PILATE, Pontius. —
I. Life
Roman procurator of Judea at the time of Jesus.A descendant of the Pontii family, of Samnite origin, already illustrious in the early days of the Roman Republic, P. is called a “knight” and must have been personally valiant, as seems to indicate the surname of P., probably derived from pilum, a javelin. He bore the title “friend of Caesar” (Jn 19:12), a sign of his nobility.
P. was the fifth Roman procurator of Judea. He succeeded Valerius Gratus in AD 26 and remained in office until 36. Appointed by Tiberius at the time of Sejanus, a sworn enemy of the Jews, he always showed great contempt for his governors. Herod Agrippa I, in a letter to Caligula, describes him as “relentless, without regard, and obstinate.” This is indeed how he appears in the few episodes preserved by history, handed down by Philo and Josephus. His disgrace came about through the Samaritans, who lodged a complaint against him with Vitellius, governor of Syria, following an act of cruelty he had committed against them. Vitellius deposed P. and sent him to Rome to answer for his conduct before the Emperor. P. arrived in Rome at the beginning of AD 37, by which time Tiberius was already dead; from then on, he disappears from history.
Apart from the account of the trial of Jesus Christ, in which P. plays such a significant role, he is mentioned six times in the New Testament: three times by his full name, in Lk 3:1; Acts 4:27; 1 Tim 6:13; and three times by his surname alone, in Lk 13:1; Acts 3:13; 13:28. In passing, St Luke (13:1) alludes to an episode of cruelty in which P. had a group of Galileans killed in the Temple while they were offering sacrifices.
What made P. sadly famous was the trial and condemnation of Jesus Christ. Throughout the proceedings, P. displayed an uncertain conduct. Toward Jesus he showed respect and almost favor: he repeatedly declared Him innocent (Mt 27:23; Mk 15:14; Lk 23:4, 14, 22; Jn 18:38; 19:4, 6), so much so that he long refused to accede to the request for condemnation presented by the Sanhedrin and indeed sought to free Him: he sent Him to Herod (Lk 23:6–15); proposed inflicting a punishment to placate the people (ibid., 23:16); sought to exercise the right of pardon in His favor (Mt 27:15–21; Jn 18:39–40); and displayed Him to the people crowned with thorns, to move them to compassion (Jn 19:4–6). Yet, beyond the scourging inflicted upon Him, in the end he pronounced the sentence of death by crucifixion, exactly as demanded by the Sanhedrin, to whom he did not wish to yield. From the outset he realized that they had brought Jesus before him out of envy of Him (Mt 27:18),
and then he accommodated himself to the change in the accusation from religious to political, and condemned the innocent. St John (chs. 18–19) reveals Pilate’s state of mind: cynical, yet with the innate Roman sense of justice; insensitive to higher principles and superstitious; hostile to the Jews and sensitive to his own advantage, for which he ended up sacrificing a man’s life. He indeed decided to pronounce the sentence when he heard the cry: “If you release Him, you are not Caesar’s friend!” (Jn 19:12).
Legend provides various details about the end of P. After his arrival in Rome, history is silent about him. The legend, however, is so varied that it ranges from making him a suicide to proclaiming him a saint. According to Eusebius (Hist. eccl., II, 7: PG 20, 155), he would have been exiled to Vienne in Gaul, where he committed suicide; according to Malalas (Chronographia, 10: PG 97, 390), he would have been beheaded by Nero. Violent death seems to have been the wretched end of P.
II. APOCRYPHA OF P
A complex of spurious writings that complement one another, made up of primitive parts and later additions. The primitive nucleus appears to consist of Christian writings from the 2nd century, narrating the Passion, death, descent into limbo, and Resurrection of Jesus, gathered under a general title of Acta Salvatoris or, as preserved in the Greek recension of the present Acta Pilati, “Ἰησοῦν ἠκούσατο τοῦ Κυρίου ἠκούσατο Ἰησοῦν ἠκούσατο Ἰησοῦν ἠκούσατο Ἰησοῦν ἠκούσατος” (Ἰησοῦν ἠκούσατος). Other writings were later added, containing the notification made by P. of what had happened regarding Jesus, the punishment inflicted on him and the Jews for the condemnation of the divine innocent. Seven works of this collection can be distinguished.1. Acts of Pilate
A writing extant in two Greek recensions, very different from each other (A and B), one Syriac, one Coptic, one Armenian, and two Latin (A and B). It seems already to have been known to St Justin (Apol., I, 35 and 48: PG 6, 384 and 400) and to Tertullian (Apol., 21: PL 1, 461). It is composed of two parts, both completed later, containing: the first, the trial of the Redeemer before P.; the second, the burial carried out by Joseph of Arimathea. The primitive part seems to have been written, shortly after the events, by a Jewish-Christian; it was completed soon afterward. The original language was Aramaic. In 425 the apocryphal work was found by a certain Aeneas, who translated it into Greek and published it, with a preface: it is from this time that the recension derives from which the others now known are descended. Its purpose is plainly apologetic. The author, if he was not himself a witness of the events, used the Gospel narrative as a backdrop, adding much of his own drawn from traditions transmitted orally and well known to his contemporaries.It narrates the trial of Jesus before P., with the related accusations and defenses. The procurator repeatedly acknowledges Jesus’ innocence, yet condemns Him; Jesus is crucified and dies. The Jews reproach Nicodemus for the part he took in favor of Jesus and, for the same reason, imprison Joseph of Arimathea, who during the night is miraculously freed. In the morning the soldiers set to guard Jesus’ tomb come to announce the Resurrection, and others arriving from Galilee assert that they have seen the Master conversing with the disciples. To the incredulous Jews, Nicodemus proposes that a search be made for Jesus: He is not found, but they discover that Joseph
Pilate, Pontius — P. washing his hands. Mosaic of the 6th century. Ravenna, Basilica of S. Apollinare Nuovo.
3. Letter of Pilate
Preserved in some Latin manuscripts, none Greek; of uncertain author and date. Also known as the Second Letter of Pilate, addressed to Tiberius. It presupposes the first. In the manuscripts it follows the account of the Descent into Hell and seems to date from not many decades after P.’s disgrace and his return to Rome.In it P. excuses himself for having had to condemn Jesus, a most pious man, saying that he was forced to do so by the Jews, all united in wishing His death, which was followed by prodigies never seen before. He also affirms that he sought to avoid seditions and to preserve the authority of the Emperor.
4. Gospel of Nicodemus
This is not a new apocryphal book, but the union of the Acts of Pilate with The Descent of Christ into Hell.The first manuscript to attest this union is that of Einsiedeln, of the 10th century: it is not known, however, when or by whom they were first joined together. No notice of this union is found in the Greek manuscripts. The title is very recent, perhaps from the 16th century.
5. **Anaphora Pilati.** – Also known as the *Epistle of Pilate to Caesar*, it is nonetheless distinct from the letter to Claudius. It is a report that Pilate makes to the Emperor Tiberius concerning what occurred in Palestine regarding Jesus. Though very ancient, it is preserved in two Greek recensions, which are quite similar to each other. There are no Latin manuscripts of II.
Pilate writes that the Jews delivered Jesus to him, accusing him especially of having violated the Sabbath. Jesus, however, had always shown himself to be good and had benefited many, even through miracles. Induced by the tumults, Pilate first had Jesus scourged, then condemned him to death. The Jews crucified him. When he was on the Cross, the sun darkened, the earth trembled and split open, and many of the dead rose again. On the night after the Sabbath, Jesus himself rose and recalled to life those who were in Limbo. Many Jews who were enemies of Jesus were swallowed up by the earth, and all the synagogues of Jerusalem were destroyed.
6. **Paradosis Pilati.** – This is like the continuation, or rather the consequence, of the *Anaphora*: likely by the same unknown author. It is preserved only in a few Greek manuscripts.
Having received Pilate’s report, the Emperor became enraged and sent men to imprison him. Upon arriving in Rome, he was subjected to a solemn trial and condemned to death. The Jews were also punished, some with death, others with slavery.
7. **Vindicta Salvatoris.** – This also concerns the Romans’ dealings with the Savior. Preserved only in a few Latin manuscripts, it is of unknown authorship.
It must date back to the time of Claudius, at least in its primitive recension, which is very brief and formed the original core of the longer version. The Latin recension, as it has come down to us, is certainly composed of multiple writings, as evidenced by the repetitions found within II. In the primitive part, the punishment of Pilate and the Jews is narrated, inflicted by Titus and Vespasian. To this part was later added the account of a mission of Velusianus, who is here said to have been summoned by Titus and Vespasian: he travels to Palestine, seeks an image of Jesus, finds the veil of Veronica, brings it to Rome, where it is venerated by Tiberius, who, through this act, merits healing from his ailments and is baptized.
In conclusion: besides the *Acts of Pilate* and the *Descent of Christ into Hell*, it seems that the various *Letters of Pilate* and the *Vindicta Salvatoris*, preserved in Latin, correspond to the *Anaphora* and *Paradosis Pilati* found in Greek manuscripts. They share the same aims but are independent of one another. Nevertheless, both derive from a common, official source and seek to complete the cycle of the *Acta Salvatoris*. Later studies may clarify many still obscure points.
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III. **Archaeology.** – The figure of Pilate in the judgment of the Lord also appears in representations of early Christian art, especially in sarcophagi. Garrucci, Le Blant, and others have published nineteen examples of sculpture; Wilpert has published nine more, though fragmentary. The sarcophagi, which derive from a Roman prototype, are, with the exception of nine, of the type that have their fronts divided by columns: in these, generally, the scene of Pilate’s judgment is on the right; the tribunal is indicated by the *suggestus* with the judge’s chair, the hourglass to mark the time allotted for the trial, the assessors or advisors of the judge, the soldiers who accompany the accused, and Pilate, beside whom stands the servant preparing to wash his hands. The most notable sarcophagi are: the Lateran 55, known as that of the Two Brothers, and Lateran 174, now in the Vatican Grottoes, like that of Junius Bassus. The scene is also found on one of the front columns of the ciborium of the high altar of St. Mark’s in Venice (6th century); on the lid of the *lìspanoleta* in the Civic Museum of Brescia (4th century), where Christ is held by two soldiers while Pilate washes his hands; in the ivory diptych of the Treasury of the Duomo of Milan (5th century), where Pilate washes his hands while Christ is led away by a soldier, as in the ivory of the British Museum in London (early 5th century) and in the bronze door of the cathedral of Salerno (13th century). Of particular interest is the same episode in the museums (early 6th century) of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna: Christ, accompanied by a soldier, is to the right of Pilate, who, seated on the tribunal, flanked by several figures, washes his hands.
In the field of painting, of extraordinary importance is the miniature of the *Codex purpureus Rossanensis* (6th century): Pilate is seated on a high-backed chair with a cushion, placed above the *suggestus*; to his left are five figures, to his right two, and somewhat apart from these, Christ. Another miniature is that mentioned by Peirce and Tylor, in which the Jews are seen demanding from Pilate the release of Barabbas. The scene also appears in the Rabbula Gospels of the year 586 (f. 12a). The subject is also treated in Santa Maria Antiqua in the Roman Forum, where, beside the painting representing Christ on the way to Calvary, it is thought that, in the minimal remains, the Lord before Pilate can be seen. In Santa Maria in Pallara or San Sebastiano al Palatino, among the frescoes of the 10th century and later (now destroyed except for those in the apse, but known from a copy made in 1630 in the Vatican Library, Barberini collection), the scene of Pilate was depicted; it is preserved instead in the series of frescoes (11th century) in San Urbano alla Caffarella. According to G. Wilpert, in the judgment of Pilate there could not fail to be, as was customary in the tribunal hall, images of the emperors: *sacri vultus*, *sacrae imagines*. These are found only in the Rossano Gospels, in the column of the ciborium of St. Mark’s in the form of small panels placed beside Pilate, and in the Lateran sarcophagus 174, in which the symbolic figure of the emperor (headless) is carried by the *imaginifer* servant (εἰκονόφωρος). However, it should be noted that this detail does not correspond to historical reality, for among the many privileges granted to the Jewish nation, Roman soldiers could not carry the emperor’s images in that territory. Pilate was the first to allow Roman soldiers to enter Jerusalem with such insignia, which he was later forced to remove; later, he was ordered by Tiberius to remove from Herod’s palace some golden shields bearing the emperor’s name that he had placed there.
Finally, mention may be made of the so-called “Pilate’s basin,” found in the courtyard of the same name, amid those buildings—churches and oratories—that constitute the basilica of San Stefano in Bologna. It is a small marble basin of archaic workmanship, a gift of the Lombard kings Liutprand and Ildprand. Discovered in an excavation, it was recognized as the one in which Pilate washed his hands; it was placed on a base by Cardinal Giovanni de’ Medici, later Leo X.
Pilate, Pontius – Christ before Pilate. Detail of the bronze altar by Giambologna (16th century) – Florence, church of the Most Holy Annunciation.