Was Pontius Pilate real?

For centuries, skeptics claimed Pontius Pilate wasn’t real.

Archaeology proved them wrong.

For centuries, skeptics claimed that Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who sent our Savior to the cross, was a fictional character in a fictional story about a fictional messiah. Science proved the critics wrong.

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One of the places we visit on our Covenant Journey tours of Israel is Caesarea Maritima, located on the beautiful shores of the Mediterranean between Haifa and Tel Aviv. The city once served as the capital of Judea and was the home of Pontius Pilate.

Even as recently as 60 years ago, secular critics claimed there was no reliable Roman record of the governor, therefore the man must have been a fictional invention of early Christian “storybook” writers.

But in 1961, Italian archaeologist Maria Teresa Fortuna Canivet made a discovery the skeptics could not dispute. While excavating an ancient theater built by Herod the Great, Cavient uncovered an ancient limestone pillar inscribed with a dedication to the Emperor Tiberius by “Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea.”

Found in the right place, dating to the right time, and with a written account, there is ZERO doubt as to the authenticity of the column or its claims.

Critics were forced to admit that once again, science had proven the Bible to be true and correct history.

The truth is, science proves the Bible to be accurate all the time, but enemies of God try to bury that information.

A major part of our work here at CIDI is to bring the TRUTH of the Bible to light, so that we can better spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.

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Mat Staver
Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel

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SOURCES:

Martinisi, Annamaria. “Vicenza: The New Bertesina Park Named after Maria Teresa Fortuna Canivet.” La Milano, October 25, 2023. Lamilano.it/en/lifestyle/Vicenza-the-new-park-in-Bertesina-named-after-Maria-Teresa-Fortuna-Canivet/.

‌“Pilate Inscription Stone.” Madain Project. Accessed January 30, 2026. Madainproject.com/pilate_stone.

“The Pilate Inscription.” Bible History. Accessed February 2, 2026. Bible-history.com/empires/pilate.

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