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Pontius Pilate – The History and Historicity of the Civil Servant Who Condemned Jesus

Khalid Elhassan June 3, 2025 18 min

statue of pontius pilate and jesus at base of holy stairs in rome — Pontius Pilate introduces Jesus in this statue at the base of the Holy Stairs in Rome in this March 10, 2014, file photo. Tradition maintains that Jesus climbed the stairs when Pilate brought him before the crowd. It's believed that Constantine's mother, St. Helen, brought the stairs to Rome from Jerusalem in 326. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) See VATICAN LETTER March 19, 2015.

4. Pilate’s Dismissal and Later Life

Pilate - A remorseful Pontius Pilate prepares to kill himself, by Giuseppe Mochette, early nineteenth century — A remorseful Pontius Pilate prepares to kill himself, by Giuseppe Mochette, early nineteenth century. Imgur

Pilate’s governorship ended around 36 or 37 AD. According to Josephus, a group of Samaritans who believed that sacred relics had been hidden there by Moses, gathered on Mount Gerizim. Pilate viewed that as a potential insurrection, and ordered a violent suppression that resulted in many deaths. The Samaritans complained to Vitellius, the legate of Syria who had oversight over the smaller province of Judea.

Vitellius removed Pilate from office, and ordered him to Rome to answer for his actions before Emperor Tiberius. By the time Pilate arrived in Rome, Tiberius had died. What happened to him afterward is unknown. Some sources suggest he was exiled or committed suicide, while others are silent. Later Christian legends placed his death in disgrace or as part of a redemptive arc, depending on the tradition.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.