Pontius Pilate (Procurator of Judea from 26 AD to 36 AD)

We learn about Pontius Pilate, the sixth procurator of Judea from the scriptures, Josephus the Jewish historian, and from Tacitus the Roman historian. Pilate was appointed procurator by Tiberius. He was a strong but sometimes capricious ruler who almost drove the Jews to open rebellion on two or three separate occasions. (See Luke 13: 1, 2 for example.) One of the first acts of his administration was to move his headquarters from Caesarea to Jerusalem, where he resided in Herod's palace. His soldiers marched into the "Holy City" carrying standards bearing the image of the "Divine Tiberius." This set off a wave of protest that threatened to topple his regime. After a five-day standoff in Jerusalem between his soldiers and intransigent Jewish zealots, he relented and had the standards removed, restoring peace.           The accounts of Pilate portray him as both decisive and ruthless on the one hand and weak and indecisive on the other. His indecision in the trial of Jesus has caused debate and speculation for almost 2000 years. It is his involvement with Christ during the arrest and "trial" that has secured his place in history. In 1961 excavations at Caesarea revealed a stone with his name inscribed on it. (See the illustration to the right.)           The early church historian Eusebius said that Pilate died by his own hand in 39 AD. Other traditions say that he was secretly a Christian and was executed by the Emporer Caligula. The Coptic Orthodox Church (mainly Ethiopians) consider Pilate and his wife Procla Christian martyrs and celebrate Pilate's Day on June 25th.           Pilate's name appears in the Biblical text 56 times, making him far and away the most frequently mentioned ruler in the New Testament. The passages where he plays an important role are: Matthew 27: 1, 2 and 11 - 26, Matthew 27: 57, 58, Matthew 27: 62 - 66, Mark 15: 1 - 20, Mark 15: 42 - 46, Luke 23: 1 - 25, John 18: 28 - 40, John 19: 15 - 22, and others.