One of Pontius Pilate's rings discovered near Bethlehem

Every now and then, one of my friends, knowing of my belief in the Biblical account of the birth, death and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, asks me how I know it's not just a nice fairy tale. I always answer that there is independent proof, in the form of contemporary records and, yes, physical evidence. Archaeological research keeps coming up with things that jibe with the accounts of the Gospels.

One such came to light just recently, when a 2000-year-old copper alloy, unearthed half a century ago, was given a careful cleaning, revealing the inscription, in Greek, "PILATO[U]", meaning "Of Pilate". This refers almost certainly to Pontius Pilate (Pontius Pilatus, in Latin, Πόντιος Πιλάτος in Greek), the fifth prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under the Emperor Tiberius from A.D. 26 to 36. According to the Gospels, Pilate was the one who tried Jesus and found no fault in him, but all the same handed him over to the Jews for crucifixion.

Until now, the only physical, archaeological evidence confirming the existence of Pilate is the Latin inscription found on the so-called "Pilate Stone", a limestone block relating Pilate's tribute to Tiberius. This was found in 1961 as a reused block within a staircase located in a semicircular structure behind the stage house of the Roman theatre at Caesarea, the city that served as Rome's administrative centre in the province of Judaea. Roman governors were based in Caesarea and only visited Jerusalem on special occasions, or in times of unrest. On the stone is a fragment of the dedicatory inscriptions of a building, likely a temple, constructed in honour of the emperor Tiberius. The dedication states that Pilate was "praefectus Iudaeae" -- prefect of Judea.

According to a report published yesterday in the Times of Israel, the ring was first found among hundreds of other artifacts in 1968–1969 excavations at a section of the Herodium -- the palace and burial tomb of King Herod, about three miles southeast of Bethlehem and eight miles south of Jerusalem.

Although the name "Pontius" was common for Romans, the name Pilate was not. "Pilate" is derived from the Latin pilum, referring to a military javelin, and is a Roman cognomen. There is no other evidence of the name in the province of Judaea before or during Pilate's governorship. Thus the historicity of Pontius Pilate is confirmed for a second time by this new(ish) find, as well as the Pilate Stone and contemporary historical sources.

It is beyond doubt that Pilate was the Roman governor of Judaea from A.D. 26-36 A.D. The traditional date for Christ's crucifixion, A.D. 33, fits within this historical period. Christian readers therefore have no reason for concern that the Bible is not true, even from a historical perspective. Time and time again its contents have been confirmed by such archeological discoveries as the Pilate Stone and, now, the ring of the man who caused a notice nailed to the Holy Cross to be inscribed "Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum" -- "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews".