Pilate was the procurator (Roman administrator) of Judea. The procurator was appointed from the Roman equestrian class and had to be subordinate to the legate of Syria (senator). Little is known about Pilate's predecessors. The first of them, Coponius, became famous for repairing the temple, which had been damaged during a revolt at the end of the reign of the incompetent Judean king Archelaus. He won sympathy among the Jews, and one of the city gates was named after him. Pilate was not so popular. In the Gospels, he is presented as a neutral figure, not so much a villain as a victim of circumstances. In the trial of Jesus, he tries to be objective, perhaps even sympathetic to him, but, due to weakness of character and political considerations, yields to the chief priests and allows the execution to be carried out.

Philo of Alexandria and Josephus paint a somewhat different picture. For them, Pilate is an administrator, poorly versed in the situation, intolerant, fond of the use of force, hating the Jews. By his actions, which offend their religious feelings, he constantly provokes them to speak. Archaeological excavations carried out at the beginning of the twentieth century in Jerusalem showed that the copper coins issued in Judea during the reign of Pilate reflect his disdain for local traditions. His predecessors tried not to place on coins images that could offend the religious feelings of the Jews. Most often various plants, ears of corn, a bunch of grapes, and a palm tree were depicted. On the coins issued under Pilate in 29 AD, the first openly pagan symbol appeared - a ladle for making libations, and in 30 AD - the staff of the Roman augur, a diviner by the entrails of sacrificial animals. It is quite logical that having fallen into the hands of such a hater of Jews, Jesus could hardly count on leniency, which was confirmed by the subsequent events recorded in the Bible. Pilate's reign ended in a scandal. In Samaria, his soldiers dispersed a religious procession on its way to Mount Gerizim, the cult center of the Samaritans. The Samaritans filed a complaint with Vitellius, the legate of Syria. Pilate was forced to go to Rome to be judged by the emperor. He arrived there in March 37, when Tiberius had already died. Apparently, his career ended there. Eusebius writes (II.7) that during the reign of Gaius (37-41) Pilate committed suicide.

And in the years of Christ, Pilate was a powerful procurator of Judea and lived not far from the famous Solomon (Suleiman's) temple, in the praetorium. Now on the territory of the former praetorium stands the convent of the Sisters of Zion. In the basement of the monastery there is a "Lithostratos", which is translated from Greek as "paved place". This was the outer courtyard of the praetorium, where Pilate lived. Here Christ was publicly interrogated by the Roman governor. Then Pilate went out to the leaders of the Jews, and said to them, "You have brought this man to me as a corrupter of the people; and behold, I have examined before you, and have not found him guilty of anything of which you accuse him." (Luke 23:14).

According to legend, the soldiers of the Praetorian Guard who were present at this time rudely mocked Him, calling Him a false prophet. Pilate, thinking to arouse the people's compassion for Christ, of whose innocence he was sure, ordered the soldiers to take Him into the courtyard and beat Him severely. The Roman soldiers, having undressed Christ, began to torture Him. Then they put on Him a scarlet robe (a short red garment without sleeves) and, having wove a crown of thorns, put it on His head in mockery, and in His right hand they gave a reed instead of a royal rod. And they mocked him. They knelt down, bowed to Him, and said, "Rejoice, King of the Jews!" They spat on Him, and took up a reed, and smote Him on the head and on His face.

On the floor slabs of Lithostratos, there are still notches to prevent horses from slipping on the pavement, and crudely drawn Roman soldier circles for playing dice. The lower step of the marble porch leading to the monastery gate has been preserved since Roman times. The vaults of the monastery premises include the remains of sculptural decorations and columns from the first centuries AD. The walls of the monastery church are decorated with mosaic paintings of modern work. The theme of these paintings is the biblical legend of the trial of Jesus. In the depths of the church, in a niche above the altar, there is a white marble statue of Christ wearing a crown of thorns and with his hands tied. At the bottom there is an inscription: "Ekce khomo" ("Behold the man"). From the monastery across Via Dolorosa there is an arch with a covered gallery. Tradition says that from here Pilate, to whom he brought the beaten Jesus in a crown of thorns and a bloody scarlet robe, showed Him to the Jews, exclaiming: "Behold a man." With these words, the Roman governor wanted to say: "See how tormented and mocked He is," thinking that the Jews would have pity on Him. In memory of this event, the arch bears the Latin name "Ekce khomo". As is known, Pilate did not find Christ guilty. And as a sign of washing his hands from the blood of the righteous man, he immersed them in a bowl of water. Nevertheless, Christ was condemned to a painful death on the cross, widespread among the Romans. Thus the words of Injil came to pass: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged, but he who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the Only-begotten Son of God" (John 3:16-18).

Those condemned to crucifixion were supposed to carry their cross. Therefore, the soldiers placed His wooden cross on the shoulders of the Savior and led Him to the place designated for execution. It was a hill that was called Golgotha, or "the place of the skull," that is, the exalted one. Golgotha was located to the west of Jerusalem, not far from the gate, which was called the Judgment Gate. As the nun Claudia from the Jerusalem Gorny Monastery told the author of the book, according to legend, the wood from which the Cross of the Lord was made was especially strong and heavy - for a long time it was soaked in water - it was intended for the construction of the temple, but for some reason it was not used. According to legend, it was soaked in the Sheep's Font (Bethesda), where an Angel descended once a year, and the sufferers "waited for the movement of the water", since the first of them, who entered the water, was healed of any serious illness. This tree is a "three-component" - a hybrid of cedar, cypress and pine. This story begins with Lot. At the direction of Abraham (Ibrahim), Lot planted branches of cedar, cypress and pine left by the archangels in the valley, and watered them, as promised, for 40 years with water from the Jordan. The tree that grew from them was cut down for the Temple - Solomon wanted to make columns from them at the entrance to the Holy of Holies. Then he changed his mind, and the tree was thrown into the pond. Ten centuries later, the tree, which was not suitable for the Temple, was used for the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus.

From the praetorium of Via Dolorosa, the paved road turns sharply to the left at the building of the Armenian Patriarchate. On the corner is the place where, under the weight of His cross, Christ fell for the first time. This event is marked by a small chapel built with the money of Polish soldiers. Above the entrance to the chapel is a relief by the famous Polish sculptor Tadeusz Zalinski. The relief depicts Christ fainting under the weight of His burden. We walk a little more along the cobblestone pavement of the Via Dolorosa and see the chapel door in the wall. The chapel marks the place where Jesus, according to tradition, met his mother Mary (Miriam).

At the corner of El Wade and Via Dolorosa stands a church commemorating Christ's fifth stop on the Way of the Cross. Exhausted by beatings and scourging, exhausted by spiritual suffering, Jesus could hardly walk. When they reached the city gate, where the road went up the hill, Jesus was completely exhausted. At this time, the soldiers saw a man who was looking at Christ with compassion. It was Simon the Cyrenean, returning from work from the field. The soldiers seized him and forced him to carry the cross of Christ. In the wall near the entrance to the chapel on the right, a deep depression is visible. According to legend, this is the imprint of Christ's hand, tiredly leaning against the wall. A narrow winding street leads us in the direction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We cross El-Beiram Street, which goes to the left of the Way of the Cross, and find ourselves at the chapel of St. Veronica. At this place, a prostitute named Veronica wiped the sweat and blood from Christ's forehead. In this regard, the church canonized her.

Drive along Via Dolorosa to its intersection with Sukhan ez Zain Street. At the door on the left is the remnant of a pillar marking the place where Jesus fell a second time. Many of the houses and shops located along this street bear the stamp of distant Roman times - stucco, stone monoliths in the walls. Along this street our path lies to a wide staircase. Climb it and turn right. The road leads to the gates of the Coptic monastery. At the entrance to the monastery, in a shallow niche, there is a rickety column. It marks the place where Christ fell for the third time. The other five stations are located in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

On Good Friday for Orthodox Easter, pilgrims gather from early morning in Praetorium, located on the territory of the former Antony's fortress - the place where the Lord Jesus Christ spent the night before the crucifixion. Here His lawless judgment was carried out, here the Savior was mocked. Here, in fact, the Lord's Way of the Cross began. Therefore, from here, pilgrims with wooden crosses in their hands head to Golgotha along the crooked, narrow streets of old Jerusalem. The place of the Savior's crucifixion is located under the arches of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Some silently, and many with prayerful singing: in Slavonic, Greek, Serbian, Romanian – in different languages. The Greek metropolitan leads the procession, he carries on his shoulders a cross the size of a man, which carries him to Golgotha, the place of Christ's crucifixion.

The Death and Resurrection of Christ