Herod to Pontius Pilate the Governor of Jerusalem: Peace. I could nd no words to appease him and to relieve him from the distress which would be imposed on our house for ever. Nowhere was a single trace of calmness to be seen save in the face of one man onlythat of the victim. How great is His patience with you, O beloved readers who pay so little attention to His call for repentance! Owing to their sweet and powerful words, these simple men suddenly became famous and renowned. One would have thought that the end of the world was near or that the universe returned to its original chaos. Then I decided I should take some steps to establish order in the town and to avoid any consequences in the Praetor district. i. His wife sends him word of a revelatory dream she has had about Jesus and urges him to have nothing to do with that innocent man (Matthew 27:19), and Pilate abdicates his responsibility to the emperor. I have no idea where the claims to copies being in various libraries came from, but I did manage to track down its publication in English. lled His prophecy and victoriously overcame death; rst He showed Himself to His disciples and friends, and then to the people. Although, being rather compelled by fidelity to thy dignity, than led by my own inclination, I did not strive with all my might to prevent the sale and suffering of righteous blood, guiltless of every accusation, unjustly, indeed, through the maliciousness of men, and yet, as the Scriptures interpret, to their own destruction. With one gesture He separated the righteous from the wicked. Christ in History - Letter's About Jesus including Pontius Pilate's wife Claudia Sep 8 Posted by The Typist SOME DOCUMENTS REGARDING THE LAST EVENTS IN CHRIST LIFE, EXTRACTED FROM HISTORICAL CHRONICLES. His forehead is high and expresses innocence and calm. He proved that Jesus could not have been sentenced to death, because He had never committed a single crime. The gospel speaks of his teaching and wisdom, and how people were amazed when they heard His word. He showed Himself worthy. 1 source is Ante-Nicene Fathers page 459, which is also in English, 2 She appears to actually work at the British Library, see the author. Oh, how profound are these wise words and how much peace and mercy are to be found in them! Paying no heed to the fury of the thunderstorm, an old man came to our residence. Oh, believe me, that a single drop of this blood may be your damnation for all eternity. The apocryphal writings describe only the reaction of the first priests to this message: See, have not we told you before that He is a seducer? (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1916.) My emissaries informed me danger was pressing. I say, should it ever happen that the religion of our ancestors were substituted by the religion of Jesus, such a change night come into force by the noble tolerance shown on the part of Rome. First searching for the letter before a link/source was added revealed at least 3 letters, each is written differently: "The Library of Congress has received a number of inquiries over the years about a purported letter from Pontius Pilate to Tiberius Caesar concerning Jesus Christ. Life lessons, Bible study, Christian news, and more. He had risen again. He made the blind see; he cleansed lepers; he raised the dead; he healed paralytics who could not move at all, except that they only had their voice, and the joining of their bones; and he gave them the power of walking about and running, commanding them by a single word. Even my wife had a dream about this Jesus and she had warned me to have nothing to with him. Suspicious even of those to whose demand he had yielded, his life became poisoned with torment. As to His face, it has been said that this feature is contradictory to prophecy in Isaiah 53, where it was foretold 700 years B.C. And Csar said, Say the truth, most impious one, for through thy impious deed which thou didst commit against Jesus, even here the doing of thy evil works were manifested, in that the gods were brought to ruin. This is not to be wondered at; Docrates had his adversaries, and fell a victim to their fury. I cannot hide from you that your preaching has provoked great and mighty enemies as far as you are concerned. O Pilate, great mishap is awaiting you, unless you listen to your wife. The light shining forth from his face is like sunshine, so that it is impossible for anyone to behold Him too long. Can somebody summarize the different "branches" of Christianity to me, and explain why they exist in the first place? The Jews allegation that Jesus taught the people not to pay taxes to the Emperor has been proved unjustified by Pilates report. After some time Semida fell ill. One morning, when I awoke, I was told that she had died, without great suffering, in the arms of her mother. The wife of Pontius Pilate - Women In The Bible He flew on cherub wings and a fiery flame executed His orders, and He stopped on a cloud. and heroes. He could at least help me to . It took a pandemic to remind us that in the end, the things that keep us safe are our homes and family. can you add a source to the alleged letter? How could Christ be accused of a crime which He never committed? A letter from Pontius Pilate's wife by Catherine Van Dyke. Clearly the politics of the day Is reflected beautifully! Persecution does not come from me; I expect it from others. Upon Jesus Christ, whose case I had clearly set forth to thee in my last, at length by the will of the people a bitter punishment has been inflicted, myself being in a sort unwilling and rather afraid. . I'm not entirely sure that a question about authenticating provenance for a [dubious] document is entirely on-topic here. The Sadducees were prompted by two reasons: they hated Jesus and wanted to free themselves from the Roman pressure. In Jerusalem I was surrounded with tokens of respect and hand clasping : however, I lived in greater loneliness because of the pride and contempt with which the Hebrews met us. ve years old when Pilate, by the Emperors grace, was appointed procurator of Judea. Should become true! Jesus was buried in a cavern, hewn out of rock, at the entrance of which a guard was posted. Once Herod came to me in the Praetorian Office; and when, after some unimportant conversation, he rose to take leave, he asked me what I thought of Jesus of Nazareth. And as many were exciting an insurrection against me, I ordered him to be crucified. "This book was created from a letter, purportedly written in Latin by Pilate's wife first published in English by Pictorial Review Magazine in April 1929. We get it. In the seventeenth year of the government of the invincible monarch, the Caesar and Roman Emperor Tiberius, 201 years after the Olympiads; in the beginning of the five thousandth year after the creation, in the 4147. nd the statement, uttered with utmost discretion, that Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. Luke, 23, 24. Crucify Him! The Gospel says nothing about this incident. Note: As with any apocryphal writing, Christians must take care to recognize historical writings regarding Christianity may have ulterior motives and thus, can contradict our biblical texts. Should Your Majesty desire to talk with Him, as you recently wrote to me, than inform me to talk with Him, as you recently wrote me, then inform me of this and I shell send Him to you immediately, as I am ready to execute obediently and obsequiously whatever order Your Majesty will give me. That bit about the dubious authorship clearly doesn't stick in the mind as well as the much-juicier title, perfectly suited for passing around on social media today. These eyes, which gave Jairuss daughter life again, looked at His tormentors with an indescribable expression of peace and love. This man first heard about these documents from a German student who, studying at the Faculty of Divinity in Rome and satisfying his curiosity for facts in the vast libraries of the Vatican, found also Pilates report to the Roman Emperor. I was walking in the court when the Nazarene appeared and, when my eyes met His, I felt as if an iron hand had fixed my feet to the ground; and although the Nazarene was calm and serene like an innocent child, I trembled like a delinquent. Please look out for the Older Posts link at the bottom of each page if using the search field or if you have clicked on a category. But, O Fulvia, on the third day He showed Himself in this town, victorious and surrounded with majesty and radiance. And Pilate was greatly terrified on hearing this, knowing that through envy he had caused him to be slain. A Letter from Pontius Pilate's Wife Catherine Van Dyke Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1929 - 53 pages 0 Reviews Reviews aren't verified, but Google checks for and removes fake content when it's. The prosecutor continued grimly to accuse the martyr, basing his arguments on the documents he had brought with him. His peacefulness struck me with terror, for in my ears still sounded the words I had heard in my dream: Give me back My blood which I have spilt for you. Hearing about Semidas death, Claudia came to her funeral. After these words, like a bright cloud, He went away behind the Praetorian precincts. Protected by Sejanus, Pilate incurred the enmity of Jews in Roman-occupied Palestine by insulting their religious sensibilities, as when he hung worship images of the emperor throughout Jerusalem and had coins bearing pagan religious symbols minted. Do you know who put the sign on the cross that said "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews"? People call Him Prophet of the Truth, but His Disciples hold that He is the Son of God.that is to say, the Son of Him who created the heaven and earth and all that has ever existed, exists, and will still exist in all eternity. No community reviews have been submitted for this work. I once heard Him saying to the Pharisees: Whited sepulchres, breed of vipers, you impose heavy burdens upon your brethren, but you do not lift a nger for them. Pilate could not sufficiently defend himself and was consequently imprisoned in Gali about 37 A.D. From there he was sent to Vienna, where, owing to his humiliation and remorse, he committed suicide. Of what do you accuse Him? To this His disciples testified, and conrmed their testimony with their own blood, and carried the words of the Lord Jesus before the thrones of the great and the judges. You have things to do. The wife of Pontius Pilate advises her husband We should listen for God's voice in whatever guise it takes. This woode, Christ (Wedding Icon in Textile Oklad) You say so, answered Jesus. The first. Many paintings make references to it. There is to follow another document of greater historical and religious value. Moses parts the Red Sea allowing the Israelites to safely escape the pursuing Egyptians (Exodus 13:17 14-31). This article was most recently revised and updated by, Historical and traditional accounts of the life of Pontius Pilate, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pontius-Pilate, World History Encyclopedia - Pontius Pilate, McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia - Pontius Pilate, Sagrada Famlia: sculpture of Pontius Pilate. "Pilate's letter" may have been published earlier than the Ante-Nicene Fathers set, but this edition has the benefit of showing scholarly opinion on the matter - which is what we need here. And as the messenger returned to his lodgings he met a certain woman named Veronica, who had been acquainted with Jesus, and he said, O woman, there was a certain physician in this city, who healed the sick by his word alone, why have the Jews slain him?