The Roman Governor of Judea Who Sentenced Jesus to Crucifixion
The New Testament records that Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor of the province of Judea; when the Jewish council brought Jesus before him demanding a death sentence, Pilate several times said he found no capital fault in Jesus, and even washed his hands before the crowd saying "I am innocent of this righteous man’s blood," yet in the end, under the pressure of the crowd, approved the crucifixion. Scholars broadly hold that Pilate was a real person, his governorship attested by Roman sources and by the "Pilate Stone" discovered in 1961.
Seeing the crowd insistent on Jesus’ death and the situation nearing chaos, Pilate took water and washed his hands before them, saying, "I am innocent of this righteous man’s blood; see to it yourselves," and then ordered Jesus handed to the soldiers for crucifixion — this act of "washing one’s hands" became an idiom in Western languages for disclaiming responsibility.
Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.
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