the Roman governor of Judaea, a former country in the area that is now Palestine, at the time when Jesus Christ was judged and killed. According to the New Testament of the Bible, Pilate offered to let Jesus go free, but the Jewish leaders would not accept this. Pilate then washed his hands and said he was not to blame for Jesus's death. People mention Pilate, or talk about someone "washing their hands of" a problem, when they are talking about someone who is not morally strong enough to do what they think is right (1st century AD). Pilate, Pontius. died AD 36 Roman prefect of Judaea (AD 26-36) who presided at the trial of Jesus and gave the order for his crucifixion. The New Testament represents Pilate as a weak and vacillating man who found no fault with Jesus but ordered his execution to please the mob calling for his death. Known for his severity toward the Jews, he 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 AD 39; another legend relates that both Pilate and his wife converted to Christianity