"A Cowardly Man"

[OKinyobe]

Professor Ian Hunter has written an article on Pontius Pilate for the National Post.

Here is a bit of what was written:

How often we emulate Pilate, by preferring the politically correct to the true answer. Some churches even emulate Pilate. The church must not offend women; so hymnals and liturgies are ransacked in search of any word or phrase that might possibly give offence. The church must not offend homosexuals; therefore its historic teaching is suddenly stood on its head. The church must be open to change; and before long a new-age pantheism replaces worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Read the whole thing and discuss.

[DeusVult]

Great article. I especially like the part you quoted.

[glgas]

In the fifties I learned about the same view on Pilate, based of The Summam Theologica:

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/aquinas/summa.TP_Q47_A6.html

It was added that the Jews hated Pilate from the beginning (when they successfully resisted Pilate's attempt to bring roman gods to Jerusalem) and ultimately succeded that Tiberius recalled him to Rome, which usualy meant condemnation. According to the lengen Pilate went to a place which today is in Switzerland, and committed suicide.

Moral: cowardice does not help to avoide one's fate

laszlo

Professor Ian Hunter has written an article on Pontius Pilate for the National Post.
Read the whole thing and discuss.

[Credo]

if, in later life, Pilate had been asked about Jesus of Nazareth he might scarcely have remembered him; only one crucifixion, after all, among many.

I don't know about this.

Jesus Christ was one of the most famous men of his day. The Fathers of the Church mention on a number of occasions that when Christ preformed some miracles, the raising of Lazarus comes to mind, where the entire city came out to see Christ; religious and civil officials even came from Jerusalem to watch this particular event. The king of eastern Turkey even wrote a letter to Jesus (a letter that still exists, mind you), begging him to come to Turkey and preach the Message in his kingdom. Christ's fame, added to the immediate sightings of Christ alive and well for about for an entire fifty days after his death would likely have made that particular crucifixion stand out for Pilate.  

[CollegeCatholic]

if, in later life, Pilate had been asked about Jesus of Nazareth he might scarcely have remembered him; only one crucifixion, after all, among many.

I don't know about this.

Jesus Christ was one of the most famous men of his day. The Fathers of the Church mention on a number of occasions that when Christ preformed some miracles, the raising of Lazarus comes to mind, where the entire city came out to see Christ work a miracle; religious and civil officials even came from Jerusalem to watch his works. The king of eastern Turkey even wrote a letter to Jesus (a letter that still exists, mind you), begging him to come to Turkey and preach the Message in his kingdom. Christ's fame, added to the immediate sightings of Christ alive and well for about for an entire fifty days after his death would likely have made that particular crucifixion stand out for Pilate.  

Credo,
Do you have any information as to this letter?  I'd like to see it.  I recently started reading "This is the Faith" (on recommendation from our lovely co-forumers), and Canon Ripley started talking about how the Gospels are super-well-documented.  So, this piques my interest....

[Credo]

Do you have any information as to this letter?

Sure. It's from a book titled The Twelve. When I return home tonight, I'll post the part of the book dealing with this particular letter.

The king's name was Abgar of Edessa. Here's his Wikipedia entry to tied you over until tonight:

Abgar V of Edessa: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abgar_V_of_Edessa#True_images

[CollegeCatholic]

Do you have any information as to this letter?

Sure. It's from a book titled The Twelve. When I return home tonight, I'll post the part of the book dealing with this particular letter.

The king's name was Abgar of Edessa. Here's his Wikipedia entry to tied you over until tonight:

Abgar V of Edessa: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abgar_V_of_Edessa#True_images

Awesome.  Many thanks.

[glgas]

The king of eastern Turkey even wrote a letter to Jesus (a letter that still exists, mind you), begging him to come to Turkey and preach the Message in his kingdom.

Turkey as country was born in the end of 13th Century.

Among the Apocrypha there is a letter from the King  Abgarus (that time part of Persia, later independent as Edessa)  recorded by Eusebius (Book 1 Ch 13 at the end)

http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250101.htm

I am almost sure, that if this would be authentic (especially Jesus' answer) that would be part of the New Testament. The full text seems to be part of the Apostle Thomas Apocrypha (Thomas had great cult in Edessa beginning at the 3rd century)

laszlo

[Credo]

I am almost sure, that if this would be authentic (especially Jesus' answer) that would be part of the New Testament.

I believe there is indeed some dispute as to the letter from Christ (I never heard about it until the just-linked Wikipedia article). King Abgar's letter to Christ seems to have more historical confidence behind it.

[glgas]

I believe there is indeed some dispute as to the letter from Christ (I never heard about it until the just-linked Wikipedia article). King Abgar's letter to Christ seems to have more historical confidence behind it.

Naturaly we may have only opinion about the Apocripha. They could be true. What seems to strange for me is the 'Son of God'
expression

7. And having heard all these things concerning you, I have concluded that one of two things must be true: either you are God, and having come down from heaven you do these things, or else you, who does these things, are the Son of God.

For the Roman Centurion the 'son of God' was almost natural thing, all the Greek chieftains were gods, the ceasar was god. For a Sirian, religion based on the Sumer-Akkad tradition very close to the  monotheism of the Jews  An is the God the rest are demiurgi (probably the equivalent of the Angels). They did not believed the 'sons of gods' living among us. The Magi came to worship the King of the Jews, the frankencise to God is later addition.

Imho Eusebius final statement

I have inserted them here in their proper place, translated from the Syriac literally, and I hope to good purpose.

is more refutal of the Thomas tradition than acknoledgement of the authenticity. I may be wrong.

laszlo