Pontius Pilate is the Roman governor named in the Gospels as the official who sentenced Jesus to crucifixion.
The four Gospels place Jesus before Pilate during the final stage of the Passion narrative. Pilate was the Roman prefect or governor of Judaea, and the Gospel accounts portray him questioning Jesus before authorizing the crucifixion. The exact presentation differs among the accounts, including the role of local religious authorities and the crowd, but Pilate’s name is consistently connected with the Roman sentence.
Pilate is also known outside the New Testament. A first-century inscription discovered at Caesarea Maritima names Pontius Pilate as prefect of Judaea, providing archaeological evidence for his office and name. He should not be confused with Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee who appears elsewhere in the Passion narratives, or Caiaphas, the high priest associated with the Jewish leadership. The Apostles’ Creed later preserves the phrase “suffered under Pontius Pilate.”