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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.

14. Pilate’s Hesitancy to Condemn Jesus?

Pilate - 'What is Truth?', by Nicolai Ge, 1890m depicts Pontius Pilate and Jesus — ‘What is Truth?’, by Nicolai Ge, 1890, depicts Pontius Pilate and Jesus. Pinterest

All four Gospels portray Pilate as hesitant to condemn Jesus. He questions Jesus about the accusations and appears unconvinced that the accused poses a real threat. In John’s Gospel, Pilate famously asks Jesus, “What is truth?” – a moment that has resonated through centuries of philosophical and theological reflection. Ultimately, Pilate tries several maneuvers to avoid making a final decision.

One of his attempts to avoid condemning Jesus was to offer the crowd a choice between releasing him or another prisoner, Barabbas, as part of a customary Passover pardon. Barabbas is described as a rebel or bandit – someone likely involved in anti-Roman insurrection. Surprisingly, the crowd chooses to release Barabbas, and demands that Jesus be crucified.

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.