I tripped, clutched the bridle of an ass, looked up. The story of Jesus’ life and death could have turned out differently, had Pontius Pilate listened to his wife. His eyes were eyes to die for. What about Limbo? Judging by this story, his wife seems to have travelled with him. Identify recent films about the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth. Tertullian, the late, great 2nd century Christian theologian & apologist, was convinced of this as was the 4th century Saint Augustine. Sign up to receive my FREE Catholic updates via e-mail and receive a FREE copy of my e-book, Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages: A Quick Layman's Guide to Thomism. This may mean they were close, since life in the administrative center of Caesarea would certainly have been more comfortable for her. Easter Bunnies? Goddess Worship? It is uncertain whether Pilate was actually married, although it is likely. The scriptures do not mention them in connection with Caesarea, however, but only their being in Jerusalem d… Pontius Pilate is picture of worldly power. He played a key role in Jesus’ crucifixion. Viganò: Where are the Cardinals? He convicted Jesus of treason and declared that Jesus thought himself King of the Jews, and had Jesus crucified. Pontius Pilate served as the prefect of Judaea from 26 to 36 A.D. In art, she is depicted as whispering into the ear of Pontius. He convicted Jesus of treason and declared that Jesus thought himself King of the Jews, and had Jesus crucified. He was always concerned about Rome’s opinion of him. Claudia Procula, according to the third-century early Christian sources (including, first of all, the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus), was the wife of Pontius Pilate, a Roman governor. Her husband's deadly crimes Against the Jews had made her face Well known and hated every place Where she might go in Palestine. When: the working day of a Roman official began as soon as it was daylight, and we know that trials in the forum in Rome began just after sunrise. Rebellion was a constant threat, and Pilate no doubt saw Jesus of Nazareth as a potential rebel, who must be neutralized as quickly as possible. The Greek Church assigns her a feast on 27 October. So he gives the order for crucifixion. This dream frightened and bewildered her so much that she felt impelled to act on it. The Dream of Pilate’s Wife. Pontius Pilate, Roman prefect (governor) of Judaea who presided at the trial of Jesus and gave the order for his crucifixion. He had the power to release Jesus and protect him from the raging crowds. While most Christians didn’t believe it, the Eastern Orthodox church did, making Pilate’s wife a saint. Most woman would be honored to know that their husband’s name would be on the lips of billions over a period of 20 centuries. Tiberius appointed him in 26 CE, and his rule lasted ten years. Ugly. He himself did not find any fault with Jesus in fact while reading Scripture it sounded like he wanted to let Jesus go free. There are 21 stories about people receiving revelatory dreams in the Bible, but only one of these stories is about a woman– the wife of Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea.. I sent a warning note, then quickly dressed. On the one hand, you can see Pilate’s response to his wife as dismissive, patronising, impatient. Jesus taken to Pontius Pilate. Let’s examine at the tradition of Pontius Pilate’s wife and the horrific dream that she had in Matthew 27 and how it relates to the Apostles and Nicene Creed. Talented. In the Gospel of Matthew, Pilate’s wife warns her husband not to harm Jesus and for this she achieved sainthood among Orthodox Christians. ‘Ecce Homo’ (Behold the Man), Antonio Ciseri, detail of painting showing Pontius Pilate presenting Jesus to the crowd. Pontius Pilate’s wife is not named in Matthew’s gospel because naming a person makes them real, and that was not Matthew’s purpose. Pilate was a politician and an administrator, probably in that order. History says that Pilate was the fifth governor of Judea. Of course not. Then blood. Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea (26-37 CE) during the reign of the Emperor Tiberius (14-37 CE). But was he really the bad guy we think he was? Why isn’t she named? He is competent and calculating, he is pragmatic and self-preserving. This makes it all the worse when he ignores it. In our New Saint Thomas Institute Catholic Church History series on the Arian Heresy Controversy and the Council of Constantinople, our student Alicia asks: Is there a reason why the name of Pontius Pilate was included in the second creed? Now read Carol Duffy’s poem above, and spend time thinking about it. Pilate saw me, What is Tenebrae in Holy Week? If you’d like to take our courses on Historical Theology, the Creeds, the Councils, and Catholic Tradition, please sign up with us at newsaintthomas.com. In later centuries she was called Claudia Procula, but it is impossible to tell whether this was her real name or an invented one. Pilate’s wife has had a dream telling her that Jesus is innocent and she sends a message to her husband about this. I saw that each tough palm was skewered What does it symbolize for Catholics? Appointed under Emperor Tiberius, he also had jurisdiction over Samaria and part of Idumea. Greek Orthodoxy canonized his wife. Claudia Procula, according to the third-century early Christian sources (including, first of all, the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus), was the wife of Pontius Pilate, a Roman governor. Mel Gibson’s Passion depicts Claudia giving linens to the Blessed Mother to collect the Blood of Christ from the scourging. When I arrived, the Nazarene was crowned with thorns. Easter Eggs? The wife of Pontius Pilate sends a message to him asking him not to have anything to do with Jesus, because she has had a terrible dream and suffered much because of … Then it hurt. Commentators call him cruel and oppressive, but this fails to take into account the hornets’ nest that was Jerusalem, especially at a time of one of the great festivals. what Jesus looks like Pilate and his wife arrived at Caesarea in 26. Perhaps because her dream is a warning to Pilate from someone he trusts. looked away, then carefully turned up his sleeves So the gospel implies that he really was at fault when he rejected her advice. Is it in the Bible? This was sensible politics at the time, since the gospels were written not long after the disasterous rebellion against Rome, in which a good proportion of the Jewish population were annihilated (see this story at ‘Masada‘). Kind and intuitive (and unnamed), she is known for these few words: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man [Jesus], for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him.” Matthew 27:19. Her husband's deadly crimes Against the Jews had made her face Well known and hated every place Where she might go in Palestine. Walk through Jesus’ final hours and explore Pilate’s thoughts that fateful day. Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Yeshua violated no crime worthy of Roman censure except by hearsay and technicality. Imagine that you are a friend of Pilate’s wife, or her maidservant. This was newly built at the time of Jesus’ death. Pilate's wife warns him not to condemn an innocent man, Jesus, to death. Pontius Pilate is best known for presiding over Jesus’ trial and ordering his crucifixion. Listen to God. Do not have anything to do with this man.’ Pilate ignored his wife’s advice and condemned Jesus to death, making his own name infamous. The Eternal City: Rome and the Origins of Catholicism. You catch a glimpse of the condemned man Jesus as he is led away. Pontius Pilate served as the prefect of Judaea from 26 to 36 A.D. He is not responsible; it is the will of the people. You accompany her. This document, allegedly derived from Pilate’s own records, says that he and his wife became believers in Jesus. by a nail. What methods has the film used to present the story of Jesus? Washing his hands, Pilate denies all responsibility for the order he himself has given. What she was hearing was the billions of Christians who recite “He was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He looked at me. If you are interested in the way that movies present people from the New Testament, look at Modern Images of Jesus and Modern Images of Mary, Dozens of extra ideas at Activities for Bible Study Groups and Schools, A real Roman couple: Terentius Neo of Pompeii, who lived just a few years later than Pontius Pilate and his wife, Wife of Pontius Pilate, the trial, her dream, her warning, Jesus Christ According to the Byzantine historian John Malalas (Chron 10.14.1) and the apocryphal work Paradosis Pilati, the name of Pilate’s wife was Procla. In chapters 26 and 27 of Matthew’s Gospel, the author sets a compelling scene. So it was necessary for the Sanhedrin to bring Jesus to Pilate at this early hour if … But is could also show a man who was affectionate, trying to reassure his wife that everything would be alright. You accompany her. The only period of his life to receive historical notice is his Judean governorship. A similar Latin word is ‘pilum‘, or javelin. his rough men shouldering a pathway to the gates. Pilate believed he was. When in Jerusalem, the governor Pilate and Procla likely resided in the palace that Herod the Great built on the west side of the city, near the present-day Jaffa Gate. Please Like this video with Thumbs Up Button and Share... Did Christ go to Hell? His wife, Claudia, tells him that Jesus is a holy man and should not be punished. Firstly, his hands — a woman’s. The night before his trial, I dreamt of him. Pontius Pilate's wife is the unnamed spouse of Pontius Pilate, who appears only once in the Gospel of Matthew, where she intercedes with Pilate on Jesus' behalf. The New Testament records several dreams that changed the course of history: All of these dreams appear in the gospel of Matthew, who was writing for a Greek, Jewish and Christian audience. My God. Already, Pilate’s reputation was one of a wicked and ruthless governor. I mean he looked at me. Consider this Pontius Pilate was forced into his decision. Pontius Pilate, the fifth Roman procurator (governor) of Judea (AD 26-36), condemned Jesus Christ to death. Matthew's gospel shows the terrible consequences of not heeding a wife's advice! A free translation is as follows: “The Tiberieum [a temple dedicated to the worship of Tiberius] of the Caesareans Pontius Pilate Praefect of Judea has given.” The inscription illustrates how the Judean governor bowed and scraped before Caesar, and thus it harmonizes beautifully with the New Testament account that casts him in a similar light (see Jn. It may also have been a family name linked to the ancient Roman province of Pontus in Asia Minor – at the eastern end of the Black Sea. Jesus has many supporters, who will be angry if he is harmed. The wife of Pontius Pilate advises her husband, Scene from the film ‘The Passion of the Christ’, with Jesus being presented to the crowd by Pontius Pilate. Origen is the first to mention that she converted to Christianity. He thinks Jesus is innocent. And a revolt would displease Pilate's boss, Tiberius. But it was a decision that would change the life of Pontius Pilate forever. What does history tell us about Pontius Pilate? In much the same way, Calpurnia is supposed to have warned Julius Caesar not to go to the Senate on the Ides of March. Little is known of Pontius Pilate’s personal history. And so she wore a veil. We do not know many details about his life. The wife of Pontius Pilate hid Her trembling hands and did What she had done a dozen times Before. Pilate tries to avoid sentencing Jesus. When the Nazarene Their permanent residence would have been in Caesarea at Herod’s exquisite palace on the manmade promontory that jutted into the Mediterranean Sea. It was sensible (if you wanted to survive) to present the Roman authorities in a good light, and cast the blame on the Jewish hierarchy. Usually they were seen as a warning against some danger, or a prompt sent by God to persuade a person to do something. Technically, Pilate did not “condemn” Yeshua ben Iosef Naseraneus, he simply let stand the condemnation proclaimed by the local yokels. On the morning of the trial of Jesus, she sent an urgent message to her husband: ‘I had a troubling dream. The Abyssinian Church reckons him as a saint, and assigns 25 June to him and to Claudia Procula, his wife. So why does Matthew bother to mention the incident? Matthew's gospel shows the terrible consequences of not heeding a wife's advice! Pilate’s wife is the only recorded person who spoke up against the decision to kill Jesus. and slowly washed his useless, perfumed hands. and there he was. After Judas, the single man most responsible for Jesus’ death was Pontius Pilate. 19:12). After Herod the Great’s son Archelaus was removed from being ethnarch over Judea, provincial governors were appointed by the emperor to rule the province, Pilate evidently being the fifth of these. My maid knows all the rest. Both stories show a man who will not even take advice from a trusted person. ‘Pontius‘ is a variant on the Latin word ‘pons‘, meaning ‘bridge’. Is Easter Pagan? Very little, except that she was high-born, Roman, well-educated and wealthy – and the wife of the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, at the time of Jesus’ death. What we know historically about Pilate would not predict his hesitation at the execution of a Jew. Explain your ideas – to yourself, or a learning partner. Their pale, mothy touch made me flinch. Another factor is that Jesus did not brake any Roman Laws. Much subsequent Lenten preaching to the contrary, one of the earliest church fathers even claimed that Pilate )>was already a Christian in his conscience( 2. Then he was gone, And there, … There is a “tradition” that Pontius Pilate’s wife Claudia Procula had a dream of billions of people chanting “sub Pontio Pilato” over and over and over. His face? Pilate … Although Pilate is sometimes understood as having been weak or vacillating, an early church tradition that had a favorable opinion of him has persisted in some churches. Pontius Pilate was a prefect of Rome and governor of Judea from about 26-36 AD. Perhaps he was accustomed to seek out her advice on difficult matters; educated Roman women were often quite powerful figures behind the scenes – think of the Empress Livia’s relationship with her husband Augustus. Pilate repeatedly asks the crowd what they want done with Jesus. The origin of ‘Pilate‘ is unknown. Her story is important for several reasons, one being that knowing that there is a woman in the scriptures who received revelation from God through a dream helps us remember that women today can also receive revelation through … According to the gospels, he actually believed that Jesus was innocent, and wanted to save him, but was pressured into ordering his death by the Jewish religious leaders and a disorderly crowd of spectators. The dream of “Claudia” is referred to in Matthew 27:19: While Pilate was sitting in the judgment hall, his wife sent him a message: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, because in a dream last night, I suffered much on account of him.”, If the tradition is true, she dreamed of the countless recitations and liturgical chants of “under Pontius Pilate.”. entered Jerusalem, my maid and I crept out, At one point he is reported to have introduced votive images of the emperor into Jerusalem; he also executed large number of Samaritans … When we think of the Easter story, we might think of Pontius Pilate. Was he God? All four gospels record descriptions of this unrehearsed confrontation in all four gospels. This was only prudent. Indolent hands. His brown hands touched me. What she was hearing was the billions of Christians who recite “He was crucified under Pontius Pilate.”. Hid her trembling hands and did what she had the power to release Jesus and later his! 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