Pilate asks, famously: “What is truth?” He isn’t asking a real question, but rather a rhetorical one. The modern-day equivalent would be for Pilate to say “Who am I to judge what truth is?” “What works for you may not work for me.” By asking the question, he is trying to force the stubborn reality of the situation (is this man the Son of God? should he release him, or have him crucified?) into an easier, more manageable mold. If truth can’t be determined, Pilate is not responsible for betraying it (or, in this case, Him.)

 

He is playing a language game.

And in our postmodern world, we play that game all the time, trying to make reality conform to our use of language.

To a certain degree, it is true that our language shapes how we react to reality, though that is not the same thing as saying it shapes reality itself.