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According to , Pontius Pilate killed himself on orders from the emperor sometime after 36 CE. Pontius Pilate (died after 36 ce) was a Roman prefect (governor) of Judaea (26–36 ce) under the emperor Tiberius who presided at the final trial of Jesus and gave the order for his crucifixion.
Eusebius reported that Pontius Pilate committed suicide during the reign of Caius or Emperor Caligula. Eusebius records the following for us,
Upon reaching Rome he found Tiberius dead and Caius upon the throne. He was unsuccessful in his attempt to defend himself, and, according to tradition, was banished to Vienne in Gaul, where a monument is still shown as Pilate's tomb.
A remorseful Pilate prepares to kill himself. Engraving by G. Mochetti after B. Pinelli, early 19th century.
Why Did Pontius Pilate Have Jesus Executed? Historical accounts of the man who sentenced Jesus to death paint him as arrogant and cruel; the Bible goes easier on him, shifting the blame. By...
Pilate, hearing this, killed himself with his own knife, and by such a death ended his life. When Cæsar knew of the death of Pilate, he said: Truly he has died by a most disgraceful death, whom his own hand has not spared. He is therefore bound to a great mass, and sunk into the river Tiber.
Pilate hurried back, but by the time he arrived, in March AD 37, the ailing Tiberius had died. A new emperor, Caligula, had taken up the reins of power. What happened next is guesswork. Josephus says nothing more about him, implying that there was no hearing.
This was the form of punishment commanded in the Law of Moses and that was later used to kill the church’s “first martyr,” Stephen (Acts 7:54-60; Deut 13:9-10; 21:18-20). But Pilate had Jesus put to death by crucifixion, the Roman method of execution.
Known for severity toward the Jews, Pilate was eventually ordered back to Rome to stand trial for cruelty and oppression. A tradition of uncertain accuracy holds that he killed himself on orders from Caligula in 39 ce; another legend relates that both Pilate and his wife converted to Christianity.
Pontius Pilate was the fifth magistrate to serve in the Roman province of Judea, created in 6 CE by Roman emperor Augustus (r. 27 BCE to 14 CE). His term of office was during the subsequent reign of Tiberius from 26-36 CE. He became famous for the trial and crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth (c. 30 CE).