Originally posted by spgoode:
...And lastly, in the movie Pilot is coerced by the jewish leadership into crucifying christ against his better judgement. Apparently, no theologians, biblical scholars, or the Pope believe this to be true.
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HUGE oversimplification there, if that indeed is portrayed in the movie. Roman leaders didn't put weak-minded and weak-willed individuals in charge of their far-flung empires, so casting Pilate as a mere "tool" of the Jews is reckless and regardless to what the Gospels infer, one-sided and most likely inaccurate.

I'm relying on memory here, but from the various pieces I've read about Roman governors and Pilate in particular, he was headstrong, conniving, politically-savy and brutal when he needed to be(I seem to recall where he put down some Jewish uprisings with particular heavy-handedness). At the same time, like any Roman governor that wanted to keep his position and maintain the "Pax Romana", he probably knew when to appease the native population and work with them (I also seem to recall certain events where he allowed some religious leeways for the Jews). Combine this and the uproar that Jesus created, along with the claims that He himself made and those heaped upon him by the Jews that were threatened by his growing following, it's no wonder that Christ was crucified, strictly speaking from a political and historical standpoint.

Of course, from a religious standpoint, all of this was divine destiny, so pick your poison on which version to believe.

I for one, believe in a mixture of all three...

JaTo e-Tough Guy Missouri City, TX 99 Contour SVT #143/2760 00 Corvette Coupe