Tag: Pilate
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Easter Myth #2: Pilate was a kindly ditherer, open to persuasion
Ten Easter Myths Most leading historians, archaeologists and linguists don’t believe that the four official Christian Gospels can be relied upon as accurate records of historical fact. The Christmas stories, for instance, are known to be complete fabrications based on stories passed down from other traditions, edited to make them appear consistent with ancient Hebrew…
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The real Pilate was a ruthless tyrant, not a kindly ditherer
If you’ve seen Michael Palin’s portrayal of Pontius Pilate in Monty Python’s ‘Life of Brian’, you’ll recall the weak and wavering man with a stutter in awe of his friend Bigus Dickus. Does this in any way resemble reality? No. Not at all. The Pilate of history was a vicious and paranoid tyrant who had…
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All reported speech in the New Testament is only an interpretation of what was actually said
Not many people realise that the entire New Testament was originally written in Greek – a language that Yeshua and his disciples barely knew (if at all). Their everyday tongue was Galilean Aramaic. They may have understood a smattering of Greek since Sepphoris, the capital of Galilee and just a stone’s throw from Nazareth, was…
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The gospels differ significantly over Yeshua’s trial
The gospels differ significantly over the details of Yeshua’s trial and committal: In the First Gospel (‘Mark’), they took him to Caiaphas, the high priest’s, house where the Jewish governing council (Sanhedrin), had assembled. The Jewish leaders gave false and conflicting testimony; Yeshua remained silent. Then Caiaphas asked him if he was the Messiah. Previously…