Freethought & Rationalism Archive

stephan huller · 03-01-2013, 12:59 AM

So if 5 Maccabees put Pilate's office at around 9 BCE, more curious still is the archaeological discovery of the so-called Pilate Inscription found by Italian archaeologists in the last century at Caesarea. As Jona Lendering notes:

Quote:

The first of these is the inscription on a block of limestone, which was found at Caesarea in 1961. One half of the stone is badly damaged, but we can still read the other half of it:
. . . . . . S TIBERIEVM
. . [PO]NTIVS PILATVS
[PRAE]CTVS IVDA[EA]E
Among scholars, this inscription caused some sensation, because it proves that Pilate's title was praefectus Judaea, and not procurator Judaea, as the Roman historian Tacitus states in his Annals, 15.44. The first readable word, Tiberieum, is something of a mystery. Probably, it refers to a temple dedicated to the emperor Tiberius.

But no one has accurately determined what a 'Tiberieum.' Most scholars disagree with the idea that it was a temple to Tiberius (that would make Pilate a priest!). So what is a Tiberieum? No one knows.

But the building itself was established by Herod the Great in 30 BCE. The partial inscription reads (conjectural letters in brackets):

Quote:

[DIS AUGUSTI]S TIBERIÉUM
[...PO]NTIUS PILATUS
[...PRAEF]ECTUS IUDA[EA]E
[...FECIT D]E[DICAVIT]

The translation from Latin to English for the inscription reads:

To the Divine Augusti [this] Tiberieum
...Pontius Pilate
...prefect of Judea
...has dedicated [this]

The most likely time that a deified Augustus and his wife would be immediately following their death. This seems to agree with the testimony of the pagan Acts of Pilate referenced by Eusebius in his Church History which he describes as:

Quote:

the forgery of those who have recently given currency to acts against our Saviour is clearly proved. For the very date given in them shows the falsehood of their fabricators. For the things which they have dared to say concerning the passion of the Saviour are put into the fourth consulship of Tiberius, which occurred in the seventh year of his reign; at which time it is plain that Pilate was not yet ruling in Judea, if the testimony of Josephus is to be believed, who clearly shows in the above-mentioned work that Pilate was made procurator of Judea by Tiberius in the twelfth year of his reign. [Church History 1.9]

Against the claims of this text Eusebius immediately goes on to note:

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It was in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, according to the evangelist, and in the fourth year of the governorship of Pontius Pilate, while Herod and Lysanias and Philip were ruling the rest of Judea, that our Saviour and Lord, Jesus the Christ of God, being about thirty years of age, came to John for baptism and began the promulgation of the Gospel.

Yet if Pilate's career was so well established - why does Irenaeus think he was still procurator during the reign of Claudius (c. 42 - 48 CE)? So let's go over the evidence for the career of Pilate:

5 Maccabees = 9 BCE
the Pilate Inscription = ???14 - 17 CE???
the pagan Acts of Pilate = 21 CE
Josephus = 26 - 37 CE
Irenaeus = 42 - 48 CE

How is it possible that such confusion exists about the dating for Pilate? The apocryphal Report of Pilate to the Emperor Claudius reinforces Irenaeus's understanding. This goes back at least until the Acts of Pilate, the second part of the Gospel of Nicodemus:

And Pilate, when he heard these words of Annas and Caiaphas, laid them all up amongst the acts of the Lord and Saviour in the public books of his judgement hall, and wrote a letter unto Claudius the king of the city of Rome, saying:

Quote:

[The following Epistle or Report of Pilate is inserted in Greek into the late Acts of Peter and Paul ( 40) and the Pseudo-Marcellus Passion of Peter and Paul ( 19). We thus have it in Greek and Latin, and the Greek is used here as the basis of the version.]

Pontius Pilate unto Claudius, greeting.

There befell of late a matter which I myself brought to light (or made trial of): for the Jews through envy have punished themselves and their posterity with fearful judgements of their own fault; for whereas their fathers had promises (al. had announced unto them) that their God would send them out of heaven his holy one who should of right be called their king, and did promise that he would send him upon earth by a virgin; he, then (or this God of the Hebrews, then), came when I was governor of Judaea, and they beheld him enlightening the blind, cleansing lepers, healing the palsied, driving devils out of men, raising the dead, rebuking the winds, walking upon the waves of the sea dry-shod, and doing many other wonders, and all the people of the Jews calling him the Son of God: the chief priests therefore, moved with envy against him, took him and delivered him unto me and brought against him one false accusation after another, saying that he was a sorcerer and did things contrary to their law.

Clivedurdle · 03-01-2013, 06:49 AM

As we have abundant forged manuscripts, did no one ever forge an inscription on a piece of marble?

stephan huller · 03-01-2013, 10:55 AM

As an interesting aside, I think one could make a very powerful case that the temple Herod built was completed in a Jubilee year. Consider for a moment the following details:

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But the temple itself was built by the priests in a year and six months; upon which all the people were full of joy; and presently they returned thanks, in the first place, to God; and in the next place, for the alacrity the king had showed. They feasted and celebrated this rebuilding of the temple: and for the king, he sacrificed three hundred oxen to God, as did the rest every one according to his ability; the number of which sacrifices is not possible to set down, for it cannot be that we should truly relate it; for at the same time with this celebration for the work about the temple fell also the day of the king's inauguration, which he kept of an old custom as a festival, and it now coincided with the other, which coincidence of them both made the festival most illustrious. [Anti 15.11]

As noted above - a year and a half is the full duration of the Jubilee and then earlier notice that the announcement of the building of the temple coincides with the relieving of debt for the Jews:

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At which time Herod released to his subjects the third part of their taxes, under pretense indeed of relieving them, after the dearth they had had; but the main reason was, to recover their good-will, which he now wanted; for they were uneasy at him, because of the innovations he had introduced in their practices, of the dissolution of their religion, and of the disuse of their own customs; and the people every where talked against him, like those that were still more provoked and disturbed at his procedure; against which discontents he greatly guarded himself, and took away the opportunities they might have to disturb him, and enjoined them to be always at work; nor did he permit the citizens either to meet together, or to walk or eat together, but watched every thing they did, and when any were caught, they were severely punished; and many there were who were brought to the citadel Hyrcania, both openly and secretly, and were there put to death; and there were spies set every where, both in the city and in the roads, who watched those that met together; nay, it is reported that he did not himself neglect this part of caution, but that he would oftentimes himself take the habit of a private man, and mix among the multitude, in the night time, and make trial what opinion they had of his government: and as for those that could no way be reduced to acquiesce under his scheme of government, he prosecuted them all manner of ways; but for the rest of the multitude, he required that they should be obliged to take an oath of fidelity to him, and at the same time compelled them to swear that they would bear him good-will, and continue certainly so to do, in his management of the government; and indeed a great part of them, either to please him, or out of fear of him, yielded to what he required of them; but for such as were of a more open and generous disposition, and had indignation at the force he used to them, he by one means or other made away, with them. He endeavored also to persuade Pollio the Pharisee, and Satneas, and the greatest part of their scholars, to take the oath; but these would neither submit so to do, nor were they punished together with the rest, out of the reverence he bore to Pollio. The Essens also, as we call a sect of ours, were excused from this imposition. These men live the same kind of life as do those whom the Greeks call Pythagoreans, concerning whom I shall discourse more fully elsewhere. However, it is but fit to set down here the reasons wherefore Herod had these Essens in such honor, and thought higher of them than their mortal nature required; nor will this account be unsuitable to the nature of this history, as it will show the opinion men had of these Essens.

Now there was one of these Essens, whose name was Manahem, who had this testimony, that he not only conducted his life after an excellent manner, but had the foreknowledge of future events given him by God also. This man once saw Herod when he was a child, and going to school, and saluted him as king of the Jews; but he, thinking that either he did not know him, or that he was in jest, put him in mind that he was but a private man; but Manahem smiled to himself, and clapped him on his backside with his hand, and said," However that be, thou wilt be king, and wilt begin thy reign happily, for God finds thee worthy of it. And do thou remember the blows that Manahem hath given thee, as being a signal of the change of thy fortune. And truly this will be the best reasoning for thee, that thou love justice [towards men], and piety towards God, and clemency towards thy citizens; yet do I know how thy whole conduct will be, that thou wilt not be such a one, for thou wilt excel all men in happiness, and obtain an everlasting reputation, but wilt forget piety and righteousness; and these crimes will not be concealed from God, at the conclusion of thy life, when thou wilt find that he will be mindful of them, and punish time for them." Now at that time Herod did not at all attend to what Manahem said, as having no hopes of such advancement; but a little afterward, when he was so fortunate as to be advanced to the dignity of king, and was in the height of his dominion, he sent for Manahem, and asked him how long he should reign. Manahem did not tell him the full length of his reign; wherefore, upon that silence of his, he asked him further, whether he should reign ten years or not? He replied, "Yes, twenty, nay, thirty years;" but did not assign the just determinate limit of his reign. Herod was satisfied with these replies, and gave Manahem his hand, and dismissed him; and from that time he continued to honor all the Essens. We have thought it proper to relate these facts to our readers, how strange soever they be, and to declare what hath happened among us, because many of these Essens have, by their excellent virtue, been thought worthy of this knowledge of Divine revelations.

And now Herod, in the eighteenth year of his reign, and after the acts already mentioned, undertook a very great work, that is, to build of himself the temple of God ... [Anti 15.10.4, 5 - 11.1]

The evidence seems to be convincing to me at least that the Samaritan Jubilee coincided with the building of the temple. The idea that it was exactly a year and a half is quite important. If Herod was going to relieve the debts of his subjects, the beginning of the seventh month would be the exact time to make that announcement. The fact that the account of the commencement of the building of the temple immediately follows would lead me to conclude that it started 1/7 and ended 12/30 of the next year. This also illustrates not only that the Samaritan system of sabbatical years was used by the Sadducees but that the ancient mind required important events to coincide with holy years. I would imagine that the return from Babylonia coincided with a Jubilee too as did the entry of the Israelites at the time of Joshua.

stephan huller · 03-01-2013, 11:36 AM

The parallel account in Jewish Wars

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He (Augustus) also made him a procurator of all Syria, and this on the tenth year afterward, when he came again into that province; and this was so established, that the other procurators could not do any thing in the administration without his advice: but when Zenodorus was dead, Caesar bestowed on him all that land which lay between Trachonitis and Galilee. Yet, what was still of more consequence to Herod, he was beloved by Caesar next after Agrippa, and by Agrippa next after Caesar; whence he arrived at a very great degree of felicity. Yet did the greatness of his soul exceed it, and the main part of his magnanimity was extended to the promotion of piety.

Accordingly, in the fifteenth year of his reign (= Augustus), Herod rebuilt the temple, and encompassed a piece of land about it with a wall, which land was twice as large as that before enclosed. The expenses he laid out upon it were vastly large also, and the riches about it were unspeakable. A sign of which you have in the great cloisters that were erected about the temple, and the citadel which was on its north side. The cloisters he built from the foundation, but the citadel he repaired at a vast expense; nor was it other than a royal palace, which he called Antonia, in honor of Antony. He also built himself a palace in the Upper city, containing two very large and most beautiful apartments; to which the holy house itself could not be compared [in largeness]. The one apartment he named Caesareum, and the other Agrippium, from his [two great] friends. [Jewish Wars 1.20,21]

And from the Hegesippus:

Quote:

With which services he infused a great love for himself into everyone, so that it was thought he deserved more than he had received and that the rule of a kingdom was less than the liberality of his kindness deserved. Therefore Caesar from this opinion, things having been accomplished in Egypt, Antonius and Cleopatra having died, returned to Herod not only what had been taken away, truly even beyond those things which Cleopatra had stolen, he granted to him Gadara, Ipponen, Samaria. He bestowed also at the same time the maritime cities, Gaza, Anthedon, Joppa, and Strato's Tower; also four hundred bodyguards from Gaul, surrounded by whom Cleopatra traveled, he granted many other things for the protection of the body of the king. But from all these things the king considered most important that above all he was loved, by Caesar below Agrippa only, by Agrippa below Caesar only.

And so in the fifteenth year of his reign, that he should respond to his blessed condition and favor, having been lifted up by such a great success of favorable things, he strained for goodness and so that he might demonstrate himself grateful to the heavenly gods for the favors flowing to him without limit, he adorned the temple, and he surrounded with a wall all that circuit of space about the temple and the space having been doubled he enclosed it at great expense of building and with exquisite beauty. For evidence there were great covered walks about the sanctuary, which he raised up from the foundations. Nor was his purpose less of guarding than of beautifying, [p. 68] accordingly he strengthened the fortress lying to the north, which he named Antonia in honor of Antonius, not at all inferior to the higher palaces. He added even in the citadel of the royal home twin residences of great extent of wonderful beauty, to whose grace you would think nothing should be added. One of them was named Caesarium, the other Agrippium, so that in his dwellings the lasting memory of such great friends would be celebrated. [1.34 -35]

I wonder if the 'Tiberieum' mentioned in the inscription was from similarly inspired by Herod the Great. I have found coins which identified Augustus as 'divine' during his reign.

stephan huller · 03-01-2013, 11:59 AM

And then I discovered the mother load. This is the best evidence yet that Jesus's appearance on earth was originally understood to have coincided with the Jubilee in 12 BCE. In the Slavonic Josephus tradition this very same account is preceded by the slaughter of the infants mentioned in Matthew:

Quote:

He established him [as ruler] over the governors of Syria and as senior over all [their] commanders [instructing them] to do nothing without his bidding. And Caesar (held] Herod in his affection foremost after Agnppa. And Agrippa [held him] in his affection after Caesar. And so wealth untold came in to him day by day [and] he distributed it for his good works. .." [ Lacuna ]

Having so spoken" [Herod] sent them off to the innkeepers, escorting them with guards who knew the Persian tongue to listen to what they said. When they were closeted with a Persian who was [there] they began to grieve, saying: "Our fathers and our children [manuscript A has marginal note 'How Herod released the Persian seers, the astronomers] have been excellent astrologers and, watching the stars, never lied. And we too. taught by them, have never distorted the message of the stars. What can this be? Deceit or error? The star image appeared to us signifying the birth of a king by whom the whole world would be preserved. And gazing on that star, we have been making our way for a year and a half to this city; and we have not found the son of [a] king. And the star is [now] hidden from us. We have indeed been deceived! But we shall send the gifts we had prepared For the infant to the king and ask him to let us (return] to our fatherland." And while they were thus speaking, the guards came to the king and told him everything. And he sent for the Persians. But while they were on their way, that remarkable star appeared to them [again]. And they were filled with joy. And they went by night to Herod with boldness. And he said to them [confidentially], away from everybody (else]: "Why do you sadden my heart and distress my soul by not speaking the truth? Why have you come here? " They told him: "King, we have no double-talk. But we are sons of Persia. Astronomy. which is our science and our craft, our ancestors took over from the Chajdaeans. As we gazed on the stars we have never been wrong. And a star [of] ineffable [beauty] appeared to us, separated from all [the other] stars. For it was not one of the seven planets, not one of the spearmen, not one of the swordsmen, not one of the archers, not one of the comets, but it was exceedingly brilliant like the sun, and it was joyful. And by observing it we have reached you. And while we were here, the star disappeared right up to the present [moment]. But now, as we were coming to you. it appeared [again]." And Herod said: "Can you show it to me?" And they said: "We reckon the whole world sees it." And they said: "We reckon the whole world sees it." And they stepped out on to an open porch and they showed him the star. And when Herod saw it. he marvelled greatly. And he worshipped God for he was a devout man. And he gave them an escort [composed of] his brother and [some] nobles, to go and see the one born. But as they were on their way the star disappeared once more, and they came back again. And the Persians begged him to let them go on [promising] that having sought out, they would come back and tell him. And they swore him an oath, believing that the star would tell them to return by that road. And they followed the star.

And after waiting a year for them they did not even come to [see] him. And he was furious and summoned the priests (who were his] advisers and asked if any of them understood [the meaning of] that star. And they answered him: "It is written: 'A star shall shine forth from Jacob and a man shall arise from Judah'. "And Daniel writes that a priest is to come, but we do not know who this is. We reckon that he will be born without a father.? Herod said: "How can we discover him? And Levi said: "Send throughout the whole land of Judaea: 'how many male infants have been born since the Persians saw the star right up to the present day,' kill them all, and that one will also be killed. And your kingdom will be secure for you and your sons and even for your great-grandsons?

And immediately he sent forth heralds throughout the whole land that all the male sex born from now and to the third year are to be honoured and to receive gold. Enquiring whether any had been born without a father, they were to pretend that [Herod] would adopt him as his son and make him king. And since they did not discover a single such, he gave orders to kill all 6 myriad and 3000 infants.

When all were weeping and wailing at the shedding of blood, the priests came and begged him to release the innocents; but he threatened them all the more to keep silent. And they fell prostrate and lay to the sixth hour at his feet. And the king's rage prevailed. Later, they rose and told him: "Listen to your servants, so that the Most High may favor you. It is written that the Anointed One is born in Bethlehem. Even if you have no mercy on your servants, kill those infants of Bethlehem and let the others go.? And he gave the order and they killed all the infants of Bethlehem.

In the »fifteenth« year of his reign he [re-]built the temple and renovated its walls, enclosing double the ground and spending wealth untold. embellishing it with beauties ineffable: The great monuments, the porticoes and fortress which stands towards the north side • all of them he gilded and called Antonia in honour of Antony. In his own court he built palaces and erected two buildings, beautiful and gilded. calling one of them Caesareum and the other Agrippeum. Not only did he give their names and memory to buildings but his munificence extended to all cities. [Slav. Jos., 1.20.4] http://books.google.com/books?id=gu5...ces%22&f=false

It is now impossible to argue that my thesis does not have merit. According to at least the editor of the text behind Slavonic Josephus, the gospel started in 12 BCE. End of story.

stephan huller · 03-01-2013, 12:42 PM

Now let's leave aside the contentious question as to whether Jesus was crucified under Herod the Great or that there was some such tradition. The question before us is now limited to the tradition that - among those who believed it - in the year Jesus was born there was (a) the slaughter of the infants by Herod, (b) the appearance of the star and (c) the coming of the Magi. Which is more likely? That the original Jewish-Christian tradition that promoted these ideas connected these ideas with the expectation of a messianic appearance in a Jubilee year (= 12 BCE as above) or that it was 'just in some ordinary year' like our current system? The answer of course is the former. In other words the Slavonic text's tradition is obviously the original.

stephan huller · 03-01-2013, 01:29 PM

I might be off by a year in the Samaritan sabbatical cycle because I didn't account for the non-existence of year 0. But that only makes the theory stronger

12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 = 7 x 7. 13 BCE is the previous 49th year.

So 13, 12 BCE and then 37, 38 CE etc.

stephan huller · 03-01-2013, 05:02 PM

On Tiberius's depiction on coins - "The earliest coin portrait of Tiberius dates from A.D. 10; those of the mint of Lyon from A.D. 13 onwards first suggest a young man, but then settle down into rather nondescript and uniform likenesses generally showing his most obvious facial characteristics." http://books.google.com/books?id=mFT...ius%22&f=false

stephan huller · 03-01-2013, 06:08 PM

I also wonder if the unusual Son of God title used in the gospel is to be dated to the Herodian period because of its use for the first time by Augustus.

stephan huller · 03-01-2013, 08:56 PM

Interestingly the Yosippon departs here from the short account of Herod's building of the temple shared by Jewish Antiquities and Hegesippus and incorporates instead the longer narrative from Antiquities. Very unusual (I wonder how that is explained by scholars). Will try to straighten out if anything significant in the Hebrew text.

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03-01-2013, 06:49 AM	#72
Clivedurdle Contributor Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: London UK Posts: 16,024	As we have abundant forged manuscripts, did no one ever forge an inscription on a piece of marble?

03-01-2013, 12:42 PM	#76
stephan huller Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: seattle, wa Posts: 9,337	Now let's leave aside the contentious question as to whether Jesus was crucified under Herod the Great or that there was some such tradition. The question before us is now limited to the tradition that - among those who believed it - in the year Jesus was born there was (a) the slaughter of the infants by Herod, (b) the appearance of the star and (c) the coming of the Magi. Which is more likely? That the original Jewish-Christian tradition that promoted these ideas connected these ideas with the expectation of a messianic appearance in a Jubilee year (= 12 BCE as above) or that it was 'just in some ordinary year' like our current system? The answer of course is the former. In other words the Slavonic text's tradition is obviously the original.

03-01-2013, 01:29 PM	#77
stephan huller Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: seattle, wa Posts: 9,337	I might be off by a year in the Samaritan sabbatical cycle because I didn't account for the non-existence of year 0. But that only makes the theory stronger 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 = 7 x 7. 13 BCE is the previous 49th year. So 13, 12 BCE and then 37, 38 CE etc.

03-01-2013, 05:02 PM	#78
stephan huller Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: seattle, wa Posts: 9,337	On Tiberius's depiction on coins - "The earliest coin portrait of Tiberius dates from A.D. 10; those of the mint of Lyon from A.D. 13 onwards first suggest a young man, but then settle down into rather nondescript and uniform likenesses generally showing his most obvious facial characteristics." http://books.google.com/books?id=mFT...ius%22&f=false

03-01-2013, 06:08 PM	#79
stephan huller Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: seattle, wa Posts: 9,337	I also wonder if the unusual Son of God title used in the gospel is to be dated to the Herodian period because of its use for the first time by Augustus.

03-01-2013, 08:56 PM	#80
stephan huller Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: seattle, wa Posts: 9,337	Interestingly the Yosippon departs here from the short account of Herod's building of the temple shared by Jewish Antiquities and Hegesippus and incorporates instead the longer narrative from Antiquities. Very unusual (I wonder how that is explained by scholars). Will try to straighten out if anything significant in the Hebrew text.

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