☼ Exhibit #4: Jesus Was Crucified Under Pontius Pilate

Both Biblical and non-Biblical sources provide numerous confirmations that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified under the Roman governor Pontius Pilate:

Biblical sources:

• Gospel of Mark: “Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified” (Mark 15:15).
• Gospel of Matthew: “Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified” (Matthew 27:26).
• Gospel of Luke: “When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left” (Luke 23:33).
• Gospel of John: “Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified” (John (19:16).
• Paul: “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 5:14).

Early Church Leaders:

• Ignatius writing to the Trallians (ca. 105 AD): “On the day of the preparation, then, at the third hour, He received the sentence from Pilate, the Father permitting that to happen; at the sixth hour He was crucified; at the ninth hour He gave up the ghost; and before sunset He was buried.” [3]
• Justin Martyr’s First Apology (ca. 150 AD): “Our teacher of these things is Jesus Christ, who also was born for this purpose, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judaea , in the times of Tiberius Caesar.” [4]

• Irenaeus Against Heresies (ca. 180 AD): “that He was Christ Jesus, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate.” [5]

Non-Biblical Writers:[6]

• Jewish historian Josephus (ca. 70-90 AD): “when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross.” [7]
• Roman historian Tacitus (ca. 116 AD): “Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus.” [8]
• The Jewish Talmud (ca. 100-200 AD): “On the eve of the Passover Yeshu [Jesus] was hanged [crucified].” [9]

The historical confirmations of the Roman crucifixion of Jesus Christ are beyond dispute. Even the most liberal scholars who argue that the Bible is just a collection of fabricated stories and Jesus'  resurrection never happened, accept that the Roman crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth is a historical fact. John Dominic Crossan, one of the founders of the liberal Jesus Seminar[10] admits Jesus' crucifixion is “as sure as anything historical can ever be.” [11]

Read on about the next question: (3) Exhibit #5: Roman crucifixion led to death 

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