Why Pontius Pilate is in the Apostles Creed, not Judas or the Jews. Gird your loins for the answer.
When you follow the Passion this time of year, you hear all the names of various characters: Caiaphas, the high priest; Judas, the wicked disciple; Peter, who pulled out his sword but later denied Our Lord; and the others. One name, however, was put forever in infamy: Pontius Pilate. Of all the people and names surrounding the Passion and Crucifixion of Our Lord, why is Pilate singled out in the Apostles Creed by name?
Every time you say a rosary or some other prayer, you say it by name as you recite the apostles creed: “…Who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, suffered, died, and was buried.”
Pontius Pilate by Name, but not Judas
We don’t mention Judas, who is identified from the beginnings of the Church as “the lover of money” (n.b. modern opinions on the matter to the contrary should be discounted in favor of the universal opinion of twenty centuries). Judas does get adequate scorn in many places of the Oriental rites, for instance, the Troparion sung during yesterday’s Office and Divine Liturgy:
“When the glorious disciples were enlightened at the washing of the feet, then Judas the ungodly one was stricken and darkened with the love of silver. And unto the lawless judges did he deliver Thee, the righteous Judge. Behold, O lover of money, him that for the sake thereof did hang himself; flee from that insatiable soul that dared such things against the Master.”
We also ignore Caiaphas and the Pharisees in general when it comes to the Creed. Worth mention, however, is that the Pharisees get adequate disdain straight from Our Lord’s mouth, but even they do not get a place in the Creed. Not in the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed at all.
But Pontius Pilate has name billing. Of blessed memory, Fr. Hardon tells us why: over the centuries, it has been “apostate Christians who have used the State to crucify the martyrs of Christianity.”
Stop and re-read that for a moment. Pontius Pilate represents the State. Who twists the State to murder Christ? Apostate believers. It’s a memorial of Jesus’s words to James and John that if they were to follow Him, they must be prepared to drink of His cup. Today is the memorial of that cup.
Fr. Hardon explains this detail of the Passion, with regard to Pontius Pilate, this way:
It is not coincidental that Pontius Pilate should be identified in the Apostles Creed. Pilate symbolizes the sufferings and persecution of the Church, which is the Mystical Body of Christ.
The enemies of Christ were the religious leaders of the Jewish people who envied Him. They were, as Jesus more than once told them, hypocrites. They were the chosen priests and teachers of the Chosen People. Yet they misled those whom they were to lead. Their hatred of the Savior was grounded on envy. Thousands followed Jesus to listen to His words. They spent days, even without food, to hear what He had to say. The Scribes and Pharisees had to resort to the most extreme means to have people even pay attention to them. The result was inevitable. This hated Nazarene must die.
There were three main charges which the Jews brought against Jesus. “We have found this man,” they claimed “perverting our nation, and forbidding the payment of taxes to Caesar and saying that he is Christ the king” (Luke 23:2).
As we know all these charges were malicious. They were also political in nature. Yet they were enough to sway the cowardly Pilate to condemn Jesus to death.
This has been the history of the Catholic Church ever since. By now millions of faithful followers of Christ have shed their blood for their fidelity to the Savior. Without exception, it has been the Pilates of every age who have been used by Christ’s enemies to persecute the Church He founded. The Neros and Attillas, the Huns and Communists have been the agents of the devil in persecuting faithful Christians. But let us be clear. No less than on the first Good Friday, so over the centuries it has been the apostate Christians who have used the State to crucify the martyrs of Christianity.
How can we disagree today? On nearly every front of the Creed, there is an attack, and behind that attack is somebody twisting the State to enforce it.
Pontius Pilate is the State, but He is the tip of the spear in the Hands of Apostates
Memorize the logic of Fr. Hardon above, though: the apostates use the concerns of the state to force the persecution. They lie. They manipulate. They even co-opt Bishops, like Judas, to assist them. (how I could go on for hours just on this point alone). The attack doesn’t come from outside, but from people close to Jesus. Likewise today, it is often people claiming to be Catholic who are the public face of these manipulations. All of them were motivated by a concern for their own interests, their own feelings, their own futures. Everything, it seems, but the interests of God. So it is today…
At the front of these attacks, though, is Pontius Pilate. The fake court trial, the interrogation, and his washing of his hands (as if that did anything) remind us that the state can see Truth, even have a friendly chat with Truth, and still do the wrong thing out of concern to satisfy the apostate manipulators (even the etymology of manipulate explains this, from Latin for “handful”).
Let’s not be naive, however, and take the cue Mother Church gives us: look what the state did to Our Lord — shall we be any different? The answer is what Father Hardon points out above: no, if we follow Jesus Christ, we won’t be any different.
For our part, we should learn from Jesus, Who even under the pain of crucifixion said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Even Pilate was the object of that prayer. As we see Our Lord today, is this part of what He teaches us — that even Pilate deserves forgiveness from us?
For my own part, I think it is, but that is tough…
This article, Why Pontius Pilate is in the Apostles Creed, not Judas or the Jews. Gird your loins for the answer. is a post from The Bellarmine Forum.
https://bellarmineforum.org/why-pontius-pilate-is-in-the-apostles-creed-not-judas-or-the-jews-gird-your-loins-for-the-answer/
Do not repost the entire article without written permission. Reasonable excerpts may be reposted so long as it is linked to this page.
Did you ever reflect on the last miracle Jesus performed as a human? One would think that Jesus putting an ear that was sliced off back on, would have touched the hearts of all soldiers there, and even Judas, with the belief He IS truly the Son of God! Yet people are still to this day unable to believe!
[…] https://bellarmineforum.org/2013/03/29/why-pontius-pilate-is-in-the-apostles-creed-not-judas-or-the-j… […]
Upon reading this brilliant article, it confirmed something I had long held to be true – especially when it came to the symbol of the crucifix, whether it be on our walls, hung in churches or around our necks.
That Christ’s Human and Divine Life is not only part of the history of Almighty God in the Holy Bible and our Roman Catholic Faith … but His Presence is the fine thread which is sewn through the embroidery our history AD!
The question I often ask myself is why is it nowadays common to find crucifixes WITHOUT the sign over Christ’s Head, as in INRI?
When looking for a crucifix to purchase recently, there was a lot of choice – but, disturbingly for me, there were more examples of crucifixes without what is known as The Titulus – the relic of which is in the Basilica of Santa Croce en Gerusalem in Rome.
Is it another politically correct ploy? Looking at some of them, personally – I may as well have been looking at a cross with a man hanging on it … a man not entirely recognisable as Jesus Christ, if the details i.e. Crown of Thorns, pierced side, aren’t there.
The happy ending to this story is that, after a long search, I did finally find a crucifix with the Titulus. It’s the completed piece of the jigsaw puzzle.
In St John’s Gospel of the Passion on Good Friday, Pontius Pilate is writing out the legend: JESUS OF NAZARETH KING OF THE JEWS in the three languages of the Empire – Hebrew, Latin and Greek.
What motivated Pilate to write such a testament? The answer lies somewhere which, right now, doesn’t immediately jump up at me like something manic.
We then hear the snide, sarcastic remarks from the Jewish higher-ups who attempt to interfere with Pilate’s work by suggesting their own version of this sign.
But Pontius Pilate answers thus: What I have written, I have written.
It is apt that Pontius Pilate is represented in the Creed. He is mentioned on purpose to remind us of the modern-day Pilates who wash their hands of the blood of the innocent or take the coward’s way out instead of confronting evil… or even perpetrate evil on God’s people.
To the two thieves crucified either side of Jesus argued the toss, it’s not just anyone that’s crucified between them on Calvary but SOMEONE! Having a sign written by Pilate for the benefit of the wider community (three languages) makes this nailed-up, brutally battered almost dead individual in the middle something other than an common criminal who gets crucified on a mundane, daily basis (the soldiers gambling with Christ’s clothes displays the routineness of this horrible punishment – noted as one of the most horrible executions in the history of crime and punishment – well, Christ went through the worst of the worst for our sins).
People can discuss the whys and wherefores of Christ’s existence … even if a secular historian should dispute even Christ’s physical existence.
Think Pontius Pilate and the notice he wrote in his own hand to place above Christ’s Head!
I have wondered long about this and found this site. My view is that Pontius Pilate represents the core of all we, each of us through all time, have to overcome to go through the narrow gate (eye of the needle) to access the kingdom of God – being judgmental (condemnation), shirking responsibility (washing of hands) and taking on an identity, self, or selfish me, (the writing of the titulus). The shedding of these three aspects sheds all others, greed, pride, self-centredness, manipulation and all. I do agree with fr. Herein mentioned above, but like to take the view without limitations (why only State- when it concerns all in any type of system), a broad view. From: Shereen Amendra, Sri Lanka
I’ve been beginning to think that there might be a scenario where the Apostles put Pontius Pilate in the creed because he really did make the decision. I think there might be a possibility that in the point in time before the Eastern Orthodox Church split off and the Romans were the heads of Christianity they might’ve adjusted the story of the passion of Christ and changed it so they weren’t blamed for Jesus’ death.
Wow. You have to overlook so many well settled facts to get there. Caiaphas’s own words and the judgments recorded by the Sanhedrin itself stand in the way of your new hypothesis. Find a Jewish encyclopedia at your local library and see what it says of the matter. By their own law was He condemned, and they set out to have Pilate carry out the execution. That’s what happened.
[…] washed his hands. I’ve written that we memorialize Pilate in the Creed precisely as a reminder that the enemies of God will use state power to kill God’s […]
I was born Catholic. Now that im middle aged i start questioning my faith. Just to comment about the apostles creed. The mention of Pontius P name to my opinion is still unnecessary and should be ommitted. A prayer or a statement announcing our faith should be en point, not singling any human name regardless of what era it may symbolize. Jesus Christ suffered,died, and was buried. Pontius P name is not worth mentioning.( Has he not been forgiven yet all these centuries that we have to bitterly mention him as the one who caused Christ’s suffering? ) It is enough that The Father, the Son , The HolySpirit, Mother Mary are the names worthy or deserving to be uttered everytime we recite the Apostles Creed.
That, however, is precisely the point of mentioning him: every age in this world will have Pilate. Same with the last beatitude: you will be persecuted for Jesus’s name.
[…] truth coming out of the mouths of our politicians, I tend to lean towards Pilate. Some contend that Pilate was included in the Apostle’s Creed as a symbol of political corruption and abuse of power. But then, what is more heartbreaking than […]