The Acta of Pontius Pilate

Greek Koine and Biblical and Medieval Greek
1

I read that Justin Martyr mentions “the Acts of Pontius Pilate”, and so I looked for Πράξεις τοῦ Ποντίου Πιλάτου. However, what he actually says is this:

καὶ ταῦτα ὅτι γέγονε δύνασθε μαθεῖν ἐκ τῶν ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου γενομένων ἄκτων

ἄκτα is a much more interesting word, imo. LSJ Supplement has an entry glossing it as “official records,” and that’s what I assume that it means here. Not quite a simple parallel to the Acts/Πράξεις of the Apostles/John/Paul/Peter/Andrew/Thomas.

The two references to the Acta of Pilate.

Justin Martyr 35–

…καὶ ὁ μὲν Δαυῒδ ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ προφήτης, ὁ εἰπὼν ταῦτα, οὐδὲν τούτων ἔπαθεν, Ἰησοῦς δὲ Χριστὸς ἐξετάθη τὰς χεῖρας, σταυρωθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀντιλεγόντων αὐτῷ καὶ φασκόντων μὴ εἶναι αὐτὸν Χριστόν. καὶ γὰρ ὡς εἶπεν ὁ προφήτης, ‘Διασύροντες αὐτὸν ἐκάθισαν ἐπὶ βήματος καὶ εἶπον, Κρῖνον ἡμῖν.’ τὸ δὲ ‘Ὤρυξάν μου χεῖρας καὶ πόδας’ ἐξήγησις τῶν ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ παγέντων ἐν ταῖς χερσὶ καὶ τοῖς ποσὶν αὐτοῦ ἥλων ἦν. καὶ μετὰ τὸ σταυρῶσαι αὐτόν, ἔβαλον κλῆρον ἐπὶ τὸν ἱματισμὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐμερίσαντο ἑαυτοῖς οἱ σταυρώσαντες αὐτόν. καὶ ταῦτα ὅτι γέγονε δύνασθε μαθεῖν ἐκ τῶν ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου γενομένων ἄκτων…

What prophet Justin Martyr is referring to with his, “Διασύροντες αὐτὸν ἐκάθισαν ἐπὶ βήματος καὶ εἶπον, Κρῖνον ἡμῖν,” I have no idea.

Justin Martyr 48–

…Ὅτι δὲ καὶ θεραπεύσειν πάσας νόσους καὶ νεκροὺς ἀνεγερεῖν ὁ ἡμέτερος Χριστὸς προεφητεύθη, ἀκούσατε τῶν λελεγμένων. ἔστι δὲ ταῦτα· ‘Τῇ παρουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ’ ‘ἁλεῖται χωλὸς ὡς ἔλαφος, καὶ τρανὴ ἔσται γλῶσσα μογιλάλων.’ ‘τυφλοὶ ἀναβλέψουσι,’ ‘καὶ λεπροὶ καθαρισθήσονται,’ ‘καὶ νεκροὶ ἀναστήσονται’ ‘καὶ περιπατήσουσιν.’ ὅτι τε ταῦτα ἐποίησεν, ἐκ τῶν ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου γενομένων ἄκτων μαθεῖν δύνασθε.

A note on ἄκτα from Oxyrhynchus Papyri 2725.21

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If the ἄκτα were ever a circulating document (genuine or not) it’s not impossible that we have them in some form in the synoptic passion accounts, which depart in style a bit from the earlier parts of the synoptics.

2

There’s also the Acta Alexandrinorum, the Acts of the Pagan Martyrs, which are (or purport to be) accounts of proceedings before Roman authorities. These are well represented in the Oxyrhynchus papyri. They dramatically express resentment of Roman rule and can be profitably compared with the passion narratives of the gospels.
Incidentally, Justin’s prophet is presumably David. The reference will be to the 22nd psalm, and should not be pressed beyond the rending of Jesus’ garments (διασύροντες, cf. διεμερίσαντο Ps.22:18).

3

The Acta Pilati are also named Evangelium of Nicodemus

4

The Greek mss of this Text have the “title” : υπομνηματα του κυριου ημων Ιησου Χριστου with the subtitle πραχθεντα/των πραχθεντων επι Ποντιου Πιλατου. Die Pilatus-Acten [microform] : b kritisch Untersucht : Lipsius, Richard Adelbert, 1830-1892 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

5

He quotes Ps. 22:18 a little further down.

καὶ μετὰ τὸ σταυρῶσαι αὐτόν, ἔβαλον κλῆρον ἐπὶ τὸν ἱματισμὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐμερίσαντο ἑαυτοῖς οἱ σταυρώσαντες αὐτόν.

This is something else, I think

Διασύροντες αὐτὸν ἐκάθισαν ἐπὶ βήματος καὶ εἶπον, Κρῖνον ἡμῖν.

To me, “judge us” sounds similar to the collective Jewish guilt narratives in John and Acts.

6

Sitting him on the βῆμα and telling him to judge for them is pure mockery, in line with the crown and the purple. Αnd it’s a clear reference to John 19:13, where ἐκάθισεν was evidently—and surely correctly, contra the RSV and (?all) other translations—taken as transitive.

7

You’re right that the dative makes it “judge for us”, or looking at other examples in Justin Martyr, “judge in our favor.”

I think that your suggestion of John 19:13 works much better than your previous suggestion of Psalm 22:18. Διασύροντες = “they were ridiculing him” then.

Justin Martyr is not supposed to know John, only the Synoptics. But maybe he did? Or maybe John has constructed his version from the Synoptic story in combination with this unknown prophet’s version that Justin Martyr describes.

You can see where John’s Gospel alters the story slightly to fulfill a prophecy in John 19:28-30, where his version differs from Synoptic and makes Jesus drink in fulfillment of Psalm 69:21.