Title: Pontius Pilate in history and interpretation
First published: 1998
Description: This study reconstructs the historical Pontius Pilate and looks at the way in which he is used as a literary character in the works of six first-century authors: Philo, Josephus and the four evangelists. The first chapter provides an introduction to the history and formation of the imperial Roman province of Judaea. The following two chapters examine the references to Pilate in Philo and Josephus, looking at each author's biases before going on to assess the historicity of their accounts. The next four chapters consider the portrayal of Pilate in each gospel, asking how a first-century reader would have interpreted his actions. Each chapter asks what this portrayal shows about the author's attitude towards the Roman state, and what kind of community found this useful. The conclusion distinguishes between the 'historical Pilate' and the different 'Pilates of interpretation' preserved in our first-century literary sources.
Subjects: Bible, Biography, Criticism, interpretation, Governors, History, Jews, Trial, Récits bibliques adaptés, Gouverneurs, Trial of Jesus Christ, Biographies, Critique, interprétation, Procès, Histoire, Juifs, Et la biographie de Ponce Pilate, Geschiedschrijving, Pilate, pontius, active 1st century, Philo, of alexandria, Josephus, flavius, Jesus christ, trial, Bible, criticism, interpretation, etc., n. t. gospels, Jews, history, to 70 a.d., Contributions in the biography of Pontius Pilate, Trials, litigation, The biography of Pontius Pilate, Church history, Historiography
Places: Palestine
People: Flavius Josephus, Jesus Christ, Philo of Alexandria, Pontius Pilate (1st cent)
Time periods: 168 B.C.-135 A.D.