Peter Schäfer, Jesus in the Talmud, p. 122, my bold:
Hence that is the probable reason why Pilate entered in the Gospel "tradition".
It is left to the vicious acumen of Tertullian to summarize what the Jews think of Jesus. When he vividly imagines the last day of judgment—with the emperors who claimed to have been taken up to heaven, the governors of the provinces who persecuted the Christians, the philosophers, the poets, the tragedians, the wrestlers, and finally the Jews “whose fury vented itself against the Lord,” all burning in the fire of hell—then he will give his triumphant answer to the Jews: 63
Most of these polemical invectives are directly taken from the New Testament, 64 with the exception of the Samaritan and the gardener: the former may be an attempt to identify Jesus with Simon Magus, who was located in Samaria (again emphasizing Jesus as magician), 65 the latter may refer to John 20:15, where Mary Magdalene mistakes the risen Jesus for the gardener who had carried Jesus’ body away.
This is he, I shall say, that carpenter’s or prostitute’s (quaestuaria) son, that Sabbath-breaker, that Samaritan and demon-possessed! This is he, whom you bought from Judas! This is he, who was struck with reed and fist, who was defiled with spittle, who was given gall and vinegar to drink! This is he, whom his disciples secretly stole away that it might be said he had risen, unless it was the gardener who removed him, lest his lettuces be damaged by the crowd of sightseers!
Most of these polemical invectives are directly taken from the New Testament, 64 with the exception of the Samaritan and the gardener: the former may be an attempt to identify Jesus with Simon Magus, who was located in Samaria (again emphasizing Jesus as magician), 65 the latter may refer to John 20:15, where Mary Magdalene mistakes the risen Jesus for the gardener who had carried Jesus’ body away.
- Jesus was therefore condemned as a Samaritan impostor.
- Pilate is said to have been very harsh against the Samaritans.
- The logical step was very short to identify Jesus not with a generic Samaritan impostor, but with the Samaritan Impostor, the one punished by Pilate.
Hence that is the probable reason why Pilate entered in the Gospel "tradition".
Statistics: Posted by Giuseppe — Sun May 05, 2024 12:20 am