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THE IMAGE OF PILATE AND THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST
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ASIDE FROM THE FACT WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE TWO MEN WOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE, THERE ARE SOME CLARIFICATIONS TO THE KNOWN INFORMATION THAT CAN BE MADE WITHOUT ATTEMPTING TO DEDUCE PILATE'S PRAENOMEN (IF HE EVEN HAD ONE) AND WHAT HIS ANCESTRY AND PLACE OF ORIGIN. REALIZING THAT ANY INCONSISTENCIES IN THE GOSPEL ACCOUNTS MUST BE ASCRIBED TO THEIR DEFICIENCY AS "MYTHSTORY", AND NOT TRYING TO RECONCILE THEIR CONTRADICTIONS, SOME LIGHT CAN STILL BE SHED ON THE FORM IF NOT THE DETAILS OF THE EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE TWO CHARACTERS. FOR ONE THING, THE COMMON IMAGE OF PILATE IN MILITARY ARMOR AT THE TIME OF THE TRIAL IS PROBABLY WRONG. AS PILATE'S SELF-DESCRIBED ROLE OF "PREFECTUS" MENTIONED ON THE CAESAREA MARITIMA INSCRIPTION IMPLIES, HIS POSITON COMBINED CIVILIAN AND MILITARY DUTIES; THUS IN PEACETIME HE WOULD HAVE WORN A TOGA AND MILITARY ARMOR DURING A CAMPAIGN. THE SCARLET OR PURPLE-RED ROBE THAT THE GOSPELS STATE THE SOLDIERS PUT ON CHRIST TO MOCK HIM AS KING, THE TOGA PRAETEXTA, WOULD HAVE BEEN THE KIND PILATE WORE AS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE EMPEROR IN WHAT WAS CONSIDERED A CAESAREAN, NOT A SENATORIAL PROVINCE; LIKE THE 'GREAT WHORE SEATED ON THE BEAST OF BABYLON' DESCRIBED IN THE "APOCALYPSE OF JOHN." THE WREATH CROWN OF OLIVE LEAVES DEPICTED ON THE TIBERIAN COINS SUPPOSEDLY MINTED BY PILATE, AND WORN BY THE GOVERNOR WHEN CONDUCTING RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES, POSSIBLY SERVED AS THE INSPIRATION FOR THE CROWN OF THORNS THE SOLDIERS PUT ON CHRIST'S HEAD IN MOCKERY. MANY HAVE DEBATED THE SITE OF THE PRAETORIUM AND IT SEEMS BEST TO ACCEPT IT AS THE SITE OF THE ANTONIA FORTRESS DESCRIBED BY JOSEPHUS AS A PALATIAL CASTLE SUITED TO DEFENSE AS WELL AS LUXURY. IT WOULD ALSO BE THE IDEAL SITE BECAUSE IT WAS WHERE THE MAIN ROMAN GARRISON IN JERUSALEM WAS STATIONED AND ADJACENT TO THE TEMPLE COURTS WHICH IT OVERLOOKED FROM A HIGHER RIDGE- THUS THE COMBINATION OF THE TWO NAMES IN THE "GOSPEL OF JOHN": LITHOSTRATOS AND GABBATHA. WHEN PILATE HAD JESUS SCOURGED WITHIN IT, IT WAS NOT AS COMMONLY STATED, WITH AN ORDINARY STRAP WHIP CALLED THE FLAGELLUM AND LATER USED BY CHRISTIAN FANATICS ON THEMSELVES, BUT RATHER WITH THE "SCORPIONUM." THIS WAS A WHIP WITH CORDS OF LEATHER EMBEDDED WITH METAL THORNS OR SPIKES LIKE THE STINGER OF A SCORPION AND JUST AS PAINFUL, HENCE THE NAME. IT DID NOT JUST PIERCE AS THE SO-CALLED "PLUMBETAE" PELLET WHIPS OF MODERN INTERPRETATION ARE SAID TO HAVE DONE, BUT RIPPED OR GOUGED OUT SMALL CHUNKS OF FLESH IN THE NATURE OF TRUE SCOURGING, OR "SCOURING", LEAVING THE VICTIM LOOKING LIKE A BLOODY MATZO. PILATE APPARENTLY INTENDED TO MAKE JESUS LOOK AS PITIFUL AS POSSIBLE TO THE JEWS. THIS IMAGE ALSO VIVIDLY REINFORCES THE IDEA OF CHRIST'S FLESH AND BLOOD AS THE 'BREAD AND WINE OF SALVATION'. SOME ANCIENT CHRISTIAN TEACHERS SOUGHT TO COMPARE THE CROSS TO THE TROPHIUM OR VOTIVE ARMOR STAKE SET UP AFTER A VICTORIOUS BATTLE AND DEDICATED TO JUPITER AND MARS. A CAMEO OF TIBERIUS SHOWS ROMAN SOLDIERS DOING JUST THIS. THE INACCURACY OR INAPTNESS IN THE COMPARISON WAS THAT THE TROPHIUM DID NOT, USUALLY AT LEAST, HAVE A TITULUS OR SIGN ON IT AND NEITHER WAS A CROSSBAR ATTACHED. THE STUMPS OF THE LOPPED BRANCHES SERVED TO SUFFICIENTLY HOLD THE FEW SWORDS AND SHIELDS HUNG ON THEM AND DID NOT PROJECT OUT NOTICEABLEY. THIS IMAGE WAS OVERLOOKED BY THE JEWISH GOSPEL AUTHORS WHO PREFERRED INSTEAD TO SEE CHRIST'S "BEING LIFTED UP" IN THE RAISING OF THE CROSS TO THE RAISING OF THE BRONZE SERPENT STANDARD IN THE DESERT BY MOSES FOR THE DIVINE HEALING OF THE PEOPLE FROM DEADLY SNAKEBITE. IN DETERMINING ALSO THE BEST CANDIDATE SITE FOR GOLGOTHA MANY HAVE LOOKED NORTH AS WELL AS WEST. BUT IRONICALLY THEY HAVE OVERLOOKED A SUITABLE SITE TO THE EAST-- IN THE KIDRON VALLEY ADJACENT TO THE MOUNT OF OLVES AND THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE, A SMALL PLATEAU OR LEVEL HILLOCK RIGHT BY THE SO-CALLED 'SHEEPGATE' WITH AN ANCIENT ROAD OVER IT LEADING INTO THE CITY. THOUGH NOT IN THE SHAPE OF A SKULL, IT HAS LOMG BEEN SURROUNDED BY ANCIENT TOMBS AMD WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN HALF AS FAR FROM THE ANTONIA (AS JOSEPHUS STATES IT WAS CALLED) PRAETORIUM AS THE OTHER TWO PROPOSALS. GOING OUT THE 'SHEEPGATE' TO HIS EXECUTION CHRIST WOULD HAVE MET SIMON OF CYRENE COMING IN FROM THE COUNTRY AND HAD TO FOLLOW HIS INVOLUNTARY HELPER ONLY A SHORT DISTANCE. THE COURSE OF HIS JOURNEY WOULD HAVE BEEN THROUGH THE NORTHERN CLOISTER OF THE TEMPLE COMPOUND PAST THE RESERVOIR CALLED "THE POOL OF ISRAEL", NOW ALL PAVED OVER BY THE MOSLEM AUTHORITIES OF THE AREA AS A PARKING LOT. ONE COULD SAY THE MOTTO FOR THIS PART OF JERUSALEM IS "CRUCIFY CHRIST AND PUT UP A PARKING LOT." EVEN MORE IRONICALLY, THE NEARBY TOMB ASSOCIATED WITH THE BURIAL OF THE VIRGIN MARY WOULD PROBABLY HAVE BEEN THE ONE OWNED BY JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA USED FOR HER SON. FINALLY, THERE IS AN INTRUIGING POSSIBILITY THAT AN ACT OF PILATE RECORDED BY NONE BUT HIMSELF INSPIRED A PARABLE OF JESUS. IN A ROCKY PROMONTORY OF THE PROVINCIAL JUDEAN CAPITAL OF CAESAREA MARITIMA IS A RECTANGULAR PIT ABOUT THE SIZE OF AN AVERAGE SMALL ROMAN TEMPLE, SUCH AS OF A HERO OR AN EMPEROR. ARCHAEOLOGISTS FOOLISHLY THINK IT IS THE SWIMMING POOL OR FISH POOL OF KING HEROD ANTIPATER'S ROYAL PALACE. NEARBY, ITALIAN ARCHAEOLOGISTS IN 1961 DISCOVERED AN INSCRIPTION STONE SIMILAR IN APPEARANCE TO THE STONE SLABS SCATTERED ON THE PROMONTORY AND MENTIONING PILATE'S DEDICATION AS "PREFECT OF THE JUDEAS" OF A TIBERIUM, OR TEMPLE TO THE EMPEROR TIBERIUS. WAS THIS HOUSE OF THE DIVINE TIBERIUS THE HOUSE BUILT ON ROCK BY THE WISE MAN AGAINST THE WINDS AND THE WATERS AS OPPOSED TO BEING BUILT ON SAND TOLD OF IN ONE OF JESUS' PARABLES? AND WAS IT THE HAND OF MAN AND NOT OF NATURE THAT FINALLY DESTROYED IT?? AND WHAT OF THE TERM USED IN PILATE'S TITLE INSCRIPTION: "JUDEAS"? WAS HE INSULTINGLY (TO THE JUDEAN JEWS) INCLUDING THE SAMARITANS HE WAS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR AS BEING JEWS? COULD IT HAVE BE THAT HE WAS CALLOUSLY INSINUATING THE MORAL THAT JESUS SO TENDERLY PORTRAYED IN HIS PARABLE OF THE 'GOOD SAMARITAN'? FASCINATING CONJECTURES, BUT AS THE ROMANS USED TO SAY: "IF THE FACTS FIT, THEY MUST BE THE TRUTH." SO THE FINAL QUESTION IS: DID PILATE REALLY NEED TO ASK?
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