“The very same. He has been not only my most loyal officer but my closest friend and adviser for many years. We first served together under Germanicus.”

“Would you have any objection to my speaking with him later?”

“None.”

“In any event, when you were certain that Jesus was dead you allowed Joseph to claim the body?”

“Yes. I have made it a common practice, except in extreme cases, to return the bodies of executed criminals to their families or friends for burial. I knew Joseph of Arimathea as a man of honor, who always paid his taxes in full and on time, and so I had no objection to his receiving the body, although I was surprised that he, a highly respected member of the Sanhedrin who had condemned Jesus, would dare compromise his position on the high court of the Jews by coming forth, in public, to claim his body. In retrospect,” Pilate said, glancing at the old man with chagrin, “I should never have released the remains to him.”

“Why not?”

“If the body had been thrown in a common grave, along with the other two who were crucified that day, Jesus of Nazareth would have been long forgotten by now. Our friend here, as you know, proceeded to bury the body in an elegant tomb, and when it was discovered empty it was not difficult for the ignorant and gullible to be convinced that Jesus had risen from the dead. Without that tomb’s false testimony we would not have that rabble, who now call themselves Christians, causing us more trouble with each passing day.”

“From what you say, Pilate, I take it you believe the body was removed from the tomb so that the people could be misled.”

“I do.”

“But didn’t Caiaphas come to you, on the day after Jesus was buried, warning you of what might happen? Didn’t he ask you for a guard to be posted at the tomb so that the followers of Jesus could not remove his body in order to claim that he had risen from the dead as Jesus had prophesied would happen?”

“I should have listened to him. Instead, because I was still raging at his treachery during the trial, I reminded him that I had washed my hands of the whole affair. I told him that my men had more important things to do than guard a dead man’s tomb, and if he wanted the grave watched he could use his own people.”

“In retrospect, then, you regret that decision too?”