in the bible, pilate's infamous as the man who tries jesus. >> pilate is a fascinating character in christian history. he does seem tormented about whether or not jesus is guilty and whether or not he should condemn him. >> the pilate of the gospels is unsettled. he seems deeply concerned with jesus' innocence. >> i have the authority to set you free. >> he's not firm and decisive about what he wants to do. >> the discovery of his name in stone was groundbreaking. >> the significance of the pilate stone is that it actually gives us hard evidence of this central figure from the story of the crucifixion of jesus. so pilate really existed. he really lived. and he really was the preforget of judaism. and he was the prefect of judaism. we have a point of connection