Sebastian Roché: Longinus

Quotes 

• Longinus : I know better than anyone what happened that day on Golgotha.

  Pasolinus : How?

  [Longinus' suddenly ages to appear as a 400-year-old man] 

  Longinus : I was there. Just a humble soldier who did his duty.

  [grabs Nilus by the throat] 

  Longinus : Shall I show this one the mercy I did the Christ?

• Pasolinus : Well, finally I get to meet the Counsel Longinus, rumored to be the genius behind many prospering men... and women. No enemies... alive.

  Longinus : Reputation is everything.

  Pasolinus : But what about the truth? Who are you? What do you seek at the far edge of the empire?

  Longinus : I could ask you the same question.

• Longinus : Do you know who you're dining with?

  Queen Diana : Yes - power! Don't you think it suits me?

  Longinus : Pasolinus is a Red Boot, Diana - part of the emperor's secret guard.

  Queen Diana : So?

  Longinus : His assignment is to document the history of the empire - with the proper slant, of course. Control the truth, you control the masses.

  Queen Diana : Well, I guess I should be flattered.

  Longinus : He's not interested in you and he's certainly not after any stolen military plans.

• Longinus : I understand you're writing the story of the empire. This wouldn't include the story of the Christ?

  Pasolinus : I will neither confirm nor deny anything.

  Longinus : Of course not, but if you were writing such a tale... The story of the Savior fascinates me. I'm curious. How did he actually die? His last breath?

  Pasolinus : He was suffering on the cross, close to his moment and their came a centurion who finished him off with a spear. Imagine how that pathetic creature felt the next day.

  Longinus : If was an act of mercy.

  Pasolinus : Mercy? You're talking heresy.

  Longinus : He was sent to break the Christ's bones, but instead he chose to use the spear to end his agony. The truth is, he was already dead.

  Pasolinus : Perhaps *you* should write the history.

• Longinus : There was a prophecy: none of the Christ's bones would be broken.

  Pasolinus : So that he might rise again.

  Longinus : You will write that I helped fulfill his destiny. You will write the truth - my truth.

  [Nilus whimpers in Longinus' grip] 

  Longinus : Do we understand each other?

• Longinus : In spite of appearances, I'm still human.

• Longinus : They haven't made a saint of me... yet.

  Queen Diana : Yet?

  Longinus : Pasolinus knows who I am now. In exchange for my sotry, he's promised to mark me down as a man of grace... a saint! If you can't change history, at least you can rewrite it.

• Longinus : All human history reduced to "me", "my", "mine".