This Easter season, I was reminded of the Pontius Pilate inscription, important because of Pilate's role in the Gospels in condemning Jesus to be crucified (Matthew 27:24-26, etc.). This inscription was discovered in 1961 at Caesarea Maritima, and Elizabeth and I were able to see the inscription at the Israel Museum when we were in Israel for training as a translation consultant. It provides evidence for at least two things:
- historical attestation to Pontius Pilate's existence and rule
- confirmation that Pilate was a prefect (not a procurator, which is an anachronistic title).
my photo of the Pilate inscription, on display in the Israel Museum (note: the ossuary displayed in the museum next to the inscription contains the sole physical evidence of Roman crucifixion, a heel bone has a nail driven through it)
close-up of the Pilate inscription
Logos' reconstruction of the Pilate inscription
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