Pontius pilates wife religionwiki fandom powered by wikia. The wife of pontius pilate hid her trembling hands and did what she had done a dozen times before. Pontius pilate is not, as the dust jacket suggests, a biography of pilate, about whom precious little is known. They milled around for a moment, and in that instant came the strange message from pilate s wife that she had dreamed about jesus and the dream had upset her.
The praenomen or first name, chosen by the parents. Coptic christians named their children pilate after him and it remained a popular boys name all the way into the. At a later date, she acquires the name claudia procula in western tradition, as well as other names and variants of these names. Pontius pilate will go down forever in history as the man who ordered the crucifixion of jesus, persuaded by the jewish authorities against his will. Extrabiblical tradition holds her to be named procla or claudia, and is regarded as a. The wife of pontius pilate advises her husband we should listen for gods voice in whatever guise it takes. A fragment of a carved stone with pilates name and title inscribed in latin was found face down, being used as a step in an ancient theater. Pontius pilate was the roman procurator in judea from 26 to 36 a. Christ in history letters about jesus including pontius. Pilates wife has no name in the new testament, but in christian tradition she is variously called procula or procla or claudia. And make no mention of the name of other gods exod. Mentioned in the gospels only once, pontius pilate s wife tells the roman governor she had a dream the night before where she suffered because of christ and to free him. The character is also depicted in the film the inquiry 1986 in which she is played by phyllis logan, as well as in that films 2006 remake, played by anna kanakis. He is best remembered as the person who presided over the trial of jesus in jerusalem and authorized his crucifixion.
In later tradition, she becomes known as procula latin. Pilate s wife was used to living in the roman world that provided the economic and political foundation for our own, and yet when jesus intruded on her dream she realized that everything she held dear was being called into questionwealth, power, security, statusnone of it would allow her to really rest easy. Nonchristian authors tacitus, philo, and flavius josephus mention not only his name but also many details. The horrific dream of the wife of pontius pilate about the. The ring bearing the name of pontius pilate was discovered in the late 1960s, one of thousands of. There is a tradition that pontius pilates wife claudia procula had a dream of billions of people chanting sub pontio pilato over and over and over. Why pontius pilates wife tried to save christ and the.
It was written allegedly in the name of claudia, pontius pilates wife, who shares the story of her life in jerusalem with her friend, devoting special attention to events related to the gospel story. Wayne jackson takes a look at pilate in this weeks penpoints. Born lucius publius pontius the name pilate was added later, probably for his military exploits, little is known of his life and what has been. However, she is not identified as pontius pilate s wife and, therefore, we cannot assume pilate s wife was a believer. Pontius pilate s brief appearance in scripture is full of tragedy. Pontius pilates name is found on 2,000yearold ring. A parenthesis at the end of an article name suggests that there wouldve been another wife of. Pontius pilate s wife is the unnamed spouse of pontius pilate, who appears only once in the gospel of matthew, where she intercedes with pilate on jesus behalf. It refers to the presentation of the tiberieum to the caesareans. While the bible does not tell us who the wife of pilate the governor was, the apocryphal book, the gospel of nicodemus, identifies her as claudia procula, and a.
Pilates wife has been named procula or claudia and in the eastern and ethiopian churches she is revered as a saint. Pilates wife all the women of the bible bible gateway. He convicted jesus of treason and declared that jesus thought himself king of the jews, and had jesus crucified. One is that the name of pilate s wife was claudia procula and the following details are known about her. In later centuries she was called claudia procula, but it is impossible to tell whether this was her real name or an invented one. She was married to pontius pilate, the roman governor of jerusalem. Hope lange played pontius pilates wife in the 1980 madefortelevision film the day christ died. It is possible that the ring belonged to another individual named pilate, or that it belonged to someone who worked for pontius pilate. Pilate as a saint on october 27th and names her claudia procula. Jan 22, 2020 pontius pilate s wife is the unnamed spouse of pontius pilate, who appears only once in the gospel of matthew, where she intercedes with pilate on jesus behalf. In the film, she is given the name claudia procles.
Mar 22, 2017 lets examine at the tradition of pontius pilates wife and the horrific dream that she had in matthew 27 and how it relates to the apostles and nicene creed. Pilate s biographical details before and after his appointment to judaea are unknown, but have been supplied by tradition, which include the detail that his wife s name was procula she is canonized as a saint in the greek orthodox church. Pontius pilates name is found on 2,000yearold ring the. The apocryphal but influential gospel of nicodemus mentions her dream and. Mar 16, 2017 cnns david gregory visits the town of caesarea, israel, to explore the historical evidence for pontius pilate, the roman governor who decided the fate of jesus. May 20, 2009 she was married to pontius pilate, the roman governor of jerusalem. In latin, inri stood for jesus name and his title of king of the jews.
Dont have anything to do with that innocent man, for i have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him. Why pontius pilates wife tried to save christ and the incredible. On television, pilates wife was played by joan leslie in the 1951 family theater episode hill number one also starring james dean as john the apostle, and by geraldine fitzgerald in the 1952 studio one episode pontius pilate where procula is depicted as halfjewish, and is brought before pilate as a christian rebel herself, fifteen years after jesus death. There is no reason to think pilates wife had ever seen or heard jesus. Extrabiblical tradition holds her to be named procla or claudia, and is regarded as a saint in the eastern catholic churches. Pontius pilate was a prefect of rome and governor of judea from about 2636 ad.
In theater, the life of pilates wife has been the subject of the dramas a play for easter by jewell ellen smith and claudia procula by curt m. According to some historical documents, it has been assumed that pontius pilate, like judas, ignoring the forgiving mercy of god, committed suicide. I really enjoyed the character claudia, and the historical details, especially about the roman empires. Pontius pilate was a roman governor under the emperor of. They had almost conquered rome in several fierce wars. Pilate s wife warned her husband to take care that you do not agree that any evil should happen to jesus the good man. Yet, he was providentially used by god to establish the innocence of christ. According to the traditional account of his life, pilate was a roman equestrian knight of the samnite clan of the pontii hence his name pontius. This seems likely when we consider that pilate s wife would normally have stayed at the governors residence in caesarea but that.
The wife of pontius pilate sends a message to him asking him not to have. In coptic and ethiopic christianity, pilate and his wife were canonized as saints. Pontius pilate presents scourged jesus christ to jerusalem residents, with grieving pilate s wife in the right corner. Certain segments of the orthodox christian church hold that pilates wife, who sometimes is given the name procula claudia, not only converted to christianity after the resurrection but also was. It seems like a bad omen to both of them, that pilates name is so. Claudia, wife of pontius pilate by diana wallis taylor. Mar 24, 2009 pontius pilate was a roman, citizen, and was appointed as the governor, he had supreme power to crucify or to release any one, the jews did not have this power, so they took jesus for a roman trial. As roman governor of judea and supreme judge in the province from 2637 ad, pilate had the sole authority to execute a criminal. One is that the name of pilates wife was claudia procula and the following details are known about her. She was recognized as a holy martyr by the greek orthodox, the coptic and the ethiopian churches. Did pontius pilate actually convert to christianity.
Pilates wife was a worshipper of god and a gentile convert to judaism. Little is known of pontius pilates personal history. Sep 02, 2019 mentioned in the gospels only once, pontius pilates wife tells the roman governor she had a dream the night before where she suffered because of christ and to free him. Pontius pilate served as the prefect of judaea from 26 to 36 a.
A notable bearer of this name was pontius pilate, the roman governor of judea who appears in the new testament. Also, there is no record of the couple having children together. The dream of pilates wife in chapters 26 and 27 of matthews gospel, the author sets a compelling scene. They milled around for a moment, and in that instant came the strange message from pilates wife that she had dreamed about jesus and the dream had upset her. The family name, pontius, was that of a prominent clan among the samnites, hill cousins of the latin romans. According to eusebius of caesarea s ecclesiastical history, pontius pilate killed himself on orders from the emperor caligula sometime after 36 ce. The life of pontius pilate is difficult to accurately trace outside of his stature as a roman ruler. He ignored his conscience, he disregarded the good advice of his wife, he chose political expediency over public rectitude, and he failed to recognize the truth even when truth was standing right in front of him.
Fifth roman governor of judaea under emperor tiberius. Meaning, origin and history of the name pontius behind the name. Maier refers to pilates wife as procula, arguing that the name claudia only. Very little, except that she was highborn, roman, welleducated and wealthy and the wife of the roman governor, pontius pilate, at the time of jesus death. Pontius pilate simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Nov 16, 2019 alternatively, it could be derived from the name of the ancient province of pontus in asia minor, itself probably from greek pontos meaning sea. We dont know what pilate s wife dreamed of, or even her name, but it seems that she exerted a great deal of influence upon her husband, pontius pilate. Tugged this way and that by fates indifferent hand, claudias life is adriftuntil she meets lucius pontius pilate and becomes his wife. The wife of pontius pilate sends a message to him asking him not to have anything to do with jesus, because she has had a terrible dream and suffered much because of him. Nov 30, 2018 the name of pontius pilate, the roman official who ordered the killing of jesus, according to the gospel, is mentioned in thousands of sermons every year and is familiar to countless people, but.
It was written allegedly in the name of claudia, pontius pilates wife, who shares the story of her life in jerusalem with her friend, devoting. Jan 02, 2020 pontius pilates brief appearance in scripture is full of tragedy. Mocking, skeptical pilate is a historical figure who haunts our imagination. The episode connected with her is perhaps among the most mysterious. What she was hearing was the billions of christians who recite he was crucified under pontius pilate. She has been made a saint by the eastern orthodox church and the ethiopian orthodox church and is called saint procula, saint claudia, or saint procula claudia. The protagonists biological father is believed to be called naughtius maximus, while a friend of pontius pilate is named biggus dickus and his wife s name is incontinentia buttocks. It is uncertain whether pilate was actually married, although it is likely. November 9 is the feastday of claudia procula, pontius pilates wife. Jesus has been arrested, deserted by his male disciples, denied by peter, beaten and humiliated by callous men under the jurisdiction of the high priest, and he is now standing before pilate, the governor of judea. Mar 25, 2019 pontius pilate was the roman prefect governor of judea around a. Despite being identified in the bible and several other documents in ancient literature, his existence was not accepted by secular historians until 1961 when a limestone inscription was found bearing his name and relating him to the reign of tiberius who was caesar.
Given the title and the style of this work, it can be dated to the second or third century. Pontius pilates wife wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. Alternatively, it could be derived from the name of the ancient province of pontus in asia minor, itself probably from greek pontos meaning sea. Pontius pilate s name is found on 2,000yearold ring.
To start, our name only consists of two parts while a full roman name would commonly consist of three. In our new saint thomas institute catholic church history series on the arian heresy controversy and the council of constantinople, our student alicia asks. According to christian legend her name was either, procula or claudia. Pontius pilate, governor of judea who presided at the trial of jesus, was truly a tragic character. The name pontius pilate is somewhat curious, and theories that try to explain this name abound. New living translation just then, as pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message. Matthew also records the intervention of pilate s wife, who had a sleepless night and therefore warned her husband not to be a part of the execution of jesus, since he was an innocent man. The greeks count her among the saints and celebrate her day on the 24th december. One of pilate s guards also mentions sillius soddus. According to the byzantine historian john malalas chron 10. She is only mentioned in relation to her husband, pontius pilate. The name pontius pilate provides two valuable clues to his background and ancestry. Actress claudia gerini plays pilates wife in the passion of the christ 2004. It was a very interesting look at what the wife of pontius pilate might have been like, based mostly on the authors ideas, history, and the few mentions of her in the bible.
Born lucius publius pontius the name pilate was added later, probably for his military exploits, little is known of his life and what has been documented is found in the four gospels of the new testament of the bible and the jewish historians josephus and philo of alexandria. That is the last we know of pilate from authentic sources, but legend has been busy with his name. His wife died a christian, but had to suffer for her faith in christ. The strange afterlife of pontius pilate history today. For this reason, eastern orthodox tradition honors ms. Pontius pilate was a key figure in the trial of jesus christ, ordering roman troops to carry out jesus death sentence by crucifixion. The only period of his life to receive historical notice is his judean governorship. Professor kevin butcher of the university of warwick on the real pontius pilate pilate s costly absolution was the product of specific religious and political circumstances. When they move to the troublesome territory of judea, she does what she has always done. Her name, according to ecclesiastical tradition, was claudia, the addition of procula being probably a mistake.
Pontius pilate s wife claudia procula is not ok with wikipedia s current article naming conventions, see wikipedia. The one inscription known bearing his name was found in 1961 at caesarea. When the roman empire became a christian state in the fourth century. Apr 02, 2020 why did pontius pilate have jesus executed. Hilda doolittle, written between 1929 and 1934 but posthumously published in 2000, presents pilates wife with the name veronica. In this apocryphal account, pilate describes his wife, who is named procula, as a godfearer a gentile convert to judaism and as someone who favoured jewish customs 2.
The name, claudia, is mentioned another time in scripture as a follower of christ. Dec 08, 2002 the wife of pontius pilate hid her trembling hands and did what she had done a dozen times before. Pilate s wife was a worshipper of god and a gentile convert to judaism. Claudia procula, according to the thirdcentury early christian sources including, first of all, the apocryphal gospel of nicodemus, was the wife of pontius pilate, a roman governor. Her husbands deadly crimes against the jews had made her face well known and hated every place where she might go. The horrific dream of the wife of pontius pilate about. While pilate was sitting on the judges seat, his wife sent him this message. Pilates wife warned her husband to take care that you do not agree that any evil should happen to jesus the good man. Pilates wife warned him, pilate didnt listen what do we know about pilates wife. There is no reason to think pilate s wife had ever seen or heard jesus. Pilate s wife has been named procula or claudia and in the eastern and ethiopian churches she is revered as a saint. The name pilatus is rare, so the ring could be associated with pontius pilate.
It also refers to the tiberieum, a building pilate dedicated in honor of tiberius. Pontius pilates wife knew jesus was innocent marg mowczko. For some he is a saint, for others the embodiment of human weakness, an archetypal politician willing to sacrifice one man for the sake of stability. Pontius pilate was a roman governor under the emperor of tiberius in the 1st century. Pontius pilates wife claudia procula is not ok with wikipedias current article naming conventions, see wikipedia. Pilates wife warned her husband to take care that you do not agree that any evil should. Potentinus was the name of a 4thcentury saint who lived in the valley of the mosel, and it was in that area and around schleiden, south of aachen, that his cult developed and the name became popular. Meaning, origin and history of the name pontius behind.
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