Pontius Pilate Pilate was "astonished". Pilate appears to have been reluctant to allow the crucifixion of Jesus, finding no fault with him. According to Matthew 27:19, even Pilate's wife spoke to him on Jesus' behalf. According to the gospels, it was the custom of the Roman governor to release one prisoner at Passover, and Pilate brought out Barabbas, identified by Matthew as a "notorious prisoner" and by Mark as a murderer, and told the crowd to choose between releasing Barabbas or Jesus as per the custom, in the hopes of getting them to request the release of Jesus. However, the crowd demanded
Matthew 27:2 the histories of Josephus. While Jewish sources portray Pilate as a tyrannical ruler, Christian ones have long viewed him as a weak man doing evil despite his better judgement. The Gospel of Matthew follows the narrative of a weak, but decent, Pilate who is pressured into the crucifixion by the Jewish leaders. Like Matthew 27:1 this verse is built upon . Adding the word governor may link with Jesus' prediction at that he would be "dragged before governors." Governor was not Pilate's true title, according to the Pilate Stone he was officially Prefect of Judea. Josephus also refers to him