‘What is truth?’ Pilate’s question echoes down the centuries, long after he asked it of Jesus.
His query was prompted by Jesus’s claim that he came into this world ‘to testify to the truth’ and that ‘everyone on the side of truth listens to me’ (John 18.37). Significantly, Pilate did not wait for a reply to his question, but turned his back on the Truth and gave in to the cries of the crowd and the lies of the religious leaders.
Are justice and equality the same?
A question closely related to Pilate’s famous query is, ‘What is justice?’ For, as the trial of Jesus demonstrates, without truth there can be no justice. Justice is undermined by lies, be they the lies of the accused, the witnesses, police-officers or judges. For justice to prevail, truth is essential. Therefore, in our courts, witnesses are directed to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
