French Literature Reviews - 2026

Anne-Catherine Baudoin, Pontius Pilate. The Construction of a Figure in Patristic and Apocryphal Literature
History, Politics and Society

This monograph is the first study to highlight the plasticity of the figure of Pilate across Christian literature of the first millennium, preserved in Greek, Latin, Coptic, Syriac, Ge'ez, Armenian, Georgian, Slavic, and Arabic. The name of Pilate is etched into memory and confessions of faith because of the role this Roman prefect of Judea played in the central event of Christianity: the condemnation to death of Jesus of Nazareth. Yet, he is known to us only through the persona constructed by first-century authors—Jewish writers, the authors of the canonical Gospels, or the texts known as apocrypha. Drawing upon these sources, authors of the patristic period crafted various portraits of Pilate based on their analysis of his role in the Passion. Much like the emperors depicted in apocryphal texts, they in turn put Pilate on trial: how could a human judge sit in judgment over the Judge of the universe? Who is responsible for the death of Jesus? Even though his image is darkened significantly in the medieval West, the threefold persona of Pilate as governor, judge, and Roman is further enriched with traits of the emperor’s informant, or even evangelist, and ultimately as a martyr and a saint.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

Part One. Pontius Pilate, from Judea to the Empire
Chapter 1. Procurante Pontio Pilato Iudaeam (Lk 3:1)
Chapter 2. The Emergence of the Formula "Under Pontius Pilate"

Part Two. Governor, Judge, and Roman: Figures of Pilate in Early Exegesis
Chapter 3. The Subtle Yet Substantive Development of Pilate's Figure in Origen and Its Exegetical Use
Chapter 4. Dispenser of Justice and Gentile Prophet: An Original Portrayal of Pilate in Ephrem the Syrian
Chapter 5. Pilate iudex gentium in Hilary of Poitiers
Chapter 6. A Dual Portrait of Pilate in Ambrose of Milan
Chapter 7. Jerome of Stridon: Varying Depictions of Pilate Across His Works
Chapter 8. Augustine, or the Whole Truth About Pilate
Chapter 9. A Weak and Compromised Roman: Pilate in the Work of John Chrysostom
Chapter 10. Pilate Caught Between Fear and Mockery Regarding the Kingship of Jesus in Theodore of Mopsuestia
Chapter 11. The Johannine Pilate of Cyril of Alexandria
Chapter 12. The Development of Pilate's Figure Among Latin Patristic Authors, from Cyprian of Carthage to Isidore of Seville
Chapter 13. The Development of Pilate's Figure Among Greek Patristic Authors, from Athanasius of Alexandria to Theodoret of Cyr

Part Three. Apocryphal Pilate
Chapter 14. Pilate in Retellings of the Passion
Chapter 15. Pilate After the Passion: The Rhône Valley and the Nile Valley

Part Four. Pilate as Actor and Author
Chapter 16. Three Extra-Canonical Gestures of Pilate in Patristic and Apocryphal Tradition
Chapter 17. Pilatusschriften
Chapter 18. Readings of Lk 13:1: The Massacre of the Galileans by Pilate
Chapter 19. Readings of Mt 27:19: Pilate's Wife's Dream
Chapter 20. Readings of Mt 27:24: The Washing of Hands
Chapter 21. Readings of Jn 19:19–22: The Drafting of the Titulus by Pilate

Part Five. Pilate in the Life of the Churches
Chapter 22. Pilate in the Liturgy of Christian Churches

Synthesis and Conclusion

Indices
Bibliography
Biblical Index
Index locorum
Index dierum
Index nominum

This study belongs to the field of patristic and early Christian literary history, examining how ancient writers shaped theological and narrative traditions. By analyzing texts preserved across multiple classical and oriental languages, the volume traces the metamorphosis of a historical Roman prefect into a complex literary persona. Scholars of religion, early Christianity, and comparative literature will find this comprehensive survey particularly valuable for understanding how antiquity reinterpreted pivotal historical figures to address profound doctrinal and philosophical questions concerning guilt, judgment, and divine authority.

The book methodically investigates the reception of the Passion narrative through canonical gospels, apocryphal writings, and the commentaries of major Church Fathers. It illuminates how early exegetes transformed a political administrator into a multifaceted symbol ranging from a gentile prophet to a compromised judge. Readers interested in the intersection of literature, theology, and historical memory will gain fresh insights into the ways ancient authors interrogated human responsibility and sovereignty during the formative centuries of Christian culture.