The Shadow of the Galilean

Content Warning: This section includes discussion of antisemitism.

“Everyone in Jerusalem at that time knew that the fuss was about the money which Pilate wanted to take from the temple treasury for the building of a new aqueduct for Jerusalem.”

As Roman governor, Pilate faced many difficulties surrounding the cultural and religious differences between Romans and Jewish people. The conflict over using temple money to build an aqueduct is the result of one of Pilate’s many missteps that contributed to the Political and Religious Upheaval in Judea.

“‘I was in the wilderness to reflect in solitude. Not everyone who puts everyday life behind them for a while is a troublemaker and a terrorist. I’m for peace.’ ‘You kept quiet about your time in the desert. That’s suspicious.’”

The wilderness is a recurring motif in The Shadow of the Galilean that is used to demonstrate the idea of being in between. Andreas sees his time in the desert as a time of self-reflection and growth, but because he lived outside the bounds of society, Pilate sees him as more suspicious than an ordinary subject.

“So our policy will continue to be respect for your religion, your God, your customs, your sensibilities. We respect even what is alien to us. But we expect you to respect what is holy to us, to note the reverence that our soldiers have for the emperor and allow everyone everywhere to worship his gods. Respect must have a reciprocal basis.”

Pilate’s words reflect the typical Roman attitude to the religions of those they conquered: People were typically allowed to maintain their religious beliefs and practices even after being assimilated into the Roman Empire, though they were expected to take part in certain aspects of Roman worship as well. As Jewish people are monotheistic, this was not possible, and the conflict created tensions.