The Coins of Pontius Pilate
by Andrew McIntyre
Pontius
Pilate was appointed governor of Judea
by the Roman Emperor Tiberius in 26 AD
and he held that position until his removal
in 36 AD. According to the Christian gospels,
Pilate presided over the trial of Jesus
Christ and found him not guilty of subversion.
However, pressured by a religious mob,
Pilate had Jesus crucified. Even though
Pilate's governorship lasted 10 years, he
only produced local coinage in Jerusalem
for a period of three years (29, 30, and
31 AD). What is remarkable about the coins of Pontius Pilate is that the coins most likely cover the year of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Most
biblical scholars accept that Jesus was
born under Herod the Great. However,
historical record shows that Herod died
in 4 BC. Rightly or wrongly, it is the
monk Dionysus Exiguous (c. 470 – c. 544)
who
is credited and blamed for the error in
the AD dating system. If Jesus was 33 years
old when he was crucified and he was born
in 4 BC (no Year 0) then the year of crucifixion
would be 30 AD according to the modern
calendar. The coins of Pontius Pilate are
bronze and, strange as it may seem, the
inscriptions on his coins are in Greek. This is because
Greek was the dominant written language
of the Holy Land dating back to Alexander
the Great in 331 BC. Aramaic was the predominant
spoken
language of the region.
 The
coins of Pontius Pilate come in two styles.
On the front (obverse) of the 1st type
is the symbol of the simpulum which was
a
Roman
wine container used in Roman religious
ceremonies. This symbol would probably
have offended the local Jewish population
and this coin was only produced in 29 AD
at which time Pilate's coinage was redesigned.
The Greek inscription on the front is TIBEPIOY
KAICAPOC which means [coin] of Emperor
Tiberius. The reverse inscription is IOYLIA
KAICAPOC which translates to Empress Julia,
mother of Tiberius. The reverse symbol
is three stalks of grain and appears to
have no special meaning. Although hard
to see
on this coin, there is a date in Greek
on the obverse,
LIς = Year 16, referring to the 16th year
of
Tiberius' rule as Emperor of Rome. The second
type of coin of Pontius Pilate, with the
symbol on the front being a lituus, or curved
wooden staff, is traditionally attributed
to having been produced in 30 and 31 AD
only. However, some scholars believe it
was first produced in 29 AD as there are
several specimens that have LIς which would
equate to Year 16. As the first type with
the grain stalks was not produced after
Year 16, it is quite plausible the coins
of
the second type with the lituus staff were
first produced towards the end of Year
16 to replace the first type. The second
type then would have continued on for Year
17 & Year 18. The lituus staff was used in Roman ceremonies related to astrology
but it is conceivable to pass it off as
shepherd's staff. The inscription again
was TIBEPIOY
KAICAPOC which means [coin] of Emperor
Tiberius. The reverse symbol was a laurel
wreath with an inscription listing the
date of the coin in Greek, either LIZ (
L = Year, I = 10 + Z = 7) for Year 17 =
30 AD or LIH for Year 18 = Year 31 AD.
There are other well documented inscription
errors on some coins which either would
be a sign of carelessness or ignorance
on the part of the coin engraver. Therefore, the coin with LIZ for Year 17 = 30 AD is taken to be the year of crucifixion.
 
LIZ = Year 17 = 30 AD LIH = Year 18 = 31 AD
Sources :
The Coins of Pontius Pilate by Jean-Philippe Fontanille
Pontius Pilate, 29AD, Prutah 2.05g © Gorny & Mosch
Antonio Ciseri's painting of Pontius Pilate presenting Christ to the crowd.
Last updated 4/16/2007
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