11-23-2009, 07:15 PM
I agree with John and Jona. Both prisoners had their followers 'lobbying' for their release.
The authorities must have feared that one or, probably, both sides would resort to force.
If Christ did not have a significant following then the Sanhedrin would not have bothered
turning him over to Pilate for execution in the first place. (The Sanhedrin subsequently
ordered the execution of perhaps several disciples of Jesus without resorting to use the
Romans, as in the case of St. Stephen). So, I think the traditional view of fully armed
soldiers is plausible.
But what really makes it likely that the soldiers were fully armed in my mind is when Jesus was
arrested, tortured, and executed - during Passover (the reason why Pilate was in Jerusalem
in the first place !) During Passover the Romans reinforced the city's garrison to control the
population which was swelled by thousands of religious pilgrims. The streets were more crowded than
usual and thus more volatile - hence the extra soldiers sent to both protect Pilate and strengthen
the garrison. The soldiers were probably on "high alert" for the entire duration of the festival.
So, I vote for full armor, weapons, shields, and spears for all those involved in the Crucifixion.
Spears (hastae) make more sense for crowd control (given how easily the pilum's head would bend,
and the theory that most auxiliaries did not use them anyway).
~Theo
The authorities must have feared that one or, probably, both sides would resort to force.
If Christ did not have a significant following then the Sanhedrin would not have bothered
turning him over to Pilate for execution in the first place. (The Sanhedrin subsequently
ordered the execution of perhaps several disciples of Jesus without resorting to use the
Romans, as in the case of St. Stephen). So, I think the traditional view of fully armed
soldiers is plausible.
But what really makes it likely that the soldiers were fully armed in my mind is when Jesus was
arrested, tortured, and executed - during Passover (the reason why Pilate was in Jerusalem
in the first place !) During Passover the Romans reinforced the city's garrison to control the
population which was swelled by thousands of religious pilgrims. The streets were more crowded than
usual and thus more volatile - hence the extra soldiers sent to both protect Pilate and strengthen
the garrison. The soldiers were probably on "high alert" for the entire duration of the festival.
So, I vote for full armor, weapons, shields, and spears for all those involved in the Crucifixion.
Spears (hastae) make more sense for crowd control (given how easily the pilum's head would bend,
and the theory that most auxiliaries did not use them anyway).
~Theo
Jaime
