INV. 036 · Inscription
Pontius Pilate inscription
A stone with a Latin dedicatory inscription that, according to the Commons description, names Pontius Pilate as prefect of Judea. The book does not discuss this inscription; it states only that Pilate's existence, like that of Herod and Caiaphas, can be corroborated outside the Gospels, and that he governed Judea as prefect from 26 to 37 CE.
Editorial note: Object not mentioned in the book. Date, reading, provenance and institution come only from Commons. The image was rotated according to the original file's EXIF orientation.
- Type
- Inscription
- Nature
- Ancient objectThe object itself dates from the period indicated.
- Date of the object
- 26 to 36 CE (according to Commons)Title of the photograph on Commons.
- Institution
- Museu de Israel, Jerusalém
- Provenance
- Found reused in the staircase of the theater of Caesarea, according to Commons.
- Image
- Carole Raddato from Frankfurt, GermanyDedicatory inscription found reused in the staircase of the theatre of Caesarea, the first and only mention of Pontius Pilates' name ever unearthed, 26-36 AD, Israel Museum, Jerusalem
- Licence
- CC BY-SA 2.0 ↗
- Retrieved
- Commons API, 2026-10-14
Sourced historical context
Pontius Pilate was the most famous and most hated of these governors. He held the prefecture from 26 to 37 CE, or from 19 to 37 according to a recent proposal. Philo charges him with bribes, insults, plunder and summary executions. His affronts to Jewish tradition led to several clashes, but what cost him his post was his handling of the Samaritans. Other Gospel characters have proven existence: Herod, Pontius Pilate and even Caiaphas, high priest when Jesus died. That Jesus was crucified scholars do not doubt; it was the cruel punishment that Rome used against bandits and slaves to intimidate anyone who dared challenge the order. But each Gospel tells of the execution in its own way, and they disagree even about its timing. The book's timeline dates the death to 30 CE.