Pontius Pilate

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Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man"), Antonio Ciseri's depiction of Pontius Pilate showing a scourged Jesus to the people of Jerusalem.

Pontius Pilate (pronounced /ˈpɔnʧəs ˈpaɪlət/; Latin: Pontius Pilatus, Greek: Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος) was the governor of the Roman Iudaea province from 26 until 36. He is typically known as the sixth Procurator of Iudea. Some sources cite him as the fifth, though.^{[needs proving]} In modern times he is best known as the man who presided over the trial of Jesus and ordered his crucifixion.

Pilate appears in all four canonical Christian Gospels. Mark, demonstrating Jesus to be innocent of plotting against Rome, portrays Pilate as extremely reluctant to execute Jesus, blaming the Jewish hierarchy for his death.^[1] In Matthew, Pilate washes his hands of Jesus and reluctantly sends him to his death.^[1] In Luke, Pilate not only agrees that Jesus did not conspire against Rome but King Herod also finds nothing treasonous in Jesus' actions.^[1] In John, Jesus makes no claim to be the Son of Man or the Messiah to Pilate or to the Sanhedrin.^[1]

Tacitus mentions in his Annales (15,44):auctor nominis eius Christus Tibero imperitante per procuratorem Pontium Pilatum supplicio adfectus erat^[2] This has been translated as Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus^[3]

Philo of Alexandria (Leg. ad Caj. 38) and Flavius Josephus (Antiq. 18:3, 4 and Bell. II:9, 2-4) also mention him.

Until the 1960, where an inscription on the lighthouse of Caesarea was found, people believed Pilate was not real.

Pilate's biographical details before and after his appointment to Iudaea are unknown, but have been supplied by tradition, which include the detail that his wife's name was Procula (she is canonized as a saint in the Greek Orthodox Church).

Pilate's term serves as a reliable historical benchmark for Jesus' death.^{[needs proving]}

[change] Other websites

• Pilate in history; the Tiberieum dedication block
• The Administrative and Military Organization of Roman-occupied Palestine
• Pontius Pilate Texts and Jona Lendering's discussion of all sources
• fresh translation of texts and analysis of evidence by Mahlon H. Smith
• Jewish Encyclopedia: Pilate, Pontius
• Catholic Encyclopedia (1911): Pontius Pilate
• Encyclopaedia Britannica 1911: "Pontius pilate"
• The Hausen Legend of Pontius Pilate
• Brian Murdoch, "The Mors Pilati in the Cornish Resurrexio Domini
• Fictional Memoires of Pontius Pilate - at BBC Radio 4 by Douglas Hurd

[change] References

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