How the master and Pontius Pilate are related. Pontius Pilate - what did Bulgakov want to convey with this character? Meeting a loved one
In the novel “The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov, there are not many lines dedicated to events related to Yeshua Ha-Nozri and Pontius Pilate. But it is these few chapters that become the basis on which the entire narrative of the book rests.
The chapters describing Yeshua are part of the manuscript of the Master, a character who appears in the novel only after the reader has already read a significant portion of his work. Mysterious stranger, unexpectedly plunges two literary figures, peacefully talking under the shade of the linden trees of the Patriarch's Ponds, into the atmosphere ancient city Yershalaim.
The procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate, is certainly familiar to unwitting listeners of the story, but Yeshua, at first, is a little-known and mysterious character. However, throughout the dialogue between Pontius Pilate and Yeshua, despite the fact that the author avoids direct parallels with Jesus, an understanding arises of who the unfortunate defendant really is. The prosecutor is tormented by an unbearable headache, and the need to resolve issues related to the eccentric prisoner, who persistently calls him “ kind person", only annoys Pilate. But the further the conversation between these two goes exhausted by life people, the more genuine interest in Yeshua penetrates into the procurator’s soul.
It seems that the strange ragamuffin says simple and banal things. That everyone around is good, that if they do evil or slander, it means they are simply confused or misunderstood that it is necessary to love and trust people. At that moment when the tramp’s speech concerns the internal state of the procurator himself, as well as small miracle, predicted by the accused - a headache that has ceased to torment its victim, Pontius Pilate is no longer able to hide his confusion. Seeing a living person in front of him, afraid of both pain and anger, the hegemon understands that this holy fool can save him not only from an ordinary migraine, but also from unbearable loneliness and inner aching emptiness.
The meeting with Yeshua changes the soul of the cold procurator. Pilate is imbued with the truth and thoughts of his involuntary interlocutor. He develops a passionate desire to save the unfortunate Ga-Notsri. All sorts of options for saving the accused are swarming in the head of the hegemon, but all hopes of leaving Yeshua alive are dashed by the accusation of insulting the great Caesar. Fear of the emperor's power forces the procurator to order the execution of Ga-Notsri.
The dispute between Yeshua and the harsh hegemon did not become a confrontation between good and evil, since Pilate sincerely believed the prisoner, who had comprehended the great truth, had his own philosophy and selflessly shared his knowledge with all good people.
But the conversation did not stop with the death of one of the interlocutors. And after the execution of the mysterious tramp, the procurator was doomed to an eternal continuation of the dialogue, in his inflamed and tormented conscience mind.
Essay on Yeshua and Pontius Pilate in Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita
The heroes of Mikhail Bulgakov's novel "The Master and Margarita" Pontius Pilate and Yeshua Ha-Nozri meet under very difficult circumstances for the procurator of Judea and tragic for the poor philosopher.
Sent by the Emperor of Rome to govern the restless outskirts of the empire, Pontius Pilate, to put it mildly, does not like his position. Here in Judea, everything disgusts him: the terrible climate, the deserted, rocky land, and, most importantly, the incomprehensible, restless population, which is always causing unrest and riots. And the procurator especially does not like the Jewish high priests, who also hate the invaders and can incite the population to disobey the Roman authorities. On top of that, the prefect of Judea suffers from terrible migraines.
It was at such a moment, when Pilate’s head was splitting from severe pain, that the beggar philosopher Ha-Nozri was brought to him for trial. It is clear that under such circumstances the procurator does not feel any sympathy for the ragamuffin, but is only even more irritated by the fact that he has to waste time on some kind of nonsense that the Jewish judges could handle themselves. But Yeshua somehow manages to save Pilate from his headache, and he begins to look at the philosopher differently, he is curious about Ha-Nozri’s ideas and, although they seem crazy to the procurator, he does not see anything bad in them.
Obviously, these two people are very different. The cruel, harsh, quick to kill ruler of Judea, the rich and powerful Pontius Pilate and the beggar vagabond, who does not know his parents, defenseless, arrested on a denunciation, hoping for salvation. While talking with the arrested man, Pontius Pilate understands that he is facing a very intelligent and interesting interlocutor. And, although his ideas about universal equality, about the life of people without oppression, are rightfully unrealistic, and the experienced and pragmatic ruler is convinced of this, he does not see any danger in this philosophy. He wants to save Yeshua from death, settle him in a palace, and have a little conversation with him. strange person, argue with him, because the procurator has his own view of the structure of life. Perhaps the two of them will be able to find the truth that philosophers of all times and peoples want to find and have not found!
But Pilate’s plan was not destined to come true. The high priests do not want to let the philosopher live in whose speeches they see a danger to themselves, since they perceive his words about the destruction of the temple as a threat to their power. It is more important for them to leave alive the robber who killed the Roman soldiers. Pontius Pilate, of course, does not agree with this, he does not want the death of Ha-Notsri and, in addition, he really wants to annoy the high priests, but they promise to write a denunciation to the emperor, and the powerful prefect of Judea Pontius Pilate became cowardly, afraid of the emperor’s anger. A warrior who once bravely fought under the banners of the Roman Empire, the horseman of the “Golden Spear” does not dare to confront the Jewish high priests out of simple fear. He signs Yeshua's death warrant. Ga-Notsri accepts his fate without indignation. He does not ask for mercy, behaves with dignity, and does not blame anyone for his death. Unlike the procurator, Yeshua is not a coward.
Pontius Pilate, after the execution of the philosopher, is tormented by remorse and the realization that he is an indecisive, cowardly person, which further aggravates his suffering. He tries to justify himself to the dead Yeshua by ordering the death of his traitor Judas, but this does not bring him any consolation. And it is absolutely unbearable for him to find out that in his last words Before his execution, Yeshua said that he considered cowardice to be the most important human vice. The procurator will have to live with this pain until the very end, but death will not relieve him of repentance. And in eternity he will lament the innocent death of the poor philosopher, until, at the request of Yeshua, the Master frees him from terrible loneliness.
And together Pilate and Ha-Nozri will walk along the road of eternity, having betrayed and forgiven.
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The Procurator of Judea is a powerful man in whose hands all the power is concentrated. One of those whom he judged was Yeshua Ha-Nozri. As you know, “The Master and Margarita” is often called the “Fifth Gospel” or “Bulgakov’s Bible,” and the name Yeshua itself is translated from Hebrew as Jesus, so the author develops the theme of cowardice through the eternal theme of the unjust trial of Christ. Yeshua was accused of “persuading the people to destroy the Yershalaim temple,” and also for his words: “... all power is violence.” Pontius Pilate himself understood that there was nothing for which he could be punished. In addition, Ga-Notsri helps the procurator: he treats his unbearable headache, reveals the essence of the “truth”. Pilate is surprised; this is a kind of sign for him. He is a man accustomed to the fact that no one in all of Judea behaves easily, openly and fearlessly with him. The hegemon is indifferent to the people he condemns: “...he was silent for some time, painfully remembering why the prisoner was standing in front of him in the merciless morning sun...and what unnecessary questions he would have to ask anyone.” Pilate never shows his true feelings: “... horror was expressed on his yellowish, shaved face. But he immediately suppressed it with his will...” Everything changes with the appearance of Yeshua. The procurator begins to understand that in front of him is a smart, amazing and strong man. He is trying to help Yeshua: “...extended the word “not” a little longer than is appropriate in court,” “sent some kind of suggestive glance to the prisoner.” Nevertheless, Pontius Pilate gives up the opportunity to save the life of the wandering philosopher; he knows that after the entire speech delivered by Ha-Nozri, he cannot help but sentence him, although he himself wants the “mentally ill” to be “imprisoned” in his residence. The procurator did not listen to his “inner” voice, the voice of conscience, he obeys the opinion of the crowd, afraid of losing power, a familiar, comfortable way of life, in a word, everything that has become the meaning of his life. The hero shouts so that everyone can hear: “Criminal!” After this, the image of the Roman emperor appears as a terrible ghost before the procurator in the semi-darkness of the palace: “on... his bald head sat a multi-toothed crown; there was a round ulcer on the forehead, corroding the skin and covered with ointment; a sunken, toothless mouth with a drooping, capricious lower lip.” For the sake of such an emperor, Pilate has to condemn Yeshua. The procurator feels almost physical agony when, standing on the platform, he announces the beginning of the execution of the criminals, everyone except Bar-Rabban. After the execution took place, Pilate learns from faithful Afranius that during the execution Ga-Nozri was not verbose and only said that “among human vices He considers cowardice to be one of the most important things.” The procurator understands that Yeshua read his last sermon for him; his excitement is revealed by a “suddenly cracked voice.” Pilate was not afraid for his life, but for his career, for his power. Cowardice is his main problem. Bulgakov condemns her without mercy or leniency, because he knows: people who have once committed evil are not as dangerous as those who are cowardly and fearful. Fear turns good and brave people into blind instruments of evil will. The procurator realizes that he has committed treason and is trying to justify himself to himself, deceiving himself that his actions were correct and the only possible. Pilate, having confirmed the death sentence of Yeshua, dooms himself to “terrible, evil pains,” for which “there is no remedy except death.” The author punishes his hero: “for about two thousand years he has been sitting on this platform and sleeping, but when he comes full moon...he is tormented by insomnia.” Only at night, when the moon lowers a path of light towards him and the procurator walks along it, accompanied by his beloved dog Bang and the philosopher, alive and well, does the pangs of conscience recede from him.
Nevertheless, Mikhail Bulgakov provides an opportunity for Pilate to free himself and correct his mistake. Life began when the Master “clasped his hands like a mouthpiece” and shouted the long-awaited words:
Free! Free! He is waiting for you!
After much torment and suffering, Pontius Pilate was forgiven.
The novel “The Master and Margarita” is not only the most famous in the entire work of Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov, but also the most read. And not only in Russia, but also abroad. Why is the work so loved by readers? Probably the reason is that the novel perfectly reflects the realities of Soviet reality, and also perfectly reveals the characters.
Among the main characters is Pontius Pilate. The interesting thing is that he is a historical figure (1st century AD). Pilate is the personification of power. He is proud that everyone is afraid of him and considers him cruel. The procurator knows that there is war - open and veiled - and is sure that they have only knowing fear and doubts. However, the image of Pontius Pilate is idealized. Yes, yes, in fact, the procurator of Judea was even more cruel, and was also distinguished by exorbitant greed.
The story of the origin of the ruler, invented in the Middle Ages in Germany, is presented in the novel as real fact. According to legend, Pontius Pilate is the son of Ata (the astrologer king) and Pila (the miller's daughter). One day, looking at the stars, the astrologer read from them that the child who would be conceived by him now would become a great man in the future. Then At ordered the beautiful Pila to be brought to him, and 9 months later a child was born, who received his name from the names of his mother and father put together.
Contradictory personality. Pontius Pilate is both terrible and pathetic. The crime he committed against an innocent person dooms him to eternal torment. This story is also mentioned in one of the Gospel stories from Matthew (another interesting parallel: Yeshua’s disciple in the novel was Matthew Levi). It says that the wife of the procurator of Judea saw horrible dream, in which Pilate will pay for the crucifixion of the righteous.
The novel clearly shows the idea that Pontius Pilate does not want Yeshua to die. He sees that this person does not pose any danger to society, because he is not a thief, not a murderer, not a rapist. However, the state does not want to agree with the ruler, and the high priest, of course, sees a threat in a person preaching an unknown religion. The Roman procurator is unable to fight, even the strongest mental anguish does not force him to make a decision at his own discretion: he knows that this can undermine his authority in the eyes of society, his strength and power.
When the ritual of execution was completed, and nothing could be corrected, Pontius Pilate completely forgot about peaceful life. He reproaches himself for his weakness of will, and at night he often sees a dream in which everything happens differently: nothing happened, Yeshua is alive, and they walk together along the lunar road and talk, talk...
Surely the real Pilate did not torment himself with such doubts and regrets. However, M.A. Bulgakov allegedly believed that feelings of fear and justice could fight in the most inhuman tyrant. At the same time, the writer seems to shift the responsibility for such a view onto the shoulders of the Master: after all, he is the author of the Novel.
It is not known with what feelings the Roman ruler actually left this world, but in the book everything should end well, and in the end the fifth procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate, will find peace of mind.
“The Master and Margarita” is a truly great work that every person who considers himself cultured must read.
The purpose of the first lessons is to show how to independently in a certain sense the work dedicated to Yershalaim history is closely intertwined with chapters telling about modernity.
Teacher's word
The novel, written by the Master, is the core on which the entire work rests. It is based on certain chapters of the New Testament. But the difference between a work of art and a theological work is obvious. The master creates an original piece of art: in the Gospel of John, which Bulgakov loved most, there is no we're talking about about the suffering of Pontius Pilate after the execution of Jesus.
Woland asks the Master: “What is the novel about?” What does he hear in response? "The Novel about Pontius Pilate." Consequently, it was the procurator of Judea who was the main character for the author himself, and not Yeshua Ha-Nozri. Why? This question will be answered in class.
Question
The master is not talking about God's son, his hero is a simple man. Why? What problems will be resolved in Bulgakov's novel - theological or real, worldly?
Answer
The once disgraced novel is dedicated to earthly life, and it is no coincidence that the story of Yeshua and Pilate will unfold in parallel with the story of the Master and Margarita.
Chapters 2, 16, 25, 26, 32, and the epilogue are taken for analysis.
Exercise
A portrait is one of the ways to reveal the character of a hero, in it the author reflects internal state, spiritual world of the person depicted. Let's see how the two heroes appear before the reader - Pontius Pilate, the procurator of Judea with unlimited power, and Yeshua Ha-Nozri, a wandering twenty-seven-year-old philosopher, who, by the will of fate, now finds himself before the eyes of the ruler.
Answer
“This man was dressed in an old and torn blue chiton. His head was covered with a white bandage with a strap around his forehead, and his hands were tied behind his back. The man had a large bruise under his left eye and an abrasion with dried blood in the corner of his mouth. The man brought in looked at the procurator with anxious curiosity.”
Second participant in this scene: “In a white cloak with a bloody lining and a shuffling cavalry gait, early in the morning of the fourteenth day of the spring month of Nisan, the procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate, came out into the covered colonnade between the two wings of the palace of Herod the Great.”.
Teacher
One word in this description immediately attracts attention: the lining is “bloody”, not red, bright, purple, etc. The man is not afraid of blood: he, who has a “cavalry gait,” is a fearless warrior; it is not for nothing that he was nicknamed “Horseman of the Golden Spear.” But, probably, he is not only like this in relation to enemies in battle. He himself is ready to repeat about himself what others say about him, “a ferocious monster.”
But now he suffers from headaches. And the author will talk about his suffering, constantly referring to one detail of his portrait - his eyes.
Exercise
Let's follow through the text how the procurator's eyes change: “The swollen eyelid lifted, the eye, covered with a haze of suffering, stared at the arrested man. The other eye remained closed..." "Now both sick eyes looked heavily at the prisoner"... "He looked with dull eyes at the prisoner"...
It is the fact that Yeshua guessed about his suffering and freed the procurator from it that will make Pontius Pilate treat the arrested man differently than he probably treated similar people before. But the man standing in front of him also interested him with his speeches.
Question
Is the prisoner afraid of Pontius Pilate?
Answer
He is afraid to experience physical pain again (on the orders of the procurator, Ratboy beat him). But he will remain unshakable when he defends his view of the world, of faith, of truth. He carries an inner strength that compels people to listen to him.
Question
What fact, mentioned by Yeshua himself, confirms that he knows how to convince people?
Answer
This is the story of Matthew Levi. “Initially, he treated me with hostility and even insulted me... however, after listening to me, he began to soften... finally threw the money on the road and said that he would travel with me... He said that from now on money became hateful to him.”
When asked by Pilate whether it is true that he, Yeshua Ha-Nozri, called for the destruction of the temple, he replies: “...said that the temple of the old faith would collapse and a new temple of truth would be created”. The word has been spoken. “Why did you, tramp, confuse people at the market by talking about the truth about which you have no idea? What is truth?.
Yeshua declares that the truth is, first of all, that Pilate has a headache. It turns out that he can save the ruler from this pain. And he continues the conversation with the “tramp” about the truth.
Question
How does Yeshua develop this concept?
Answer
For Yeshua, the truth is that no one can control his life: “...you must admit that cutting the thread” on which life hangs, “probably only can be cut by the one who hung it”. For Yeshua the truth is that « evil people not in the world". And if he had talked to Ratkiller, he would have changed dramatically. It is significant that Yeshua speaks of this “dreamingly.” He is ready to move towards this truth with the help of conviction and words. This is his life's work.
“Some new thoughts came to my mind that might, I think, seem interesting to you, and I would be happy to share them with you, especially since you give the impression of a very smart person... The trouble is that you are too closed and completely lost faith in people. You can’t, you see, put all your affection into a dog. Your life is meager, hegemon.”
Question
After this part of the conversation, Pontius Pilate makes a decision in favor of Yeshua. Which?
Answer
Declare the wandering philosopher mentally ill, without finding any corpus delicti in his case, and, removing him from Yershalaim, subject him to imprisonment where the residence of the procurator was located. Why? You want to keep such a person with you. Pilate, who sees around him only those who fear him, can afford the pleasure of having a person of independent views nearby.
Question
But everything cannot be resolved so peacefully, because life is cruel and people who have power are afraid of losing it. At what point will Pontius Pilate's mood change? Why would he be forced to abandon his original decision? Let's follow this through the text.
Answer
The secretary, who takes notes during the interrogation, also sympathizes with Yeshua. Now he will “unexpectedly” and regretfully answer negatively to Pilate’s question: “Is everything about him?” - and will give him another piece of parchment. “What else is there?” – Pilate asked and frowned. “After reading what was submitted, his face changed even more. Whether the dark blood rushed to his neck and face, or something else happened, but his skin lost its yellowness, turned brown, and his eyes seemed to have sunken.
Again, the culprit was probably the blood rushing to his temples and pounding through them, only something happened to the procurator’s vision. So, it seemed to him that the prisoner’s head floated away somewhere, and another one appeared in its place. On this bald head sat a thin-toothed golden crown; there was a round ulcer on the forehead, corroding the skin and covered with ointment; a sunken, toothless mouth with a drooping, capricious lower lip...”
This is how Pilate sees Caesar, and therefore does not serve him out of respect. And then why?
“And something strange happened to the hearing - it was as if trumpets were playing quietly and menacingly in the distance, and a nasal voice was very clearly heard, arrogantly drawing out the words: “The Law of lese majeste””...
Question
What did Pontius Pilate read in this parchment?
Answer
Yeshua will say this out loud a little later, and it turns out that the conversation about the truth is not yet over.
“Among other things, I said... that all power is violence against people and that the time will come when there will be no power either of the Caesars or of any other power. Man will move into the kingdom of truth and justice, where no power will be needed at all.”
Question
Does Pontius accept this truth?
Answer
“Do you believe, unfortunate one, that the Roman procurator will release a man who said what you said? Oh gods, gods! Or do you think that I'm ready to borrow your place? I don’t share your thoughts!..”
Question
What happened to the procurator? Why did he, a few minutes ago, prompt Yeshua with a saving answer: “Have you ever said anything about the great Caesar? Answer! Did you say?.. Or… didn’t… say? “Pilate drew out the word “not” a little longer than was appropriate in court, and sent Yeshua in his gaze some thought that he seemed to want to instill in the prisoner.”, - why will Pilate now approve the death sentence?
Answer
Being a brave warrior on the battlefield, the procurator is a coward when it comes to Caesar and power. For Pilate, the place he occupies is a “golden cage.” He is so afraid for himself that he will go against his conscience.
Teacher's comment
No one can make a person freer than he is free internally. But Pontius Pilate is internally unfree. Therefore he will betray Yeshua.
There are people who commit such betrayals calmly: Judas does not suffer morally by selling Yeshua. But Pontius Pilate is one of those people who have a conscience. That is why, realizing that he will be forced to pass judgment on Yeshua, he knows in advance that along with the death of the wandering philosopher, his own death will come - only a moral one.
“The thoughts rushed through, short, incoherent and extraordinary: “Dead!”, then: “Dead!..” And some completely ridiculous one among them about someone who must certainly be - and with whom?! – immortality, and for some reason immortality caused unbearable melancholy.”
And after the Sanhedrin confirmed its decision regarding the execution of Yeshua and the release of Bar-Rabban, “The same incomprehensible melancholy... permeated his entire being. He immediately tried to explain it, and the explanation was strange: it seemed vague to the procurator that he had not finished speaking to the convict about something, or perhaps he had not heard something out.
Pilate drove away this thought, and it flew away in an instant, just as it had arrived. She flew away, and the melancholy remained unexplained, because it could not be explained by another short thought that flashed like lightning and immediately went out: “Immortality... Immortality has come... Whose immortality has come? The procurator did not understand this, but the thought of this mysterious immortality made him feel cold in the sun.”
Question
Why does the possibility of immortality not please a person, but give rise to horror in his soul?
Answer
A conscientious person cannot live with a stone in his soul. And now Pilate is sure that he will have no peace day or night. He will try to somehow soften his “sentence”; he even threatens Caif: “Take care of yourself, high priest... There will be no peace for you... from now on! Neither you nor your people... will regret that you sent the philosopher to death with his peaceful preaching.”
Question
What other action will Pilate perform in an attempt to alleviate the torments of his conscience?
Answer
He orders the suffering of Yeshua, crucified on a pillar, to end. But everything is in vain. This is nothing compared to the words that Yeshua, before his death, asks to convey to Pilate.
Exercise
We will find these words in chapter 25. They will be repeated to the procurator of Judea by Afranius, the head of the secret service.
Answer
“Did he try to preach anything in the presence of the soldiers? - No, hegemon, he was not verbose this time. The only thing he said was that among human vices, he considers cowardice to be one of the most important.”
Teacher's comment
This is retribution. It is impossible to escape from him. You, Rider of the Golden Spear, are a coward and are now forced to agree with this description of yourself. What can you do now? Something for which Caesar will not punish, but which will at least somehow help him, Pilate, justify himself. What order and how will he give to the chief of the secret police? Let's read this dialogue between two smart people, respecting and understanding each other, but still afraid to speak openly. This conversation is full of omissions and half-hints. But Afranius will understand his master perfectly.
“And yet he will be killed today,” Pilate repeated stubbornly, “I have a presentiment, I tell you!” There was no chance that it deceived me,” then a spasm passed over the procurator’s face, and he briefly rubbed his hands. “I’m listening,” the guest responded obediently, stood up, straightened up and suddenly asked sternly: “So they’ll kill you, hegemon?” “Yes,” answered Pilate, “and all hope lies only in your diligence, which amazes everyone.”
The efficiency of the head of the secret police did not fail this time. (Chapter 29.) At night, Afranius reported to Pilate that, unfortunately, “he was unable to save Judas from Cariath, he was stabbed to death.” And his boss, who cannot and does not want to ever forgive the sins of his subordinates, will say: “You did everything you could, and no one in the world,” here the procurator smiled, “could have done more than you!” Recover from the detectives who lost Judas. But even here, I warn you, I would not want the punishment to be even the least severe. In the end, we did everything to take care of this scoundrel.".
In the chapters we are considering, there is another hero. This is Levi Matvey.
Question
How will Matthew Levi behave when he learns about the inevitability of Yeshua’s death?
Answer
The former tax collector followed the procession of convicts all the way to Bald Mountain. He “made a naive attempt, pretending that he did not understand the irritated shouts, to break through between the soldiers to the very place of execution, where the convicts were already being removed from the cart. For this, he received a heavy blow to the chest with the blunt end of a spear and jumped away from the soldiers, screaming, not from pain, but from despair. He looked at the legionnaire who hit him with a dull and completely indifferent gaze, like a man insensitive to physical pain.”
He managed to settle into a crevice on a rock. The man’s torment was so great that at times he began to talk to himself.
“Oh, I’m a fool! - he muttered, swinging on a stone in mental pain and scratching his dark chest with his nails, - a fool, an unreasonable woman, a coward! I am carrion, not a man."
Question
What does Levi Matvey want most of all, having realized that he cannot save his teacher?
Answer
"God! Why are you angry with him? Send him death". And then he dreams of jumping on the cart. “Then Yeshua is saved from torment. One moment is enough to stab Yeshua in the back, shouting to him: “Yeshua! I save you and leave with you! I, Matvey, are your faithful and only student!” And if God had blessed him with one more free moment, he would have had time to stab himself himself, avoiding death on the stake. However, the latter was of little interest to Levi, the former tax collector. He didn't care how he died. All he wanted was for Yeshua, who had never done the slightest harm to anyone in his life, to escape torture.”
Question
How will Levi Matvey fulfill his last duty to his teacher?
Answer
He will remove his body from the pillar and carry it from the top of the mountain.
Question
Let us remember the conversation that took place between Pontius Pilate and Matthew Levi. (Chapter 26). Why can we say that Matthew Levi is truly a worthy disciple of Yeshua?
Answer
He will behave proudly and will not be afraid of Pilate. He was as tired as a man can be who thinks of death as a rest. At Pilate's offer to serve him ( “I have a large library in Caesarea, I am very rich and I want to take you into my service. You will sort and store papyri, you will be fed and clothed.") Levi Matvey will refuse.
"- Why? - The procurator asked, darkening his face, - I am unpleasant to you, are you afraid of me?
The same bad smile distorted Levi's face, and he said:
- No, because you will be afraid of me. It won’t be very easy for you to look me in the face after you killed him.”
And Pontius Pilate only momentarily realizes his triumph over Levi, when he responds to his statement about the desire to kill Judas that he has already done it.
Question
How did fate punish Pilate for his cowardice? (Chapter 32).
Answer
Woland, his retinue, the Master and Margarita, rushing on magic horses in the night, see in the light of the moon a sitting man, and next to him a dog. Woland will tell the Master: “...I wanted to show you your hero. For about two thousand years he sits on this platform and sleeps, but when the full moon comes, as you can see, he is tormented by insomnia. She torments not only him, but his faithful guardian, the dog. If it is true that cowardice is the most serious vice, then perhaps the dog is not to blame for it. The only thing the brave dog is afraid of is thunderstorms. Well, the one who loves must share the fate of the one he loves.”
When asked by Margarita what this man is talking about, Woland replies that “to his usual speech about the moon, he often adds that most of all in the world he hates his immortality and unheard-of glory.”
Pilate long ago, immediately after the death of Yeshua, realized that he was right when he argued that cowardice is one of the most terrible vices. And even more: “Philosopher, I object to you: this is the most terrible vice”. And for the most terrible vice man pays with immortality.
Pontius Pilate in the novel by M. A. Bulgakov. The Roman horseman, ruler of Judea Pontius Pilate, hero of M. A. Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita” - real historical figure, whose rule was cruel, was accompanied by numerous executions without trial. According to the New Testament, Pontius Pilate sentenced Jesus Christ to death, and then ritually washed his hands, showing his innocence.
This image appears in the novel in close connection with the image of Yeshua Ha-Nozri: “Now we will always be together... Once there is one, that means there is another! They will remember me, and now they will remember you too! Me, a foundling, the son of unknown parents, and you, the son of the astrologer king and the miller’s daughter, the beautiful Pila,” Yeshua says to Pilate in a dream.
Thus, for Bulgakov, Pilate, who is not given much time in the Gospel, is one of the main characters of the novel. He is preoccupied with the question of the reality of the events that took place; the biblical chapters in the novel turn out to be confirmation of the existence of Christ for Ivan Bezdomny.
In the process of creating the novel, the writer became acquainted with G. Petrovsky’s poem “Pilate”. The author of the poem also portrays Pilate as sympathetic to Jesus, rather than perceiving his actions as a threat to overthrow the government. The cowardly procurator was unable to fight for Jesus against the Sanhedrin - just as in Bulgakov’s novel, in Petrovsky’s poem this vice is recognized in Pilate.
The writer's view of events, the "Gospel of Bulgakov" is not just a dispute between the heroes about the existence of Christ. The author raises eternal themes- the theme of cowardice, betrayal, relations between man and power, unjust trial.
By the will of the author, the image of Pilate is endowed with numerous small details that make it more vivid and understandable to the reader. Thanks to Bulgakov, the hero of his novel is seen as more humane than in the New Testament. He has weak sides- he is characterized by doubts and hesitations, he, a cruel procurator, experiences great affection for his dog, he is worried not only about the fate of Yeshua, but also about the fate of his student Levi Matthew. In the end, Pilate has a conscience and it torments him. Pilate does not consider Yeshua guilty, because he sees: this man simply does not know how to lie, his soul is pure. He gives Yeshua to execution against his will, confirming the death sentence of the Sanhedrin, becoming an involuntary executioner.
The author emphasizes the smallest shades of the hero’s mood in the process of making a difficult decision, which is very difficult for him. He cannot sacrifice his career to save Yeshua, but there is still something human left in him. The figure of Pilate in the novel is ambiguous. First we see the horseman Golden Spear, a cruel procurator “in a white cloak with a bloody lining,” which symbolizes his bloody deeds. Then we see in him a person subject to weaknesses and illnesses, and later suffering. The reader sees how the procurator changes in his conversation with Yeshua. At first, only one thought occupies him - that the interrogation should end as soon as possible. At this moment, the arrested and doomed Yeshua takes pity on him and empathizes, accurately determining his condition: “The truth, first of all, is that you have a headache, and it hurts so much that you are cowardly thinking about death. Not only are you unable to speak to me, but it is difficult for you to even look at me. And now I am unwittingly your executioner, which saddens me. You can’t even think about anything and dream only that your dog, apparently the only creature to which you are attached, will come. But your torment will now end, your headache will go away.”
This execution becomes a turning point in the life of Pontius Pilate; it haunts him all his life, because he executed an innocent man whose crime did not deserve such punishment. To atone for his guilt, Pilate orders the death of Judas, but this does not bring Yeshua back, and the procurator suffers for twelve thousand moons...
Woland tells what is happening to Pilate: “He says the same thing, he says that even in the moonlight he has no peace, and that he has a bad position. This is what he always says when he is not sleeping, and when he sleeps, he sees the same thing - the lunar road and wants to go along it and talk with the prisoner Ga-Notsri, because, as he claims, he did not say something back then, a long time ago , the fourteenth of the spring month of Nisan. But, alas, for some reason he fails to take this road and no one comes to him. Then, what can you do, he has to talk to himself. However, some variety is needed, and to his speech about the moon he often adds that most of all in the world he is not-| he sees his immortality and unheard-of glory.” An attempt to justify oneself by one’s “bad position,” the same as that of the centurion Mark the Rat-Slayer, cannot drown out the voice of conscience. Even washing his hands does not allow him to remove this grave sin from his conscience. Immortality is the heaviest punishment Pilate receives. Yeshua comes to him in visions until Pilate, freed by the master, joins Ha-Nozri on moonlit path not only in vision, but also in reality. Then Pilate finds peace, assured by Yeshua that there was no execution. The ending brings Pilate forgiveness.
Bulgakov neglects many gospel facts for the sake of revealing the image of Pilate. Unlike Yeshua, the author condemns his hero. It is important for him to draw a parallel between that time and Moscow in the 20s, to prove that people have remained the same, and cowardice always remains the most serious vice.