The Pontius Pilate Inscription

The Pontius Pilate Stone is an archaeological discovery found in ancient Caesarea with a dedicatory inscription in Latin from Pontius Pilate to Tiberias Caesar.

Archaeologists in 1961 were digging among the ruins of the famous theater of Caesarea on the seacoast of Israel, the Roman capital of Judea. They discovered a limestone block with an inscription on it with a building dedication to Tiberias Caesar from "Pontius Pilate, prefect of Judea." Pontius Pilate was the procurator who ordered the crucifixion of Jesus, and the only archaeological proof of his existence have been a few bronze coins struck by Pilate between 29-32 AD. Outside of the Bible only two historians mention Pontius Pilate, Josephus and Philo of Alexandria. Tiberias Caesar succeeded Augustus in 14 AD and he was the Roman Emperor when Jesus Christ was crucified.

Some Scriptures mentioning Pontius Pilate:

John 18:29 - Pilate therefore went out to them, and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?"

John 18:31 - Pilate therefore said to them, "Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law." The Jews said to him, "We are not permitted to put anyone to death,"

John 18:33 - Pilate therefore entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"

John 18:35 - Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You up to me; what have You done?"

John 18:37 - Pilate therefore said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say [correctly] that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."

John 18:38 - Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no guilt in Him.

John 19:1 - Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged Him.

John 19:4 - And Pilate came out again, and said to them, "Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no guilt in Him."

John 19:5 - Jesus therefore came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And [Pilate] said to them, "Behold, the Man!"

John 19:6 - When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, "Crucify, crucify!" Pilate said to them, "Take Him yourselves, and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him."

John 19:8 - When Pilate therefore heard this statement, he was the more afraid;

John 19:10 - Pilate therefore said to Him, "You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?"

John 19:12 - As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, "If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out [to be] a king opposes Caesar."

John 19:13 - When Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.

John 19:15 - They therefore cried out, "Away with [Him], away with [Him], crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."

John 19:19 - And Pilate wrote an inscription also, and put it on the cross. And it was written, "JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS."

John 19:21 - And so the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews'; but that He said, 'I am King of the Jews.'"

John 19:22 - Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

John 19:31 - The Jews therefore, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high [day]), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and [that] they might be taken away.

John 19:38 - And after these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret [one], for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. He came therefore, and took away His body.

Acts 3:13 - "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, [the one] whom you delivered up, and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him.

Acts 4:27 - "For truly in this city there were gathered together against Thy holy servant Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,

Acts 13:28 - "And though they found no ground for [putting Him to] death, they asked Pilate that He be executed.

1Timothy 6:13 - I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate