Pondering Pontius Pilate

What I have written, I have written.
Pontius Pilate, John, 19:22

The Oracle of Ottawa has always been fascinated by Pontius Pilate; as a man and a civil servant and of course, of the role he played in the death of Jesus Christ. Unknown to most people, Pontius Pilate came from a very good and noble Roman Family, The Pontii's. He was of the Equestrian Order, that is of the second highest tier of Roman society. He no doubt busted his chops in the Roman Legions. He, also, in all probability, traveled near and far in the service of his emperor and his empire.

Ecce Homo...

Now the one thing that has always made the Oracle of Ottawa wonder is what did he do to get a crap posting to the Roman Province of Judea? Was it the head stand over the head table punch bowl at some Senator's daughters wedding in Rome, while he was home on leave from his Legion? Such actions in the beginning of a career can have long and devastating consequences as we all know. Such a question, and the answer to it are lost in the mauzy fogs of history.

Now just at the time that Pontius Pilate was posted to Judea as prefect (26CE-36CE), the Roman Empire was approaching its greatest extent. Practically the whole known world was under the governance of the Roman Empire. Ponder that! No internet, no telegraph, no printing and yet the last remanent of the Roman Empire did not die until 1453CE  with the fall of Constantinople! It has to be obvious to the modern person of today that the Romans had something going on.

Pilate Stone - Pilate was a real man...

 With all this in mind, and the fact that the "thinking about thinking" project reading has lead the Oracle of Ottawa to reread the New Testament, again, it was with a startling revelation upon reading the introductory quote of this piece that the Oracle of Ottawa totally understands the role that Pilate played in the fulfillment of ancient scripture and in turn the creation of the new covenant as fulfilled by God's only Son. The Oracle of Ottawa realized that at the end of the Passion of Christ, that Pontius Pilate was converted! And he successfully fulfilled his destiny as the vessel to whom ancient prophecy called.

We know from the Gospel of Matthew that Pilates wife  dreamt of the coming troubles that Jesus Christ would bring upon her house and her husband. And it all came to unfold as intense experiences do, in a very fast blur indeed. If a person is very well versed in the history of the time and all the constraints that Pilate was operating under, he proved to be in the end, a very ethical man indeed. He was sitting on a rather explosive situation. He only had about 3,000 centurions at hand. If an insurrection had of broken out, all of Judea would have went up in a fireball! Pontius Pilate was between a rock and very hard place.

The Oracle of Ottawa has often tried to imagine what it would have been really like to be on the ground at this momentus time. For a real exercise in leadership and management procedures try to imagine what it would have been like from Pilates toga and sandals! But upon reflection he seems to have taken the advice of Jesus himself. Pontius Pilate rendered unto Caesar what was Caesar's and rendered unto God what was God's...

Pilate with his hands full. What would you have done?

The Next Pope - My Top Three Picks

In the Bible poverty is a scandalous condition inimical to human dignity and therefore contrary to the will of God.
Gustavo Gutierrez, A Theology Of Liberation, p. 165

The Oracle of Ottawa was mildly shocked at the news of the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI as it rolled past the bottom off my screen on the news crawler while I was checking the market open. It was in no way the feeling of utter dejection that the Oracle of Ottawa felt at his election! And I remember the occasion very clearly. The inside power of Opus Dei had a lot to do with this screw-up. At the time I felt it was all going to be a total fail, and history has proven me correct.

Of course the world bookmakers have already opened book on the next Pontiff. But what are the qualities that the Oracle of Ottawa and all the world want in the next Pope? It has to be someone of the political left, and it has to be someone that understands that the social contracts of the world are under constant attack. It has to be someone that understands that the Roman Catholic Church is only as big and powerful as its members. With all that in mind the Oracle of Ottawa will share his picks for the next Pope. I will start with my third choice, ending with my favorite last.

Cardinal Francis Arinze

 For my third choice, the Oracle of Ottawa has to go with the book-makers favorite at 3-1 odds. And that gentleman is Cardinal Francis Arinze,of Nigeria. He is a strapping, good looking man but alas he is 80 years old at the time of this writing.... Hugely respected, but in tight with the right wing that made him. At the end of the day, not a chance.

Cardinal Luis Tagle - The Prince...

 My second choice is Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. Aged 55! And now presently the Archbishop of Manila and Cardinal of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. Deeply involved in many social issues, and being from the Philippines, the Oracle of Ottawa has heard there are quite a few of those presently outstanding in his patch. This guy seems to have the iron and the spine of a real Italian Prince. And he is sharp as hell (or rather heck), in that it is recorded that he could recite the complete Rosary at the age of three years. No doubt a good choice, but guys like this scare the hell out of the Oracle of Ottawa!

For the Oracle of Ottawa's first choice a small disclaimer must first be stated in that all this data and biographies are in earnest. The Oracle of Ottawa is not having the dear reader on, and that the Oracle of Ottawa takes this issue seriously. It is just that my favorite choice, not even the Oracle of Ottawa could make this up! 

Cardinal Reinhard Marx (seriously...)

The Oracle of Ottawa's first choice for the next Pope is Cardinal Reinhard Marx  (59 years old), former Bishop of Trier, Germany, really! Like the Oracle of Ottawa said, you can't make this up! And pardon me but there is a warm resemblance to Karl Marx, which really makes the Oracle of Ottawa wonder could he be even distantly related? And the good Cardinal has written a book recently (2008) entitled "Das Kapital: A Plea For Man" !! The good Cardinal truly believes that capitalism and the messes it creates requires a "fundamental social debate" Amen to that Your Eminence!! Now if you are a clever Catholic punter, the Oracle of Ottawa is sure that you could get the good Cardinal at around 500-1 at your local bookmaker, and the more the Oracle digs on Cardinal Reinhard Marx the more he is very impressed. This is the Pope the whole world really, really needs. And right now, if not sooner!! 

This is the Pope the Holy Roman Catholic Church  and the whole world needs. Now, Right freaking NOW!!

The Lost City of Ani

All along the watchtower, princess kept the view,
While all the women came and went; barefoot servants too...
Bob Dylan, All Along The Watchtower, 1967

On a barren plain, on a most north eastern point of present day Turkey, lie the ruins of the lost city of Ani. It fell for the last time sometime around 1064 A.D. It was a strongly fortified, yet cosmopolitan city of over 200,000 people. It was known in ancient chronicles as the city of forty gates and one thousand and one church's! It was no doubt its position on the Silk Road, that was the source of its wealth.  Even though it was strongly fortified it was intellectually an open city for many century's. Along with all the Christian church's there are still remains of a Mosque and a fire temple of uncertain origin. Since big business was going on it would be very interesting to research how many Jewish temples were within the city walls. It is interesting to note that Ani in Hebrew means "I am"! (Right?)

Church of The Mother of God  - Ani...

 The Oracle of Ottawa was shocked that he had never heard of this city and its imperial story! It was recently featured on the front daily page of  Wikipedia sometime over the Christmas holidays last. The Oracle of Ottawa knows for certain that Gibbon did not mention it in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire! And the Oracle of Ottawa read the whole work and it is quiet surprising that Edward Gibbon missed that awesome story!

If you Google it there is a ton about  the great lost city. There are also some very haunting present day videos that have been shot by recent tourists and posted to You-Tube! Yet it does not turn up in any of my reference books that I keep a large store of in the fortified bunker! And the more you watch those modern video captures, the more you will become entranced by the magic of Ani.

Inside the ruins of Saint Gregory's...

The Oracle of Ottawa can't stop imagining the great caravans of animals that must have stopped and rested in Ani. They would be as long as the eye could see. Easily over one thousand animals under load, not counting the extensive outriders that such a high value load of goods would require. All this over a thousand years ago! It simply boogles the modern mind! And although the Oracle of Ottawa has lived for over a half century this is the first that I have ever heard about it. There is also an extensive cave network in the confines of the lost city, could there be lost works or even original manuscripts hidden away from the sackers and looters? Ani, the city of forty gates and a thousand and one churches....

The magic of the Lost City of Ani! Perhaps a future UNESCO World Heritage site? What a haunting story...