Voices around Easter 1 - Caesar and Pilate

Voices around Easter

From Passiontide through Holy Week and on to Easter Day this year I presented a series of monologues in which I imagined the thoughts of various people who were part of the story. Some were central characters and some, like this first post, still had their part to play. These are not historically accurate - they contain the occasional deliberate anachronism, but they do bring essential points from the historical situation to the fore.

 

 

 

Voices around Easter 1. Tiberius Caesar and Pontius Pilate

This one-sided conversation takes place in what these days would be called an office or study and not in a grand imperial audience chamber. Tiberius hardly looks at Pilate during the whole conversation and Pilate is too frightened to say anything. So a secretary, probably a Greek slave, shows Pilate in ...

  Now listen to me, Pilate, you’re going to Judea to be the Procurator. I wonder if you know what a difficult situation you are going in to? I’ve had a briefing from MI V and I want to tell you myself. We know from long experience that Judea is extremely sensitive and volatile. Your job is to keep things quiet. Keep a lid on it all. Don’t allow any disturbances. Make sure the taxes are paid and get sent back here to Rome. You’ve got plenty of experienced military resources and a good network of local tax farmers, so that should not be too difficult – yes?

Wrong! It will be very tricky. Firstly you have the regular outbreaks of terrorism. We Romans are quite good at dealing with that. You know what to do. Find the suspects and crucify them. Destroy what towns and villages you need to and send the population back here as slaves. Everyone in the Empire knows that Rome will not tolerate insurrection. If people live in peace and do what they are told, we will be their friends, but if not …

But then, and much more difficult, you have the Jewish authorities. They have been given many religious privileges. It keeps them and the population quiet, so don’t do anything to disrupt that. Be pragmatic, as Rome always is. Allow them to have their religious feasts and as far as you can let them administer their law. Remember they are not allowed to put anyone to death. Be especially careful at the festival they call Passover. You’ll need to be in Jerusalem then because of the number of pilgrims and the real danger of riot. I know it’s much less comfortable than on the coast at Caesarea, but there it is, you have a job to do. So play it all carefully and keep them sweet. Occasionally release the odd prisoner as a gesture. But do be careful. The leaders are expert politicians and they can very easily trap you in a corner with no easy way out.

That’s it. Keep it under control. Some groups of Jews are so violently against the benefits of Roman rule that they could revolt at any time. I would not be surprised if we end up having to destroy Jerusalem in the not too distant future, just as we did Carthage in the old Republic. Have a good journey? …. There he goes. I wonder if he’s up to it?