Recently, the town of Hergiswil in Central Switzerland, which is on the shores of the famous and beloved by tourists, and by the Swiss themselves, Lake Lucerne, is notorious.
Bloody hand
This summer and autumn, several people at once, after contemplating the sunset on the banks of the Firwaldstettersee, ended up in a local hospital. A typical case of one elderly Englishwoman: she had a stroke. In the hospital, she came to herself and repeated the strange words: "Hand in the lake." The phrase, mysterious to the uninitiated, immediately became clear to local doctors. It turned out that the bloody human hand, which is mentioned in the ancient chronicles, again began to appear in the evenings over the water of the lake, frightening those who witnessed the strange event. But what is it, whose hand? Tradition says: Pontius Pilate himself. Yes, yes, that very ancient Roman governor, the procurator of Judea, who allowed Jesus Christ to be crucified … The hand of the one who washed his hands.
Can't believe that Pilate ended up in Switzerland? Let's turn to toponymy - the science of place names. The Pilatus mountain range in quiet and prosperous Switzerland is located on the border of its two cantons - Obwalden and Nidwalden. Many tourists and locals also admire the Pilatus mountain peak, which is 2,132 meters high. Pilatus - that is, Pilate? Where does this name come from in the Alps?
Murderer or Victim?
What do we know about Pontius Pilate? Historians do not deny the existence of this man, who is mentioned in the Gospels. He died at the age of 49. Pilate fell into disgrace and was exiled. The Roman emperor Tiberius did not favor the procurator after the unsuccessful "work" of that in the rebellious province of Judea. Let us recall that ancient historians wrote about Pontius Pilate: Josephus Flavius in the work "The Jewish War" and the great Tacitus. The Gospels also speak of him in great detail.
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You, of course, remember the gospel story. According to Jewish tradition, one of three criminals sentenced to death could be pardoned. Pilate wanted to let go of the strange Nazarene Jesus, whom the disciples called the messenger of God, the Messiah, Christ. However, the violent crowd demanded that the robber and murderer Barabbas be released. Jesus was to die a painful death.
The Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, followed the lead of the distraught people - in the end, he didn't care. However, the procurator felt that Jesus was worthy of life. Reluctance to provoke a riot prevailed over conscience and intuition. Pilate gave the crowd Barabbas to live. But before that, the procurator publicly, in front of the entire crowd, washed his hands in front of the palace. Thus he wanted to show, according to the ancient custom, that he relieves himself of responsibility for sin. It is since then that they say "wash your hands", which means "get rid of responsibility for what you have done." Pilate was tormented by doubts. He kept repeating that “he is innocent of the blood of this Righteous One” … The Procurator did not want, as they say, to add fuel to the fire: to cause a riot by his decision.
After the crucifixion and the apparent death of Christ, Pilate could not calm down. What is Truth? What should be the justice? He could find no answer. In the evening, getting ready to drink wine and dine, Pilate reached for the bowl and suddenly saw a cross-shaped stain on his hand. In horror, the procurator tried to wash off the bloody mark, but it only increased, gradually covering the entire hand. The “bloody” hand remained like this forever.
Pilate fell into depression. His wife, realizing what had happened, tried to somehow cheer up her husband, but it was all in vain. The procurator indulged in heavy thoughts, nothing pleased him. He essentially abandoned the administration of a complex province, where riots flared up constantly. Rumors reached Rome about riots in Judea and Pilate's strange behavior.
The enraged Emperor Tiberius demanded an account. Pontius Pilate appeared before the emperor, as Jesus once before him. Tiberius was severe, and Pilate was thrown into prison. The authorities spared the aristocrat, albeit in their own way: the procurator was offered to choose death. Either public execution or suicide. He, like a real Roman, chose suicide - a terrible sin, according to the teachings of Christ.
Path after death
The posthumous fate of Pilate is hidden under a veil of secrecy. Only legends tell us about what happened to the body of the procurator.
After all, the lifeless body of Pilate, who had cut his veins in a warm bath, was thrown into the waters of the Tiber. And they instantly turned the color of blood. An unprecedented pouring rain began, a thunderstorm broke out. The Tiber overflowed its banks. In horror, the Romans rescued themselves and their property from the bloody waters.
Tiberius understood the connection between the disaster and Pilate's body thrown into the river. By order of the emperor, the slaves fished him out of the river … The Tiber calmed down, the flood stopped, the sky cleared of black clouds.
Tiberius figured out what to do with the accursed body of Pilate: to take him away from Rome, deep into the vast empire stretching from the Atlantic to the Asian deserts. The corpse was taken to wild Gaul, which is now called France. The legionnaires threw Pilate's body into the deep Rhone River in the area of modern Vienne. However, the horrors of flooding in Rome were repeated here. Rona carried away entire settlements and fortified Roman outposts. The soldiers understood: the dead body of the accursed Pontius Pilate brings trouble wherever it may be.
The emperor's order had to be carried out. And the legionnaires moved further deeper into the conquered territories, up the Rhone. So they reached the shores of Lake Geneva. Exhausted by the campaign, the Romans tried to simply drown Pilate's body in this huge reservoir. However, it was not there. Waves of unimaginable heights hit the shores of a lake that was so calm. The rivers flowing into Lake Geneva turned their waters back. The settlements on the shores were destroyed. People were saving themselves from the enraged elements. By the way, archaeological excavations on the shores of Lake Geneva and research by geologists have confirmed the fact that about two thousand years ago, a strange tsunami arose on a quiet and calm alpine lake.
And the Romans moved on with the body of Pilate, cursed forever, thrown ashore. They passed their powerful fortification and town (now the city of Nyon and the archaeological museum of Roman times are located on this site).
Crimson waters
The legionnaires reached another large reservoir, which would later be called Ferwaldstät, “the lake of the four cantons”. The Romans prayed to their gods that the waters of this lake would finally accept the body of the procurator. Several hidden Christians, who were among other people in the marching column, also prayed to the Lord for the burial of the body of the sinner. Finally, in the evening, Pilate's body, hidden in a lead coffin, was lowered into the waters of Lake Lucerne.
Everyone was waiting: what will happen next? Will the waters of the lake be disturbed? But the water remained quiet. In just an instant, she suddenly turned blood red. And from her suddenly appeared the hand of the procurator! It appeared and disappeared …
Fear gripped everyone present. After a restless night, the soldiers set off on their way back without looking back. They wanted to return to Rome as soon as possible and tell the emperor about the end of their mission and the terrible signs they had witnessed.
Since then, notoriety has accompanied these places. Unexpected hurricanes, floods, lightning strikes have become almost common in the vicinity of the town of Hergiswil. Once a year, frightened locals saw Pontius Pilate in crimson robes, who towered over the water in the middle of the lake. The ghost of the procurator always appeared on Good Friday.
It is said that in 1585 a presbyter from Lucerne prayed earnestly, celebrated Mass and finally consecrated the waters of Lake Lucerne. Pontius Pilate and his bloody hand stopped frightening people. But before the outbreak of World War II, terrible visions resumed. Recently, they have again terrified the Swiss and guests of the country. What this means is still unknown …
Magazine: Secrets of the 20th century №53. Author: Werner Brunmann, Switzerland