[ Pilate is inside his bedroom, reading from a scroll. He is suddenly distracted by knocking at the door. As he walks to the door to open it, his wife Claudia wakes up from a nightmare. Pilate is greeted by his tribune Abenader]
Sir, there is trouble in the...
P Pilate
[sternly]
I thought I told you to not interrupt me in the middle of the night, Abenader!
There is trouble brewing in the walls. Caiaphas has gathered a large crowd in the temple and he has taken a prophet under his custody.
P Pilate
[referring to the prophet]
Who is it?
He is a Galilean. The Pharisees seem to hate the man.
[gets up from her bed and interrupts Abenader]
A Galilean? Who is this you're talking about?
P Pilate
[Jesus does not receive the cup and said no word. Pilate observes Jesus with curiosity] [in Hebrew]
Are you the king of the Jews?
[in Latin, surprising Pilate and all the Romans around Jesus]
Does that question come from you, or do you ask me this because others have told you what I am?
P Pilate
[continues in Latin]
How can I come up with such a question myself? Am I a Jew? Your priests have delivered you to me and they want me to have you executed. Why? What did you do? Are you a king?
[looks at Pilate]
My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, do you think my servants would have allowed those men to deliver me to you in this manner?
P Pilate
You are a king then?
That is why I was born, to give testimony to the truth. Everyone who hears my voice hears the truth.
P Pilate
Truth? What is truth?
[Jesus gives no reply as he gazes at Pilate]
P Pilate
What is truth, Claudia? Do you hear it when it is spoken?
Yes, I do. You don't know it?
[bluntly]
If you do not want to hear it, no one will tell you.
P Pilate
Truth? You want to know my truth, Claudia? I've been putting down rebellions in this rotten outpost for eleven years. If I don't condemn this man, I know that Caiaphas will start a rebellion. If I do, then this man's followers may. Either way, there will be bloodshed. [grows agitated] Caesar has warned me, Claudia, he has warned me twice! He swore that next time, the blood would be mine! That is my truth, Claudia!
[They are interrupted by Abenader barging in]
Sir, Herod did not condemn the Galilean and he has returned him to you. We are also going to need more men.
P Pilate
I don't want to start an uprising, Abenader.
There is already an uprising.
P Pilate
[Jesus has just been returned to Pilate after King Herod finds him innocent of the Pharisees' charges. This causes an uproar across the city and Pilate sends out soldiers to pacify the growing mobs]
King Herod has found no fault in Jesus, and neither have I. [the crowd jeered in disappointment, prompting Abenader to deploy soldiers to keep them under control]
[to the crowd]
Silence! Have you no respect for our kind Roman procurator?! [the crowd laughs]
P Pilate
I have made it customary that every year, I release a prisoner to you, and right now, we are holding one: the murderer Barabbas!
P Pilate
[the Roman guards bring a filthy and bloodied Barabbas before the jeering crowd]
Now who among these two men do you want me to set free? Barabbas? Or Jesus, your "Messiah"?!
[referring to Jesus]
He is no Messiah! He's an impostor! A blasphemer! [turns to Pilate] Set Barabbas free.
C Crowd
[in a gleeful unison]
FREE BARABBAS!
P Pilate
[confused and appalled]
Again I ask you! Who do you want me to set free?!
P Pilate
[the crowd repeats the same line, and Pilate acquiesces to their demands. Barabbas is then released, much to his joy while the crowd looks at him in disgust]
What do you want me to do with Jesus?!
P Pilate
[looks at Claudia, who is watching the trial from the veranda nearby]
No! I will chastise him, and then I will set him free!
P Pilate
[the crowd is dismayed by the decision and they jeered at Jesus and the Romans] [to Abenader]
See to it that the punishment is severe, Abenader, but make sure they don't kill the man.
P Pilate
[After a brutal scourging, a mutilated Jesus is brought before Pilate and Abenader, the latter being horrified at what the guards did to Jesus, but Pilate is barely surprised. He carefully pulls Jesus and presents him before the jeering crowd] [in both Hebrew and Latin]
Behold the Man!
P Pilate
[angrily]
Is this not enough? Look at him! [the crowd continues to yell CRUCIFY HIM] You want me to crucify your king?
King?! We have no king but Caesar!
P Pilate
[turns to Jesus, in Latin]
Speak to me, I have the power to have you crucified, or else set you free.
[in Latin]
You have no power over me, unless it is given to you from above, but he who has delivered me to you has the greater sin.
If you release him, governor, you are no friend to Caesar!
P Pilate
[The jeering crowd begins to riot, provoking the Roman guards to brutally beat them back. Unwilling to cause an uprising, Pilate washes his hands and acquiesces to the crowd's demands] [to Caiaphas]
Remember that it is you who wants him dead, not I! His blood is in your hands! [turns to Abenader] Abenader, do what they want.
