Rating: 
Summary: Very Well Done!
Review: This is a very enjoyable book. Ann Wroe, in the preface says that there is almost no specific information available about the life of Pilate. Yet, much can be extrapolated from what is known about governors of Roman provinces during the early Empire. Wroe interweaves this information with depictions of Pilate throughout the centuries. She has done an amazing job of research and writes very well. I enjoyed reading Pontius Pilate very much.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautifully written, frustrating book
Review: Without a doubt, Ann Wroe is a great writer, and this a beautifully written book about a complex and obscure topic. She has an excellent grasp of the subject, a wonderful imagination, and was a real joy to read. However, it has many flaws. The biggest is the complete lack of goodies - no citations, no maps, no illustrations whatsoever. She also didn't even reprint in full the few sources available, i.e. the Gospels, Josephus, & Philo of Alexandrea. On the other hand, Wroe has an obsession with medieval passion plays, which aren't really relevant to the subject. The history of Judea under the procurators is mentioned often but not really discussed in detail. She has little respect for the Gospels, or for Christianity in general, but this is normal and acceptable by today's standards. This is a good but not great book, and is worth reading, but I was dissappointed. It's more a long 400 page essay than a true biography or history.
Rating: 
Summary: absolutely mesmerizing
Review: Wroe has taken every scrap of information she could find about Pilate and woven a beautiful tapestry by synthesizing it all through her stunning imagination and beautiful prose.If you're looking for a work of archeology: NO. If you're looking for an affirmation of dogmatic faith: NO. If you're looking for a wonderfully written meditation on history, ambition, power, doubt, and the power of myth, among other things: YES. Surely one of the best books I've read in my life, and that's saying something, I'd like to think.
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