New Characters
Pontius Pilate: The fifth Roman procurator of Judea.

Mark Ratslayer: A Roman centurion.

Yeshua: A philosopher who has been arrested by the Romans for potentially causing unrest.

Matthew Levi: One of Yeshua’s followers.

Joseph Kaifa: The high priest of the Jews and president of the Sanhedrin.

Hooded Man (also known as “Aphranius”): A man who meets Pilate; he is later revealed as the head of the Roman secret police in Judea.

Summary
The professor continues his story, which begins with Pontius Pilate, the procurator of Judea, sitting in the “colonnade between the two wings of the palace of Herod the Great” early in the morning on the day before Passover. The weary Pilate is hounded by the smell of rose oil and must confirm the death sentence the accused man, Yeshua, faces. Two legionnaires bring in Yeshua, who is about 27 years old and dressed in an old chiton. Pilate begins interrogating Yeshua but, angered at being called “good man” by him, orders the centurion Mark Ratslayer to teach Yeshua a lesson. Mark Ratslayer whips Yeshua and tells him to call Pilate solely by the name “Hegemon.” Yeshua returns to Pilate and tells Pilate his name and that he comes from Gamala, which is in the north of Judea. Yeshua lacks a permanent home, does not know who his parents are, and has no family. Despite Pilate’s accusations, Yeshua denies calling for the temple building to be destroyed. He also says Matthew Levi, a former tax collector, ascribes false statements to Yeshua in his writings on his goatskin parchment. Nonetheless, Matthew Levi is Yeshua’s faithful companion.

The sick Pontius Pilate briefly longs for poison, then asks Yeshua, “What is truth?” Yeshua responds by saying the truth is that Pilate is sick and thinks of death, but he adds, “[Y]our suffering will soon be over.” Yeshua tells Pilate to get out of his palace and go for a walk with him. Pilate orders his hands to be unbound, and as their conversation proceeds, Yeshua denies he is a physician and proclaims, “[T]here are no evil people in the world.” Pilate concludes that Yeshua is mentally ill and, instead of being executed, will be put under confinement at Pilate’s residence in Stratonian Caesarea on the Mediterranean Sea. After reading a document on Yeshua, Pilate’s skin turns brown, his eyes sink, and he has a vision of Yeshua’s head being replaced by the head of the former Roman emperor Tiberius. Pilate quickly thinks “I’m lost!” and “We’re lost!” He recovers and, looking sharply at Yeshua, asks him if he has said anything against the great Caesar. In response, Yeshua says that he told Judas of Kiriath, just before being arrested, that “all authority is violence over people,” and when the kingdom of truth and justice comes, authority will disappear.

An outraged Pilate confirms Yeshua’s death sentence. He orders two centuries of Roman soldiers to transport Yeshua, as well as two other condemned men, to Bald Mountain to be executed. They leave, and Pilate meets with the high priest of the Jews, Joseph Kaifa, and informs Kaifa of Yeshua’s confirmed death sentence. However, he gives Kaifa the option of releasing Yeshua or another prisoner, Bar-Rabban, in honor of the Passover feast. Kaifa says Bar-Rabban will be released. Kaifa and Pilate then dispute Kaifa’s decision and debate the general relations between Romans and Jews. They manage to reconcile though, and Pilate goes up to a platform to tell a crowd of Jews that Bar-Rabban is being released. The three condemned men are taken toward Bald Mountain and, at around 10 A.M., Pilate heads...