Chapter 49 Pontius Pilate

My wife had talked about him many times before he was brought before me, but I paid no attention. My wife was a dreamer, and like many Roman women of her class, she was fascinated by oriental rituals and ceremonies.These ceremonies were a menace to the Roman Empire, and once they penetrated our women's hearts, they were destructive. Egypt was doomed when the Arabian Hyksos brought their desert god; when Ashtat came with seven maidens from the shores of Syria, Greece was conquered and laid waste. As for Jesus, I had never seen this man before, until he was brought before me as a criminal, as an enemy of his own country and Rome.

Jesus was tied up with ropes and taken into the judgment hall. I was sitting in a high chair when Jesus walked towards me with firm strides and stood still, His head held high. I can't describe how I felt at that moment, but I had a sudden desire (though not of my own volition) to get up, get out of the chair, and bow down before him. It seemed to me that the man who entered the hall was Tazza, a figure greater than Rome. But this is only a momentary thought.Then all I saw was a man accused of being a traitor by his own people.I am his ruler and judge. I asked him questions, but he didn't answer, just looked at me.There was pity in his eyes, as if he were my commander and judge.

At this time, there were shouts from the crowd outside the door.But he remained silent, still looking at me with pity. I walked out of the hall and stood on the steps.When people saw me appear, they stopped shouting.I asked, "What do you want to do with this man?" They shouted in unison: "We will kill him! He is our enemy and the enemy of Rome!" Some cried, "Didn't he threaten to destroy the temple? Didn't he claim the kingdom? We have only one king." Now I turn away from the people and walk into the courtroom.I saw him still standing alone where he was, his head still held high.

I remembered reading a Greek philosopher who said, "He who is alone is the strongest." In this moment, Jesus of Nazareth is greater than his people. I don't feel sympathetic, he doesn't need my sympathy. I asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" He said nothing. I asked again: Didn't you say that you are the king of the Jews? " He looked directly at me, and then replied in a calm tone, "You yourselves proclaimed me king. Perhaps it was for this purpose that I was born to bear witness to the truth." See, at such moments he is still talking about "truth"!

I couldn't help shouting, to myself and to him: "What is truth? What is truth to a man who has nothing to do when he is picked up by the executioner?" Jesus said forcefully, "No one can rule the world except by spirit and truth." I asked, "Are you spiritual?" He replied, "You too, although you don't know it." When I, for the sake of the country, when someone else sends an innocent person to death in order to stick to the ancient law, what spirit and truth is there? No one, no nation, no empire will stop facing the truth on the road of self-improvement.

I asked again, "Are you the King of the Jews?" He replied, "You said it yourself. Before that, I conquered the world." Of all the things he said, this was the only one that didn't quite fit.Because only Rome has ever conquered the world. At this time, the shouts of the crowd reappeared, even louder than before. I got off the high chair and said to him, "Come with me." I was on the hall steps again, and Jesus was standing next to me. When the people saw him, they roared like thunder.Amid the din of voices, all I could hear was: "Crucify him! Crucify him!"

I handed him back to the priests who had brought him, and I said, "Do as you please with this righteous man. If you wish, you may take some Roman soldiers to guard him." So they took him away.I ordered it written on the cross above his head: "Jesus of Nazareth: King of the Jews." I should have written: "Jesus of Nazareth: A King." He was stripped, beaten with whips, and finally crucified. I could have saved his life, but it would have caused a riot.It was wise for a governor of a Roman province to tolerate the religious bigotry of a failed nation. I now believe that this man was not just an agitator.My judgment is not of my will, but for Rome's sake.

Soon after, we left Syria.My wife became a sentimental woman from that day on.Right here, in this garden, I still see her sad face from time to time. I've heard that she used to talk about Jesus to other Roman women. look!The man I sentenced to death has returned from Hades and entered my home! I asked myself again and again: what is truth?What is not truth? Is it possible that this Syrian ruled over us in the silence of the night? Certainly not. For Rome must overcome the nightmare of our wives.