Archaeological Discoveries Related to Jesus

You know him best as the man who washed his handss to rid himself of the responsibility for the execution of Jesus, even though he famously said of him, “I find no guilt in this man” (Luke 23:4).

In his position as the Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate had the authority to spare the life of Jesus, but even after his wife had a dream about Jesus’ innocence and his own interview of Jesus reinforced her conviction, Pilate “delivered Him to be crucified” (Matt. 27:26).

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church believes that Pilate’s words about Jesus and his reluctance to fast track Jesus’ execution lead to only one conclusion—that Pilate became a Christian. They even venerate Pilate as both a martyr and a saint in contrast to the more common take that he spoke and acted solely out of political expedience.

In any event whether his role in the trial of Jesus is that of a saint or a savvy politician, there is no meaningful disagreement regarding Pilate’s historicity and proper governmental title following a monumental find in 1961, known popularly as the Pilate Stone. Discovered in Israel in the port city of Caesarea on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, this broken, carved block of limestone, measuring just over 2 feet tall and 2½ feet wide, bears the name of “[Ponti]us Pilatus, [Praef]ectus Juda[ea]e.

The Latin spelling translates into English as “Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea.” In Latin prefect is a title that means roughly, “put in charge,” and the Bible rightly describes him as the “governor” of Judea (Matt. 27:2; Luke 3:1).

Evidently carved to dedicate a Roman building in Caesarea, perhaps even a temple in honor of Tiberius Caesar, the Pilate Stone dates to the time of Jesus in the first century.

Yet again, the accuracy of the Bible has been corroborated—this time by a broken stone that points our attention back to the bitter-sweet account of our Savior, who on the night before his crucifixion broke bread with these wonderful words, “This is My body which is broken for you” (1 Cor. 11:24).

—Daniel McCabe