One of the most mysterious and mystical persons in Roman history is Pontius Pilate - the prefect of Judea, as the head of the city was called in the old days. But in some sources he is called the procurator, that is, by today's standards, he was a judge.
One of the most mysterious and mystical persons in Roman history is Pontius Pilate - the prefect of Judea, as the head of the city was called in the old days. But in some sources he is called the procurator, that is, by today's standards, he was a judge.
Tyrant and philanthropist
Many legends are associated with the name and personality of the "great procurator of Judea" Pontius Pilate. Some of them talk about his life, about his cruel nature, about the ambiguity of actions, while some say that the prosecutor was a very educated and visionary person. For example, it was Pilate who ordered the construction of a water supply system in Jerusalem, while the inhabitants of the city for centuries carried water in clay pots from streams that were located under the city walls.
Pilate was a philanthropist, giving considerable funds to libraries, supporting a number of artists and sculptors.
However, numerous sources claim that, along with quite noble deeds, Pilate committed atrocities "never before seen by the empire or the world." By the atrocities the chroniclers meant, of course, the intransigence of Pontius Pilate with the supporters of the new faith, the numerous orders for the commission of bloody massacres given by the procurator.
Pilate and Christ
Legends say that Pontius Pilate lived during the time of Christ, who, at the age of 30, came to Judea and spoke to its inhabitants about faith in a single and great god, in a creator who can give life, or can take away. Pilate also bestowed and took away his life, and therefore he listened with particular attention to the beggar who tells something in the squares for a year and a half, until the scammers began to report that this beggar preaches not only a new faith but also a new kingdom. Christ offered the people the kingdom of God, Pilate worried about the kingdom of the earth. Having ordered one of Christ’s disciples to be interrogated, Pilate personally interrogated him, it was he who seized from Peter the recordings of the speeches of Jesus Christ, which partly - again thanks to Pilate - survived to this day and are zealously kept by clergymen.
Pilate also ordered the execution of Christ, pardoning two thieves condemned with Jesus. It is believed that the crucifixion, which, by the way, was by no means a novelty for Judea - so executed all thieves, was the beginning of the end of the great prosecutor.
According to one version, he lost his mind for fear of being killed by his own close associates or from the realization of his own atrocities. According to another version, the emperor removed him from office, because the people languished from the cruelty of the decisions of the procurator. According to the third, Pilate was imbued with the speeches of Christ and ended his life in seclusion, leaving his post and wealth.
