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WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATH OF JESUS? The decision to execute Jesus was made by Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, although Jesus was arrested and handed over to him by the Jewish religious authorities, and he was betrayed to them in turn by Judas. The Gospels depict Pilate as being very reluctant to kill Jesus, although some modern writers question this portrayal. From other sources, Pilate seems to have been a bloodthirsty man even for a Roman governor, and Rome was never slow to execute suspected insurgents. Some experts argue that the early church was keen to prove that it was not anti-Rome, and so the Gospels stressed the idea that Jesus was condemned by his own people, more than by the Romans. Throughout Christian history, it has been very common to blame "the Jews" for killing Christ, and to treat Jewish people centuries after the event as scapegoats. Some verses in the Gospels of Matthew and John contributed to this anti-Semitism – for example, in Matthew chapter 27, the Jewish crowd says to Pilate, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!" The facts of the matter seem to be that the Roman occupiers, the Jewish authorities and Judas all collaborated in having Jesus killed. Looking at it another way, many of the New Testament writers imply that none of the above groups or people was ultimately responsible, because the death of Jesus was God's plan from the start. One letter tells its readers that they have been redeemed "with the precious blood of Christ. He was chosen before the creation of the world..." (1 Peter 1:19-20). More FAQs |
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