All language subtitles for Jesus His Life s01e05e06 Judas - Pilate.eng

[wind whooshing]

[woman singing]

[dramatic music]

- The story of Jesus is the
greatest story ever told.

♪

- Get out, you sinner!

- Where is he?

♪

male narrator:
For over 2,000 years,

the story of Jesus Christ
has touched the lives

of billions around the globe.

[whip cracks]
- [screams]

- Jesus felt what we felt.

He faced what we face today.

♪

- If we want to understand
Western history at all,

we must understand
the story of Jesus.

narrator:
Now, for the first time,

his story is told
through the eyes

of those who knew him best.

- One of you will betray me.

- Judas' betrayal of Jesus

is one of the great mysteries
of the New Testament.

- He has to be stopped.

- [grunts]
- [grunts]

- Judas probably
began asking himself,

"Is this the kind of messiah
I want to follow?"

- He betrayed Jesus for reasons
we don't understand.

- Do what you have to do,
but do it quickly.

- I'm not sure that
Judas fully realizes

the impact that
this is going to have.

- Are you betraying
the Son of man with a kiss?

- Every story needs a bad guy
and he's it.

♪

♪

[soft dramatic music]

♪

- Lazarus, come out.

♪

[crowd gasps]

♪

- [sobs]

- Each of us grows up

hoping we can make our mark,

become something special.

- [laughs]

- Until Jesus
came into my life,

I was a nobody.

But not now.

Now, the world
will remember the name

Judas Iscariot forever.

♪

[all cheer]

- Lazarus lives!

- He lives.

- The raising of Lazarus
from the dead

is the greatest miracle
in Jesus' ministry bar none.

And it would've
impressed and astonished

and even terrified
his closest disciples,

including Judas Iscariot.

[indistinct chatter]

- Judas Iscariot is
the symbol of betrayal.

♪

Even for people who don't know
the biblical stories,

the name Judas means "traitor."

♪

[indistinct chatter]

[indistinct cheers]

- Get back, all of you.
Get back.

- The reason why Judas
decides to betray Jesus

is one of the biggest
mysteries of the New Testament.

It's not a whodunit.
We know who did it.

It's a why-done-it?

Why did Judas decide
to give up Jesus?

♪

- I said, get back.

- We don't know a lot about
Judas' relationship with Jesus.

He wasn't
one of those disciples

that was mentioned
all the time.

However, we do know that
he spent a lot of time

with Jesus.

- Be careful, Lord.

- It's too late for that.

- No.
These crowds are dangerous.

- This is nothing compared to
the dangers I will soon face.

♪

- Judas was close to Jesus,

in his inner circle--

Jesus was good to him.

Yet,
Judas overcome by darkness.

He betrayed Jesus for reasons
we don't understand.

This makes Judas a compelling
and mysterious character.

♪

- He was the best thing
that ever happened to me.

♪

I was proud
to call him friend.

- Ask,
and it will be given you.

♪

Search,

and you will find.

- There's a possibility that
Judas was a little different

than the rest of
the disciples of Jesus.

Most of them
came from the Galilee

where Jesus was from,
but Judas' name, Iscariot,

appears to be a southern name,
a Judean name.

- It might be that
he's named after a town

because there is
a town called Kerioth,

so maybe he comes
from that town.

Judas "IsKerioth."

Or maybe--and this is the most

exciting sort of
compelling theory--

there's a group of
kind of trained assassins

in the first century
called the Sicarii

from these daggers
that they carry,

and maybe Iscariot
comes from Sicarii,

so he's actually kind of
one of these dagger men.

♪

- Judas actually has a job
among the disciples of Jesus,

and he's their Treasurer,

and this would have
been an important job

among a group that
doesn't have a lot of money.

- Which seems to speak
to a level of trust.

I mean, most people don't

entrust their banking situation

to people that
are untrustworthy.

♪

- There's a moment
in the Gospel of John

where Jesus is at
Mary and Martha's house

and Mary comes up to Jesus

with a jar of ointment.

♪

- Mary begins anointing Jesus

as an act of gratitude
because Jesus has resurrected

her brother, Lazarus,
from the dead.

♪

- Mary brings out
this Pistic Nard,

which was
the ancient equivalent

of Chanel No. 5.

This is not cheap perfume.

- Why wasn't this perfume sold

and the money
given to the poor?

- I thought that--

- That jar is worth
a week's wage.

- Leave her alone.

Why do you trouble her?
- Rabbi--

- She has performed
a good service for me.

♪

- This rebuking by Jesus marks

a kind of turning point
for Judas.

It's the first time we see him

actually in opposition
to Jesus.

- I was only thinking of those
who were less fortunate.

- You will
always have the poor.

You can show them kindness
whenever you wish.

You will not always have me.

♪

- Judas always had his mind

on the financial aspects
of Jesus' ministry.

This was his job.

But Jesus yells at him for
doing the responsible thing,

embarrassing him
in front of the disciples--

maybe that was something
that caused Judas

to think twice about
his following Jesus.

♪

- I was convinced he couldn't
see how much I cared.

I thought he was mocking me.

That's the only way
I can explain it.

♪

- There's a lot of symbolism
in Mary's anointing of Jesus.

The idea is that
Mary sees Jesus

for who he is--the Messiah--

and there are some
who argue that

Mary was actually foreshadowing

the preparation
for Jesus' burial

while he was alive.

- So she understands and she's
doing this act of service

for him and Jesus understands,

but Judas clearly doesn't.

- This actually is
the beginning of the end

for Judas as a disciple

because he begins to part ways
with Jesus' ways.

♪

[birds chirping]

♪

- What are your plans
for Passover, Lord?

♪

- We will enter
Jerusalem again.

- What,
just march back in there?

After last time?

Am I the only one who cares
for the rabbi's safety?

- Jesus was taking
a huge risk.

Jerusalem,
at the best of times,

is extremely fraught--
it's extremely dangerous.

And then, of course,
Jesus knows that he's been

chased out of Jerusalem before
for his teachings.

[dramatic music]

- It is not for your good work
that we're going to stone you,

but for blasphemy.

[overlapping shouts]

- Jesus was coming into
a lot of confrontation

with the Jewish authorities.

He was putting himself
on a dangerous path

that might put him
into confrontation

with the Roman authorities,

and that was a dangerous path
that could get him killed.

♪

[birds chirping]

♪

- Although
Jesus and his disciples

know that Jerusalem,
especially on Passover,

is an incredibly dangerous
place to be, they have to go.

If they're gonna continue
preaching Jesus' message

of salvation and afterlife,

Jerusalem--the capital both
politically and religiously--

is the only place
that they can do it.

♪

- Go to the village over there
and at once,

you will find a donkey
tied there with her colt.

Untie them and
bring them to me.

- Jesus absolutely knows
what he's doing.

He's orchestrating
this entire scene.

♪

He's going to get on
the back of a donkey

and ride up into Jerusalem.

In fact, he's fulfilling
a prophecy of Zechariah

that says,
"See your King comes to you,

"righteous and victorious,

gentle and riding on a donkey."

Jesus is basically reenacting

the coronation of the
ancient Kings of Israel.

[tense music]

♪

[indistinct chatter]

First century Jerusalem
was essentially a powder keg.

Under Roman occupation
and Roman oppression,

the Jews are looking for God

to save them from
this present oppression.

♪

- The Jewish people do not
like the Roman occupiers

and they're waiting for
somebody to liberate them.

So when Jesus
enters Jerusalem,

it's potentially a big bomb
waiting to go off.

- Blessed is the one who comes
in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest heaven.

- Jesus is coming to Jerusalem

to say the status quo
is corrupt,

the current world is wrong,

and we need to change it now.

- Blessed is
the coming kingdom

of our ancestor David.

I was convinced my destiny

was to stand at the right hand

of the King,

not to seal his fate.

♪

[crowd shouting]
- Hosanna!

Blessed is the one who comes
in the name of the Lord.

- By riding up into Jerusalem
on a donkey,

Jesus is claiming to be
the King of Israel,

and he's setting himself
on a collision course--

both against
the Jewish establishment

and the Roman authority.

- Hosanna in the highest.
- Jesus, the miracle worker,

has now become the political
and religious agitator.

♪

- Hosanna!

♪

- They're heading
for the temple.

I want reinforcements
sent there now.

- Malchus is described as the
servant of the high priest,

somebody who was
involved with security.

The concern for
the authorities is that

Jesus is getting
a huge hearing.

There are many crowds
who are very excited

about this
charismatic prophet.

- [ululating]

- Jerusalem probably had about

50,000 permanent residents,

and one estimate is
it was tenfold bigger

at Passover--
a half million people.

♪

- A crowd can revolt.
A crowd can be dangerous.

So, the Romans are very nervous
about what Jesus is doing.

♪

- In the First Century AD,

Jewish religion was based
around worship in the temple.

And as a Jew,
if you were in the area,

you were expected to go
to the temple in Jerusalem

at least once a year.

♪

- To venture near the temple

is to go to
the center of the world,

the center of the universe,

and to actually
approach God himself.

♪

- At the heart of
the practice of Judaism

was the sacrifice of animals

at the Jewish temple.

- There are tables or booths
that are set up

for money changers.

People are coming from
all over the empire

in order to have sacrifices
performed for them.

And they're
bringing their money.

- You had to pay
in Jewish currency

because Roman money had the
image of the emperor in it,

which was idolatrous for Jews.

So you had to change the money.

♪

- Everybody's
in this together--

the money changers,

the people
selling the animals,

and the priesthood are all
making a little bit of money.

This makes Jesus angry.

♪

- This place should be a house
of prayer for all nations.

♪

You have made it
a den of robbers!

- [yelps]
[trays clattering]

Get out!
Get out!

All of you, out!

Get out!
Get out!

- Jesus causes
a huge ruckus, a riot...

- You!
Out!

- Something that was very,
very dangerous

in this particular setting.

- [shouts]
You sinner!

- Rabbi!
This way, Lord.

♪

- It's hard to tell what
Judas would have thought.

He probably began
asking himself,

"I liked his message when
it was about forgiveness

"and peace and love,
but now this guy

"is about to become
public enemy number one.

Is this the king of messiah
I want to follow?"

♪

- Jesus' anger
with the money changers

is really an expression of

his disgust for Caiaphas,

the High Priest growing
fat and rich from Roman favor

and the money of
honest Jewish pilgrims.

♪

Once can talk about Caiaphas

with understanding
if not sympathy.

There were constant
riots, rebellions,

which were all
brutally put down

by the Romans with
massive loss of life.

- He drove the merchants
from the temple.

- So, Caiaphas was really
just trying to save lives

by preventing a new outbreak

of instability in Jerusalem.

- It'll look to the Romans that

we can't control
our own people.

- Caiaphas' big fear is that

Jesus is gonna spark
some sort of rebellion.

- This troublemaker of a king
has to be stopped.

♪

- Caiaphas would
probably be sacked,

but at its worst,

it could lead
to the suppression

of the entire practice
of Judaism by the Romans.

- Jesus is now in the
cross-hairs of Caiaphas.

This means that
Jesus has to be dealt with

immediately and severely.

♪

- I need to see Caiaphas now.

Please.
Just let me pass.

♪

- Judas' betrayal of Jesus

is one of the great mysteries
of the New Testament.

♪

- I think Judas saw Jesus

as not what he had hoped
a messiah would be

and he was deeply disappointed
and disillusioned.

♪

- It's about Jesus.

- As the Gospels are written,

different explanations
are given

as for why
Judas betrayed Jesus.

Remember,
Mark just simply says,

"Judas sought out
to betray Jesus."

Luke actually says that
Satan entered into Judas

and that's why he did it.

John just calls Judas
the devil.

♪

But the best reason
is probably,

Jesus wasn't
the kind of messiah

that Judas was looking for.

♪

- I can imagine when
Judas went to the High Priest,

he was torn and confused.

I don't think
he realized the magnitude

of what he was about to do.

♪

- I think a lot of people
lose sight

of the human side of Judas.

They just see him as the evil
guy wearing the black hat.

But Judas was
actually wrestling

with a difficult decision.

He wasn't sure.
He had doubts.

- [clears throat]

Can I ask why
you have come to us?

- He has to be stopped.

- You must look
for an opportunity

to hand him over--
somewhere quiet.

♪

This is for your efforts.

♪

- According to
the Gospel of Matthew,

Judas receives
30 pieces of silver.

Now, it depends
on whether these are

denarii or shekels.

So it's either going
to be one month's wages

or four month's wages,
but either way,

this is a significant
amount of money

to just give Caiaphas

the time and date
and the location

of where Jesus is going to be.

♪

[indistinct chatter]

♪

- In itself, it would
not have been enough

to motivate Judas
to betray Jesus,

but when you add it

to all of the things that
Judas was now objecting to

about Jesus,

this was just enough
to push him over the top.

♪

- I'm not sure that
Judas fully understands

e impact that
this is going to have.

I'm not sure that he's fully
wrapped his mind around the

eternal import of his decision
to betray Jesus.

♪

♪

[indistinct chatter]

- The last meal that Jesus
had with his disciples

is a celebration
of the Jewish Passover.

♪

- The Passover festival
gets its name

from the story
in the Book of Exodus,

where God literally
passes over the entirety

of the land of Egypt
to slay the firstborn sons

of the Egyptians.

He doesn't slay the firstborn
of the Jewish households

because Jews have
slaughtered a lamb,

taken the blood from the lamb
to put on their doorposts

as a sign that
they are Jewish households.

♪

- The scene at the
Last Supper was remarkable.

There was so much love
in that room,

and yet, at the same time,
you have in that same room

the disciple
that would betray Jesus.

♪

- You're very quiet, friend.

- Am I?

♪

- This Last Supper
was an incredibly

awkward moment for Judas.

He knows that
he's betrayed Jesus,

but he's not sure
if Jesus is aware of this.

[soft dramatic music]

- I have eagerly desired to
eat this Passover with you...

♪

Before I suffer.

♪

I will not eat again
until the fulfillment

of the kingdom of God.

♪

- Jesus starts talking
about his death,

and this is confusing
to the disciples.

♪

- This is my body...

♪

Which is given for you.

♪

Do this in memory of me.

Take it and eat it.

♪

- Essentially,
Jesus is taking a well-known

Jewish tradition,
the Passover meal,

and he's adding to it

new meaning,
and he's saying,

"This isn't just the bread
that's broken at Passover.

This is my body,
which is broken for you."

♪

- This is the blood
of my covenant...

♪

Which is poured out for many.

- "This isn't just the wine
that is drunk during Passover.

This is my blood,
which is shed for you."

We see this is
a point of separation

between Judaism
and Christianity

where Jews continue
to celebrate the Passover

and Christians now will
celebrate the Eucharist,

or the Holy Communion,
and this becomes

one of the essential elements
of Christianity.

[tense music]

- I have no doubt
the disciples

couldn't take it all in,

but they knew it was serious,

and that it looked like
Jesus was headed for a fate

they had not anticipated.

And the Last Supper
becomes all the more somber.

♪

- One of you will betray me...

♪

One who is eating here.

♪

- Which of us
is the traitor, Lord?

[indistinct whispering]

♪

- It is the one to whom
I give this piece of bread...

[bread rips]

When I have dipped it
in the dish.

♪

- Surely, you don't mean me?

- When Jesus
singles out Judas,

and hands Judas
that piece of bread,

that must have been
a gut-wrenching feeling

for Judas.

♪

- Do what you have to do...

♪

But do it quickly.

♪

- And suddenly, Judas is gone.

So at some point
during the meal,

Judas was so scared
or embarrassed

that he just slipped away
into the night.

[soft dramatic music]

- Maybe the disciples thought,

"Well, he's going out
to do something

Jesus wanted him to do."

I don't think
any of them thought that

what he's really going to do
is go and betray Jesus.

- Jesus' calling out of Judas
show either one of two things--

either his divine knowledge

of everything that
is going to happen,

or his simple human intuition.

Jesus knows what
Judas is going to do

because Jesus
knows Judas so well.

♪

- If he knew what
I was about to do,

why didn't he stop me?

But then again, why should he?

It was my choice
to carry out this crime

against everything
I believed in.

It was the coward you see now

that committed the
ultimate sin against him.

♪

- I think Judas
may even have thought,

"Jesus must
want me to do this.

Jesus has a death wish."

♪

- It's time.

♪

♪

- After the last supper,

Jesus takes his disciples

out of the security
of the confines

of the walls of Jerusalem,
across the valley

to the Garden of Gethsemane
to pray.

He did this a lot,
and Judas knows this.

♪

- Gethsemane itself means
"oil press,"

and so we probably
are talking about

a vineyard which grows olives.

♪

- My Father...

♪

If it is possible,
let this cup of suffering

be taken away from me.

- In the Garden of Gethsemane,

Jesus seems to be going
through real anguish.

He's pleading with God.

He sees what is coming

and he is traumatized
by the possibility

of this impending
suffering and death.

♪

- But if it is your will,
then let it be done...

♪

Not mine.

- It is clear that
he doesn't want to die,

but eventually
he understands that

this is his Father's will,
and he accepts it.

[dramatic music]

♪

- A group of the High Priest's
servants and temple guards

are sent to arrest Jesus.

This includes Malchus.

♪

Jesus was very popular

and Caiaphas was reluctant

to arrest Jesus publicly.

What Judas could offer Caiaphas

is knowledge about
where Jesus would be

in private.

- You ready for this?

- The one I kiss is the man.

- Many early Christians

greeted one another
with a holy kiss.

This is something that
has been initiated

throughout Jesus' ministry
by Jesus himself.

- Rabbi?

♪

- Judas!

- [panting]

Are you betraying
the Son of man with a kiss?

♪

Do what you came for, friend.

♪

- Arrest him.

- When it dawns on Peter that

what's going on
is a betrayal...

- [grunts]
- [groans]

- He takes violent action
against Malchus.

- Put your sword
back in its place,

for all who draw the sword
will die by it.

♪

- After Peter cuts
the ear of Malchus,

Jesus heals the damage.

- [grunts, pants]

♪

- Jesus was committed to
a ministry of non-violence,

and he certainly doesn't want

the climax of his Earthly
ministry to be marred

by a violation of his
basic ethical principles.

♪

- Take them all.

Take them all!

♪

- Go.

♪

- With that bitter kiss,

I tore down everything

he gave his all to build.

♪

- Where do you think
you're going?

- I'm part of this.

- Your job here is done,
informer.

♪

- Jesus is fully human
and fully divine,

but the fully human part--
the man--

would have felt deeply betrayed
by one of his closest friends,

one of the 12 apostles,
betraying him in this way.

[soft dramatic music]

♪

[handcuffs clinking]

- This is the moment that's
been building for so long.

Jesus meets Caiaphas
for the first time...

♪

An innocent man meets
the man who's trying

to defend Judaism
and the Jewish faith

against what he believes
to be a rabble rouser.

♪

- I do think that Judas,

when he began to realize
what he had done,

deeply regretted it.

- There were ideas in
the Jewish circles that

the Messiah was gonna
be a military leader.

He was gonna lead the Jews to
freedom from their oppressors.

So if this was the case,
maybe Judas thought that

that moment of Jesus
stand before Caiaphas,

that Jesus would have the
opportunity to be that Messiah,

to come and to show his power.

♪

- This is the man who has
caused me so much trouble

with his marauding
and his miracles.

- [laughs softly]

- Smile all you like,

but I will prove
you are no messiah.

♪

- There is a real battle
that's gonna take place

and the big question is,

is justice going
to be shown to Jesus?

♪

- I realized how desperate
they were to silence him,

and how I had played right
into the High Priest's hands.

♪

♪

- Lord, what have I done?

To carry out such treachery

against the man
I loved above all others...

♪

- Thank you for coming
at such short notice.

♪

- Caiaphas calls together
the Sanhedrin.

Sanhedrin simply
means "council."

This is a group of important
people in Jerusalem

that Caiaphas
has brought together

in order to judge Jesus.

♪

- Do you recognize this man?

- Yes.

I saw him at the temple.

- Doing what?

- Driving pilgrims
out into the streets.

♪

- There are all sorts
of peculiarities

about the Sanhedrin trial.

It's taking place
in the middle of the night.

It's taking place
on a holy day.

You have
false witnesses involved.

Under Jewish law,
this is all illegal.

♪

- Did he make any claims
to his followers?

- He said

he was able to destroy
the Temple of God

and rebuild it in three days.

♪

- One of the responsibilities
of the Sanhedrin

is to address
problems of blasphemy

and sedition,

questions of whether or not
somebody is being a good Jew

both in terms
of their ritual conduct,

but also their social conduct.

- Are you not going
to answer these accusations?

♪

What is this testimony

that these witnesses
are bringing against you?

♪

I charge you.

Tell us you are the Messiah,

the Son of God.

♪

- This is a key moment
in the trial

as far as Caiaphas
is concerned.

He's making Jesus
claim divine authority,

setting himself up
way above the priests

as high an authority
as God himself.

It's kind of worse
than blasphemy.

- [laughs softly]

You have said so.

♪

But I say to all of you:

from now on,
you will see the Son of man

sitting at the right hand
of the mighty one

on the clouds of heaven.

♪

- Jesus is claiming that
he's going to be sitting

at the right hand of God,

to have authority
above not only Caiaphas,

but equal with God,

and this, to Caiaphas,
is blasphemy,

and punishable by death.

♪

- The irony is that
Jesus turns the tables

on the High Priest and says,
you think you're judging me.

I'll be back to judge you.

♪

- What about the rest of you?

♪

What do you think this...

"messiah" deserves?

♪

- He is worthy of death.

♪

- Judas expected that

the authorities
would treat Jesus fairly--

not a kangaroo court.

- Is that the opinion
of you all?

You.

♪

You.

♪

- Most of the Sanhedrin
will back Caiaphas.

They're opposed to Jesus.

But there are these two--

Joseph of Arimathea
and Nicodemus.

And they're not
followers of Jesus,

but they're curious about him.

- Nicodemus,

do you agree?

- The question is,

do they have the courage
to stand up against Caiaphas

and say, "No, we're not ready

to pass judgment against
a potentially innocent man"?

♪

- Joseph?

♪

Then it is decided.

Take the prisoner Jesus away.

♪

- Joseph of Arimathea
and Nicodemus

have caved in to pressure,

voting along with
the rest of the Sanhedrin

and they find Jesus guilty.

♪

- Judas is distraught.

This is not the end
that he was hoping for.

♪

- Judas was trying to throw
Jesus into the deep end

and trying to force Jesus'
hand to see what we would do,

but of course, that backfired.

♪

- Judas probably thought
maybe Jesus would even

perform some great miracle
or something like that,

but Jesus appears
humble, shamed,

and Judas is horrified
by the spectacle.

- [grunts]

[handcuffs clinking]

- [panting]

- One of the problems with
the trial of Jesus is that

because the Gospels
depict the Jewish authorities

as holding what is essentially
an illegal trial

in order to condemn Jesus,

it makes the Jews,
and therefore,

the Jewish people
throughout history

look like awful people.

♪

- The presentations of Judas
in the Gospels

have fed into anti-Semitism
because what's happened is that

Judas has been seen
as a kind of stand-in

for the Jewish people,

but the Jewish people
were not responsible--

either then or today--
for Jesus' death.

♪

- I finally understood
my true legacy.

I was the man

who handed Jesus over
to his executioners.

♪

Lord, what have I done?

♪

[overlapping chatter
in foreign language]

- I never thought
it would end like this.

There was a time
when it felt like

nothing could stop us--

until some evil seed

sprouted into my mind

that made me doubt
his every word.

♪

Caiaphas?

♪

Caiaphas!

- In one gospel account,
you do have

Judas, at the end,

wanting to give back
the money...

- Let him approach.

- Recognizing that
he was complicit

in setting up an innocent man.

♪

- I have sinned,

for I have
betrayed innocent blood.

♪

- What is that to us?
That is your responsibility.

♪

I don't want your blood money.

♪

Do you hear me?
I don't want your blood money.

♪

Hey, do you hear me?

I don't want it!
Caiaphas--no!

Get off me!
Hey!

I don't want your blood money!

Caiaphas!
Come back here!

I don't want it!
I don't want it!

- After the deed is done

and after he can't
return the money,

rather than seek forgiveness,
rather than seek atonement,

Judas is probably
overwhelmed by guilt.

[indistinct chatter]

♪

- Was I born like this?

A weak-minded

treacherous coward?

Or did I let Satan
somehow creep into my soul?

♪

- It's the age-old question--
the question of fault.

Was it Judas' fault
that he did what he did?

Well, the reality is,

we as human beings
have free will.

♪

- The story of Judas shows us

the battle between
good and evil.

Here is someone, who after all,

was chosen by Jesus
to be one of the apostles,

so there's clearly
some good in him.

But then at the end, he turns
towards choosing evil.

So there's this great sense of
a battle going on within Judas

throughout the Gospels.

♪

- I think what's fascinating
about Judas is that

we never really get
a handle on his motivation--

makes him really compelling.

I think people
want to understand it,

or maybe he's just
a bad guy too,

and people also need a villain.

♪

- In an honor
and shame culture,

it's better to die

than to live publicly
with the shame

of having done the wrong thing
to a great person.

♪

- I wish I could

go back to those
precious months

when I first knew Jesus--

praying together,

spreading his word.

[all cheering]

But not now.

I'm destined
for a darker place.

God will never forgive
the crime I have committed

against his beloved Son.

♪

- The New Testament
actually gives us

two separate accounts
of Judas' death.

In the Gospel of Matthew,

he tragically commits suicide
by hanging himself,

whereas in the Book of Acts,
he goes into a field,

falls over,
and his guts burst open.

- Judas presents us

with a huge
theological conundrum,

and that is that without
the actions of Judas,

Jesus doesn't get handed over

to the Romans to be executed.

So if Judas
hadn't done what he did,

we wouldn't have the story

of the crucifixion
and resurrection of Jesus,

which is the centerpiece
of the Christian faith.

♪

- High Priest Caiaphas here
with the prisoner Jesus

to see Prefect Pilate.

♪

You gave me no choice.

♪

You brought this on yourself.

♪

[woman vocalizing]

♪

[dramatic music]

- The story of Jesus is
the greatest story ever told.

♪

- Get out!

You sinner!

- Where is he?

♪

male narrator:
For over 2,000 years,

the story of Jesus Christ
has touched the lives

of billions around the globe.

[whip cracks]
- [screams]

- Jesus felt what we felt.

He faced what we face today.

♪

- If we want to understand
Western history at all,

we must understand
the story of Jesus.

narrator:
Now, for the first time,

his story is told
through the eyes

of those who knew him best.

- Pilate was a pretty tough,
hard-bitten political player.

He had to be.

- Are you
the King of the Jews?

♪

[all screaming]

- He needs to stop any uprising
before it starts.

- I have the power to free you
or to crucify you.

- Is this person a threat
to Roman stability?

- Anyone who claims
to be a king opposes Caesar.

- Pilate is looking for
any way out of the situation.

- I am innocent
of this man's blood.

[dramatic music]

♪

[dramatic music]

♪

- I hate this place.

Once, I wanted to make
a name for myself.

♪

[horse whinnies]

Now I just want to scrub
the place from my skin.

[overlapping chatter]

- Clear!

- Every year,
they test my patience.

- Pontius Pilate
was the prefect,

that is,
the Roman military governor

in the province of Judea,
from 26 to 36 A.D.

♪

- He's famous for one thing:

he's the man in charge
during the execution of Jesus.

♪

- Every Passover,
this gets worse.

- It won't be for long.

♪

- Pilate has a wife.

We don't know her name
from the Gospels,

but later tradition
fills it in as Claudia Procula.

- Press on.

Get them out of the way!

♪

- Pilate's come from

the lowest level
of Roman nobility,

and he probably clawed
his way up the Roman army,

fighting barbarians in distant
corners of the empire.

And now he'd been sent out

to a backwater far
from Rome, Judea.

♪

- We know from history
that Pontius Pilate would have

arrived in Jerusalem
right on the eve of Passover.

Passover is
the single worst time

to be a Roman governor
in the entire year.

Not only do you have 500,000
pilgrims coming into the city,

but you also have a festival
whose whole purpose

is about God
liberating the Jewish people

from oppressive,
tyrannical rule,

and the Romans are in charge.

Everybody is
celebrating liberation

and yet not being free.

Everything's
on a knife's edge,

and if there's one false move,
the city could explode.

♪

- Pilate despises Jerusalem.

Pilate lives over
in Caesarea Maritima

on the Mediterranean.

Pilate only goes to Jerusalem

when he absolutely has to
during festival times.

♪

Pilate has an important role
behind the scenes

during the Passover festival.

He works closely with
Caiaphas, the high priest,

to make sure
that there's no unrest.

♪

- Caiaphas is the high priest
of the Jews,

and so not only is he the
religious leader of the people,

but next to Pilate,

he's the most important
political leader as well.

- You will want
your ceremonial robes?

- Yes.

♪

- One of the reasons
why Pilate

comes into the crowded city
of Jerusalem at Passover

has to do with the fact that he
holds onto the ceremonial robes

that Caiaphas needs to wear at
the temple for the ceremonies.

♪

- That, that they hold

the ceremonial robes
of the priests hostage,

suggests what they're telling
Caiaphas is essentially,

"Look, you can have all
the local autonomy you want,

"but at the end of the day,

"if you don't actually
make the right decision,

"something might happen
to your robes

or they won't be there
for when you need them."

♪

- Is there anything
I need to know about?

- Uh, no, I'm not expecting
any trouble, Prefect.

♪

- Pilate and Caiaphas
don't really like each other.

They don't get along,

but they know that they
have to work together.

♪

- Why answer with that?

Of course he was
expecting trouble.

♪

[knock at door]

♪

- When Pilate is awoken
in the middle of the night

at the height of Passover
by a messenger from Caiaphas,

I imagine Pilate's heart sunk
with a sense of foreboding.

♪

- Every festival, they drag
their troubles to my door.

♪

Who is he?

- His name is
Jesus of Nazareth.

♪

- Caiaphas wants Pilate
to deal with Jesus

because Jesus was
popular among the people

and Caiaphas
doesn't want to be seen

as the one who is
taking care of Jesus.

He wants to pass that off
to the Romans.

♪

- What accusation do you bring
against this man?

- This man has been
perverting our nation,

forbidding our people
paying taxes to the emperor,

and calling himself
the Messiah...

♪

A king.

♪

- Let me speak with him.

♪

Are you
the King of the Jews?

♪

- Is this person a threat
to Roman stability?

That's what's behind
his question that he asks him.

He needs to know, is this
person gonna be trouble?

♪

- This is the crime
of sedition.

There is no king
but the emperor.

♪

- You say so.

♪

- I need you both
to hold your nerve.

Jesus is one man weighed
against the safety of many.

- Caiaphas seems to be
genuinely concerned

that if Jesus has a following,

perhaps he'll
stage a rebellion,

and if that happens,

there will be
massive bloodshed.

♪

- He stirs up the people
of Judea with his teaching.

He started in Galilee,

and now he has
come all the way here.

♪

- Take him yourselves
and judge him by your own laws.

♪

- Initially, it seems like
Pilate doesn't want

to get involved
in the trial of Jesus

because he has
transgressed Jewish law,

and so he wants
the Jewish leaders

to take responsibility for it.

- But we have no right
to execute anyone.

♪

- Execute him?

Why was Caiaphas
even pushing for that?

♪

- The Jewish authorities
couldn't legally condemn

anybody to death for any crime
without the assistance,

permission, or direct action
of Pontius Pilate.

♪

- Why did they want him dead?

What was I missing?

♪

- Leave him with me.

♪

- Pontius Pilate is one

of the few figures
from early Christian history

that we know about
from outside of the Bible.

♪

- There's definitely
a contrast between

the Pilate of the Gospels
and the Pilate of history.

The Pilate of the Gospels:

weak, vacillating,
conflicted, tormented.

The Pilate of history:
ruthless and merciless.

[people shouting indistinctly]

[people screaming]

- Historically, Pilate
was not the sort of person

who would shy away
from violence.

He was an unrestrained sadist,
a vicious, petty tyrant.

[people screaming]

- At one point early
in Pilate's career,

Pilate brutally
crushes the protest

over an aqueduct
that he was building.

[people screaming]

There are a lot of deaths,
there's a lot of injuries,

and Pilate's trying to show
to the Jewish people,

"I'm the one in charge."

♪

- The Pilate that we know
from history was decisive,

but the Pilate of the Gospels
is different,

is someone who's not quite sure
of his own authority,

who wavers a little,

who doesn't want
to take full responsibility

for the events
around Jesus' death.

♪

- The original account
of the trial of Jesus

is really based
on the Gospels,

and the Gospels were written
40, 50, 70 years

after the death
of Jesus Christ,

and they were written

partly to show loyalty
to the Roman Empire

to blame the Jews
for the death of Jesus.

♪

This was to enable
the conversion of Romans

to the new religion,
Christianity.

♪

The trial of Jesus by Pilate,
as told in the Gospels,

doesn't really reflect

the historical political
realities,

and it doesn't reflect
the power of the Roman prefect.

- Are you
the King of the Jews?

♪

♪

- In all four Gospels,

Pilate summons Jesus to repeat
the key charge against him.

♪

- Are you
the King of the Jews?

♪

- Is that your thinking?

- Anyone who claimed
to be king

would have been
in direct contradiction

to the authority of Caesar,

which Pilate
had sworn to uphold.

♪

- Your own people
and chief priests

have handed you
over to me.

- In no way is this
a normal trial.

There's no procedure here.

There's no witnesses.

There's no judge
other than the prefect

talking to
a potential revolutionary.

This is all very strange.

♪

- In the Gospels'
telling of the story,

it seems that Pilate
is overwhelmingly anxious

to find out whether Jesus
is actually guilty or innocent.

♪

- They want him dead.

For what?

♪

What have you done?

♪

- My kingdom is not
of this world.

♪

If it were,
my servants would fight

to prevent me being
handed over to our leaders.

♪

And now my kingdom
is from another place.

♪

- He's signaling to Pilate,
"I'm no threat to you.

I'm no political
or military threat to you."

His kingdom is not like
ordinary human kingdoms.

He's not going
to tax the people.

He's not going
to raise an army.

- Your kingdom.

Then you are a king.

- You say that I am a king.

♪

For this, I was born.

For this,
I came into the world...

♪

To testify to the truth.

♪

Everyone on the side of truth
listens to me.

♪

- What is truth?

- When Pilate asks Jesus this
famous line, "What is truth?"

he is being perfectly ironic

because here is Pilate sitting
as judge, jury, executioner,

managing this whole
bizarre criminal trial.

Truth should be the one thing
he cares about.

♪

- While Jesus
has been in custody,

something extraordinary
happens.

Pilate's wife has a dream,
a very, very troubling dream.

♪

- [shuddered breathing]

[foreboding music]

♪

[hammer rings]

- [screaming]

[whispers]
Our Father in Heaven.

♪

- [gasps]

[breathing heavily]

- Romans take dreams seriously.

♪

- Dreams and omens
were really important

in the way that Romans
understood the gods

trying to communicate
with them.

♪

- Take him away.

♪

I could not see what Caiaphas
feared from this man.

If anything,
Jesus was passive, quiet.

♪

- Do not have anything to do
with that innocent man.

I have suffered today
in a dream because of him.

♪

- The Pilate in the Gospels

was already reluctant to get
involved in Jesus' trial,

and so this information
from his wife, this dream,

would have just fueled, fueled
the flames of his reluctance.

[dramatic music]

♪

- There was ill omen
about Jesus.

♪

I wanted no part of this.

♪

- As Jesus' trial
progresses in the Gospels,

the overwhelming impression
we get of Pilate

is that he's deeply frustrated,

he doesn't want to be
involved in this,

he just wants this to go away,

and he wants nothing
to do with it.

♪

- You say this man
is Galilean?

- He is from Galilee.

- Good.

Then this is a matter
for Herod Antipas.

♪

- Pilate is looking for
any way out of the situation,

so when he hears that Jesus
is from Nazareth in Galilee,

well, if you're Herod's race,
you're Herod's case.

Off you go then
to Herod Antipas.

♪

Pilate knows how
to pass the buck

and send the hot potato

to somebody else
to make a hard choice.

♪

- Herod Antipas is the son
of King Herod the Great

and the ruler of Galilee.

♪

- [groans]

- He's the one who had
executed John the Baptist,

and he also always came
to Jerusalem for Passover.

- Miracle worker.
[scoffs]

At last!

- Herod Antipas is very glad
to see Jesus.

♪

Unfortunately
for Herod Antipas,

the meeting with Jesus

doesn't unfold
as he would have liked

because Jesus is simply
not very forthcoming.

♪

- They call you
King of the Jews,

don't they?

♪

- Antipas was a hated figure.

Jesus, for one,
had great contempt for him.

He called him
"that fox, Herod Antipas."

♪

- But you won't stoop to speak
to your subjects, King?

Very well.

♪

- Herod put a royal robe
on Jesus.

This is an
honor-and-shame culture,

so if you think someone

is a clown or a pretender
or an imposter,

you would mock them
or demean them or shame them.

Perhaps Herod thought this
was a sufficient shaming

to keep Jesus from making
bold claims again.

♪

- Antipas concludes that Jesus
isn't worthy of death.

Ultimately, Antipas simply
sends him back to Pilate.

♪

[dramatic music swells]

♪

- Pontius Pilate's
in a tough spot.

He doesn't really want
to make a decision,

and that's actually his job,
power over life and death.

♪

[ominous music]

♪

- With all of this to and fro,

Jesus is becoming
like a political football.

Nobody wants
to take responsibility

for making the decision.

♪

- You brought me this man

as one who has
perverted the people,

and here I have examined him
and have not found him guilty.

Neither has Herod,
for he sent him back to us.

Indeed...

♪

He has done nothing
to deserve death.

♪

- The crime which would

most readily lead to execution
is being a revolutionary,

leading a revolt of slaves
like Spartacus,

or claiming to be a king
directly yourself,

so some serious
military threat.

Does Pilate really think

that Jesus is providing
that kind of threat to himself?

No, I don't think he does.

♪

- Crucify him.

♪

- The portrayal of Caiaphas
in the Scriptures

has created a template
for antisemitism

throughout the ages.

It's actually naive
to regard Caiaphas

as a terribly evil character.

I think, in many ways,
he just wanted to save lives.

He knew what happens when
you confront Rome in any way.

♪

- Only the Roman prefect can
order someone to be crucified,

but Pilate has to be
really careful.

If he crucifies
an innocent man,

one who has
a popular following,

then he might face
a rebellion as a result.

♪

- Caiaphas meant
to force my hand.

I am not to be pushed around.

It is your custom for me

to release one prisoner
at the time of the Passover.

♪

Fetch me Barabbas!

♪

I would use their custom
to settle their dispute.

♪

- According to
the Gospel of Luke,

Barabbas is
a violent revolutionary.

I mean, he's killed people,

and he was locked up sometime
earlier during Passover week.

♪

[overlapping chatter]

♪

Pilate knows
what Caiaphas wants.

Caiaphas wants Jesus dead...

[people shouting indistinctly]

But he's not sure how popular
Jesus really is.

So Pilate devises
a plan to see,

"If I were to execute Jesus,
would anybody really protest?"

- You want me to release
the King of the Jews...

[people groaning]

Or Barabbas?

[people shouting]

- Barabbas!
- Barabbas!

- Barabbas!
- Barabbas!

[people shouting indistinctly]

♪

- Barabbas!
- Barabbas!

- In the Gospels,

when Pilate presents Barabbas
and Jesus to the crowd,

it's a kind of unfair choice
because Jesus' disciples,

his supporters,
have all scattered,

and so there's
no one there left

to yell,
"Jesus, give us Jesus!"

- Not Jesus!
Give us Barabbas!

all: Barabbas!

- Barabbas!

[all chanting]
Barabbas! Barabbas!

- One theory would be

that the crowd
that clamors for Barabbas

were stirred up
by the religious authorities.

But another theory would be

there were enough people
in Jerusalem

that would rather see
a violent revolutionary

like Barabbas released.

- Barabbas!

[people shouting]

- Release Barabbas.

- Barabbas!

[people shouting]

- Historically, there's no way
that Pilate would give

the people of Jerusalem
the choice and release

a dangerous political insurgent
into their midst.

[people shouting]

- The custom
of releasing a prisoner

because of the Passover

doesn't appear
in other sources.

But the story
of Barabbas serves

as an incredibly important
function for the Gospel writers

because what it does is,
it allows them to blame

all of the Jewish people
for the crucifixion of Jesus.

It's not just Caiaphas.
It's not just the priests.

It's all of the Jewish people
who choose Jesus,

not Barabbas,
for crucifixion.

It also conveniently
exonerates the Romans.

[people shouting]

♪

- To execute him would not
then meet with much outrage.

I have killed before

as soldier and statesman.

They should see I am
not afraid to shed blood.

♪

- When the crowd choose
Barabbas over Jesus,

Pilate knows that there's not
a lot of support for Jesus.

He can get away
with punishing Jesus

without there being
a major uprising.

[people shouting]

- Flog him!

♪

[whip cracks]
- [screams]

- Pilate has Jesus flogged
because it was part and parcel

of the punishment
of crucifixion.

It had to happen.

[whip cracks]
- [screams]

- They are flogging
with a cat-o'-nine-tails.

It's a torture device,
in effect,

which is not just one strip.

Could be 16,
could be as many as 32

different strips of leather
that are heavy,

and on the end of them,

as if that weren't already
enough to tear open

the skin and expose the veins
and the sinews,

there are little metal hooks.

[whip cracks]
- [screams]

- It would have actually

ripped chunks of flesh
out from the individual.

It was unthinkably,
unspeakably brutal.

♪

- [laughs]

[laughter]

- When the soldiers mock Jesus
with the red cloak,

put a crown on him...

- [grunts]

- Hail, King of the Jews.

[laughter]

- They're mimicking
the celebration

in a Roman triumph
of a Roman imperator commander

traveling in his chariot
through Rome.

♪

- The way the New Testament
Gospels tell the story,

Jesus is reconciled
to his fate,

and that fate includes torture
and death on a cross.

There was no escaping it.

It was part of his mission,
and he accepted it.

[laughter]

- This is the theater
of crucifixion...

- [gasping]

- That reminds everyone of
the danger of being disruptive,

of the danger of pushing
against the kingdom of Caesar,

of the danger
of rallying the people up.

♪

- I have had men
tortured before.

♪

They will say anything
to make the pain stop.

♪

And yet this man
made no demands.

He didn't claim anything,
want anything.

Behold the man.

♪

- In John's Gospel,

Pilate presents Jesus
to the authorities.

He's beaten, he's bloodied,

he's wearing
a crown of thorns,

and he has this immortal line:
"Behold the man."

"Ecce homo."

Pilate may be mocking
the Jewish authorities,

saying, "Beholdyour king.
Look atyour king."

♪

- I wanted to see

if they still had an appetite
for killing him.

They should not be spared
the cost of it.

After all this pain
and suffering,

could they still stomach it?

♪

- Now crucify him
and be done with it.

♪

- Part of Pilate's
reluctance to execute Jesus

seems to be
political maneuvering.

He doesn't want to give
the high priest

what the high priest wants.

He'd rather say, "See, I have
the final authority here,

and what I say goes."

- You take him
and crucify him.

- This is another example
of the power play

that exists between
these two important figures.

♪

Pilate knows that Caiaphas
can'tcrucify Jesus,

and he's reminding Caiaphas

that he ultimately
has the authority

and Caiaphas needs
to stay in his lane.

♪

- As for me, I find no basis
for a charge against him.

- We have a law,

and according to that law,

he must die because he claimed
to be the Son of God.

♪

- When Caiaphas says that Jesus
claims to be the Son of God,

this, according to the Gospels,

causes Pilate to freeze
in his tracks.

- The Gospels say
he was afraid,

and this could have been
due to the fact

that he believed
in the Roman pagan gods,

who had children
who walked the Earth.

He was wondering, is this
a Hercules-type character?

Is this a demigod?

Is this someone
that I should know about?

♪

- Where do you come from?

- [gasping]

♪

- Do you refuse
to speak to me?

[pounds table]

Don't you understand?

I have the power to free you
or to crucify you.

- [gasping]
You would have no power over me

if it were not given to you
from above.

♪

- Now, I often wonder what
Pilate really was thinking

when Jesus said, "You wouldn't
have any power over me

if it had not been
given to you from above."

I have a feeling Pilate
was probably thinking,

"You don't know what power is.

"I represent the Roman Empire,
the superpower of the day.

You don't know
the might of Rome."

- What happens when Caiaphas
suggests he claims

to be a Son of God
is that it seems to backfire.

It's an insufficient suggestion

to really get Pilate
to take action.

There has to be one more step.

♪

♪

- In the Gospels,
we get this reluctant Pilate,

and Caiaphas is pushing
to try and get Jesus crucified.

This is more likely
to represent

the circumstances
of the Gospel writers,

who want to put the blame
on the Jewish authorities.

If they can present Romans
more sympathetically,

it becomes easier
to convert Romans

to the new Christian movement.

- Why do you delay,
Prefect?

You have the charges
and the man.

- I have found no grounds in
him for the sentence of death.

He had to learn.

I don't obey these people;
I obey Rome.

♪

But, of course,
Caiaphas knew that.

- If you let this man go,
you are no friend of Caesar.

Anyone who claims to be a king
opposes Caesar.

[dramatic music swells]

- This is Caiaphas'
trump card.

I think this is his moment
where he pulls out

the last bit that
he's got in his arsenal:

that is,
to accuse him of treason

if he doesn't go ahead
and do this.

I think it's absolutely
tactical of him.

♪

- I think that Pilate

was a prisoner
of political expediency.

I don't think Pilate
had a long view of history.

I think that Pilate
was insecure.

♪

- The ambush.

Caiaphas knew
I could not risk

another misstep with Rome,
not for one man.

I needed to tread carefully,

especially where
Jewish customs were concerned.

[people shouting]

I made one mistake,

and I made it
for the glory of Rome.

Caiaphas has never
let me forget.

♪

- Pilate's been in trouble with
the Emperor Tiberius before.

He had commissioned shields,

which were dedicated
to the Emperor Tiberius.

[people shouting]

- When these are brought
into Jerusalem,

the sacred city of the Jews,
the Jews are offended.

[people shouting]

There is an inscription with
the full name of Tiberius,

including his title,
"Son of a God."

[clamoring continues]

This is a terrible,
blasphemous thing to do.

Somebody complains
and reports this

and goes all the way up
the chain to the emperor,

and Tiberius thinks that
their outrage is justified

and he calls for Pilate
to withdraw

these offensive things
from Jerusalem.

- What Pilate had done
with the shields

would have been
widely known throughout Judea.

♪

Jews would have known

that Pilate
was on notice from Rome.

♪

- We do not want
to displease Caesar...

♪

Do we?

♪

- If you don't execute Jesus,

we will report that
you are no friend of Caesar,

you're a bad governor
of the province.

We'll send out an embassy

to Tiberius on Capri
and report you.

That finally reaches home
for Pilate.

- You would have me
crucify your king?

- We have no king
but Caesar.

- Pilate's boss
is the Emperor Tiberius,

the most powerful man
in the world.

But by the time of Jesus,

he'd become paranoid
and depraved.

- He was actually having people

thrown off the cliff
in front of him,

and Pontius Pilate knows

that it's not just his job
that's on the line.

It's actually his life.

He's not gonna
get in the way of Tiberius.

- Then I will kill
your king for you.

♪

- In the Gospels,
Pilate is ultimately

talked into sending
Jesus to the cross.

He thinks that Jesus
is innocent of these charges,

but, basically,
he's pressurized

into doing something
against his will.

♪

- When you look
at the exchange

between Caiaphas and Pilate,

you end up
despising them both.

There are no winners here.

There's only losers,
including Jesus.

♪

♪

- Caiaphas got what he wanted,

but he answers to me.

I will have the final word.

♪

- If we were to only
read the Gospels...

[dramatic music]

We might come away
from the story

having sympathy
for Pilate as a character.

♪

He's thoughtful,
he's a worrier,

he listens to his wife,

he tries to do
the right thing,

and that's in very sharp
contrast to what we know

about Pontius Pilate
as a historical figure.

♪

Pilate has to have Jesus
executed because he needs

to do the right thing
vis-à-vis the emperor.

He wants to keep his job.

He wants to ensure
that there are

no revolutionaes
running loose,

that the Jews
stay a subjugated people

under Roman domination.

And for all those reasons,

he probably didn't
lose too much sleep

over the decision
to have Jesus crucified.

♪

- With Pontius Pilate's actions
are a display of his loyalties.

His loyalty is with the empire
and with self-preservation.

♪

- You have heard
the charges, King.

There is a throne for you
out in Golgotha.

- There are many scenes
in the trial

and execution of Jesus
that are full of irony...

♪

And perhaps the one
that's most full of irony

is the washing
of his hands.

♪

- I am innocent
of this man's blood.

♪

It is your responsibility.

♪

- Of course he's not innocent
of the man's blood,

since he's finally responsible
for the execution of Jesus.

But he's attempting
to pass the buck,

pass the blame onto Caiaphas.

♪

- The Gospel writers
are trying to put

more of the decision
on the Jewish authorities

as the people that get Jesus
taken off the scene

when, historically speaking,

it's much more
believable to think

that Pontius Pilate was
in control of his decision.

♪

- The historical reality
is likely to have been

that if Caiaphas had brought
Jesus to Pilate,

Pilate would have
not even batted an eye

in ordering the crucifixion
of Jesus.

Pilate didn't care that much
about these Jewish subjects,

and he worked with Caiaphas

to make sure
that there was no insurgency.

♪

- What does another dead man
matter to me anyway?

Golgotha is soaked
in the blood of countless men,

and I remember none of them.

Rome won't give
a second thought

to Jesus of Nazareth,

so why should I?

- We should not blame Caiaphas

and the Jewish authorities
for the death of Jesus.

Only one person
had the authority

to put Jesus to death,

and that was Pontius Pilate,
a Roman.

[poignant music]

♪

- If Pontius Pilate had not
executed Jesus of Nazareth,

Pontius Pilate would be
lost to history.

He was just another prefect
of another distant province.

But Pontius Pilate has a
unique legacy in Christianity.

But without Pontius Pilate's
decision to execute Jesus,

there would be no Crucifixion
and Resurrection

and no Christianity
as we know it.

Pontius Pilate's legacy
for Christianity is so central

that his name made it
into the Christian creed.

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