Pontius Pilate

Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea from AD 26 to 36. He ordered Jesus to be put to death on a cross around AD 30 or 33.

As the governor of Judea, Pilate controlled the Roman forces and the temple, including its funds. He alone could order criminals to be punished with death (see John 18:31). Therefore, the Jewish authorities had to present charges to Pilate to have Jesus killed (Mark 15:1–4).

Pilate often acted harshly as governor. He took temple funds to build a 56-kilometer (35-mile) aqueduct for Jerusalem. This led to a major protest from the people. In response, Pilate sent soldiers in disguise to the crowds. They beat the protesters to death with clubs (Josephus, War 2.9.4; Antiquities 18.3.2).

On another occasion, Pilate killed some Galileans while they were offering sacrifices at the temple (Luke 13:1). This incident might have caused tension with the Galilean ruler Herod Antipas. Pilate also attempted to bring images of Caesar into Jerusalem for worship. Later, in AD 36, Pilate killed pilgrims who followed a Samaritan false prophet. This event led to his removal by Emperor Tiberius in the same year.

Each Gospel describes Pilate's role in the death of Jesus (Matthew 27:11–26; Mark 15:1:1–15; Luke 23:1–25; John 18:28–19:16; see also Acts 3:13; 4:27; 13:28; 1 Timothy 6:13). After questioning Jesus, Pilate believed Jesus did not deserve death. He tried to return the case to the Jewish authorities. When they refused, he attempted to send Jesus to Herod Antipas, who also declined. Pilate then tried to use a Roman tradition of releasing a prisoner during Passover.

Meanwhile, his wife was troubled by a dream about "that innocent man" (Matthew 27:19). However, the crowd became threatening, and Jewish leaders suggested Pilate was not taking the threat Jesus posed to Rome seriously. Pilate gave in to their pressure. He ordered Jesus to be whipped and crucified, with the title "King of the Jews" on a sign above him. Pilate did this only after strongly objecting and declaring himself innocent of this unjust death (Matthew 27:18–25; Mark 15:14; Luke 23:4, 13–23; John 18:38; 19:4–16). Pilate's attitude shows that Jesus was not a threat to Rome, only to the Jewish leaders. This might have been important for later Christians, who were seen as a threat to Rome.

After Jesus died, Pilate allowed Joseph of Arimathea to take the body of Jesus from the cross and bury it (Matthew 27:57–61; Mark 15:42–46; Luke 23:50–53; John 19:38–42). Pilate also let the Jewish leaders seal the tomb to prevent anyone from stealing the body or making false claims about Jesus rising from the dead (Matthew 27:62–66).

We do not know much about what happened to Pilate after he was removed as governor in AD 36. A church historian named Eusebius wrote that Pilate killed himself during the time when Caligula was the Roman emperor, from AD 37 to 41 (Eusebius, Church History 2.7).

Passages for Further Study

Matthew 27:2, 11–26, 57–58, 62–65; Mark 15:1–15, 43–45; Luke 3:1; 13:1; 23:1–25, 52; 18:28–19:16; 19:31, 38; Acts 3:13; 4:27; 13:28; 1 Timothy 6:13