Pontius Pilate

Pontius Pilate was summoned back to Rome to explain the chaos of his province to his Emperor ...but he never arrived.

Does anyone know any theories on what actually happened to him?

Pontius Pilate was summoned back to Rome to explain the chaos of his province to his Emperor ...but he never arrived.

 

Does anyone know any theories on what actually happened to him?

Failing to manage the emperor's expectations, and at odds with Vitellius (the legate of Syria) he probably faded away into obscurity. I believe there are some apocryphal accounts written in the 3rd to 5th centuries that make Pilate (and his wife) out to be christians, but the veracity is certainly questionable.

In any case, Eusebius gives a plausible theory in the Historia Ecclesiastica (History of the Church). He claims that Pilate wearied with misfortunes and had killed himself. (Hist. Eccl. 2.7.1). (Scroll down to ch. 7) Based on the circumstances, it's certainly not far-fetched.

In the Alps somewhere between Switzerland and Austria, the locals have a legend Pilate was so distraught with the death of Christ, he fled from the imperial government and flung himself from the mountains there. No evidence of course, but I thought I'd mention it as part of Christian lore.

I would imagine that the death of Tiberius and his replacement by Gaius was a plus for Pilate.

Wasn't Gaius easy going for the first months of his imperium?

Or is there more to this?

Such as the Syrian governor (and Pilate's rival) being close to the new Emperor? Or something like that?

I would imagine that the death of Tiberius and his replacement by Gaius was a plus for Pilate.

Probably. It's likely that he still would've been required to return to Rome and report to someone, but clearly there were major and more important events taking place at the moment.

Or is there more to this?

Such as the Syrian governor (and Pilate's rival) being close to the new Emperor? Or something like that?

Pilate was only at odds with Vitellius because Vitellius had to field a complaint regarding Pilate's heavy-handedness in dealing with some of his administrative duties. I wouldn't call him a rival as such, but he was a superior according to social rank. He would not have been considered a direct superior except for affairs of the military and/or if commanded by the emperor to intercede in some matter of import. However, because of his rank as a Proconsul he was clearly able to make discretionary decisions above that of a Praefectus. Josephus relates the story in Antiquities of the Jews book 18 ch. 4.1-2

Shooting off at a total tangent, why is his name always pronounced 'Pilot'? Shouldn't it be (phonetically) 'Pilaatay'?

I'll try listening to the pronounciation on the film.

Abanader (Pilate's 2nd in command, I believe) and Caesar have both surprized me with their pronounciation. It seems the German 'Kaiser' is phonetically spot on.

Shooting off at a total tangent, why is his name always pronounced 'Pilot'? Shouldn't it be (phonetically) 'Pilaatay'?

I suppose it really ought to be Pilatus. In any case, I find the Anglicized "Pilot" pronunciation similar to that of Pompey, who seems to be pronounced most often like the city buried by Vesuvius. As I understand it, the pronunciation should be Pompee (short for Pompeius).

I suppose it really ought to be Pilatus.

You're right, PP -- the cognomen was "Pilatus" to the Romans -- not our Anglicized rendering of "Pilate." But there's some debate as to its pronunciation, as it was one of numerous cognomina adopted by the Pontia gens after the time of the Republic. According to Kajanto, the Greek rendering of the name suggested a short "i" vowel. But we most likely pronounce it today with the long "i" vowel from the Carmen Paschale of the 5th century Christian poet, Caelius Sedulius. (Kajanto cites Sedul. carm. 5, 116. 157.)

A Latin origin for "Pilatus" seems most likely to suggest that the cognomen was derived from the Latin pilatus, meaning "armed with the pilum, or javelin."

-- Nephele

In the Alps somewhere between Switzerland and Austria, the locals have a legend Pilate was so distraught with the death of Christ, he fled from the imperial government and flung himself from the mountains there. No evidence of course, but I thought I'd mention it as part of Christian lore.

I would rate this alongside the claimed deathbed conversions of Charles Darwin and Carl Sagan, among others. Christians are noted for presenting wishful thinking as established fact.

There are many legends pertaining to what happened to Pontius Pilate. Some say that he was put to death, and others say he was banished to an island. I don't remember where it was though.There was one legend though that sounded like a myth.It was something about how he roams a lake or something like that sometimes. Has anyone heard of that one?

Would the way from Jerusalem to Rome have taken Pilate to '...the alps between Austria and Switzerland'?

It seems to me that ships and short marches across Southern Europe would have been more probable than heading north to where the mountains make transport extremely difficult and dangerous.

This opinion is based on maps and assuptions, maybe someone can correct me with evidence of the route and reasons for the detour?

It seems that Josephus is probably the best and most reliable source concerning the final days of Pilate's life.

Scripture gives us no further information concerning Pilate, but Josephus, the Jewish historian records that Pilate, the Roman procurator of Judea succeeded Gratus. According to Josephus (Ant, XVIII, iv, 2) Pilate held office in Judea for 10 years. Afterwards he was removed from office by Vitellius, the legate of Syria, and traveled in haste to Rome to defend himself before Tiberius against certain complaints. Before he reached Rome the Tiberius had died and Gaius (Caligula) was on the throne, AD 36. Josephus adds that Vitellius came in the year 36 AD to Judea to be present at Jerusalem at the time of the Passover. This would indicate that Pilate had already left for Rome.

Josephus (Ant, XVIII,iv, 1, 2) gives an account of what really happened to Pontius Pilate and his removal from office. A religious fanatic arose in Samaria who promised the Samaritans that if they would assemble on Mt. Gerizim, he would show them the sacred vessels which Moses had hidden there. A great multitude of people came to the "sacred mountain" of the Samaritans ready to ascend the mountain, but before they could they were attacked by Pilate's cavalry, and many of them were slaughtered. The Samaritans therefore sent an embassy to Vitellius, the legate of Syria, to accuse Pilate of murdering innocent people. Vitellius, who

wanted to maintain friendship with the Jews, removed Pilate from office and appointed Marcellus in his place. Pilate was ordered to go

to Rome and answer the charges made against him before the emperor. Pilate set out for Rome, but, before he could reach it, Tiberius had died.

From this point onward history knows nothing more of Pilate.

There are also so more far fetched tales of what happened to Pontius Pilate, like these I came across....

Eusebius (4th cent AD) tells us (Historia Ecclesiastica, II), based on the writings of certain Greek historians, that Pilate soon afterward, "wearied with misfortunes," had killed himself. (Hist. Eccl. 2.7.1).

Various apocryphal writings have come down to us, written from the 3rd-5th centuries AD, giving legendary details about Pontius Pilate becoming a Christian, and his wife, traditionally named Claudia Procula, was a Jewish proselyte at the time of the death of Jesus and afterward became a Christian.

There are other traditions mentioned in the false Gospels (non-canonical Apocryphal Gospels) concerning Pontius Pilate.

Church tradition portrayed Pilate in very favorable terms. In the second century Gospel of Peter, Jesus is condemned not by Pilate but by Herod Antipas. Tertullian asserted that Pilate was a Christian at heart and that he wrote a letter to Tiberius to explain what had happened at Jesus' trial (Apology 21). The fourth or fifth century Gospel of Nicodemus (which contains the Acts of Pilate), does not make Pilate a Christian, but depicts him as more friendly towards Jesus than any of the canonical gospels. Pilate was soon canonized by the Coptic and Ethiopic churches.

I always wondered if that legend was true about Pilate's christianity, but we will never know. I also heard another thing that Claudia Procula was the daughter of Julia, daughter of Augustus. They also say that Claudia might not have been her real name. Very interesting.

I always wondered if that legend was true about Pilate's christianity, but we will never know.

Well I believe we can say with almost all certainty that Pilatus never was a Christian, there hardly was anything like Christianity by this time. It's most likely a later construction by the church/churches as with Aristotle who is said (by the churche) to have been a psedu Christian (I'm not sure if that's the correct term but it means Christian in heart just that you don't know it yet).