100 Reasons to Believe New Testament History
80. The Pilate Inscription
In 1961, Italian archaeologist Antinio Frova discovered an inscription at Caesarea Maritima on a stone slab, which was being used as a section of steps among the ruins of a Roman theatre. The Latin inscription contained four lines, three of which are partly readable. Translated they read:
Tiberium
Pontius Pilate
Prefect of Judea
Most scholars believe that the stone slab was originally used as part of the foundation for a Tiberium; a temple built for the worship of the emperor Tiberius A. That Pilate would dedicate a temple of this sort to Tiberius’ honour squares well with the Gospel’s description of him as a man desirous to be “Caesar’s friend.”
80. The Pilate Inscription - Notes and References
A. E.M. Blaiklock, “The Archaeology of the New Testament”, Revised and Updated, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1984,p. 57