By Dr. Tony Keddie, University of British Columbia — The Conversation Canada — 30 March 2021
Handwashing has received substantial coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic, and not just for hygiene. You may have encountered accusations that politicians have “washed their hands” of pandemic responsibilities — a reference that derives from iconic biblical scripture describing events preceding Jesus’s crucifixion. In the Gospel of Matthew, Roman governor Pontius Pilate washes his hands before a crowd, simultaneously assenting to Jesus’s execution while claiming no personal responsibility.
Historically, representations of Pilate’s handwashing have often been used to shift blame for Jesus’s death to Jews, and have been part of a toxic legacy of Christian antisemitism. The New Testament gospels were written during decades following the destruction of the Jerusalem temple by the Romans in 70 CE, a period of rampant anti-Judaism. The gospel authors stressed that Jesus opposed the Jewish authorities and was not found guilty by the Roman governor, thus shifting blame to Jewish leaders. Through early Christian writers, Pilate became an increasingly positive figure — some considered him a Christian “in his conscience;” the Coptic Church proclaimed him a saint in the sixth century.
The pattern of exonerating Pilate by blaming Jewish leaders is unmistakable in Matthew’s gospel. It includes a “blood curse” — the basis of a toxic formula that Christians have used to justify centuries of anti-Jewish violence: “His blood be on us and on our children.” This anti-Jewish interpretation eventually led to negative characterizations of Pilate himself as a Jew during the medieval period in Europe — a time when Christians blamed Jews for plagues.
Today, accusations of political handwashing can rightly seek to hold leaders accountable. But the expression should also remind us of the dangers of scapegoating. As seen under former President Trump’s pandemic leadership, when leaders distinguish themselves through scapegoating, this can facilitate a dangerous redistribution of guilt to marginalized and racialized communities. The history of Pilate’s handwashing is stained by malicious attempts to define Christian identity through the demonization of Jewish others. Whether seeking to explain problems, to hold people accountable, or to assert our own identities, we must do so in ways that do not dehumanize anyone.