the Romans. In later decades the Romans would forcibly suppress a number of religious movements, such as that of Theudas, but the era of Jesus was a largely peaceful one and there is no evidence of any such actions by Roman authorities in this period. Thus Pilate may not have been much concerned by someone calling himself a christ or messiah, but proclaiming oneself as King, and thus a rival to the emperor, would have been a greater concern. Jesus' response to Pilate is ambiguous. Various later scholars have interpreted it as an agreement with Pilate, a denial of the charge, and a response that does not commit either way. While others refer to Jesus with a series of titles, nowhere in Matthew does he refer to himself as messiah or king, a direct yes in response the question would have been out of character. Narratively the ambiguous reply does nothing to deny Jesus' messianic nature, but also does not have him admit the charges against him are correct, and thus the unjust nature of his execution is also maintained. Notes References 27:11