Chief Priests and Roman Authorities

[Jehanne]

Guys, you are forgetting to comment on
#2. Why did the chief priests, elders, scribes, Pharisees cooperate with the Roman authorities?

Because the Romans were reasonably tolerant, as conquerors go, of the religious beliefs and practices of the conquered. The chief priests, et al, didn’t wasn’t Jesus upsetting the apple cart. 

Again, it’s all part of the boilerplate for this variety of myth.

Boru

The Romans were federalists; they did not give a shit about the nutty beliefs of the peoples whom they conquered.  The Romans only asked for three things:  1)  Some taxes to be paid to Rome, 2)  Free trade and commerce throughout the Empire, and 3) Help in time of war.  If a conquered people would agree to #1, #2 and #3, the Romans pretty much left them alone, and they were allowed local rule.  As #2 and #3 lent stability at the expense of #1, most conquered peoples found Roman rule to be quite tolerable, if not benign.