Pontius Pilate

December 19, 2016
Pontius Pilate is well known as the Roman prefect who presided over the trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, but much of what we know of him is more myth than fact, so Schiavone (Spartacus: Revealing Antiquity), a professor of Roman law at the Instituto Italiano di Scienze Umane, revisits the time and place of Christ’s crucifixion to bring a more historically sound picture to light. He takes a look at who Pilate was before he became governor of Judea and examines the culture, religion, and politics that led to the arrest of the “King of the Jews.” Using the Gospels as well as secular historical texts (which he finds more reliable), Schiavone delves into Pilate’s interrogation of Jesus to discover why the dialogue switches from vague amazement to theology, and then explores the tacit understanding between the prefect and the condemned regarding the inevitability of the trial’s outcome. Schiavone compares the information available from many sources to construct a comprehensive and thought-provoking explanation of what took place between Pilate and Jesus, expanding the narrow portrait of a man about which little is known beyond this one encounter.

December 15, 2016
A literary study of the Roman governor of Judaea who condemned the prophet Jesus--reluctantly--to death. Roman scholar Schiavone (Spartacus, 2013, etc.) reveals a deeply human story in the encounter (both historical and biblical) between a charismatic teacher denounced by the Jewish priests for fomenting "false" and dangerous preaching and the rather tone-deaf but benign Roman governor who did not care to make trouble with his Jewish constituency. In this slender, elegantly translated work geared toward lay readers, Schiavone navigates between memory--by the four writers of the Gospels, especially John, "the closest to the context of first century Palestine"--and history--Josephus and Philo of Alexandria, "two first-century intellectuals"--to help in the reconstruction of these contested events. The narrative culminates in the climax of Jesus' preaching and testimony in Jerusalem and the trauma--the Crucifixion--that forms the Christian final sequence. Schiavone treads carefully through the narrative by the Gospel writers to get a sense of Pilate's character and role as a governor who held his job for 10 years, which was rare--he was obviously valued by the emperor. Having arrived at the governor's palace in Jerusalem in the early hours of the morning after being identified by one of his disciples, Judas, to the Roman authorities, Jesus was taken for interrogation by Pilate, who feared a trap by the Jewish authorities, the Sanhedrin, on this eve of the Passover. The governor could allow a criminal pardon, and he offered the assembled crowd either Barabbas, a notorious criminal, or Jesus, and the crowd still demanded the death of Jesus. Why? What had he done, Pilate wanted to know? He was declared a "sacrilegious blasphemer," and, as the so-called King of the Jews, he was too dangerous for the community to let him live. A levelheaded, engaging reading of the Gospels and historical account that forms a solid sense of this pivotal personage and his role on the epic stage.

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March 1, 2017

In this historical reconstruction, Schiavone (Spartacus) uncovers the real story of Roman governor Pontius Pilate (d. 38 CE). Since Pilate's singularly infamous act revolves around the trial of Jesus Christ, this work begins by looking at Christ's life leading up to that event and the surrounding sociopolitical context of the first-century world. This includes examining the political structure and hierarchy, which would have played a role in shaping Pilate's choices. Schiavone leaves elements open to interpretation when they are vague and attempts to present the material in a fair-handed manner, allowing readers to arrive at their own conclusions. One downside is that since the narrative is not strictly chronological, it does create extra work for readers to put some of the events in their proper historical sequence. VERDICT Schiavone makes good use of historical sources, re-creates a plausible narrative, and sheds new light on the life of a well-known yet mysterious historical figure. Even with references throughout, the author presents an easy and engaging read. A solid entry for those interested in ancient, historically reconstructed biographies.--Mark Hanson, Maranatha Baptist Univ. Lib., Watertown, WI

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