Pontius Pilate & Poor Europeans
Before we can discuss the main issue on "Resurrection," it may be necessary to think about the Roman Governor who handed down the crucified body of Jesus Christ to one of His followers, a prominent Israelite, not to the so called high priests of Israelites who had not even joined the execution at sight, taking a major role and advertising their religious authority on that good occasion.
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About Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor who ordered crucifixion of Jesus Christ though he could have spared His life, the following facts should be taken into account:
1) Pontius Pilate had strong ties with key personalities in Rome who abhorred Israelites.
2) Pontius Pilate cruelly suppressed insurgents in Samaria in A.D. 36, which led to his resignation from the post of the Roman Governor.
3) There are some records about his deeds as an arrogant Governor.
You cannot expect him to have declared innocence to any suspicious Israelite brought before him in a trial. If Pontius Pilate had done so, it must have been a part of a plot or machinations which should reflected a lesson the Romans had learnt from the "War against Cleopatra" just half a century ago.
But, you can expect him to have kept eyes on any suspicious Israelites and their disturbing movements; arrested their leaders with any little evidence; executed them; and put the blame of execution on someone else so as to avoid further insurgency.
Before the arrest of Jesus Christ, Pontius Pilate must have heard that many Israelites had come down form Galilee to Jerusalem for a strange reason that the kingdom of God will emerge through their spiritual leader named "Jesus" who seemed to be called the "King of Israelites."
You cannot expect Pontius Pilate to have thought that Jesus Christ was a very innocent and safe person to be released free as non-guilty for any accusation on movement and propaganda involving many people from Galilee.
Pontius Pilate must have rather used a spy, or even a forced spy like Judas, to see if Jesus Christ had been really acting like the "King of Israelites" with a strong intent to lead His followers until a showdown or a decisive confrontation with Romans and Israelites in power then.
The undeniable fact was that the one who stood out from those coming down from Galilee to Jerusalem in a large number was Jesus Christ, who could be regarded at least as a "potential King of Israelites."
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But, why do the Gospels praise Pontius Pilate, though they could religiously forgive him, according to the teaching of Jesus Christ?
Anyway, Pope even today seems to have a function as a successor of the Roman Emperor.
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Nonetheless, the most important thing for people without any biblical knowledge is a message that "God has sent His Messiah to the world to save poor people."
Then, the poor people would see the Messiah, even as an image in the Gospels or a spiritual figure like Saul (Paul) did; and if they believe that He is really holy, they would follow Him.
In this way, scores of millions of poor people in Europe, from the first century on, believed in Jesus Christ without any exact and detailed information on the Gospels.
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Now, most of European Americans and Europeans are rich. Most of them think they don't need the Messiah, because they are now rich. They are not interested in the Gospels.
They seem to have lost respect to and awe in God, at least in comparison with their passion to money, though there are many poor Americans who are following American Christianity enlightened since the late 19th century or around 1900, which is the latest major religious development in the human history over 4000 years following the "Enlightenment of Buddhism in Japan around 1300."
(The significance of existence African Americans in the U.S. lies here in terms of human spiritual development.)
Nonetheless, you can also listen to me, one of poor Japanese.
(But, please study some about Japan, if you are not impressed at the above one sentence.)
(In addition, good girls in America and Europe, being rich is ugly to the eye of God and thus of the Messiah, no matter how shapely you may look. You had better, in case, put on a veil or a burka in front of Them.)
"'THE LORD IS RISEN INDEED! HE HAS APPEARED TO SIMON!'"