DID YOU KNOW?
The answer
Rome's governor (prefect) of Judea, around 26-36 CE. He answered to the emperor, not to the Temple — crucifixion was a Roman punishment, carried out under Roman authority.
Why it’s interesting
Pilate was long known mainly from the Gospels and Josephus, until a 1961 dig at Caesarea turned up a stone inscription bearing his name and title. History and text met in the dirt.
Scholarly consensus
You can know the Bible.
Not just the stories, but the history, authorship, and scholarship behind it.