Memoirs of Pontius Pilate by James R. Mills

First published: Grand Rapids, Mich.: Fleming H. Revell, 2000

Genre(s): Novel

Subgenre(s): Biblical fiction; biography

Core issue(s): The cross; faith; Jesus Christ

Principal characters

• Pontius Pilate, the protagonist
• Jesus Christ, who claimed to be the Messiah
• Claudia Procula, Pilate’s wife
• Joseph ben Caiaphas, a high priest of the Jews
• Herod the Great, king of the Jews
• Herod Antipas, Herod’s son

Overview

As James R. Mills points out in the “Editor’s Note” that precedes his novel, Pontius Pilate was not a major figure in Roman history. During the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pilate was appointed governor of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea by the emperor’s chief prefect, Lucius Aelius Sejanus. Pilate held that post for ten years. However, after the aging Tiberius turned on Sejanus, denounced him, and had him and his entire family executed, Pilate became vulnerable. Eventually he was arrested on a charge of murder by his new superior, Lucius Vitellius, and sent to Rome to be tried before Caligula, the successor of Tiberius. The outcome of that trial was not recorded, though according to tradition, Pilate was found guilty and exiled to Gaul, where he later drowned himself.

Pontius Pilate is now remembered only because of his involvement in the death of Jesus Christ. In the Gospels, Pilate is shown as an indecisive man, superstitious enough to be swayed by his wife’s premonitions but too timorous to chance a political misstep. Mills chose to take a different approach to the question of Pilate’s character. In his novel, he imagines how Pilate would have seen his situation and how he would have remembered the Jewish prophet he allowed to be crucified. As a historian, Mills understands the political environment in which these events took place; as a Christian, he believes that Pilate must have been at least profoundly stirred by his encounter.

Except for the brief “Editor’s Note,” which sums up the historical facts, Memoirs of Pontius Pilate is a first-person narrative, written by Pilate in his later years. In the “Prologue,” Pilate explains that during his long years of exile, he has often thought about Jesus of Nazareth, and with Nero now resolved to exterminate the Christians, it seems even more important to tell the carpenter’s story. This section is followed by the “Introduction,” excerpted from a history of modern Palestine that Pilate began at the suggestion of his wife but laid aside after her death. Pilate’s comments on the Jews and their recent history ends with the death of Herod the Great.

In the nine chapters that follow, Pilate narrates the story of the carpenter from his birth to death. The events associated with his birth are contained in a manuscript prepared by Joseph ben Caiaphas, the high priest of the Jews, to explain why the supposed messiah who has just ridden into Jerusalem presents so serious a threat to Rome. In the next chapter, Pilate, his wife Claudia Procula, Herod Antipas, and his wife Herodia speculate as to how Jesus would have spent his childhood and youth. In “A Wayside Prophet,” Pilate recalls the reports he received about Jesus’ sermons and his miracles. Pilate includes a letter from Caiaphas, concluding that Jesus is an apostate. In “No One Ever Spoke Like Him,” Pilate quotes Claudia, whose admiration for Jesus is evident. He assures her that as long as Jesus does not break any Roman laws, he should be all right. However, there is another letter from Caiaphas, announcing that he is convening a council to decide how to get rid of Jesus. In the following chapter, Pilate notes how brilliantly Jesus avoided the theological traps presented to him; nevertheless, in the end, Jesus is betrayed and arrested.

In the sixth chapter of the book, entitled “The Affairs of Men,” Pilate attempts to justify the actions that culminated in the Crucifixion. He emphasizes his own precarious position after Sejanus’s fall from power. In fact, Pilate insists, he was a better governor than those troublesome Jews deserved. It was their fault if he had to kill a good many of them to give them a dependable water supply. Moreover, wild-eyed prophets were always stirring them up, and his Roman superiors expected him to preserve law and order. When he did what he had to do, he was charged with murder. Clearly Pilate puts part of the blame for his downfall on the Jews and part of it on the machinations of his enemies.

The next three chapters, which take Jesus from the Jews to Pilate to his crucifixion, follow the biblical accounts closely, with periodic pauses for Pilate to justify his actions. He is impressed by Jesus’ courage throughout his long agony, but as a rational man, he has to believe that the darkening of the sky and the earthquake that accompanied his death were merely coincidental. Nevertheless, along with the star at Jesus’ birth and all the incidents fulfilling the messianic prophecies, these events persuade the common people, thus accounting for the continuing spread of Christianity.

In the final chapter, Pilate compares Jesus to Socrates, another man who was killed because he wanted to change his society. In the “Epilogue,” Pilate presents two possibilities. If Nero succeeds in destroying Christianity, it will be clear that Jesus was merely a pitiable madman. However, if Christianity survives and prospers and people pray for healing in his name, then, Pilate supposes, Jesus must have been the son of a god, after all.

Christian Themes

One of the central themes in Mills’s novel is faith, specifically, faith in Jesus Christ. That Christ is the subject of Pontius Pilate’s memoir is significant. Even though his reminiscences include comments on Jewish history, accounts of his dealings with the Jews, and descriptions of Roman political infighting, Pilate admits that his most vivid memories of his life in Palestine involve Jesus. His attempt to put Jesus on the same level as Socrates does not convince anyone, least of all Pilate himself, that the Jew was merely a good man. Though he tries to reason away the angelic annunciation, the star that brought the astrologers to Jesus’ birthplace, the fulfillment of the biblical prophecies, the many miracles, and the darkness and the earthquake at the end, Pilate cannot forget a single detail about the life and death of Jesus, nor can he erase the memory of their brief encounter.

Despite his fascination with Jesus, at the end of the novel, Pilate has still not made a commitment. For one thing, Pilate prides himself on practicality. He recalls leaving the cross because he had important matters to take care of. Pilate’s snobbery is another obstacle to faith. The Roman official who proudly recalls his dinners with Herod Antipas would not be at ease with Jewish fishermen. Moreover, Pilate feels intellectually superior to the Jewish fanatics who follow Jesus. His offhand comment “What is truth?” was undoubtedly meant to show his grasp of complex thought. What it really demonstrates, however, is his inability to make a commitment, either to save an innocent man or to believe in him. Thus the memoirs end without resolution. At the end of the novel, Pilate is still waiting for proof of Jesus’ divinity.

Sources for Further Study

Bond, Helen K. Pontius Pilate in History and Interpretation. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1998. This revisionist study argues that Pilate was a highly competent official with a talent for compromising. Map and bibliography.

Duncan, Melanie C. Review of Memoirs of Pontius Pilate. Library Journal 125 (April 1, 2000): 84. Mills’s book shows Pilate as a man who remained fascinated with Jesus but was determined to avoid accepting responsibility for his death.

Winner, Lauren. “Three Books Dig for Insights into the Shadowy Ruler and His Wife.” Christianity Today 44 (December 4, 2000): 87-88. Compares Mills’s book, which ends with Pilate’s being drawn toward Christianity, to Ann Wroe’s biography and to a novel by the poet H. D. Lawrence.

Wroe, Ann. Pontius Pilate. New York: Random House, 1999. After extensive research, concludes that Pilate was a nervous politician, fearful of offending those in power and thus losing his office and probably his life. Bibliography and index.