Pilate's court

Jesus and Pilate by William Hole
Judgment of Jesus. 1st Station of the Calvary of the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in Villamelendro de Valdavia.
Judgment of Jesus. 1st Station of the Calvary of the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in Villamelendro de Valdavia.

In the canonical gospels, Pilate's court refers to the trial of Jesus in praetorium before Pontius Pilate, preceded by the Sanhedrin Trial. In the Gospel of Luke, Pilate finds that Jesus, being from Galilee, belonged to Herod Antipas' jurisdiction, and so he decides to send Jesus to Herod. After questioning Jesus and receiving very few replies, Herod sees Jesus as no threat and returns him to Pilate.

It was noted that Pilate appears as an advocate pleading Jesus' case rather than as a judge in an official hearing.[1] In the Gospel of John (18:28–19:13), his "to-ing and fro-ing", that is, Pilate's back and forth movement from inside the praetorium to the outside courtyard, indicates his "wavering position".[2]

  1. ^ Bond, Helen Katharine (1998). Pontius Pilate in History and Interpretation. Cambridge University Press. p. 159. ISBN 0-521-63114-9.
  2. ^ Rudolf Schnackenburg, John, vol. 3 (New York: Crossroads, 1980-90), 446 n. 5.