50 free Pontius Pilate trivia questions with answers — history quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This Pontius Pilate trivia quiz covers the Roman governor who ordered the crucifixion of Jesus, from what the historians actually know to what the legends later invented. The easy questions are the ones any Bible reader should get: which emperor he served, which province he governed, what he famously washed, and which two creeds name him. From there it moves into the historical record: what Josephus and Philo say about the standards, the shields and the aqueduct; the Samaritan massacre that got him recalled; the Pilate Stone found at Caesarea in 1961; the coins he minted; the churches that venerate him as a saint; the mountain in Switzerland and the towns in France that claim him; and the actors who played him, from Frank Thring in Ben-Hur to David Bowie and Michael Palin. Every answer was checked against encyclopaedia entries on Pilate, his wife, the Pilate Stone and the Acts of Pilate before publishing, and the supporting sentence is stored with each question. If you enjoy this one, try our Bible, Ancient Rome and Holy Week quizzes next.
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Q 01Pontius Pilate governed Judaea under which Roman emperor?
Tiberius
Tiberius had retired to Capri in 26, leading some scholars to suggest Pilate was really appointed by the Praetorian prefect Sejanus.
Q 02Pilate was which number governor of the Roman province of Judaea?
Fifth
He is the best-attested holder of the post, though few sources about his rule survive.
Q 03Pilate is named in which two major statements of Christian faith?
The Apostles' and Nicene Creeds
The phrase 'suffered under Pontius Pilate' anchors the crucifixion in history.
Q 04Which national church venerates Pilate as both a martyr and a saint, believing he became a Christian?
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo
The Coptic Church historically held the same view; his Ethiopian feast day is 19 June.
Q 05Per Josephus, Pilate was dismissed after violently putting down which people's uprising at Mount Gerizim?
The Samaritans
They had gathered hoping to find artefacts buried by Moses; their complaint went to the Syrian legate Vitellius.
Q 06What happened before Pilate reached Rome to answer for the Samaritan massacre?
Emperor Tiberius died
Tiberius died at Misenum on 16 March 37; the new emperor Caligula may never have heard the case.
Q 07Which contemporary Jewish writer's Embassy to Gaius is one of the most important sources on Pilate?
Philo of Alexandria
Philo accuses Pilate of setting up golden shields in Jerusalem that Tiberius ordered removed.
Q 08Which Roman historian's Annals states simply that Pilate put Jesus to death?
Tacitus
The passage explains Nero's persecution of Christians; two other chapters that might have mentioned Pilate are lost.
Q 09Pilate's cognomen 'Pilatus' may mean skilled with what weapon?
The javelin (pilum)
Alternatively it could refer to the pileus cap, hinting that an ancestor was a freedman.
Q 10The name Pontius suggests Pilate's ancestors came from which region of central-southern Italy?
Samnium
He may have belonged to the family of Gavius Pontius and Pontius Telesinus, Samnite leaders before Roman incorporation.
Q 11Like almost all governors of Judaea, Pilate belonged to which rank of the Roman nobility?
The equestrian order
One attested Pontius, Pontius Aquila, was among the assassins of Julius Caesar.
Q 12For how many years does Josephus say Pilate governed Judaea?
Ten
That makes him one of the two longest-serving governors of the province.
Q 13What was Pilate's official title, implying duties that were primarily military?
Prefect
The Pilate Stone confirms the title; Tacitus anachronistically calls him procurator.
In which coastal city did Pilate, like other governors of Judaea, make his primary residence?
Q 21On what charge is Jesus generally assumed to have been brought before Pilate and executed?
Sedition
The charge rested on his claim to be king of the Jews.
Q 22Pilate's washing of his hands and the 'blood curse' appear in only one of the four gospels - which?
Matthew
Raymond E. Brown argued both scenes reflect later tensions between Jews and Jewish Christians rather than history.
Q 23Which everyday English phrase originates in Pilate's gesture at the trial of Jesus?
To wash one's hands of the matter
It means to refuse further involvement or responsibility.
Caesarea
He went up to Jerusalem mainly for the major feasts to keep order.
Q 15Which high priest did Pilate retain for his entire tenure, suggesting a reliable alliance?
Caiaphas
Caiaphas was removed soon after Pilate himself was recalled.
Q 16Josephus says Pilate offended the Jews by moving what into Jerusalem by night?
Imperial standards with Caesar's image
A crowd surrounded his house in Caesarea for five days and bared their necks to the swords; Pilate backed down.
Q 17Josephus records that Pilate paid for a new aqueduct to Jerusalem using what?
The temple treasury
When a mob protested he had soldiers beat them with clubs; many died under the blows or the horses.
Q 18Philo says Pilate offended Jewish law by placing what on Herod's Palace in Jerusalem?
Golden shields
Herod's sons appealed to Tiberius, who angrily ordered the shields removed.
Q 19The Gospel of Luke mentions Galileans whose blood Pilate mingled with what?
Their sacrifices
Helen Bond suggests the reference to sacrifices places the incident at Passover.
Q 20At which festival did Pilate condemn Jesus to death, most likely in AD 30 or 33?
Passover
All four gospels say Pilate customarily released one prisoner at the feast, a custom no other source records.
Q 24Which famous three-word Latin question does Pilate ask Jesus in John 18:38?
Quid est veritas?
Nikolai Ge's 1890 painting takes 'What is truth?' as its title and was banned in Russia for its portrayal of authority.
Q 25What do the Latin words 'Ecce homo', spoken by Pilate as he presents the scourged Jesus, mean?
Behold the man
The scene, from John 19:5, is a standard part of Passion cycles in Christian art.
Q 26Pilate's reply 'Quod scripsi, scripsi' in John 19:22 refers to what he had written where?
The titulus on Jesus's cross
'What I have written, I have written' answered priests who objected to 'King of the Jews'; the writing of the titulus was a favourite scene of medieval passion plays.
Q 27Pilate's wife, unnamed in the Bible, later became known in tradition by what name?
Procula
The name first appears in the fifth-century Gospel of Nicodemus; the West later expanded it to Claudia Procula.
Q 28According to the gospel account, why does Pilate's wife urge him to have nothing to do with Jesus?
She had a disturbing dream
The verse is her only appearance in the Bible; she is venerated as a saint in several Eastern churches.
Q 29Which fourth-century church historian records a 'tradition' that Pilate committed suicide?
Eusebius
He dates it to 39; Josephus, Philo and Tacitus say nothing of a suicide, and Origen assumed nothing bad happened to Pilate.
Q 30The Pilate Stone, the only surviving inscription naming him, was found in 1961 at which site?
Caesarea Maritima
It refers to a building called a Tiberieum, perhaps a temple or lighthouse honouring Tiberius.