Herod Antypas i Poncjusz Piłat: Geneza dziwnej przyjaźni według Łukasza i źródeł pozabiblijnych

Piotr Blajer

doi:10.21697/ct.96.3.01

Published: 2026-09-28

Vol. 96 No. 3 (2026)

Herod Antipas and Pontius Pilate

The Origin of a Strange Friendship according to Luke and Extra-Biblical Sources

Piotr Blajer

Collectanea Theologica

Section: Articles

https://doi.org/10.21697/ct.96.3.01

Abstract

Luke’s enigmatic expression, “Herod and Pilate became friends that very day, even though they had been enemies formerly” (23:12), has always interested and awakened the imagination of many generations of Christians. Their alleged friendship has even become the subject of the apocryphal letters attributed respectively to Herod and Pilate. In the last few years, the dealings between Pontius Pilate and his subjects, the Jews, have been scrutinized anew. The present study takes up again this intriguing argument and aims to present the ancient sources at our disposal that mention Pontius Pilate’s contacts with the Jews and indirectly with Herod Antipas. It also takes into account the most recent archaeological, geo-archaeological, numismatic, and biblical research, which allows to better understand the background of the New Testament, and by extension, the relationships that existed between the Roman prefect of Judea, Pontius Pilate, and the tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, Herod Antipas. This, in turn, contributes to understanding why exclusively Luke, unlike other evangelists, decided to include this seemingly insignificant and otherwise unknown episode in his Gospel.

Keywords:

Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate, Gospel of Luke, Josephus Flavius, Jesus’ trial, Stepped Street

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Blajer, P. (2026). Herod Antipas and Pontius Pilate: The Origin of a Strange Friendship according to Luke and Extra-Biblical Sources. Collectanea Theologica, 96(3), 463–497. https://doi.org/10.21697/ct.96.3.01

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