The
Pilate Stone is the name of a block of
limestoneLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite . The deposition of limestone strata is often a by-product and indicator of biological activity in the geologic record...
with a carved inscription attributed to
Pontius PilatePontius Pilate was the Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea from AD 26–36. Typically referenced as the fifth Procurator of Judea, he is best known as the judge at Jesus' trial and the man who authorized his crucifixion.Pilate appears in all four canonical Christian Gospels...
, a prefect of the Roman-controlled
province of IudaeaIudaea is the term used by historians to refer to the Roman province that extended over parts of the former regions of the Hasmonean and Herodian kingdoms of Israel...
from 26-36. Pilate is infamous as being the man who condemned Jesus Christ to a painful scourging and death by
crucifixionCrucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
c.Circa means "in approximately" , referring to a date...
33.
The partial inscription reads (conjectural letters in brackets):
- [DIS AUGUSTI]S TIBERIEUM
- [PO]NTIUS PILATUS
- [PRAEF]ECTUS IUDA[EA]E
- [FECIT D]E[DICAVIT]
This is the translation from Latin to English for the inscription, as conjecturally reconstructed:
"The prefect of Judaea, Pontius Pilate, erected the Tiberium (temple in honor of Tiberius Caesar) to the August Gods"
The 82 cm x 65 cm (2'.7") x (2'.1") limestone block, which was found in 1961 in an excavation of an ancient
theaterA theater or theatre is a structure where theatrical works or plays are performed or other performances such as musical concerts may be given...
(built by decree of
Herod the GreatHerod , also known as Herod I or Herod the Great Herod , also known as Herod I or Herod the Great Herod , also known as Herod I or Herod the Great (born 74 BC, died 4 BC in Jericho, was a Roman client king of Israel. He is often confused...
c.
The
Pilate Stone is the name of a block of
limestoneLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite . The deposition of limestone strata is often a by-product and indicator of biological activity in the geologic record...
with a carved inscription attributed to
Pontius PilatePontius Pilate was the Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea from AD 26–36. Typically referenced as the fifth Procurator of Judea, he is best known as the judge at Jesus' trial and the man who authorized his crucifixion.Pilate appears in all four canonical Christian Gospels...
, a prefect of the Roman-controlled
province of IudaeaIudaea is the term used by historians to refer to the Roman province that extended over parts of the former regions of the Hasmonean and Herodian kingdoms of Israel...
from 26-36. Pilate is infamous as being the man who condemned Jesus Christ to a painful scourging and death by
crucifixionCrucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
c.Circa means "in approximately" , referring to a date...
33.
The partial inscription reads (conjectural letters in brackets):
- [DIS AUGUSTI]S TIBERIEUM
- [PO]NTIUS PILATUS
- [PRAEF]ECTUS IUDA[EA]E
- [FECIT D]E[DICAVIT]
This is the translation from Latin to English for the inscription, as conjecturally reconstructed:
"The prefect of Judaea, Pontius Pilate, erected the Tiberium (temple in honor of Tiberius Caesar) to the August Gods"
The 82 cm x 65 cm (2'.7") x (2'.1") limestone block, which was found in 1961 in an excavation of an ancient
theaterA theater or theatre is a structure where theatrical works or plays are performed or other performances such as musical concerts may be given...
(built by decree of
Herod the GreatHerod , also known as Herod I or Herod the Great Herod , also known as Herod I or Herod the Great Herod , also known as Herod I or Herod the Great (born 74 BC, died 4 BC in Jericho, was a Roman client king of Israel. He is often confused...
c. 30 BC), called Caesarea Maritima in the present city of Caesarea-on-the-Sea (also called Maritima). On the partially damaged block is a dedication to
Tiberius Caesar AugustusTiberius Julius Caesar Augustus, born Tiberius Claudius Nero , was the second Roman Emperor, from the death of Augustus in AD 14 until his own death in 37. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla...
. It has been deemed as an authentic
archaeologicalArchaeology or archeology is the science that studies human cultures through the recovery, documentation, analysis, and interpretation of material culture and environmental data, including architecture, artifacts, biofacts, and landscapes...
find due to the area in which it was discovered: the coastal town of Caesarea, which was the seat of power of Iudaea during the
governmentA Roman governor was an official either elected or appointed to be the chief administrator of Roman law throughout one or more of the many provinces constituting the Roman Empire...
of
Pontius PilatePontius Pilate was the Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea from AD 26–36. Typically referenced as the fifth Procurator of Judea, he is best known as the judge at Jesus' trial and the man who authorized his crucifixion.Pilate appears in all four canonical Christian Gospels...
. Pilate also maintained a residence at
Antonia FortressThe Antonia Fortress was a military barracks built by Herod the Great in Jerusalem on the site of earlier Ptolemaic and Hasmonean strongholds, named after Herod's patron Mark Antony...
in Jerusalem, but, outside of his annual trek to oversee the
PassoverPassover is a Jewish and Samaritan holy day and festival commemorating the Hebrews' escape from enslavement in Egypt....
celebration, he seldom visited
JerusalemJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
. During Passover,
Jerusalem'sJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
population swelled and the possibility of outbreaks of violence increased. Pilate's presence was to quell a rebellion before it started. Keeping the peace was of vital importance not only to Pontius Pilate, but to
Yhosef Bar Kayafa (Joseph son of Caiaphas)Yosef Bar Kayafa , also known simply as Caiaphas in the New Testament, was the Roman-appointed Jewish high priest between AD 18 and 37. In the Mishnah, Parah 3:5 refers to him as Ha-Koph , a play on his name for opposing Mishnat Ha-Hasidim...
, the high priest of Jerusalem's
JewishJudaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts...
ruling council, the
SanhedrinThe Sanhedrin was an assembly of twenty-three judges appointed in every city in the Land of Israel.The Talmud states:GEMARA. Whence is this derived? — R...
.
CaiaphasYosef Bar Kayafa , also known simply as Caiaphas in the New Testament, was the Roman-appointed Jewish high priest between AD 18 and 37. In the Mishnah, Parah 3:5 refers to him as Ha-Koph , a play on his name for opposing Mishnat Ha-Hasidim...
had been appointed high priest by Pilate's predecessor,
Valerius GratusValerius Gratus was Roman Prefect or procurator of Judea under Tiberius, AD 15 - 26. He succeeded Annius Rufus and was replaced by Pontius Pilate....
c. 18, and Pilate retained him.
http://www.livius.org/caa-can/caiaphas/caiaphas.htm The two men likely despised each other, but a rebellion would have done neither man any good. Thus, they shared a tenuous peace.
To date this is the only universally accepted archaeological find with an inscription mentioning the name "Pontius Pilatus".
The Pilate Stone is currently located at the
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
MuseumThe Israel Museum was founded in 1965 as Israel's national museum. It is situated on a hill in the Givat Ram neighborhood of Jerusalem, near the Knesset, the Israeli Supreme Court, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem....
in Jerusalem.
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