Pontius Pilate: Portraits of a Roman Governor (Interfaces series) [Paperback]

Warren Carter (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Michael Glazier Books (September 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814651135
• ISBN-13: 978-0814651131
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,504,507 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pilate Interpreted, May 13, 2007

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Louis Weil (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pontius Pilate: Portraits of a Roman Governor (Interfaces series) (Paperback)

I came upon this book by accident, and I have found it very interesting in setting forth various interprettions of Pontius Pilate as revealed in the various Gospel authors. The author helps readers to see how differently Pilate is portrayed by the four evangelists and so expands our awareness of how each author has a particular agenda shaping his approach.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Diligent Effort, May 16, 2006

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Readalots (South Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Pontius Pilate: Portraits of a Roman Governor (Interfaces series) (Paperback)

New Testament Professor Warren Carter's "Pontius Pilate: Portraits of a Roman Governor" (2003) is an interesting and thought provoking study. It should be read with a Bible near at hand. This 161 page paperback's research, for the most part, is well documented (with footnotes on most pages). Carter's biblical references are well sourced, but his many conclusions should be as well documented.

Carter's original suggestion- that Pilate's alliance with the Jerusalem elites is foremost in the governor's dealing with Jesus- is noteworthy (but not Scriptural). Most helpful, Carter considers Pilate from each Gospel's portrayal (which are very different from one another). In summation, he finds Pontius Pilate to be arrogant, ruthless, greedy, unafraid of the Jews, and unwilling to hear Jesus' message (which proclaims Pilate's entire Romanized world will soon be replaced by God).

This book is imaginative and teachable (I've used it to source Bible studies). It speaks to the imagery of "handing over" (page 63), Mrs. Pilate's massage to her husband about Jesus (page 94), Pilate's hand washing (page 96), the governor's antipathy for the Jerusalem Jews (page 119), the ironies in Jesus' trials (pages 140-152), and much more. Carter also imaginatively proposed a pre-trial meeting, with decisions for Jesus' fate, between Pilate and the Jerusalem elites (page 140).

Unfortunately, there are not many sources extant for Pontius Pilate. Carter's is a diligent effort at telling a story that is almost impossible to document. This book is recommended to well-read New Testament students, antiquities specialists, clergy, and Bible teachers. Amazon.com's price is good, order your copy soon.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have, March 23, 2005

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Gerardo Rodriguez "lokko53" (Saint Louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pontius Pilate: Portraits of a Roman Governor (Interfaces series) (Paperback)

It is a book that no serious Biblical Scholar should be without. It is written in a lucid, easy style that makes it accessible for anyone either at the undergraduate level or high end popular level but also has implications for all Biblical Scholars. In the first three chapters the author gives the reader an overview of the historical context surrounding the time of Jesus. It is an essential and handy summary of the Roman government and especially the relationship between the Roman government and the Jewish Temple High Priest. The author then devotes one chapter to each Gospel's account of the meeting between Jesus and Pilate. If you thought you knew how to interpret these Gospel accounts, you will be surprised. Carter pays very close attention to each detail and the historical context of Roman occupation which makes his reading of the Gospels faithful and challenging. Thankfully, Carter does not go into much outside speculation. He lets us know what is the historical information we have of Pilate and then examines the literary construct of the Gospel accounts. This book is a most needed reference where you will have a summary of what we have historically in regards to Pontius Pilate as well as a careful examination of the Gospel accounts.