- Hardcover: 381 pages
- Publisher: Jonathan Cape Ltd; 1st edition (18 Mar 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0224059424
- ISBN-13: 978-0224059428
- Product Dimensions: 23 x 15.4 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 804,422 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Pilate: The Biography of an Invented Man
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
As one of the most remembered and controversial minor characters from the bestselling book of all time, Pontius Pilate makes an intriguing subject for a book of his own. His own ambivalent role in the drama leading up to the crucifixion, and his actions afterwards, have made him a character of great fascination over the centuries. He is not an easy man to pin down though and is, therefore, not an immediately obvious candidate for a biography. However this isn't strictly speaking your typical biographical work.
Pilate the man has become far more over the centuries since his destiny briefly and fatefully met that of Jesus of Nazareth, far more; a symbol, a portmanteau character, a name rich in meaning and filled with a subtle ambiguity that reaches to the essence of people's souls. The Bible says very little about him and accounts from the Gospels of events leading up to the crucifixion are inconsistent. According to St John, Pilate and Jesus entered into a serious discussion about the nature of God's kingdom before Pilate, finding no fault with Jesus, offered the Jewish crowd the opportunity of having "their King" released. They chose instead to free Barabbas, a robber and a murderer, and Pilate, no doubt mindful of the precarious political minefield he was navigating, ceded to their yobbish preference. Whether he ever really had a choice or was simply a pawn fulfilling his role is an unanswerable question that reaches to the very heart of the Christian religion. Anne Wroe has researched this study of an elusive man thoroughly and come up with an engaging book that explores every aspect of the man that can be discerned from the historical record, together with the layers of myth and legend, interpretation and judgement that have been laid down on top for the 2,000 years since. --Alisdair Bowles
Review
"The sheer skill of the writing... the touch of a master-novelist... Few have ever explored so imaginatively, or with such passionate attention to detail." - "Sunday Telegraph"
"Extraordinary and compelling." - "Sunday Telegraph"
"Ann Wroe's knowledge of the past 2,000 years is encyclopaedic--She manages to keep Pilate living and breathing in the text, and occasionally kicking and screaming." - "Independent on Sunday"
"From the Trade Paperback edition."
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Ann sets out in her introduction that this is an under-researched collage from diverse sources. It is a brave attempt to fly in the face of history writting traditions, and I think she pulls it off marvellously. Making no apologies for inaccuracies or stumbling into myths, she attempts to paint a picture of what a man such as Pilate may have been like. Most authors would get bogged down in arguments around insignificant aspects, but Ann sticks to the script the whole way thru. Read it as a piece of history, or read it as a fictional account, it works either way. And she makes no attempt to force any theories your way. Read it and make your own mind up!
9 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book makes the reader think. Ann Wroe draws into it legend and modern parallels that most readers might not have considered. It will hold your attention and tantalise to the very end. It will make the reader consider his/her attitudes and will pose many unanswered questions. Who else could compare Christ's methods with those of the anti-abortionists? Who else would dare to compare Ghandi with Christ? How many of us realised or considered that Christ planned his own agonising death?
Format:Hardcover
I've been intrigued by the conversation between Jesus and Pilate for a long time. I therefore, enjoyed her analysis of the dialogue that the 4 Gospels report. Insightful, sensitive and encourages the reader to contemplate further about the dialogue. I did not find the 'invented' dialogue from the many historical dramas to be useful. A well researched piece, given how little we know about Pilate. I came to feel sympathy for him!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Thoroughly researched: one glaring error
I found this book very interesting, giving a many-stranded, multi-source portrayal of this man. The one glaring error - the same error into which the translators of the first... Read more
Published on 12 Oct 1999
utterly fascinating and illuminating
'Pilate' is the sort of book that reminded me of the great reading experiences of my childhood. It is so well written that one feels as if one is actually present in the ancient... Read more
Published on 6 Jun 1999
Don't bother
Ann Wroe seems to have set out at the start of her studying to attempt an overview from historical sources as to what we could reasonably expect Pontius Pilate to have been - the... Read more
Published on 10 May 1999
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Biography > Historical > 501-1000
- Books > Biography > Historical > Countries & Regions > Middle East
- Books > Biography > Political > Countries & Regions > Middle East
- Books > History > Ancient History & Civilisation > Rome
- Books > History > Countries & Regions > Asia > Middle East > Palestine
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
