Procurator
History teaches that Pontius Pilate was appointed governor of Judea by
Tiberius in 26 A.D. and immediately made bad relations with the Jews by centering the
headquarters of his army, previously in Caesarea, to Jerusalem.
The soldiers, no doubt, took their standards (which bore the image of the
emperor) with them into the holy city. The very sight of Roman standards appearing
within sight of the Temple compound greatly enraged the people, who vowed to
fight to the death rather than to submit to any idolatry in or within the sight
of the Temple. Pilate yielded to their demands and ordered the standards to be
returned to Caesarea (Josephus Ant. 18.3.1-2; Wars 2.9.2-4).
Two other times Pilate nearly drove the Jews to a frenzy:
The first time was when he hung golden shields inscribed with the names of
deities in his palace on Mt. Zion. The emperor himself had to actually order them
removed.
The second time was when he used revenue from the Temple, collected from the
redemption of vows, for the building of an aqueduct.
Some mention must also be made to the slaughter of certain Galileans (Luke
13:1), who were slain while they were offering sacrifices in the Temple.
Also See ISBE - Procurator
Pontius
Pilate
Return to Bible History Online