Bruce Anderson

‘What is truth?’

It’s unwise to rely on the Gospels for an accurate description of that first Good Friday

issue 23 April 2011

It’s unwise to rely on the Gospels for an accurate description of that first Good Friday

‘And yet we call this Friday good.’ So what actually happened on the first Good Friday? The balance of probability is heavily against those who would dismiss the whole affair as a mere addition to the literature of mythology. Beyond all reasonable doubt, we can be certain on two points. A man was crucified and His death had dramatic consequences.

Even though we are aware of the story’s ending, the Gospel narratives are a compelling read. Yet there is one difficulty: a childishly incoherent distortion of the historical record, which is in danger of undermining the four authors’ credibility, but which does tell us a lot about the Palestinian politics of the period. This all relates to Pilate.

We know quite a lot about the historical Pilate.

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