Pontius Pilate
? - 36? CE
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Biography
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Not much is known about Pontius Pilate outside of his rule as Roman procurator (legal representative) of Judea (mainly parts of Palestine). The name Pontius itself is a nameholder for the Samnite clan of the Pontii, where he is from, yet his true first name is unknown. In his 10 years as a procurator, we know mainly of his unfavorable temperament towards Jews and his participation in the Trial of Jesus, his life beforehand and after his reign remains unknown.
F.A. Luby, Herod and Pontius Pilate Shake Hands, 1845
Soon after he began his reign in 26 CE, Pontius offended the majority of the Jewish population by having Roman troops carry military standards (banners) with the imperial image on it into Jerusalem during their winter encampment there. The Jewish population then staged a massive protest, and Pilate relented. He then appropriated Temple funds in order to build an aqueduct in this city, causing further protest, but Pilate didn’t relent this time. He planted his soldiers in the angry crowd massacred the protesters to crushing the resistance. After he ordered his soldiers to kill a group of Samaritan leaders during their religious ceremony, he was summoned to Rome to account for his conduct, but died en route, possibly by suicide.
G. Mochetti, A Remorseful Pilate Prepares to Kill Himself, 18th c.
[Note: There's no evidence Pilate was remorseful.]
Trial of Jesus
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Once Jesus was captured by Jewish police, he was brought to Annas (a former high priest of Judaism who still held considerable influence), who determined that Jesus was innocent of any secret activity against Jewish or Roman authorities by Jesus. Jesus was then taken before the Sanhedrin (the highest court of justice and the supreme council in Jerusalem) and Caiaphas the Elder (the current high priest). When asked by Caiaphas if he was truly the Son of God/the Messiah, he quoted a passage which was received as an affirmative statement. This did not work in Jesus’ favor, as the Sanhedrin then declared him guilty of blasphemy and liable to the extreme penalty of death on his suspected conspiracies.
J. Tissot, Jesus before Pilate, 19th c.
However, under Roman rule the Sanhedrin’s sentence was only declaratory, the execution would have to be carried out by the Roman procurator at the time -- Pontius Pilate. Pilate would have to confirm the sentence of guilty and determine the mode of execution before any action could be taken. Formally before Pilate, Jesus was brought up on charges of declaring himself a King, rabblerousing, and forbidding payment of taxes to the Emperor. Pilate’s initial judgement was that Jesus was not guilty of crimes against Roman law and that any ideas of him as a “king” was in fact a delusion or an internal affair within the Jewish community. Essentially, Pilate stated that it wasn’t really his problem. However, after the Sanhedrin forced him to reconsider, he sentenced Jesus to be crucified, a punishment for treason known to humiliate the guilty.