Jesus — The Report of Pilate, the Governor of Judea

We see from this report that Pilate did not want to crucify Jesus

but he did this at the insistence of the Pharisees.

He tried to solve it in any way but it was not possible

and, aware of the terrible deed imposed,

He gave in to the pressure of the mad crowd.

“Pilate’s report of the causes that caused that disturbance in Jerusalem, in connection with the death of Jesus of Nazareth.

Of Your Majesty the most revered and submissive servant, Publius Lentullus, Proconsul of Judea.

Noble Sovereign, Hello

The causes that caused that disturbance in Jerusalem were connected with the death of Jesus of Nazareth.

The events that took place in my province a few days ago were of such a character

that makes me report them to you in detail,

because I will not be surprised at all if, with the passage of time, the fate of our nation will not change completely;

for it seems that in the last days

The gods ceased to be invoked.

I, for my part, am ready to say:

cursed be that day,

in which I followed Valerius Gratius to the government of Judea!

On my arrival in Jerusalem I received the judgment hall

and I commanded a great feast,

to whom I invited the Tetrarch of Galilee,

together with the Bishop and all his officials.

At the announced time, none of the guests showed up.

This was an insult to my personal honor.

Later, after a few days, the Archer came to me to apologize.

His clothing, as well as his bearing, were terribly cunning.

He claimed that his religion stopped him and his subjects,

to sit at the same table with the Romans and to worship libations with them.

I considered it necessary to receive this excuse,

But also on that occasion I became convinced that the conquered

declare themselves enemies of the conquerors

and it seemed to me that of all the cities conquered,

Jerusalem is the hardest to rule.

So turbulent is this people,

so that I always lived in fear that an uprising would break out at any moment.

For its suppression, however, we had only one centurion

and a handful of soldiers.

I asked for reinforcements from the governor of Syria,

who informed me that he also barely has any troops

enough to defend his province.

The irresistible desire to conquer,

that pushes us to extend our kingdom beyond our means of defense,

I am afraid that it is somehow a cause of overthrow of our noble government.

Among the many pieces of news that came to me, however, there was one, which particularly interested me…

It was said that a young man appeared in Galilee, preaching, in a gentle and noble tone, another law,

in the name of God who sent Him.

At first I was afraid that he was not an agitator

to stir up the people against the Romans,

But, not long after,

My fears were shattered.

Jesus of Nazareth spoke more like a friend of the Romans than of the Jews.

One day passing by the place called Siloam,

I saw there a great gathering of people,

and in the middle of it I saw a young man

leaning against a tree

and, filled with an unusual serenity and calmness, he preached to the crowd.

I was told that this is Jesus.

It was precisely what, then,

I least expected to see

so great was the difference between Him

and His hearers.

His golden hair and beard gave him a heavenly appearance.

He seemed to be about thirty years old.

I have never seen such a sweet and serene look in my life.

What a contrast between Him and His hearers, with their black beards and frowning faces!

Needing to interrupt Him by my presence,

I’ve been on my way forward

but I motioned for my secretary to join the crowd

and listen to what he speaks.

My secretary’s name is Naulius.

He is the great-grandson of the one who was in charge of

espionage and conspiracy issues,

who hid in Etruria, waiting for Catiline.

Naulius is an ancient native of Judea,

so that he knows Hebrew well.

He is very devoted to me and I consider him worthy of full trust.

Entering the courtroom, I found Naulius,

who told me the words I heard from Jesus in Siloam.

He said to me, “I have never read in books or in the works of philosophers

something that could resemble Jesus’ sermons.

One of the Jewish rebels, so many of whom are in Jerusalem,

He asked him if he was about to pay tribute to Caesar.

Jesus answered him, “Give to Caesar what is due to Caesar

and to God, what is due to God.”

It is precisely because of His wisdom that I have allowed the Nazarene freedom,

for it was in my power to arrest Him and send Him to you,

but this would have been against the justice that has always characterized the Romans.”

This man (Jesus) was never animated by hostile or tendentious intentions

nor is he a rebel, which is why I have protected him with my protection,

perhaps unknown to Him.

He had the freedom to work, to speak, to hold meetings,

to preach to the people and to choose his disciples,

unhindered by any praetorian mandate.

But if it were to happen (god forbid, that’s a guess),

If it happened, I say, like the religion of our ancestors

to be replaced by the religion of Jesus,

this will be due to this noble tolerance

and too great indulgences that Rome allows.

While I, the wretched wretch,

I may have been the instrument that Christians call providence

through which this fate and destiny will come upon us.

But this boundless freedom,

given to Jesus,

he greatly outraged the Jews;

but not the poor, but the rich and powerful.

Indeed, Jesus was very harsh with the latter

And this was a good reason for me

not to disturb the freedom of the Nazarene.

To the Pharisees and scribes he said:

“Baby viper, you are like whitewashed graves,

clean on the outside and full of filth on the inside.”

At other times He was indignant at the presumptuous fasts

and philanthropic acts of the rich and told them:

“Two pennies of a poor widow

are more valued in God’s sight

than your rich gifts,

which are not out of love and made with humility…”

Every day complaints were made to the courtroom

against the abuses of the Jews.

I was informed that soon some misfortune

It will happen to this man.

For it will not be the first time that Jerusalem

He will end up stoning to death those who were called prophets by them.

And I also knew that if the praetor refused their complaint,

they will appeal to Caesar’s authority!

My decision was approved by the Senate

and I was even promised an increase in the number of soldiers

After the end of the war with the Parthians,

because otherwise I would not have been able to cope with the uprising.

I then decided to take action,

who promised to restore peace to the city,

without subjecting the praetor to humiliating concessions.I wrote to Jesus, inviting Him to a conversation with me, in the courtroom, and He came.

As you know, in my veins flows the blood of a Spaniard, mixed with the blood of a novel, who does not know fear and is not subject to emotions.

I was just walking through my yard, when the Nazarene appeared, and when I met Him, it seemed to me that an iron hand had bound my feet to the ground, and I was trembling like a guilty man,

Although the Nazarene was calm and quiet,

Just like an innocent person.

When he came to me, he stopped suddenly

and, as if by a sign, he seemed to say to me:

“Here I am, I have arrived.”

For a while I can say that I remained frozen

looking on with admiration, respect and some fear

to the features of this man’s face, which seemed to me supernatural,

because He had a completely unknown appearance

to our many painters, who gave shapes and figures of all kinds of gods and heroes.

Jesus, I said to him at last, and my tongue almost babbled…

Jesus of Nazareth, I have given you great freedom of speech for three years

And I confess that I am not sorry.

Your words are those of a learned man.

I don’t know if you’ve read Socrates or Plato,

but one thing I tell you, that in your sermons there is a majestic simplicity,

that elevates you far above these philosophers.

The king is informed of you and I,

his humble representative in this community (of Israel),

I’m very happy that I allowed you this freedom,

that you enjoy and are so worthy.

Still, I can’t hide it from you

and not to admit that your sermons have aroused great

and strong enmity against you.

This is not surprising either:

Socrates had his enemies and fell victim to their hatred.

Yours are undoubtedly fired up against you

because of the freedom I give you.

Some even accuse me of being in close contact and understanding with you,

With the Hidden Purpose of Dispossessing the Jews

of the drama of power that they still have from the Romanians.

My request, for I do not mean my commandment,

is for you to be more prudent in the future

and beware of harming the pride of your enemies,

lest this stupid people revolt

against you and then force me

to use the means of justice.

The Nazarene then answered calmly:

“Prince of the earth, your words do not spring from true wisdom. Say to the storm when it breaks out: Stand in the middle of the mountain, for otherwise you will uproot the trees of the valley. Only God knows where the storm is going. I, in turn, must obey the laws of the Creator. Truly, I say to you, before the roses of Sharon bloom, the blood of the Righteous One will be shed,” He added.

I said to him, “You are more precious to me because of your wisdom,

than all these troublemakers of order and the presumptuous Pharisees,

who abuse the freedom given to them by the Romans

and plot against Caesar,

Making us sit in continual fear, these wretched turbulents.

They think I don’t know that the wolf in the forest sometimes dresses in wool and sheepskins.

That is why I tell you that I will defend you from them.

And know that my palace of justice is always open to you for escape.”

With great detachment shaking his head,

with a gesture that expresses divine grace

and accompanying Him with a sublime smile,

Jesus answered me:

“When that day shall have come,

there will be no refuge for the Son of Man

nor underground.”

“The kingdom of the Righteous is there!”,

He said, pointing his finger to heaven.

“What is written in the books of the prophets

it must be fulfilled in the end.”

“Young man,” I said to him in a friendly tone, “do you oblige me to change my simple request into a commandment?

The safety of the province, which is entrusted to my tasks, necessarily requires it.

You need to show more restraint in your sermons. Do not harm others with them, this I am forced to command you now.

May happiness accompany you! Go in peace!”

“Prince of the earth,” Jesus answered, “I did not come to bring war into the world,

but peace, love and goodwill.

I was born on the same day that Caesar gave peace to the Roman world.

This persecution is not of you.

I know that it is going to come from others

and I will meet her in full obedience to my Father’s will,

who has always shown me the way.

Therefore, take heed and control your worldly wisdom a little,

for it is not in your power to arrest the victim at the foot of the altar of atonement.”

After these words He disappeared, like a bright cloud after the curtains of the Praetorium.

Jesus’ enemies eventually turned to Herod,

who then reigned in Galilee,

to take revenge on the Nazarene.

If Herod had acted according to his own inclination in this respect,

he would have ordered the death sentence of Jesus.

But he, although he was proud of the authority of his lordship,

he was afraid of committing a deed

which could destroy his influence before the Roman Senate.

One day, Herod came to me in the praetorium.

When he got up to leave, after a few insignificant words,

asked me what I thought of Jesus of Nazareth.

I replied that, in my opinion, Jesus is a great philosopher,

as some large nations often produce.

And that His teachings are in no way heretical or dangerous,

and Rome is willing to allow him all the freedom to speak

and to this he is justified by his works.

Herod smiled with irony and, greeting me with a pretended respect, walked away.

The great feast of the Jews was approaching;

The religious leaders planned to take advantage of this opportunity

and popular overexcitement, which always arises on the feast of Easter.

The city was full of turbulent people who wanted the death of the Nazarene.

My spies reported to me that the high priests and Pharisees

He uses the temple treasury to bribe the people.

The danger increased by the hour.

A Roman centurion was insulted.

I then wrote to the prefect of Syria to send me immediately

one hundred infantrymen

and as many cavalry, and he refused to send me.

I saw myself then left alone, with only a handful of soldiers

(some aging and helpless guardians),

in the middle of a rebellious city,

unable to suppress the uprising and thus being forced to tolerate it.

The rebels themselves got their hands on Jesus

and, although they felt that they had nothing to fear from Praetorium,

believing that I stand with their leaders in this regard,

kept shouting, “Crucify Him!”

Three parties had united against Jesus:

the Herodians, the Sadducees and the Pharisees.

 

The conduct of the Sadducees was dictated by two reasons:

they hated Jesus and wanted to get rid of the Roman yoke.

They could never forget my entry into their holy city

with banners bearing the face of the Emperor of Rome;

Although I made this great mistake out of ignorance,

However, in their eyes the desecration has not diminished.

In addition, they were also dissatisfied with my proposal

to use the temple treasury for the erection of public buildings.

Because of this proposal, they were full of bitterness.

The Pharisees were Jesus’ open enemies

And they didn’t care much about our government.

They were forced to swallow bitter speeches for three and a half years

which the Nazarene threw in front of them, in public, wherever he went;

being too weak and indecisive

and not having the courage to take the desired measures on their own,

They were very glad to unite with the Herodians and Sadducees.

In addition to the three parties, I also had to fight against a stubborn population,

Always ready to join their uprising

and to take advantage of the confusion and misunderstanding that results from it.

In this way Jesus was dragged before the High Priest

and sentenced to death.

On this occasion, Bishop Caiaphas

He committed the humble act of obedience.

He sent the prisoner to me, that I might pronounce the final condemnation upon Him.

I replied that since Jesus is a Galilean,

the affair falls under Herod’s jurisprudence

and I commanded that He should be sent to him.

That cunning tetrarch confessed his humility

and, under the pretext that he had respect for me,

through Caesar’s Centurion he entrusted to me the fate of this man.

Immediately my palace took on the appearance of an occupied city.

Each moment increased the number of turbulents.

Jerusalem was flooded with the assembled population

from the mountains of Nazareth.

It seemed that all Judea was in Jerusalem.

I had married a young virgin of the Gauls,

who had already had some predictions of the future.

Crying, she threw herself at my feet and said:

“Beware! Thou shalt not touch this man, for he is holy.

Last night I saw Him in a dream.

He walked over the waters. He flew on the wings of the wind.

He spoke of the storms and the fish of the sea, and they were all subject to Him.

Even the river on Mount Kidron flowed full of blood.

The statues of Caesar were full of the dirt of Golgotha.

The iconostasis inside the temple fell down, and the sun was darkened.

as if dressed in mourning.

Oh, Pilate! Great evil awaits you if you do not listen to your wife’s advice.

Remember what is said in the Roman Senate:

<<Fear the power of>> Heaven.”

During this time the marble steps groaned under the weight of the crowd,

and the Nazarene was brought back to me.

I went to the courtroom, followed by my guard.

In a harsh tone I asked the people:

– What do you want?
– The death of the Nazarene was the answer.
– For which crime?
– He blasphemed God and foretold the destruction of the temple.

He calls himself the Son of God, the Messiah, the King of the Jews.

I replied:

– Roman justice does not punish such acts with death!
– Crucify him! Crucify him! But the united cry of the crowd broke out with great force.

The cries of the enraged mob shook the palace from the ground up.

In the midst of this incredible commotion there was only one quiet and calm man.

This was Jesus of Nazareth.

After several efforts – without any result – to get rid of Him

by the fury of these fierce persecutors,

I took a measure that, for a moment, seemed to me to serve to save his life:

gaveme the order to be whipped, then, asking for a basin,

I washed my hands in front of the crowd,

thus showing my disapproval of this act.

In vain! The miserables considered themselves satisfied only with His life.

In our frequent civil unrest

I have witnessed the anger of the crowd several times,

But from all that I’ve seen,

Nothing can resemble this one I am writing to you about now.

Indeed, it could be said that all evil spirits

from the lands of hell had then gathered in Jerusalem.

The crowd seemed to no longer walk on their feet;

they carried themselves upwards, screaming, like the waves of an angry sea!

A restless sea was at the gates of the Praetorium

to Mount Zion, with shouts, whistles,

as they have never been heard before in the history of the Romans.

The day darkened, like a twilight

like the one seen at the death of Julius Caesar the Great,

which happened in the same way, around mid-March.

I, the governor of the rebellious province,

I was leaning against a column of my palace,

Thinking of the frightening act of these cruel demons,

who dragged the innocent Nazarene to execution.

They had all disappeared from around me; Jerusalem had driven out all its inhabitants, who were lining up on the funeral road leading to Gemonica (Golgotha).

An air of mourning and sadness seized me.

My guard had accompanied the condemned man, and the centurion, to show a shadow of power,

He was trying to put things in order.

I was left alone and heartbroken

I was thinking that what was happening at this moment

He was more in the power of the gods than of man.

Suddenly there was a great cry from Golgotha,

which seemed to be carried by the wind and which announced an agony that no human ear has ever heard again.

Dark clouds descended and covered the wing of the temple

and, settling over the city,

They covered him like a wave.

So frightening were the signs that were seen, both in heaven and on earth,

so much so that Dionysius the Areopagite is said to have exclaimed:

“Either the author of nature suffers, or even the universe is torn apart.”

Towards the first hour of the night I took my cloak on me

and we set off on foot in the city, towards the gates of Golgotha.

The sacrifice was consumed, the crowd returned to the city,

but in fact still agitated, gloomy, with dark and desperate faces.

Many were seized with fear and remorse for what they had seen.

I also noticed my small troop of soldiers passing by in sorrow

and even the flag-bearer had wrapped his head in sadness.

I heard a soldier murmuring strange words,

that I didn’t understand.

Here and there you could see groups of men and women gathered; when they looked at mount Calvary, they remained motionless, as in anticipation of some other wonder of nature.

I returned to the praetorium, saddened and full of thoughts that troubled me.

Climbing the steps, I noticed that there was still a splash of blood,

who had run from the Nazarene.

After a while an old man came to me, with a group of women crying.

They remained at the gate, and he threw himself at my feet, weeping bitterly.

It is very disturbing to see an old man crying.

I asked him what he wanted.

He said to me, “I am Joseph of Arimathea; I have come to ask of you for permission to bury Jesus of Nazareth.”

I told him, “Your requirement will be fulfilled.”

I then commanded Naulius to take with him soldiers and supervise the funeral.

After a few days, the tomb was found empty.

His disciples proclaimed throughout the province that Jesus had risen from the dead,

as He foretold.

I had only one debt left:

to make known to the Emperor this disgusting event.

The very night after the unexpected catastrophe, I began to make this report.

Towards daylight I heard a sound from Calvary, singing Diana’s aria,

that reached my ears.

Looking at Caesar’s gate,

I saw a troop of soldiers approaching

and I heard the sound of the trumpet, which intoned Caesar’s march.

They were the reinforcements that had been promised to me, c

they two thousand chosen soldiers who, in order to hasten their arrival,

They had traveled all night.

“It was decided by fate,” I cried,

Breaking my hands,

“That the great iniquity may be committed

and that the troops that were supposed to prevent yesterday’s uprising, should arrive today!

Cruel fate! How you make fun of mortals!”

It was all too true what the Nazarene cried out from the cross: “It was done.”

This is the content of the report!

And I remain your Majesty’s submissive, with respect and humility,

Governor Pontius Pilate

Made in Jerusalem on the 28th day of March (4147 from creation).

This document was found by a German student in Vatican libraries, but at first he did not consider it so important as to copy it. After a few years, however, he told W.D.Mahan about the report, who, feeling a great desire to take possession of it, wrote to the former German student, who has since returned as a professor to Westphalia (Germany) and asking him to obtain a copy of this precious document through his vatican acquaintances. The German professor intervened through the priest Freilinghausen, the Vatican’s head of protocol, who procured him an English translation of the report and sent it to the wisher.