a perfect Redeemer of the whole man, so he was a complete sufferer in the whole; in his body, by such dolorous infirmities as arise internally from human frailties, and by such pains as are inflicted by external injuries; in his soul, by fearful apprehensions, by unknown sorrows, by anguish unexpressible. And in this latitude and propriety I believe our Saviour SUFFERED. UNDER PONTIUS PILATE. AFTER the substance of this part of the Article, consisting in our Saviour's passion, He suffered, followeth the circumstance of time, declared by the present governor, under Pontius Pilate. Which, though the name of a stranger to the commonwealth of Israel and the Church of Christ, is well preserved to eternal memory in the sacred articles of our CREED. For as the Son of God by his determinate counsel, was sent into the world to die in the fulness of time, so it concerns the Church to be assured of the time in which he died. And because the ancient custom of the world was, to make their computations by their governors, and refer their historical relations to the respective times of their government: therefore, that we might be properly assured of the actions of our Saviour which he did, and of his sufferings (that is, the actions which others did to him), the present governor is named, in that form of speech which is proper to such historical or chronological narrations, when we affirm that he suffered under Pontius Pilate'. 1 Επί Ποντίου Πιλάτου. Which words are capable of a double construction. First, as they are used by St Paul, r Tim. vi. 13: Ἰησοῦ, τοῦ μαρτυρήσαντος ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου τὴν καλὴν ὁμολογίαν, Who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; that is, standing before him, as before a judge. As of the same person, Matt. xxviii. 14: Καὶ ἐὰν ἀκουσθῇ τοῦτο ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος, If this come to be tried before the procurator. Thus Festus propounded it to St Paul, Acts xxv. 9: θέλεις—κρίνεσθαι ἐπ' ἐμοῦ; and St Paul answered in the same propriety of speech: ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος Καίσαρος ἑστώς eipu. Thus Christ tells his apostles, Mark xiii. 9: ἐπὶ ἡγεμόνων καὶ βασι λέων σταθήσεσθε. And in this sense érí is often used by the Greeks. Secondly, ἐπὶ Πιλάτου is under Pilate, that is, in the time of his government, when and while he was procurator of Judæa; as ἐπ' ἀρχιερέων ̓́Αννα καὶ Καϊάφα, Luke iii. 2. and ἐπὶ ̓Αβιάθαρ TOû άρxieрéws, Mark ii. 26. Which is also according to the custom and language of the Greeks: as, Κατακλυσ μὸς ἐπὶ Δευκαλίωνος ἐγένετο. Marm. Arundel. Οὗτοι δ ̓ ἦσαν τῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ Λαομέδοντος ἐξαναστάντων Τρώων. Plat. Epist. ad Archytam. [Epist. xii. p. 359 D.] And éì ToÚTOυ ẞaoiλeúOVTOS, in this king's reign, is the common phrase of Pausanias. Thus the Athenians among their nine And because he not only suffered under him as the present governor, but also was arraigned and condemned by him as a judge; therefore it will be necessary, for the illustration of the manner, and confirmation of the truth, of our Saviour's sufferings, to declare what hath been left and derived to our knowledge, both concerning his person and his office. is For the first, we find him described by two names: nor any other name of his extant, although, according to the general custom of the Romans', he should have three. The 194 first of these two is Pontius, the name descended to him from *Αρχοντες had one who was called 'Envμos, because his name was used for the denotation of that year; and the phrase was usually, ἐπὶ τοῦ δεῖνα, οι ἐπὶ τοῦ δεῖνα ἄρχοντος, as I find it thrice in one place: 'O μèv yàp ('Iσoκράτης) ἐπὶ Λυσιμάχου, Πλάτων δὲ ἐπὶ Αμεινίου γέγονεν, ἐφ' οὗ Περικλῆς ἐτελevrno ev. Diog. Laert. in Platone, [§3.] In the same manner did the Lacedæmonians make their historical accounts by their Ephori, and the Argivi by the priestesses of Juno: Ἐπὶ Χρυσίδος ἐν "Αργει τότε πεντήκοντα δυοῖν δέοντα ἔτη ἱερωμένης, καὶ Αἰνησίου ἐφόρου ἐν Σπάρτῃ, καὶ Πυθοδώρου ἔτι δύο μῆνας ἄρχοντος Αθηναίοις. Thucyd. 1. ii. c. 2. And as the Greeks thus referred all actions to the times of these governors, so did the Jews under the Roman government, to the procurators of Judæa; as appeareth by Josephus, who mentioning the first of that office, Coponius, presently relates the insurrection of Judas Galilæus in this manner: Ἐπὶ τούτου (Κωπωνίου) τὶς ἀνὴρ Γαλιλαῖος, Ἰούδας ὄνομα εἰς ἀπόστασιν ἐνῆγε τοὺς ἐπιχω plovs. De Bell. Jud. 1. ii. c. 8. § 1. then names his successor Ambivius, ἐφ' ου καὶ Σαλώμη—Ἰαμνιὰν καταλείπει: after him Rufus, ἐφ' οὗ δὴ καὶ τελευτᾷ Kaioap. Antiq. Jud. 1. xviii. c. 2. § 2. And in the same manner in the Creed, παθόντα ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πι Xárov, our Saviour suffered under Pontius Pilate, that is, at the time when he was procurator of Judæa; as Ignatius fully, ἐν καιρῷ τῆς ἡγεμονίας Пovτiou Пárov. Epist. ad Magnesios, § 11. 1 Pausanias, speaking of the Romans, saith: Τρία ὁπότε ὀλίγιστα, καὶ ἔτι πλέονα ὀνόματα ἑκάστῳ τίθενται. [Achaic. c. 7. § 4.] And although Diomedes and Plutarch [Vit. Caii Marii, c. 1.] have observed, that even among the Romans there were some διώνυμα, yet the prænomen was never omitted, as Priscian affirmed: 'Ex illo consuetudo tenuit, ut nemo Romanus sit absque prænomine.' l. ii. § 23. 2 Pontius and Pilatus were his nomen and cognomen, in the same manner as Julius and Cæsar are described by Suetonius: 'Non Cæsare et Bibulo, sed Julio et Cæsare, Coss., actum scriberent, bis eundem præponentes, nomine atque cognomine.' Jul. c. 20. Thus without a prænomen or agnomen, he is only known to us by his nomen properly called, and his cognomen. The nature of which two is thus described by the ancients: 'Nomen proprium est gentilicium, id est, quod originem familiæ vel gentis declarat, ut Porcius, Cornelius; cognomen est quod uniuscujusque proprium est, et nominibus gentiliciis subjungitur, ut Cato, Scipio.' Diomedes, de Orat. 1. i. p. 321. Nomen, quod familiæ originem declarat, ut Cornelius; cognomen, quod nomini subjungitur, ut Scipio.' Charisius, Inst. Gramm. 1. ii. c. 6. The first of these Dionysius calls τὸ συγγενικὸν καὶ πατρωνυμικόν, Plutarch [Vit. Caii Marii, c. 1.] oikias ἢ γένους κοινόν, and κοινὸν ἀπὸ συγγενείας the second he calls προσηγορικὸν ἐξ ἐπιθέτου. Thus Pontius was his nomen gentis or gentilitium, and Pilatus his cognomen. As there the original of his family, which was very ancient; the second Pilatus, as a cognominal addition distinguishing from the rest descending from the same original. He was by birth a Roman; by degree of the equestrian order, sent by Tiberius the emperor to be a governor of Judæa. For about threescore years before our Saviour's birth, the Jews by Pompey the Great were made tributary to the Romans. And although during the life of Hyrcanus the highpriest, the reign of Herod and his son Archelaus, the Roman state suffered the Jews to be ruled by their own laws and governors; yet when Archelaus was banished by Augustus, they received their governors from the Roman emperor, being made a part of the province of Syria1, belonging to his care. In the life of Augustus there was a succession of three, Coponius, Ambivius, and Rufus. At the beginning of the reign of Tiberius, they were governed by Valerius Gracchus, and at his departure by Pontius Pilate. The office which this Pilate bare was the procuratorship of Judæa, as is most evident out of the history both of the Romans, from whom he received his authority, and of the Jews, fore Pontius Aquila, Pontius Cominius, Pontius Herennius, Pontius Paulinus, &c., so also Pontius Pilatus. Wherefore in vain have some of the ancients endeavoured to give an etymology of these names as they do of Greek and Hebrew names in the Scripture, and think thereby to express the nature or actions of them that bare the names. As Isidorus Hispal. Orig. 1. vii. c. 10. § 8: 'Pontius, Declinans concilium, utique Judæorum: accepta enim aqua lavit manus suas, dicens, Innocens ego sum a sanguine hujus justi.' And Eutychius, patriarch of Alexandria, deduced Pontius from an island called Ponta, near to Rome. And St Jerome: 'Quod significat nomen Pilati, i.e. Malleatoris, i.e. qui domat ferreas gentes.' ad Matt. xv. 'Pilatus, Os malleatoris; quia dum Christum ore suo et justificat et condemnat, more malleatoris utraque ferit.' Isidor. ibid. 'Pontius, Declinans concilium; Pilatus, Os malleatoris.' S. Hier. de Nom. Hebraicis, in Luca, [Vol. I. p. 96.] et PEARSON. rursus in Actis, [ib. p. 103.] Where he lets us understand that these etymologies were made from the Hebrew language; and makes an excuse, because the letter P is here taken for the Hebrew, to which the Latin F more properly answers: 'Sed sciendum est, quod apud Hebræos P litera non habetur, nec ullum nomen est quod hoc elementum resonet: abusive igitur accipienda, quasi per F literam scripta sint.' [ib. p. 96.] Thus did they vainly strive to find an Hebrew original, and that such a one as should represent the conditions of Pilate; when these two names are nothing else but the Roman nomen and cognomen of that person. 1 Τῆς ̓Αρχελάου ἐθναρχίας μεταπεσούσης εἰς ἐπαρχίαν. Joseph. de Bell. Jud. l. ii. c. 9. §1. Τῆς δὲ Αρχελάου χώρας ὑποτελοῦς προσνεμηθείσης τῇ Σύρων. Antiq. Jud. 1. xvii. c. 13. § 5. Iapî δὲ καὶ Κυρήνιος εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίων προσθήκην τῆς Συρίας γενομένην. Ibid. 1. xviii. c. 1. § 1. over whom he exercised his dominion. But what was the office of a procurator in those times', though necessary for Tiberio imperitante per procuratorem Pontium Pilatum supplicio affectus est.' Annal. 1. xv. c. 44. And Tertullian, most skilful of their laws and customs, speaks thus of our Saviour: 'postremo oblatum Pontio Pilato, Syriam tunc ex parte Romana procuranti.' Apologet. c. 21. Whom St Cyprian follows: Hinc magistri eorum--ut postremo detentum Pontio Pilato, qui tunc ex parte Romana Syriam procurabat, traderent.' [Quod Idola dii non sunt, § 13, p. 30.] Thus also Josephus for the Jews: Πεμφθεὶς δὲ εἰς Ιουδαίαν ἐπίτροπος ὑπὸ Tiẞeplov IIλáros. De Bell. Jud. 1. ii. [c. 9. § 2.] And Philo: IIλátos v τῶν ὑπάρχων ἐπίτροπος ἀποδεδειγμένος Tis 'Iovdalas. De Virtut. et legat. ad Caium, c. 38. [Vol. 1. p. 589.] And therefore these words of St Luke, c. iii. 1, ἡγεμονεύοντος Ποντίου Πιλάτου τῆς ̓Ιουδαίας, were properly translated by the old interpreter, procurante Pontio Pilato Judæam. Thus Lucius Dexter ad annum Christi 28: 'Pontius Pilatus procurator Judææ a Tiberio mittitur in Judæam.' And Justin Martyr most properly: Tòv σтAVρWΡέντα ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου, τοῦ γενομέ νου ἐν Ἰουδαίᾳ ἐπὶ χρόνοις Τιβερίου Καίσαρος ἐπιτρόπου. Apol. i. [c. 13, p. 60.] And again, speaking to the emperors, by whom the procurators were sent: Καὶ Πιλάτου τοῦ ὑμετέρου παρ' αὐτοῖς γενομένου ἐπιτρόπου. [Ibid. c. 40, p. 78.] And again: Karà Tou ὀνόματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοῦ σταυρωθέντος ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου, τοῦ γενομένου ἐπιτρόπου τῆς Ἰουδαίας. Dial. cum Tryph. [c. 30, p. 247.] As also Eusebius: Δωδεκάτῳ ἐνιαυτῷ τῆς Τιβερίου βασιλείας, ἐπίτροπος τῆς Ἰουδαίας ὑπὸ Τιβερίου καθίσταται Πιλάτος. Hist. Eccl. 1. i. c. 9. And St Jerome's translation of his Chronicon: 'Pilatus procurator Judææ a Tiberio mittitur.' Thus it appears that Pilate, of the equestrian order, was properly procurator, as that office was ordinarily given to men of that order, as Tacitus testifies: 'Cn. Julius Agricola-utrumque avum procuratorem Cæsarum habuit, quæ equestris nobilitas est.' Invit. Jul. Agric. c. 4. Which is to be understood concerning the imperial provinces: for into those which were of the provinces of the people, the procurators sent by Cæsar were of the Liberti. For the emperor sent into all the provinces his procurators, but with this difference, as Dio observes: Ες πάντα ὁμοίως τὰ ἔθνη, τά τε ἑαυτοῦ δὴ καὶ τὰ τοῦ δήμου, τοὺς μὲν ἐκ τῶν ἱππέων, τοὺς δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀπελευθέρων, TéμTEL. Hist. 1. liii. c. 15. 1 The Roman procurator is ordinarily in Greek authors expressed by their Eriτporos, as the Glossa LatinoGræca, Procurator, 'Exiтporos. But yet they are not of the same latitude in their use; 'EπíτроTоs comprehending the notion of tutor, as well as procurator. Hesych. Επίτροπος, ὁ προστατῶν χωρίων, καὶ ὅλης τῆς οὐσίας, καὶ ὀρφανῶν. Gloss. Vet. Επίτροπος, procurator, tutor. 'Emirрoros therefore was used by the Greeks in both notions, whereof procurator of the Latins is but one. And in the language of the Romans, he is a procurator which undertakes to manage the business of another man. 'Procurator, si negotium suscipit,' saith Asconius in Divinat. and Sex. Pompeius [Festus], Lib. iii. p. 44. Procurator absentis nomine actor fit;' he to whom the care of another man's estate or affairs was committed. Gloss. Vet. 'EvTOλý, Commissum, et 'Evroλeús, Procurator. In correspondence to these procurators of the affairs and estates of private persons, there were made such as did take care in every province of the imperial revenue; who, in respect of the person whom they served, were called Procuratores Cæsaris, or Augustales; in respect of the countries where they served, were termed Procuratores Provinciales. Their office is best described by Dio, Hist. 1. liii. c. 15 : Τοὺς ἐπιτρόπους, οὕτω γὰρ τοὺς our present purpose, is not so easy to determine, because it was but newly introduced into the Roman government. For before the dominion of that city was changed from a commonwealth into an empire, there was no such public office in any of the provinces; and particularly in Judæa none till after the banishment of Archelaus some years after our Saviour's birth. When Augustus divided the provinces of the empire into two parts, one of which he kept for his own care, and left the other to the inspection of the senate; he sent, together with the president of each province, as the governorin-chief of the province, a procurator, whose office was to take an account of all the tribute, and whatsoever was due to the emperor, and to order and dispose of the same for his advantage. Neither was there, at the first institution of this office, any other act belonging properly to their jurisdiction, 195 but such a care and disposal of the imperial revenue: which they exercised as inferior and subordinate to the President, always supreme provincial officer. Now Judæa being made part of the province of Syria, and consequently under the care of the president of that province, according to this institution, a particular procurator was assigned unto it, for the disposing the emperor's revenue. And because the nation of the Jews were always suspected of a rebellious disposition against the Roman state, and the president of Syria, who had the power of the sword, was forced to attend upon the other parts of his province: therefore the procurator of Judæa was furnished with power of life and death', and so administered all the power of the president, τάς τε κοινὰς προσόδους ἐκλέγοντας καὶ a Procuratoribus suis judicatarum, ac si ipse statuisset.' Annal. 1. xii. c. 60. And in Suetonius: 'Utque rata essent quæ Procuratores sui in judicando statuerent, precario exegit.' [Claud. c. 12.] The proper office therefore of the provincial procurator was, to receive the imperial revenue, and dispose of it as the emperor commanded, and to all intents and purposes to do such things as were necessary thereunto, with such authority, as if the emperor himself had done them. 1 This appeareth by Coponius, the first proper procurator of Judæa, who was brought in by Quirinus, Præses of |
