Philo of Alexandria described Pilate as inflexible, merciless, and obstinate (The Legatio ad Gaium, 38). The Jews hated him and his administration because he was severe (ordered over 100 crucifixions) and showed little consideration for their sensitivities. standards bearing the image of the emperor Tiberius (14 to 32 A.D.), which had been set up by Pilate in Jerusalem, caused an uproar that would have ended in a massacre had Pilate not removed them. Later, the Emperor himself ordered Pilate to remove golden shields, which he had set up in Jerusalem in spite of the people's protests. Following these instances, Pilate was anxious that no more negative reports about him reach the emperor. Thus the Gospels and Christians contend that Pilate's role in the crucifixion was minimal, because Pilate wanted to keep the peace. in the apocryphal Gospels there are claims that Pilate actually became a Christian. The Abyssinian Church recognizes him as a saint. They also hold his wife, Claudia Procula, to be a saint because she, too, became a Christian. This belief goes back to the second century and may be found in the Gnostic writings of Origen (Hom, in Mat. XXXV). Cayce's readings add that the govemor's son had been healed by Jesus (324-5); therefore, Pilate was not inclined to harm Jesus. Add to this that Pilate's wife, Claudia, had a dream warning against harming Jesus.
Much of the blame for the crucifixion of Jesus falls on the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of the main body of the Jewish faith, whose temple was the great Temple in Jerusalem. At this time, Essene Jews had separated themselves from the rule of the Sanhedrin (Cayce's reading 1089-3). The Essene lands were in Qumran, and their main temple was on Mt. Carmel. The Sadducee Jews had been ousted from the Sanhedrin by Herod the Great and therefore had no voice on the council.
Cayce's readings say that the Sanhedrin was a council of 70 elders (1497- 1), all male. However, they were not a homogenous group. Some among them believed that Jesus was indeed a prophet of God, possibly even the expected Messiah. In fact, one of them, named Gamaliel, warned his colleagues to be careful that they were not "fighting against God" (I151-10). Another, named Artemas, was a "doubter" but such a "stickler for details" that he voted against Jesus because, technically, Jesus had violated the letter of the law (I 378- 1). Cayce also gives a reading for the reincarnated soul of the second-in-command on the Sanhedrin at the time, Jabcobin (967- 1), who was concerned about jesus's innocence. Of course, the High Priest was Caiaphas, who drew the majority of the 70 to his view, resulting in the vote going against Jesus.
In reading 2067-2, Cayce gives a little insight into Caiaphas's thinking, explaining that Caiaphas was in league with Herod Antipas to "use the Romans" to reinforce the Sanhedrin's authority in Jerusalem and the great Temple. In (I 1 5 1 - 1 0), we learn that the Sanhedrin was being challenged by the increasing influence of the Essenes. The Essenes were spreading the message of a coming Messiah, and the people were excited by that message. Among the leaders of the Essenes was Zebedee, the father of the disciples John the Beloved and James the Lesser (I 089-3). According to the readings, the Essenes were conservative interpreters of Jewish Law, because in reading 2067-1 1 Cayce says, "John [the Baptist] was more the Essene than Jesus. For Jesus held rather to the spirit of the law, and John to the letter of same." But in reading 1010-17 Cayce identifies the main supervisor and teacher of the Essenes as a woman, Judy. Cayce describes Judy as a mystic of unusual powers and enlightenment, and she was the personal teacher of the young Jesus, prior to his ministry. Interestingly, Cayce reveals that though he was a priest in the Sanhedrin-govemed Temple in Jerusalem, Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist, was secretly an Essene sympathizer, for which he was killed at the altar by members of the Sanhedrin. The Essenes, and anyone associated with them, were seen as a counter influence to the power of the Sanhedrin, as was the idea of a Messiah.
Caiaphas is and his supporters wanted to consolidate there power. They sought to use Roman power to do so (2067-2), even against such fellow Jews as the Essenes and Sadducees (Pharisee Jews were on the council). The story goes that after John the Baptist's death, Jesus grew in notoriety, attracting much attention and teaching a message that was touching the people deeply, causing them to change their ways and interests. This was not good for the Sanhedrin's power base. Therefore, Caiaphas and his supporters wanted to capture Jesus while he was away from the crowds. They enlisted the help of Judas Iscariot to notify them of Jesus's whereabouts and opportunities to seize him. When Judas informed them that Jesus was in a garden late at night with only a few of his disciples, the soldiers serving the Sanhedrin followed Judas to this garden and arrested Jesus, and brought him before a late-night meeting of a portion of the Sanhedrin council.
Some members of the Sanhedrin spoke in support of Jesus, namely Nicodemus, Joseph, Ardemetus, Zxnew, Gamaliel, and a few others. But the majority voted to condemn Jesus to death for identifying himself so personally and familiarly with God, a blasphemy so evil that it could not be tolerated and was punishable by death. The evidence against Jesus was his own words. When Jesus spoke of God he used the Hebrew word Abba, which means Papa. in the mind of those present, no one was that personally related to God. Jesus also called himself "the son of God," explaining that even the scriptures say that we are all gods, sons and daughters of the Most High (Psalm 82:6). Cayce says: "So did the High Priest condemn your Lord! So did those of the Sanhedrin wreak their own purposes upon Him" (262-61). Obviously, both Cayce and historical records reveal that only a small power base of the Jews killed Jesus. Most of the Jews were not members or even supporters of the Sanhedrin. Matt ew 27:20 clearly states that the Jewish crowd before Pilate was coerced by the Sanhedrin: "The chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes to ask for Barabbas, and destroy Jesus." As the crowd called for Barabbas, Claudia warned her husband to "have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him." The Gospels say that Pilate washed his hands of the matter and asked the elders and the crowd what they wanted him to do with Jesus, to which they replied, "Crucify him." Cayce gives us a look into jesus's view of these events and purposes. Here are some of those readings.
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