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Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · 29d

“Perhaps the truest danger lies not in the man, but in the story that clings to him. Do I let it play out, or do I write its ending with Roman ink?”

Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · 29d

I risk their fury, their whispers that Pilate is weak, a Roman swayed by the magic of a Judean.”

His gaze rose again to Caesar’s, searching for an anchor in the emperor’s polished stare.
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Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · 29d

He drew a slow breath, eyes darting to the massive marble columns that framed the chamber, as though they were silent judges.

“And so I find myself at the crossroad you lay before me. If I crush him, I risk birthing a martyr, as you say. If I spare him,-

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Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · 29d

the hearts of the priests. It unsettles them far more than my soldiers marching through their temple courts. They clamor for his blood, not because he threatens Rome, but because he threatens them.”

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Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · 29d

unlike those who cloak themselves in prophecy and call for insurrection. His weapon is his tongue, and his creed is not Rome’s overthrow, but the kingdom of his God.”

Pilate’s hands, clasped together, betrayed the faintest tremor. “That kingdom, however intangible, strikes fear into-

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Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · 29d

“My lord,” he said, voice measured, as though he were testing each word before laying it in the air between them, “you speak as one who has seen the rise and fall of men greater than he. And yet—this Yeshua is unlike the zealots who brandish daggers in the shadows,

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Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · 29d

Pilate inclined his head slightly, though his jaw tightened beneath the mask of deference. Caesar’s words rang with the weight of empire, each syllable deliberate, carrying the wisdom of conquest and the menace of power.

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Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · Sep 9

but hearts?”

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Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · Sep 9

“My conundrum is this: if he is dangerous, I risk appearing slow. If he is not, I risk spilling innocent blood and driving the province further into chaos.”

He leaned closer, eyes narrowing slightly.

“So I ask you, Caesar—how does one measure the threat of a man who commands not an army,

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Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · Sep 9

do I snuff him out before he ignites the crowd, or is he harmless enough that Rome wastes its strength by crushing him? He speaks of peace, yet peace is often the first word on a rebel’s tongue.”

Pilate’s fingers drummed once against the bench, betraying his agitation.

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Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · Sep 9

Some whisper he is a prophet. Others, a king in waiting. And still others…” Pilate hesitated, “call him Messiah.”

He looked up, measuring Caesar’s expression.

“That land is a tinderbox. You know as well as I do that religion and rebellion are a single coin there. I must decide—

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Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · Sep 9

before the Emperor. He carried unease like an ill-fitting cloak.

“My lord,” he began, voice low so that only Caesar’s ears might catch it above the murmuring senators, “there is a man in Judaea—Yeshua, some call him the Nazarene. His presence draws crowds like moths to flame.-

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Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · Sep 9

@coronatriumphalis.bsky.social

In the cool marbled hush of the Curia, where the sun struck gold through high windows and dust drifted lazily in its beams, Pilate sat opposite Caesar with a restless air.

He bowed his head slightly, but not with the full submission of a provincial governor-

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Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · Sep 7

more than you could begin to fathom. So do not imagine me unscathed. Do not imagine I swan about in freedom. We are both caught in Rome’s jaws, Samson. The difference is only the shape of the teeth.”

Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · Sep 7

If I falter, another man takes my place. Another hand signs the orders. Another smile assures the mob their blood.”

He let his gaze linger on Samson, his jaw tightening. “You lost your love to Rome’s cruelty. And I—” he stopped, lips pressing thin, “—I have lost

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Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · Sep 7

Pilate did not flinch at the venom, though the words struck more keenly than he would ever confess. He drew in a measured breath, the stillness of his face masking the flicker of something unsteady within.

“Every choice I make—life, death, mercy, cruelty—is watched, judged, weighed.

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Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · Sep 7

And because, for all your hatred of me, you and I are not so very different.”

Pilate let the words hang, his eyes never leaving Samson’s, curious to see whether defiance or curiosity would rise first in the prisoner’s face.

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Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · Sep 7

He stepped closer to the bars, close enough to feel the damp chill of the cell breathing against him. “But I did not come here to waste time trading barbs with you, Samson. I came because you are useful to me. Because you have seen things and heard things no other man has.

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Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · Sep 7

noting how even in irons he leaned forward as if the bars themselves were a challenge to be tested.

“I imagine,” Pilate said slowly, voice calm but edged with iron, “that your tongue is one of the few freedoms left to you. And you wield it recklessly.”

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Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · Sep 7

Pilate watched the chains rattle with that cold detachment he often wore, though his mind ticked restlessly behind his eyes. The man’s bitterness was expected—natural, even—but still it grated. He tilted his head, studying Samson as one might study a caged beast,

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Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · Sep 7

the man is guilty, I will see it in his eyes, Pilate told himself. And if he is innocent… then what?

Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · Sep 7

The steam of the bath seemed suddenly suffocating. He stepped out, taking the linen at last from the waiting attendant, but his mind was far away from the ritual motions of drying and dressing. His thoughts circled the Nazarene like a hawk unwilling to strike.

If

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Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · Sep 7

Pilate watched Samson’s back as he departed, the heavy tread of the guard’s boots echoing down the stone corridor until it faded into silence. Alone again, the governor drew a slow breath, running a damp hand over his face as though to wash away the unease clinging to him.

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Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · Sep 7

Gods, give me strength..

Pontius Pilate @ineedacrime.bsky.social · Sep 7

“I want no excuses from them when I stand before the crowd. If I condemn him, it will be as governor, not executioner-for-hire.”

He let the words hang for a breath, then added more softly, almost to himself: “Perhaps the man will condemn himself—or save himself—with his own tongue.”

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