Praetorium

The Praetorium in the Bible

In the New Korean Revised Version, the term gwanjeong ("Praetorium") appears in the accounts of Jesus' Passion.

• Matthew 27:27 The governor's soldiers take Jesus into the Praetorium (KJV: "the common hall"), gather the whole band of soldiers, put a scarlet robe on him, and set a crown of thorns on his head to mock him.
• Mark 15:16 Describes the same scene. Here the New Korean Revised Version transliterates the same word, rendering it "the courtyard called Praetorium" (KJV: "the hall, called Praetorium").
• John 18:28, 18:33, 19:9 The Jewish leaders lead Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium (KJV: "the hall of judgment" or "the judgment hall"). They do not enter it themselves, so that they will not be defiled before eating the Passover. As a result, Pontius Pilate goes back and forth between the inside and the outside of the Praetorium as he questions Jesus.

The "Pavement" (Gabbatha) of John 19:13, where Pilate sat down on the judgment seat to pronounce sentence, is also understood to be a place connected with the Praetorium.

Background

The Korean term gwanjeong is a Sino-Korean word (官庭) meaning "the court of a government office." The underlying Greek word is praitōrion, derived from the Latin praetorium. The term originally referred to the commander's tent in a Roman military camp. It later came to mean the official residence or headquarters of a provincial governor.

The Roman governor of Judea is known to have normally resided in Caesarea, coming up to Jerusalem at times when unrest was feared, such as during the festivals. In Acts 23:35 the Korean versions render the same Greek word as "Herod's palace" in Caesarea (KJV: "Herod's judgment hall"). In Philippians 1:13 it is rendered "the palace guard" (KJV: "the palace"). The New Korean Standard Version generally translates this word in the Gospels as "the governor's residence."

Biblical Significance

In the Gospels, the Praetorium is the place where the trial of Jesus passes from a religious proceeding to a trial before the Roman governor. It is also the place where Gentile power mocks Jesus and hands him over to crucifixion. Many commentators see irony in John's account: the Jewish leaders take care to preserve their ritual purity even as they hand an innocent man over to death.

Interpretations and Debates

• Location Scholars differ on where the Praetorium in Jerusalem was located. Some identify it with the Antonia Fortress north of the Temple; others, with Herod's palace on the western hill. The Way of the Cross (Via Dolorosa) walked by pilgrims today traditionally begins near the Antonia Fortress. In recent years, however, many scholars have tended to favor Herod's palace.
• The stone pavement A stone pavement beneath a convent in Jerusalem was at one time presented as Gabbatha. However, some scholars date this pavement to around the second century, later than the time of Jesus, which makes it difficult to identify it simply with the place mentioned in the text.
• The timing of the Passover On the basis of John 18:28, interpreters are divided over whether John and the Synoptic Gospels record different dates for the Last Supper and the Passover.

In the Korean Church

The Praetorium scene is frequently used as a sermon text on Jesus' Passion during Holy Week. On pilgrimages to the Holy Land in Israel, candidate sites for the Praetorium are presented along with the Way of the Cross.