John 18:38 is the 38th verse in chapter 18 of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of Christian Bible. Following this statement, Pilate tells the complainant authorities outside that he does not river bear bacon Jesus guilty of any crime.
37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
You say that I am a king. Instead, in fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me. Ego nullam invenio in eo causam. 38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.
I find no basis for a charge against him. The exact intention of Pilate has been subject to debate among scholars, with no firm conclusion. His statement may have been made in jest that the trial was a mockery, or he may have actually intended to reflect on the philosophical position that truth is hard to ascertain. This verse reflects the Christian tradition of the “guiltlessness of Jesus” in Pilate’s Court. The innocence of Jesus is important in the Gospel of John, given that it emphasizes Jesus as the Lamb of God. During his prayer in Gethsemane, Jesus tells God, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. In addition to the guiltlessness of Jesus this verse also reflects the rejection of the truth of God: Jesus, the witness to truth was rejected, ignored and condemned.
This verse has been widely quoted and alluded to in culture and literature, particularly in that of philosophical nature. While Pilate’s question—whether intended philosophically, jestfully, rhetorically, or born of frustration at the lack of a plain answer—is by no means the only incident of someone questioning the nature of truth, it has been drawn upon many times as a significant occurrence thereof. Francis Bacon uses this musing to open his essay Of Truth, saying that Pilate “would not stay for an answer”. He uses this to introduce his theme of truth as an affirmation of faith. Do I still have to add that in the entire New Testament there is only one solitary figure one is obliged to respect? To take a Jewish affair seriously – he cannot persuade himself to do that. One Jew more or less – what does it matter ?
Mikhail Bulgakov fictionally expands on the relationship between Pilate and Jesus in his novel Master and Margarita. Specific reference to John 18:38 comes in Chapter 2 of the novel entitled “Pontius Pilate”, in which he asks the very question “What is truth? Pilate, and would not stay for an answer. Pilate was in advance of his time. For ‘truth’ itself is an abstract noun, a camel, that is, of a logical construction, which cannot get past the eye even of a grammarian. Home Truths, David Lodge lets the writer Adrian Ludlow quote “What is truth? Pilate, and would not stay for an answer” when he is interviewed by the journalist Fanny Tarrant, known for her vicious and perhaps not entirely truthful interviews.
Roman judge, and washed his hands. Jubal wished that he could do likewise. The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete New Testament by Warren W. Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially members of the Sanhedrin. The term also occurs in v.