Pontius Pilate was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of Jesus and ultimately ordered his crucifixion. Pilate’s importance in modern Christianity is underscored by his prominent place in both the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds. Due to the Gospels’ portrayal of Pilate as reluctant to execute Jesus, the Ethiopian Church believes that Pilate became a Christian and venerates him as both a martyr and a saint, a belief which is historically shared by the Coptic Church. Although Pilate is the best-attested governor of Judaea, few sources regarding his rule have survived. Nothing is known about his life before he became governor of Judaea, and nothing is known about the circumstances that led to his appointment to the governorship. The Jewish historian Josephus, the philosopher Philo of Alexandria and the Gospel of Luke all mention incidents of tension and violence between the Jewish population and Pilate’s administration. Many of these incidents involve Pilate acting in ways that offended the religious sensibilities of the Jews. The Christian Gospels record that Pilate ordered the crucifixion of Jesus at some point during his time in office; Josephus and the Roman historian Tacitus also record this information. According to Josephus, Pilate’s removal from office occurred because he violently suppressed an armed Samaritan movement at Mount Gerizim. He was sent back to Rome by the legate of Syria to answer for this incident before Tiberius, but the emperor died before Pilate arrived in Rome. Nothing is known about what happened to him after this event. On the basis of events which were documented by the second-century pagan philosopher Celsus and the Christian apologist Origen, most modern historians believe that Pilate simply retired after his dismissal.
Appearance List Literature: Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), Quran, The King James Version of the Bible, the De Pilato (c. 1050), Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine (1263–1273 CE), Anatole France’s “Le Procurateur de Judée” (1892), George Bernard Shaw’s On the Rocks (1933), Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita (1966). Film: The King of Kings (1927), The Last Days of Pompeii (1935), The Robe (1953), Ben-Hur (1959), Ponzio Pilato (1962), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965). Comics: Popular Comics #44 (1939), The Life of Christ Visualized #3 (1943), Treasure Chest of Fun and Fact vol. 7 #10 (#116, January 17, 1952), Classics Illustrated #147 – Ben Hur (November 1958), Four Color #1052 – Ben Hur (December 1959-February 1960), Treasure Chest of Fun and Fact vol. 15 #13 (#279, February 25, 1960), Four Color #1236 – King of Kings (December 1961-February 1962).
Sample Read The King James Version of the Bible [PG]
Description Pontius Pilate was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of Jesus and ultimately ordered his crucifixion. Pilate’s importance in modern Christianity is underscored by his prominent place in both the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds. Due to the Gospels’ portrayal of Pilate as reluctant to execute Jesus, the Ethiopian Church believes that Pilate became a Christian and venerates him as both a martyr and a saint, a belief which is historically shared by the Coptic Church. Although Pilate is the best-attested governor of Judaea, few sources regarding his rule have survived. Nothing is known about his life before he became governor of Judaea, and nothing is known about the circumstances that led to his appointment to the governorship. The Jewish historian Josephus, the philosopher Philo of Alexandria and the Gospel of Luke all mention incidents of tension and violence between the Jewish population and Pilate’s administration. Many of these incidents involve Pilate acting in ways that offended the religious sensibilities of the Jews. The Christian Gospels record that Pilate ordered the crucifixion of Jesus at some point during his time in office; Josephus and the Roman historian Tacitus also record this information. According to Josephus, Pilate’s removal from office occurred because he violently suppressed an armed Samaritan movement at Mount Gerizim. He was sent back to Rome by the legate of Syria to answer for this incident before Tiberius, but the emperor died before Pilate arrived in Rome. Nothing is known about what happened to him after this event. On the basis of events which were documented by the second-century pagan philosopher Celsus and the Christian apologist Origen, most modern historians believe that Pilate simply retired after his dismissal.
