U (J(AJ'IT1 Qo<;
i] flwV lJ7Wflvrl flCX1:1X xS E<; KIX l 71Q0T)v OlCXO€OCUK01:C.vV , EV 0 I<; 71QWTO<;
IXV1:0 T.; 1:0Af1T)SEV1:CX 71€QlExn, KCXS' OV O€lKVU1:1Xl XQovov flY10'
E71lCJ1:Ct<; 71CU 1:1l 10ubcxlq TILAcno<;, € t y€ 1:cfJ lcuCJrl71<fJ f1CtQ'WQ l
XQrlCJcxCJSaL bEOV, CJcxcpw<; OlJ'rCU<; CJT)f1cxlvovn K(l1:a TI]v bT)AcuS€ lCWV
CXU1:0U YQIX¢i]V on bi] bCUO€KCt1:<fJ EVlIXU1:cfJ rij<; Tl13€QlOU 13cxCJLAdcx<;
E71l1:Q0710<; TIl<; 10ubcxla.<; U710 Tl13€QlO UKIXSlCJ1:lX1:aL TI LAa1:o<; .
... the forgery of those who have recently given currency [0 acts against
our Saviour is dearly proved. For the very date given in them shows the
falsehood of their fabricators. For the things which they have dared to say
concerning the passion of the Savio ur are put into the fo urth consulship
ofTiberi us; which occurred in the seventh year of his reign; at which time
it is plain that Pilate was not yet rul ing in Judea, if the testimony of
Josephus is to be believed, who clearly shows in the above-mentioned
wurk [cf. Ant. 18.2.2] that Pilate was made procura[Or of Judea by Ti­
beri us in the rwelfth year of his reign. 22
71AcxCJCtWVOl bfj'rcx TILACtTOU KlXl 1:0U CJcuTIlQo<; TJf1wv lJ710flvTJflCX1:CX
71Ct(fJl<;, Efl71Aw Ka1:a TOU XQlCJ'WU 13AcxCJ¢llf1la.<;. YVWfl\) 1:0U f1c:L(OVOC;
€ 71 l lIC((JCXV bllX71Efl710V1:aL TI]v U71' IXV1:0V aQxi]v bLix 71QoYQcxflf1a1:cuv
7lIXQIXKCAwOfl€VOl K(l1:a 71CtV1:1X 1:0710V, aYQov<; 1:€ KIX\. 71oAn<;, EV
EK¢CXVcl 1:IXU1:CX 1:0 T.; lIaCJlV EKS€ (vaL 1:0 Ii:; U 1IIXlCJl 1:ou<;
)/QCXflf1lX1:oblbcxCJKMOU<; an\. flcxSllf1Ct'rcuv 'rCXU'rCX fl€Aaav KCXl Ola
f1v1lflll<; Kcx'r Exnv 71CXQlXblMvaL, c:,v 1:0U'rOV E71luAouf1EVCUV 'rov
'rQ0710V.
21 Schneidweiler 1987; Speyer 1978 (A hitherro unknown e nding of the Gospel of Niko­
demos ).
22 Eus . Hist.Ecc!. 1.9.3-4. = GCS N .F. 6. 1 Eusebius ~rke II: 1, p. 72. ed. F. Winkelmann.
Translation quoted from Schaff and Wace 1986: vol. I, 96.
CLASSI CA ET MEDIAEVALIA 61 . 20 10
 TIBOR GRULL • HE LE G

H aving therefore forged Acts of Pilate and our Saviour full of every kind saying: 'Lord, do not de (
of blasphemy against C hrist, they sent them with the emperor's [Maximi­ I would not have laid haIl
nus D aia's] approval to the whole of the empire subject to him, with writ­ less Jews, because th y we
ten commands that they should be openly posted to the view of all in hold, when Pilate had fir
every place, both in country and city, and that the schoolmasters should heaven, saying: 'All the ge
give them to their scholars, instead of their customary lessons, to be stud­ thee blessed, beca use une
ied and learned by heart. 23 about me by the prophec;
my second appeari ng, w~
T here are no remaining textual traces of these anti-Christian 'Pilate-files' those that have not own 4
dating from the beginning of the fourth century, the circulation of which of Pilate; and, behold, an
was facilitated in the eastern part of the Empire by Maximinus D aia at the cla, seeing the angel com
time of the 'Creat Persecution' of the Christians. However, it is possible to herself also, immediatel)
reconstruct their polemical content by comparing various Christian sources her husband. 49
which mention them. These include Eusebius' Church History, the apolo­
getic treatise of Lucian of Antioch and the Acta Pifati (henceforth AP), a This branch of the Pilate-ml
Christian document bearing the same title as the pagan Acts. 24 Pilate's name ern Christianity. 50 T he Pamj
became important in the propaganda war both against both Jews and Chris­ Anaphora Pilati A-version) l
tians. 25 arrest and martyrdom of Pil
to the Arabic, Ethiopic an
fied through the conspiracy
PILATE IN THE CHRISTIAN LEGENDS believer in Christ, destin d
tyrium Pilati, which was als
Classification of the enormous Pilate-literature originating in the late an­ pic Christians, says that f, r J
tique / early medieval times poses a great challenge to historians of religion by the Jews and then by Til
and literature. 26 Constantin Tischendorf in his tract Pilati circa Christum dren he was buried near th
judicio quid lucis afferatur ex Actis Pifati, attempted to show that there was a In the Coptic and Ethi r
probability of truth in many of the non-evangelical statements which are as saintsY
contained in the AP. Tischendorf clung tenaciously to the belief that the Ap, In the sixth and seven
which he published, contained nothing foreign to the second century and among the believers of the C
might therefore very well have been the 'Pilate-files' to which Justin and Ter­ a Christian name (TaufnaJj
name that was widely used
23 Eus. Hist. Ecc!. 9.5-1. GCS N.F. 6.2 Eusebius Werke II: 2, p. 810. cJ. F. Winkelmann.
=

Transl arion quored from Schaff and Wace 1986: vol. 1, 359.
24 Levieils 1999. 49 Roberrs and Donaldson 1986: ,
25 Frend 1987. For rhe anri-Judaisric rendencies in rhe apocrypha see Dehandschurrer 1989 50 For a shorr review of the Syriac
and especially in rhe Acta Pilati, see Dubois 1986. 51 Volkoff 19 69-70.
26 The f[[Sr edirions of rhe rexrs belonging ro rhe AP-rradirion: Tischendorf 187 6: 210-486. 52 van den Oudenrijn 1959: liv-li:­
The synopric edirion of rhe AP Greek A-B rexrs: Vannurelli 1938. 53 Crum 192T 23; Solin 1970: lOS

CLASSICA ET M E DIAEVALlA 61 . 2010 CLASSICA ET MEDIAEVALlA 61 . I


SAI NT
Ilte's fate according to which
. Towards the end of the sec­
Ible light by saying that me
p orted to T iberius by Pilate,
ne .46 It is not known, what
of any apocryphal t xt coo­
ntury cannot be verified. 47 I
'viartyr, a half century earlier
-governor, not to the pseu­
cience, this is merely a rhe­
iisprove, what Pilate thought.
his work was an apology on
h is court. 48
"ersion is the first to contai n
s, when Tiberius was in­
wi th rage. He d ispatched
U nder questioni ng, Pilate
· th. Hence Tiberius ordered
ims ·If might learn the tr urh
u , 'the governor of the chi f
Jews, specifically to scatter
·10115 . I n the end, Pilate was
Pilate; and he orders a cap­
27 T i_. chendorf 1851: 63-70. He thought that AP was originally written by a Jewish-Christian
l,ring: 'Just as he laid hands
w ner also shall he fall , and
· he place, prayed in silence,
28 Lipsius 1871. (The second, corrected and enlarged edition was issued in 1886.)
· ~d . DekJ<ers.
l ' Tertullian scoured the litera tLIre
chan thirty pagan authors. 'T he
'll . Those who were familiar with
tlt have expected less from an ex-
I CA ET MEDI A EVALlA 6[ . 20[0
THE LEGE N DARY FATE OF PONTIUS PILATE 159
tullian refer. 27 The best exposure of the weakness of this position was Ri ch­
ard Adelbert Lipsius' critical investigation of the Acts ofPilate. 28
Lipsius analyses the AP into the following dOClun ents: First, there were
the original acta which contained the first eleven ch apters of the text, with
the omission of the prologue, and which may also have extended as far as
the sixteenth chapter. It professed to be derived from a Hebrew original
written by Nicodemus. Second, there was a D escensus ad inferos currently
attributed to Leucius and Chari nus, the supposed sons of Simeon who re­
ceived the child Jesus into his arms. T hey have been permitted to return
from the dead to tell the story of C hrist's descent into H ades. Thi rd, these
documents were worked over in the time ofTheodosius and Valentinian in
the name of a certain official named A.nanias or Aeneas, to whom the first
prologue of the AP is credited, the combination of the two previous writ­
ings, and perhaps the addition of chapters 12-16 of the existing acts. The
documents, thus united, were worked over again at a time not earlier than
the second half of the fifth century; the Latin mss. also show certain addi­
tional chapters which Lipsius assigns to a slightly earlier period. he main
point here is that Lipsius maintains that the primitive AP cannot be dated
earl ier than the middle of the fourth century.29
Al though Lipsius' rather naive notion about dating and composition has
been d isp roved, we are only at the beginning of the research. The first step
towards the writing of a history of the APs eminently complex text-tradition
was the publication of an extensive bibliography containing almost 1000
irems.3° Z bigniew Izydorczyk, spiritus rector of this monumental venture,
includes the following works in the 'Pilate cycle'Y (I) Epistula Pilati ad
of th e second century: ' ... nihil obstat quin ab homine Judaeo secundi saeculi scriptum
puremus . .. ': 66. n. 92; , ... composita enim a Christiano ex Judaeis oriundo, id quod et
stiLi et rerum et consilii ratio abunde docet .. .': 67.
29 'Mag einigcs in obigen aJs Merkmal spaterer Abfassung angefUhrre auch erst auf Rech­
nung der Bearbeitung vom Jahre 425 kommen, mbgen selbst die Kapitel12-16 erSt vom
Bearbeiter hinwgefUgt sein, so wird doch hierdurch unser oben gewonnenes Ergebniss
ni cht umgesrossen, daG auch die Grundschrift unserer Pilarus-Acten erst urn die Mine
des 4. JahrhundertS entstanden sei' (Lipsius 1871: 40). See also Harris 1898: 69-70.
30 Izydorcryk 199T 419 -519, which has been supplemented in Gounelle and Izydorczyk
2000.
31 Geerard 1992. Geerard gives full bibliographic references, not repeated here: (I) n. 62; (2)
CLA S SICA ET MEDIAEVALlA 61 . 2010
160 TIBOR GRULL T HE LE C

Claudium (Greek, Latin, Syriac - age unknown); (2) Anaphora Pilati (Greek in Pilate's Tower while stayrn
A-version, Syriac, Arabic, Armenian , Old Slavonic; Greek B-version - fifth today is pretoria (in Catalan :
century?); (3) Paradosis Pilati (Greek - fifth century); (4) Tiberii rescriptum this tower was n ot the palae
(G reek, Old Slavonic - fifth century?); (5) Epistolae Pilati et Herodis (Greek, but a passageway enabl ing p
Syriac - fifth century?); (6) Epistola Pilati ad Tiberium (Latin - sixteenth cus of the circus dividing th.
century); (7) Cura sanitatis Tiberii (Latin - fifth-eight century); (8) Vindicta of the square on a lowe r te
Salvatoris (Latin - eight century); (9) Mors Pilati (Latin - late medieval); concerning his views, expL
(ro) Vita Mariae Magdalenae (Greek - medieval) ; (II) Encomium in Mariam of the local Roman inscrip o (
Magdalenam (C optic - medieval); (12) Homilia de lamentis Mariae (Evan­ Prof. Alfoldy thinks that
gelium Gamalielis) (Arabic, Ethiopian , Coptic - medieval?); (13) Homilia de standing of elL 2-4220 . T hi
morte Pilati (Martyrium Pilati) (Coptic, Arabic, Ethiopian - medieval?); (14) century and has since been
Narratio Iosephi de Arimathea (Greek, Old Slavonic - medieval?); (15) De flamen provinciae. In the
bono latrone (Latin - medieval?). gustinus, the great hum an isl
O f these fifteen texts of various ages, languages and affiliations, seven following: P RAEFEC CHC
(nos. 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13) mention Pilate's later fate. In three cases, he is con­ where the stone had be n Ii
sidered to be a very positive figure who became a true follower of Jesus, and the tower, as the statues of.fi
suffered martyrdom for his faith (nos. 3, 12, 13). In four cases he is presented ing on the square. 44 So it
as a diabolical figure who was sentenced to exile or death by the emperor idea for the local Pilate-trad
(nos. 4, 7, 8, 9)· ing (Torre del Pilatos), wh o
where the inscription was fi
existence within the city waJ
THE DEVIL'S MAN We can add only one trn
cording to a medieval Ethio
Historical evidence seems to indicate that Pilate's actual fate was unlike the the ti de Mazmura Krestos, vi
traditional negative view, yet the legends became exercises in morbid imagi­ in Andelos, i.e. Andalusia .4 5
nationY There are two diametrically opposed conceptions of Pilate's fate.
According to the first, the 'good emperor' condemned the 'unjust governor'.
This version has three subvariations: (a) Pilate was exiled; (b) Pilate commit­
ted suicide; and (c) Pilate was executed. (All these three subvariations can be
41 As for the tower, see Balil 19 6
combined.) The second conception is that the 'evil emperor' condemned the tow n see Aquilue, Dupre, Mas.­
'good Pilate'. 42 Bali! 1969: 16.
Let us start with the first conception, that is, the 'go od emperor' vs. the 43 The reading of the inscriptiol
'unjust governor'. The suggestion that Pilate committed suicide in Rome although Theodor Mommsen
FEC C(O)HOR[T]I LATO/ rl
302 with extensive bibliograph
nos. 65, 66; (3) n. 66; (4) n. 65; (5) n. 67; (6) n. 68; (7) n. 69; (8) n. 70; (9) n. 71; (10) n. ond century. The cohors 1 Lato~
72; (II) n. n (12) n. 74; (13) n. 75; (14) nos. 76, 77; (15) n. 78. 44 Alfoldy 197r 85-86; A1foldy 19 .
32 Maier 19 71: 368-71. 45 Cerulli 19 66.

CLASSICA ET MEDIAEVALfA 61 . 2010 CLASSICA ET MEDIAE VALIA 61 . :!I


about the scene of Pilate's
[Q Vienna Allobrogum ( i­
nt - a truncated pyramid on
whi ch is actually a standard
pina of a Roman circus - i
legend, Pilate sought to hide
JCerne, now called Mo unt Pi­
J -capped); and there, aft r
l1espair rather than penit nee,
r summit.3 9 T he local habi ­
it and wash his hands on the
rarion of an inscription may
nds. 40 In the old town of ro ­
ver-like Roman building re­
~tnts since the late eighteenth
, phy of colonia Tarraco, in
rn corner of the impressive
of the emperor-cult of His­
h .s almost perfectly retai ned
ird floor was partly added in
\ irh a wonderful view of the
• various legends concerni ng
. h ich have been collected or
le was sent into exile to Tar­
mg to local tradi tions, a big
s of the emperors, on which
I monument of Scipio Afri­
Hispania (Torre de los
in 27-25 Be, Augustus lived
Co llowing data co ncerni ng Pilat 's
ICA ET MEDIA EVAllA 6 1 . 2010
THE LEGE N DAR Y FATE OF PONTIUS pr L ATE r61
because he was not able to bear the weight of his decision in the eyes of fu­
ture generations, occurs first in the works of Eusebius:
OUK aYVOEIv N: a~LOV we; Ked. ClU'tOV EKEIvOV 'tOV Em 'tOU uw'IiiQoe;
TILA(X'tOV KCl'ta ra'-lOV, OU 'toue; XQavoue; tJLEE,lflEv, 'touCllm:w; 7lEQl­
7lW[[v KCl'tEXEl A.ayoe; UVflcpOQClLe;, we; tE, avaYKlle; ClU'tOCPOVEV'tf]V
fClV'tOV KClt 'tlflwQOV ClU'[OXElQCl YEV EU-SCll, 'Iiie; -SElCle;, we; fOlKEV,
blKTle; OUK de; flClKQOV ClU'tOV fl£'tEA.-SOlJCJ1le;. lCJ'tOQOVUlV 'EAAi]vwv oi
'tae; D;\ ufl 7ltabCle; aflCl 'to te; KCl'ta XQovove; m7lQClYflEVOle;
aVClYQClt\!aV'tEe;.
It is worthy of note that Pilate himself, who was governor in the tim e of
our Saviour, is reported to have falle n into such misfortunes under G aius
[CaligulaJ, whose times we are recording, that he was forced to become
his own murderer and executioner, and th us divine venge ance, as it seems,
was not long in overtaking him. Th is is stated by those G reek historians
who have recorded the Olympiads, together with the respecti e events
which have taken place in each period.3 3
However, no extant records, Greek or otherwise, confirm this statement, and
usebius himself calls it 'tradition')4 Indeed, in his Chronicon Eusebius cites
33 Eus. Hist. Ecc!. 2.7. = GCS N.E 6.1 Eusebius Werke II: r. p. 122, ed. F. Winkelmann. Trans­
latio n quoted fro m Schaff and Wace 1986: vol. I, lIO. transi. by Ernest C ushing Richard­
SOD . Rufrnus erans!J.ted the Greek texes inco Latin as fo llows: 'Sed ee Pilacus, qui in Sal­
vatore m iniqui iudicis funccus officio est, isd em temporibus Gai tantis ac ealibus malo­
rum c1adibus cruciacus est, ue propria se manu eransverbe rasse ee nefariam vieam vi
a b iec i e rer. ra tu[, nec cn im pocerat tanti piaculi minister inpunicus evadere, sicm in his­
(Or iis Graecorum repperimus, eorum dumtaxat, qui Olympiadas scribunt et annales re­
rllm ges tarum libros ad posterieaeis memoriam condunc' . Orosius took over Euse bius'
stact:m encs concerning Pilate's fate undoubtedly under the influence of Rufrnu s' tra nsla­
cion: 'Pilatus amem praeses, qui sencenciam d amna tionis in Chriscum dixerat, postquam
plurimas sedieiones in Hierosolymis excepi t, ac fecit , tamis irrogance Caio angoribus
coarcracus est, ut sua se cransverbcrans manu, malorum compe ndium mortis celeritate
quaesierie', Hist. adv. pag. 7.PO. = PL 31.1071-72. ed. S. H avercam p.
34 I venture to think thae the story of Pilate's s uicide arose under a strong influence of Judas
Iscariot's calamitous end reco rded in ehe New Teseament (Mauh. 27.5; Acts I.I8-19). On
the literary topOS, see Manns 1980. Judas' name ap pears frequ ently in ehe curse-formulas
of the Chriseian epitaphs as well, see van der H orse 1993.
CL ASS I CA ET MEDIA EVALlA 61 . 2010
r62 TIBOR GRULL TH E LE

'the Roman historians', rather than the Greek ones, as his source for the ita ut cuneri timore h~rr
same statement, indicating that he had trouble documenting Pilate's pre­ beris fl uvio extrahentes, (
sumed suicide.3 5 Moreover, Eusebius' motivation in recording the tradition et Rhodani fluvio imm J
of Pilate's suicide is less that of a critical historian, and more that of an quia erat tunc locus m:
apologist and moralist describing divine vegeance overtaking Pilate. ibidem eadem operantel
In three other apocrypha, Pilate's fate is intimately connected with T i­ monum non sustinentes
berius' miraculous healing. In the Cura sanitatis Tiberii, Tiberius is healed by sepeliendum Losaniae t
an image of Christ; Peter confirms the truth of P ilate's report on Jesus; and infestationibus gravareot
N ro exiles the ex-governor, who commits suicide. T he Vindicta Sa[vatoris montibus circumsepto j
contains two narratives, one about the h eal ing of Ti tus and his destruction quaedam d iabolicae mad
of Jerusalem, and the other about the condemnation of Pilate and the heal­
ing of T iberius . In the Old Latin apocryphon Mors Pi[ati - which can be And a few days after, sel
considered an etiological legend of Veronica's veip6 and the shroud of Turin should be condemned t
- Pilate was forced to commit suicide and his body was thrown into the killed himself with his (
T iber. The demons and storms surrounding it were so terrifYing that the When Caesar knew of rh
corpse was taken out of the Tiber and cast into the Rhone instead, but with most disgraceful death, \
similar results. Thence it was taken for burial to Swiss territories, where the fore bound to a great m3
body remained surprisingly active: and filthy spirits in his r
kept moving themselve
Post autem paucos dies data est igitur in Pilatum sententia ut morte tur­ lightn ings and tempests,
pissima damnaretur. Audiens hoc Pilatus cultello proprio se necavit, et tali men were kept in horrib
mone vitam finivit. Cognita Caesar morte Pilati dixit 'vere mortuus est of the river Tiber, in d ri
morte turpissima, cui manus propria non pepercit. Moli igitur ingenti al­ in the river Rhone. For
ligatur et in T iberim fluvium immergitur.' Spiritus vero maligni et sordidi of Gehenna, because it \
corpori maligno et sordido congaudentes omnes in aquis movebantur, et were present, working [
fulgura et tempestates, tonitrua et grandines in aere terribiliter gerebant, therefore, not enduring s
selves that vessel of malf
tory of Losania [LausaIl
35 'Po nrius Pilarus in mulras incidens caJamirares propria se manu inrerficir. Scribunr Ro­
were tro ubled by the afo
manorum hisrorici', Eusebii-Hieronymi Chronicon ad CClm Olymp. = CCS Eusebius
7. 178c, ed. Rudolf Helm. and sunk him in a cem
36 In (he Epistul4 Tiberii ad Pil4tum, (he woman who reponed Pila(e (0 Tiberius was Mary day, according to the aco
Magdalen, see James [89T 78-81. She also appears in (he Greek Anaphora Pilau, in said to bubble up.3 7
Tischendorf 1876: 435-49 , as well as in Michael Clyca.5' chronicle of (he rwelfth cenrury:
'Cae(erum nonnulli perhibenr pose ass ump(ionem Chris(i Mariam illam Magdalenam
Romam pervenisse, gravieerque accusasse omnes, quO(quO( in Chriscum deliqueranr.
Usque adeo illam denique Tiberi i ani mum accendisse, u( e( sacerdo(es e( scribas e( ipsum
quoque Pilacum capieis damnarer. Sunr (amen alii qui Pilacum sibimee ipsi manus accu­ 37 The original Larin (ex( see 1
lisse commemora nr', Michaelis Glycae Armalium pars III = PC 158, 441e. Gee(ard 1989. quo(ed from Roberrs and D Ol

CLASSICA ET MEOIAEVALIA 61 . 2010 CLAssrcA ET MEDIAEVALIA 61 .


k ones, as his source for the
J Ie documenting Pilate's pre­
. ion in recording the tradition
co rian, and more that of an
'lee overtaking P ilate.
nci mately connected with Ti­
s Tiberii, Ti berius is healed by
f Pilate's report on Jesus; and
Ii ide. T he Vindicta Salvatori$
of T itus and his destruction
1l1ation of Pilate and the heal­
n M ors Pilati - which can be
\ il~6 and the shroud of Turin
lis body was thrown into the
ic were so terrifying that the
the Rhone instead, but with
ro Swiss terricories, where the
larum sententia ut morte tur­
cello p roprio se necavit, et tali
Pilati d ixit 'vere mortuus est
p ercit. Mol i igitur ingenti al­
p iritus vero maligni et sordidi
mnes in aquis movebantur, et
s in aere terribiliter gerebant,
ia se manu imerficic. Scribunc Ro­
J CCIllI Olymp. = CCS Eusebius
rred Pilace co Tiberius was Mary
in me Greek Anaphora Pil4ti, in
~. chronicle of che [welf[h cemury:
, hris[i Mariam illam Magdalenam
lI ocquoc in Chris[um deliqueranc.
ur e[ sacerdo[es ec scribas e[ ipsum
Ii Pilacum sibime[ ipsi manus a[[u­
m = PC I58, 44IC. Geerard I989.
I$S ICA ET MEDI A EVALIA 61 . 201 0
THE LEGE N DA RY FATE OF PONTIUS PI LAT E 163
ita ut cuncti timore horribili tenerentur. Quapropter Romani ipsum a Ti­
beris fluvio extrahentes, derision is causa ipsum in Viennam deporraverunt
et Rhodani fluvio im merse runt: Vienna enim dicitur q uasi via gehennae,
quia erat rune locus maled.ictionis. Sed ibi nequam spi ritus affuerunt,
ibidem eadem operantes. H omines ergo illi tantam infestationem dae­
monum non sustinentes vas illud maledictionis a se removerunt et ill ud
sepeliendum Losaniae territorio commiserunt. Qui cu m ni mis praefatis
infestationibus gravarentur, ipsum a se removerunt et in quodam puteo
montibus circumsepto immerserunt, ubi adhuc relatione quorumdam
quaedam diabolicae machinationes dicuntur.
And a few days after, sentence was therefore passed upon Pilate, that he
should be condemned to the most disgraceful death. Pilate, hearing this,
killed himself with his own knife, and by such a death ended his life.
When Caesar knew of the death of Pilate, he said: 'Truly he has died by a
most disgraceful death, whom his own hand has not spared. H e is there­
fore bound to a great mass, and sunk into the river T iber.' But malignant
and filthy spirits in his malignant and filthy body, all rejoicing together,
kept moving themselves in the waters, and in a terrible manner brought
lightnings and tempests, thunders and hail-storms, in the air, so that all
men were kept in horrible fear. Wherefore the Romans, drawing him out
of the river Tiber, in derision carried him down to Vienna, and sunk him
in the river Rhone. For Vienna is called, as it were, Via Gehennae, the way
of Gehenna, because it was then a place of cursing. But there evil spirits
were present, working the same things in the same place. Those men
therefore, not enduring such a visitation of demons, removed from them­
selves that vessel of malediction, and sent him to be buried in the terri­
tory of Losania [Lausanne in Switzerland]. And they, seeing that they
were troubled by the aforesaid visitations, removed him from themselves,
and sunk him in a certain pit surrounded by mountains, where to this
day, according to the account of some, certain diabolical machinations are
said to bubble up)?
37 The original La(in (ex( see in Tischendorf 1876: lxxx-lxxxi, 434-35. The cranslacion IS
quored from Roberts and Donaldson I986, vol. VlII , 467.
CL AS SICA ET MEDIAEV A Ll A 61 . 201 0
 TIBOR GRULL TH E LEG

As we have seen, there are various traditions about the scene of Pilate's because he was no t able to b
death. O ne legend says that he was banished to Vienna Allobrogum eVi­ ture generations, occurs fust
enne, on the Rhone), where a singular monument - a truncated pyramid on
a quadrangular base, fifty-two feet in height, which is actually a standard OU K ayvoc£v bE dt, lO\1
architectural ornament used to decorate the spina of a Roman circus - is l1LAa'rov KC('ra r (ilov,
called 'Pilate's tomb' )8 According to another legend, Pilate sought to hide nEaE Lv Ka'rE XEl ;\0')10';
his sorrows on the mountain by the Lake of Lucerne, now called Mo unt Pi­ £atJ'rou Ka l HI-lUJQ()V a
latus (originally, no-doubt ' Pileatus' or cloud-capped); and there, after bLKTlC; OUK ElC; l-laKQOV 1
spending years in its recesses, in remorse and despair rather than penitence, 'rae; O A.v l-lmabac; tiL
pl unged into the dismal lake which occupies its summit. 39 The local habi­ av(xYQatjJaV'rEC;.
tants say that Pila te rises every Good Friday to sit and wash his hands on the
top of the mount, to no avail. It is worthy of note that I
O ne example indicates that the misinterpretation of an inscriptio n may ou r aviour, is reported l
be the basis for the creation of apocryphallegends. 40 In the old town of to­ [C aligula] , whose ti mes
day's Tarragona there stands a very stately, tower-like Roman building re­ his own m u rderer and ex;
ferred to as 'Torre del Pilatos' by the local habitants since the late eighteen th was not long in overrakin
century. This tower lies, considering the topography of colonia Tarraco, in who have recorded the
the upper part of the old city, in the southern corner of the impressive which have taken place in
square, and within the territory of the sanctuary of the emperor-cult of His­
pania citerior. The tower, built around AD 70, has almost perfectly retained H owever, no extant records
its original walls up to the second floor. The third floor was pardy added in Euseb ius himself calls it 'trad
the Middle Ages and is pardy a reconstruction, with a wonderful view of the
sea and the city. According to Prof. Geza Alfbldy, various legends concerning
33 Eus. Hist. Eccf. 2.7.= GCS N.r.
Pilate are connected with this place, none of which have been collected or lation quo ted from Schaff and '
studied. According to popular local beliefs, Pilate was sent into exile to Tar­ son. Ruftnus translated the Gn;
ragona and lived his last years in this tower. vatorem iniqui iudicis func[U
The Tarragonians liked such stories. According to local traditions, a big rum cladibus crucia rus es t, ut
abiecisse referarur, nec enim p
tower over a tomb, also dating from the early ages of the emperors, on which
coriis Graecorum repperimus,
you can see two Artis figures, is the sepulchral monument of Scipio Afri­
rum gestarum libros ad poster
canus' father and uncle, who both died in Hispania (Torre de los statements concerning Pilate's f
Escipiones). The local residents also claim that in 27-25 Be, Augustus lived tion: 'Pi latus aucem praeses, qu
plurimas sedi ciones in Hicrosc
coarctatus esc, uc sua se tran ~\'
quaesierit', Hist. adv. pag. 7.5.1 0
38 Chorier 1828: 30-33; Morison 1940: 234-36; Berlioz 1990.
34 I venture to think chat tne stof)
39 Smith 1910: 750.
Iscariot's calamicous end record
40 [ am very much indebted to Prof. Gb..a Alfoldy for the following data concerning PiJace'5
tne literary copos, see Manns IS
legend ofTarragonalTarraco. Cf. Alfoldy 1991: 603. of rn e Cnristian epirap ns as wei

CLASSICA ET MEDIAEVALIA 61' 20(0 CLASSICA f!T MEDIAEVALIA 61 . 2(


); (2) Anaphora Pilati (Greek
nic; G reek B-version - fifth
mury); (4) Tiberii rescriptum
.olae Pilati et Herodis (Greek,
Tiberium (Latin - sixteenth
h-eight century); (8) Vindicta
'ifati (Latin - late medieval);
); (II) Encomium in Mariam
/fl. de famentis Mariae (Evan­
- merueval?); (13) Homilia de
thiop ian - medieval?); (14)
avo nic - medieval?); (15) De
' uages and affiliations, seven
e. In three cases, he is con­
where the stone had been found, but certainly somewhere in the vicinity of
a true follower of Jesus, and
the tower, as the statues of jlamines provinciae Hispaniae citerioris were stand­
. In four cases he is presented
il e o r death by the emperor
te's actual fate was unlike the
e exercises in morbid imagi­
conceptions of Pilate's fate.
em ned the 'unjust governor'.
as exiled; (b) Pilate commit­
three subvariations can be
'e il emperor' condemned the
. • the 'good emperor' vs. the
committed suicide in Rome
-) n, 69; (8) n, 70; (9) n. 71; (ro) n.
n·78.
: 44 A1foldy 19]3: 85-86; A1foldy 1978.
\$S I CA ET MEDIAEVALIA 6 1 . 2010
THE LEGE N DARY FATE OF PONTIUS PILATE 165
in Pilate's Tower wh ile staying in TarragonaY The official name of the tower
today is pretorio (in C atalan: pretori). This, of course, is also an error, because
this tower was not the palace of the governor, as had been supposed earlier,
but a passageway enabling people to get to the square from the cryptoporti­
CllS of the circus dividing the city, which was b uilt on the south-western part
of the square on a lower terrace. Balil, although he did not go into detail
concerning his views, explained this tradition with a bad interpretation
of the local Roman inscription. 42
Prof. Alfoldy thinks that the tradition may be traced back to a misunder­
standing of elL 2-4220. T his inscription, which was copied in the sixteenth
century and has since been lost, was on the upper piece of the pedestal of a
jlamen provinciae. In the fourth and last surviving line, Anton ius Au­
gustinus, the great humanist of T arragona in the sixteenth century, read the
following: PRAEF EC CHOR PILAT .43 U nfortunately, we do not know
ing on the square. 44 So it is absolutely clear that the inscription gave the
idea for the local Pilate-tradition and its connection with the Roman build­
ing (Torre del Pilatos), which was most probably not far from the place
where the inscription was found, and is now the biggest Roman building in
existence within the city walls ofTarraco.
We can add only one thing to Prof. Alfoldy's interesting explanation. Ac­
cording to a medieval Ethiopian Pilate-legend, written down in 1582 under
the tide Mazmura Krestos, viz. 'Christ's Psalms', Tiberius sent Pilate into exile
in Andelos, i.e. Andalusia. 45
4I As for the rower, see BaJil 1969. For the position of the rower in the ropography of the
rown see Aquilue, Dupre, Mass6 and Ruiz de Arbulo 1999: 74-83.
42 Balil 1969: 16.
43 The reading of the inscription is evidendy false. Cohors pilatorum never existed at all,
although Theodor Mommsen still believed it. The correct reading of the text is PRAE­
FEC C(O)HOR[T)I U\TO/[BICORYM ---J, see A1foldy I9]3: n. 57, and A1foldy 1975:
302 with extensive bibliography. The inscription can be dated ro the first half of the sec­
ond century. The cohors J Latobicorum was stationed in Germania Inferior at that time.
45 Cerulli 1966.
CLASSICA T MEDIAEVALlA 61 . 2010
166 TIBOR GRULL T H E LEe

THE MARTYR AND SAINT

tullian refer. 27 T he best expl
ard Adelbert Lipsius' critical
Now we turn to the second conception of Pilate's fate according to which Lipsius analyses the AP j
the 'evil emperor' condemned the 'good Pilate' . owards the end of the sec­ the o riginal acta which co ni
ond century, Terrullian put Pilate in a favourable light by sayi ng that the the omission of the prolog!;
miracles accompanying Jesus' crucifixion were reported to Tiberi us by Pilate, th sixteenth chapter. It pr
who 'became already a Christian in his conscience'. 4 6 It is not known, what written by N icodem us. Se
report Terrullian refers to, hence the existence of any apocryphal text con­ attributed [0 Leucius and C
nected with the AP-tradition in the second century cannot be verified.47 I ceiv d the child Jesus into
venture to suggest that Tertullian - like Justin Martyr, a half century earlier from the dead to tell the su
- refers here to the official commentarius of the ex-governor, not to the p eu­ documents were worked 0'
doepigraphic correspondence. As for Pilate's conscience, this is merely a rhe­ the name of a certain offici
torical device, since one could never prove, or disprove, what Pilate thought. prologue of the AP is credil
Terrullian used this device, of course, because his work was an apology on ings, and perhaps the add.i r
behalf of Christianity for Septimius Severus and his court. 48 documents, th us united, w
In the AP-tradition, the fifth century Syriac version is the first to contain the second half of the fi fth
the motive of Pilate's conversion. As the story goes, when Tiberius was in­ tional chapters whi ch Lipsil
formed of the crucifixion of Jesus, he was filled with rage. He dispatched point here is that Lipsius m
soldiers to bring Pilate to Rome as a prisoner. Under questioning, Pilate earlier than the middle of rhl
blamed the Jews for Jesus' condemnatio~ and death. Hence Tiberius ordered Al though Lipsius' rather I
Pilate to be held in custody, in order that he himself might learn the truth been d isproved, we are onl ~
about Jesus. After this, the emperor sent Licianus, 'the governor of the chief towards the writing of a hiS[(
palaces of the East' to take action against the Jews, specifically to scatter was the publication of an I
them and make them slaves among all the nations. In the end, Pilate wa items.3° Zbigniew Izydorcz:
sentenced to death: includes the following wo d

And again, the C aesar set himself to question Pilate; and he orders a cap­ 27 Tischendorf 1851: 63-70. He th
of [he second century: ' .. . nih
tain named Albius to cut off Pilate's head, saying: 'Just as he laid hands
putemus ... ': 66. n. 92; , .. .
upon the just man named Christ, in like manner also shaH he fall, and
stili et rerum et consilii ratio ab
not find safety'. And Pilate, going away to the place, prayed in silence, 28 Lipsius 1871. (The second, co m
29 'Mag einiges in obigen al s M
46 Ipse iam pro sua conscientia Christian us, Terr. Apol. 21.24. ed. D ekkers.
nung der Bea rbeitung vom Jab
47 Izydorczyk 1997: 23·
Bearbeiter hinzugefi.ig[ sein , S
48 Barnes 1971: 102-14. esp. 108-9, where Barnes writes t.ha t 'Tertulli an scoured me litera ture
nicht umgestossen , daG auch
of the an cient world in search of tidbits' , citing more than thirty pagan authors. 'The des 4. Jahrhundens entstanden
massive erudition was not designed as mere ostentation. Those who were familiar wi th 30 Izydorczyk 199T 419-519, wh i(
the Sophistic Movement of the second century would not have expected less from an ex­ 2000.
pert orator'. See also Barnes 1976: 3-20. 31 Geerard 1992. Geerard gives fu l

CLASSICA ET MEDIAE VALlA 61 . 2 010 CLAS S ICA E T MEDIAEVALIA 6 1 . 2 (


ur Saviour full of every kind
with the emperor's [Maximi­
ire subject to him, with writ-
posted to the view of all in
hat the schoolmasters should
us tomary lessons, to be stud­
anti-Christian 'Pilate-files'
m y, the circulation of which
by Maximinus D aia at the
n . However, it is possible to
mg various C hristian sources
hurch History, the apolo­
<"ta Pilati (henceforth AP), a
pagan Acts. 24 Pilate's name
Jgainst both Jews and Chris­
\ LEGENDS
originating in the late an­
enge to historians of religion
i tract Pilati circa Christum
red to show that there was a
lical statements which are
Is ly to the belief that the AP,
n to the second century and
lues' to which Justin and Ter-
II: 2, p. 8ro. ed. F. Winkelmann.
59·
crypha see Dehandschutter 1989
cl ition: Tischendorf 1876: 210-486.
celli 19 38 .
S ICA ET MEDIAEVALIA 61 . 2.0[0
T H E LEGE DARY FATE OF PONTIUS PILATE 167
saying: 'Lord, do not destroy me along with the wicked H ebrews, because
I would not have laid hands upon T hee, except for the nation of the law­
less Jews, because they were exciting rebellion against me'. ( ... ) And, be­
hold, when Pilate had finished his prayer, there came a voice out of the
heaven, saying: 'All the generations and families of the nations shall count
thee blessed, because under thee have been fulfilled all those th ings said
about me by the prophets; and thou thyself shalt be seen as my witness at
my second appearing, when I shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel, and
those that have not owned my name.' And the prefect struck off the head
of Pilate; and, behold, an angel of the Lord received it. And his wife Pro­
cia, seeing the angel coming and receiving his head, being filled with joy
herself also, immediately gave up the ghost, and was buried along with
her husband. 49
This branch of the Pilate-tradition is represented only in Southern and East­
ern Christianity.5 0 T he Paradosis Pilati (which is a continuation of the Greek
Anaphora Pilati A-version) of the fifth century contains an account of the
arrest and martyrdom of Pilate, presented as a follower of C h rist. Accordin g
to the Arabic, Ethiopic and Coptic Evangefium Gamafiefis, Jesus was cruci­
fied through the conspiracy of Herod and the Jews, and Pilate was a ttue
believer in Christ, destined to suffer martyrdom for his faith. T he Mar­
tyrium Pifati, which was also popular among the Coptic, Arabic and Ethio­
pic Christians, says that for his faith in Jesus, Pilate was crucified twice, once
by the Jews and then by Tiberius, and together with his wife and two chil­
dren he was buried near the sepulchre of Jesus.
In the Coptic and Ethiopian Church, Pilate and his wife were canonized
as saintsY
In the sixth and seventh century Pilate may have been very popular
among the believers of the Coptic churchY by this time 'Pilate' had become
a Christian name (Taufoam e) among the Christians of Middle Egypt, a
name that was widely used until the eighteenth century.53 If we believe the
49 Roberrs and Donaldson 1986: vol. VIII , 464-65.
50 For a short review of the Syriac, Coptic, and Arabic Pilate-tradition, see Harris 1928.
51 Volkoff 1969-70.
52 van den Oudenrijn 19W liv-lix.
53 Crum 19 2 T 23; Solin 1970: 108-9·
CLASSICA ET MEDIAEVAL!A 61 . 2.010
I68 TIBOR GRULL T HE L E

testimony of Johannes of Hildesheim, written in the second half of the four­ were later probably incorp
teenth century, the medieval C optic church put the Gospel ofNicodemus to G ospel o f Nicodem us: 21
liturgical use. In his Liber de gestis ac trina beatissimorum trium regum trans­
latione, Johannes remarks, without citing his source, that in Coptic churches OUKOUV ompwc; eX rr £A ~
the apocryphon is read during mass.5 4 YJf.!wv vrrof.!vYJf.!(X'ta x 8
In the Book of the Saints of the Ethiopian Church: [fol. 94aJ55, we find CO)'[()C; 6 'LT] C; rraQc((Jl1 f.!
'(Xth month = June 5-July 4; XXV Sane = June I9) This day has died Pilate, 'LO t\J€ub oC;. Err LTIic; 'L £1:
the Confessor. Hail to Pilate, who washed his hands from the blood of Jesus E'LOUC; e~b 6f.!0v 'Lf]c; ~
Christ!' alho Ie; 'roAW18EV'ra ­
In the Ethiopian Synaxarium we find the following: 'Month of Sane. 25 th EmcJ"(ac; rrw '«i lou ­
of Sane (June I9). Hail [Q Pilate, who washed his hands in order to show XQrlaaa8m OEO\l, a mpt.
that he is pure from the blood of Jesus Christ, and hail to Abroqla,56 his al),,(OU YQa¢~v on ('n'l
wife, who said [Q him: D o not commit sin! Because this man [i.e. Jesus Errl'tQorroc; 'tTic; 10uoaL
C hrist] is pure and righteous!'
An Arabic-Coptic Psalmody written in the nineteenth century, and used ... the forgery of those ~
in the Cop tic church of Virgin Mary at Harat Z ouaila (Cairo), contai ns an o ur Saviour is clearly pD
invocation to Saint Pilate:57 falsehood of their fabrica
concern ing the passion
This day is of the great martyr Bilatus of al-Bunti [Pilate of the Pontii]: ofTiberius; which oceurr
1. O ur Lord Jesus Christ was crucified in his city of Jerusalem, in order to it is plain that Pilate '.\ .
redeem us from our sins. Josephus is to be belie

2. Pontius Pilate was crucified in the great city of Rome, because of the work [ef Ant. 18.2.2] th
crucifixion of Jesus. berius in the twelfth year
3. T he body of Christ was buried in Jerusalem; Pontius Pilate was trans­

ferred to H im and buried with Him. rrAaaaf.!£VOl bT]"((t I1U\

4. Oh, what a great glory, which Christ also agreed with, oh governor, rraOllC;, Ef..trrAw Ka'ta 'r(
helper of G od, Saint Pilate! ErrL rrc:xaav i')LarrEf.!rro 1
rraQaK£A£uofl£VOl Ka'tl
EK¢ave L 'Lau'ta 'LO Ii;
54 Izydorczyk 1997: 32·
55 Wa.llis 1928: vol. IV, 1034. YQa fl f.! a'L 00 lbaaKaAov­
56 Hieronymus was th e first co menrion that Pilate's wife was called Claudia Prada. In [he f.!vYJf.!llC; Ka'LEXElV rra!
apocrypha she appears as a proselyte (Tischendorf 1876: 223). ' Origene et Nicephore la 'LQorrov.
(Prada) considerenr comme aya nr appartenu aux 'Proselytes de la Porce' avanr de croire a
I'Evangeli e', in Ollivier 1896: 248. An epitaph bearing the name Claudia Proda has been
found in Beirut, bur according co the archaeologists' opinion it originates from AD 125- 21 Schneidweiler 1987; Speyer 19
200, consequendy its amibution co Pilate's wife is highly dubious, see Caringran Smith demos).
19 84. 22 Eus. Hist.Ecc!. 1.9.3-4. = GCS
57 Volkoff 1969-70: 169-70. Translation quoted from Schaf

CLAS SICA ET ME DIAE VALlA 61 . 2010 CLASSICA ET ~IEDIAEVALlA 61 . ,


haps because he had no reli­
d , but it did support Celsus'
I irher Philo nor Tacitus men­
gh they were well aware of
an envoy during the time of
overnorship in his Legatio.
, nales, published around AD
ut also to the Christians', as
. As a matter of fact, Pilate's
m ay have been of no signifi-
DA HERO
ing stronger and more wide­
go ificanr, even in pagan cir­
l a pagan himself, Pilate had
t nce threatened the Empire
make official records of this
re referred to these archival
nto circulation under Pilate's
r pective of the government.
4.1Xi minus Daia (3 10 -3 13) who
~ , that such anti-Christian
ted earlier, nevertheless, in
his 'anonymous Urtext' can­
incredible severity and un­
ian, and in order to defame
n and distributed.20 These
rradition of Pilate's suicide, execu­
59 Cod . VaL Syr. (Karshuni) 199, 351. The Ethiopic translation bears th e tide Pt1dtOs maJari
h ier 19 71: 370).
(British Museum, Orient. 690 , 99a), ' Pilate the magician', which is no doubt merely a
. According co Barn es, Tertullian's
mistranslation from the Arabic misiri, 'the Egyptia n', cited by C rum 1927: 23 n.lO .
nf'd under Comm odus , see Barnes
m ary evidence relatin g (0 the per­
..hel l 1988; Christe nsen 1989 .
S I CA ET MEDI AEVA L! A 6 1 . 2010
THE LE G E N D ARY FATE OF PONTIUS PILATE 169
5. Abarkylle [i.e., Procla], your blessed wife, she is with you; your little in­
fants, the blessed ones, are also with you.
6. Pray (for us), oh Pontius P ilate, wi th yo ur wife and infants, for He
(forgive our sins)!
Similar hymns composed in Ethiopian were published by E. C erulli.5 8
Pilate's relation with the C optic church was strengthened by the legend of
his Egyptian origin. Traces of this claim may be seen in the Egyptian (Ara­
bic) version of the Gesta Pilati, where the angry Jews appeal to Herod
against ' Pilate the king [sic], the wicked foreigner from the land of Egypt', 59
and again, in speaking to Tiberius' envoy in Pilate's defence: 'What profit
thee his words, seeing he lieth unto thee in the Egyptian (Coptic) tongue?,60
CONCLUSION S
The extremely complex tradi tion of the apocryphal 'Pilate cycle', in my
opinion, was comprised of five different phases. (I) T he first phase is the
record of the deeds of the imperial magistrate. Official records or minutes
(commentarii / hypomnemata) were written by emperors, consuls, proconsuls,
priests, down to the municipal magistrates in the Roman Empire.61 T he first
non-apocryphal acta Pifati might be the commentarii praeficti iudaeae, the
official report of the governor, which was kept in the customary way in the
tabufarium principis. 62 These are the hypomnemata which Justin Martyr
(Apol. 1. 35.9; 1.48.3) and probably Tertullian (Apol. 21.14) refer to. (2) The
second component of the apocryphal Pilate-tradition is definitely pagan in
origin. Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical H istory, chapters 1.9 and 9.5-7, repeat­
edly refers to hypomnemata of Pilate, forged as part of fierce anti-Christian
propaganda, with the approval of Maximinus Daia. Eusebius, however, in
58 C erulli 1973; Cerulli 1975-76; see also Beylo t 1988.
60 Paris Mss. Arabe 152. 15a, cited by Crum 192]: 23 n.lI.
61 Mourgues 1998; Burton 1975.
62 The official archive of Rome was placed in me Atrium Libertatis, preserved until the sixth
century AD. See Purcell 1993 .
CLASS I CA ET MEDI A E VA LI A 6 1 . 2 0 1 0
17° TIBOR GRULL TH E L

his same work (2.2.1), he mentions that 'Pilate communicated to the em­ the True D octrine (A6yoC;
peror Tiberius the story of the resurrection from the dead of our Saviour suffer at all for having ha
Jesus ... ', which -according to Izydorczyk - might reflect knowledge of a text him [i.e. , Jesus] did not e~
from the cycle of Pilate, such as the Anaphora Pilati, but to him it seems ing m ad or being torn in r
more likely that Eusebius derived this knowledge from Tertullian. (3) T he the curse of Pentheus. A
third component of the 'Pilate cycle' is the one or more Christian texts king of T hebes who arresree
which may have arisen in response to the pagan forgeries. Thus, the birth of to recognize as the god Oi
the C hristian AP-tradition could be connected with the specific climate of for the ki ng, maddeni ng I
social and religious controversies of the fourth century. Our proof for the only as a lion and tore hin
existence of the Christian AP in the fourth century comes from Ep iph an ius last moment, D ionys us op
(Panarion 50.1.5; 50.1.8), who testifies that the sect of Quatordecimans in his life for h aving punished
Asia Minor, and especially in Cappadocia, use the AP for determining the O rigen, interestingly, in
date of Easter on 25 March . Epiphanius rejects that date not because tb not refute this statement, b
work on which it is based is apocryphal, but because, he knows other ver­ with the Jews:
sions (antigrapha) of the AP which gave a different date for the Passion .
T hus, already by the end of the fourth century, the text of the AP appears to Ol')K ElbE b' on OUX OU'tl
have diversified among the Christian communities. 63 (4) The Christian AP­ o-n ~)La cp86vov 7T.a{! l
tradition can be divided into t\vo separate branches. The first is the Western £8voC; 07T.EQ Ka'LabEbll-:
textual tradi tion written in Latin. The earliest of these mss. goes as far back 'LTJV yfJv {J7T.EQ 'LOV ITI:.'
as the fifth century. Greek manuscripts are much later, and it is also signifi­ EKWV 7T.aQE7T.Ef11j;a'LO 'L
cant that the Library of Photius, the ninth-century bishop of Constantin­ oiJ'LW KEKlVllf1 EVTlC; urr'
ople, does not mention any text that might be identified with the AP. 64 The "Mllbt v aOL Kat 'L4J eX
western textual tradition usually demonizes Pilate's character. (5) T he AP did ovaQ 7T.oi\i\a E7T.a8ov L
not remain confined to the Graeco-Roman world but were translated and
adapted by various Southern and Eastern Christian communities. 65 In the He [i.e., Celsus] did n
Coptic, Arabic and Ethiopian tradition Pilate's character has been totally demned Him, since 'he
metamorphosed: Pilate became a confessor, saint, and martyr of the C hurch. (Marth. 27.18), as the Je\'
T he reason of the split into a Western and an Eastern Pilate-tradition is a God and torn in pieces, a
very complex question which is hard to answer. Besides the numerous possi­ ble than the rending sufI
ble reasons that could be deduced from political or ecclesiastical h istory, the omit the story of Pilat
answer, in my mind, can be traced back to only one thing: that the Western seen that she sent to h
and Eastern Christians viewed Pilate's role in the crucifixion of the Saviour with that righteous man
differently. It does not mean, however, that while the Western Christians dream because of him' (

63 Izydorczyk 199T 26. 16 Orig. Contra Celsum 2.34. = G

64 Izydorczyk 199T 27· 19 86 : 95·
65 Izydorczyk 199T 30 . 17 See (he previous note.

CLASSICA ET MEDIAEVALlA 61 . 2010 CLASSICA ET MEDIAEVA LlA 6 1 . .


I accusations of Vitelli us, the
nt of C aligula. 14 But did the
n h ing. When the new em­
ral amnesty,1 5 and could not
hose successes in the east he
n Syria in AD 38/39, and ap­
,rical sources are silent about
o literary or epigraphic evi-
fes tament, became a popular
rer could be used as 'authen­
ith countless anachronisms.
Js of the church fathers, nor
fl cta Pilati-literature provide
I Pilate. Except, probably,
'mentum e silentio.
'hristianity, argues in his On
~ o n 1971: 270-96. Accordingly I
lly assume that he [i.e. Pilate] was
As ia Minor and the Via Egnatia
In d ertaken in the middle of mare
Ro me ... indicate that Pilate did
T h e length of the journey would
(a nd possibly Jewish) delegation
ai p to accuse a governor who was
ln al hearing or uial before Gaius'
omnium gratiam flcit, Suet. Gaius
·d untried from an earlier time',
g to Maier ' it is tempting to con­
h a general amnes ty' (Maier 1971:
~S IC A ET MEDi A EV A LIA 6 1 . 201 0
T HE LEGE N DARY FATE OF PONTIUS PILATE 171
found Pilate the arch-criminal in the trial and execution of Jesus Christ, the
Easterners acquitted him of every charge. Conceivably the C hristians in the
East paid more respect to Ch rist's prayer on the cross: 'Father, forgive them,
for they know not what they do' (Lk. 23 .34). It is all the more likely, because
- as it is well known - the overwhelming majority of the ecclesiastical writ­
ers both in the West and the East blamed the Jews for the crucifixion for the
6
Saviou/ It cannot be said either that the Western C hristians had more rea­
son to hate the state power - which was represented by Pilate in the Gospels
- than their brethren in the East. From time to time, C hristians were perse­
67
cuted in both parts of the Roman Empire.
The aim of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the
apocryphal Pilate tradition which has nothing to do with the real fate of the
historical person. We still do not know anything about Pilate's career after
his return to Rome, nor how and where he died. Naturally nothing denies ­
just as nothing proves - that Pilate might have been elevated on the ladder
of public office. In that case, inscriptional data could be found anywhere in
the former territory of the Roman Empire.
66 The best comprehensive monograph on this important topic to date is Simon 1996.
67 Barnes 1968; Plescia 1971; P. Kereszces 1979·
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'- t's supreme judicial power
d the au thority to try and to
\ ithi n his area of jurisdiction.
me the most well known Ro-
Testament characters about
1 ro ughly contemporary non-
reference to Ponti us Pilate is
. crib s how Pilate offended
'd ds in Jerusalem (Leg. 299­
cidents involving Pilate: one
in to Jerusalem,4 the other his
duct in the city (Bell. 2.169­
lVolving Pilate. T he first two
ound in the Wtzr (18.55-62).
(ext on Jesus and the Chris­
cident involving Samaritans
n on the orders of Vi tellius
the Wtzr, We are also in pos­
m Pilate's term as governor. 6
can be dated to three con­
chaps the most dramatic ar­
'Ie stone found in 1961 in
rly legible: [Pon}tius Pilatus /
prion has been, however, the
In. Recently G. Alfoldy has
last six decades: Kilpatrick 1953;
Imei 1970; Catchpole 1971; Cohn
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SERENA CON . OLLY

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JENS E. DEGN
Africain Romanise ou Rc
Lidentite culturelle de M