| | Bible Question: Is
there more information on Pontius Pilate's wife, Claudia, besides
her dream and the fact that she told Pilate not to sentence Jesus
to death?
Bible Answer: The
only time the New Testament talks about Pilate's wife is in Matthew
27.
| | When
therefore they were gathered together, Pilate said to them,
“Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus
who is called Christ?” For he knew that because of envy
they had delivered Him up. And while he was sitting on the judgment
seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do
with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in
a dream because of Him.” (NASB) Matt. 27:17-19 |
Additional
information about Pilate's wife can be found outside of the Bible.
But we cannot be sure it is true since we have confidence only that
scripture speaks the truth. So the following information may not be
true. Here is what I found outside the Bible.
| | Information | Reference | |
| Name
of Pilate's wife was Procle. | Gospel
of Nicodemus, Part 1, Chapter 4 | |
| Pilate's
wife warned her husband "to take care that you do not agree
that any evil should happen to Jesus the good man . . ." | Gospel
of Nicodemus, Part 1, Chapter 4 | |
| Pilate's
wife was a worshipper of God and a Gentile convert to Judaism. | Gospel
of Nicodemus, Part 2, Chapter 2 | |
| Pilate's
wife became a Christian. | Gospel
of Matthew, by Origin. | |
The
Greek church made her a saint and honors her on October 27th. There
are no references from the early church fathers which claim her name
was "Claudia." There is a rumor that Pilate's wife was the
woman named Claudia in 2 Timothy 4:21. The best conclusion from the
early church fathers is that Claudia is not the name of Pilate's wife.
Conclusion: If
the above statements are true about her, she was one who feared God.
She had either heard about Jesus or seen Him and maybe heard Him herself.
What a wonderful turn of events if the executioner's wife became a
believer and a follower of the one her husband rejected. Many a husband
and wife today live in this situation. Either the wife believes or
the husband believes but not both. Today we call this unequally yoked.
Just think - Procle was the first one we know of who was unequally
yoked. This is a great reminder for us to remember and pray for those
who are married to non-Christians. Procle must have had a difficult
time in the days, months and years that followed Jesus' death. If
these accounts are true, God used these events to bring her to Jesus. | |
