"The Jews never had a custom of freeing prisoners on Passover, and there is no evidence that the Romans had any such customary pardon either──not that Pilate would ever have offered to release a convicted murderer and anti-Roman insurrectionist even if there was such a custom! There have been many attempts to justify the historical veracity of this so-called 'Privilegium Paschale.' Roman and Jewish records have been ransacked in the search for supporting evidence, but without success." (David Fitzgerald) 
"The world is my country; all of humanity are my brethren; and to do good deeds is my religion." (Thomas Paine)
