Pontius Pilate
7
9.3
- proper noun
- Did Jesus ride down the Mt. of Olives on a donkey, was he examined by Pontius Pilate, did Joseph of Arimathea take his corpse and bury it in a nearby tomb, and did women visit that tomb Sunday morning and find it empty?
Examples
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Pontius Pilate presided over the trial of Jesus before his crucifixion.
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Pontius Pilate's praise of you to Caesar could make you king.
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Pontius Pilate would return to Rome in triumph.
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The next stop on the itinerary is likely to be the place where Pontius Pilate condemned Jesus.
Academic text (2004) -
Pontius Pilate was recalled to Rome, while Joseph Caiaphas, without his Roman ally, lost his position within the temple.
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The Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, is portrayed most sympathetically as someone who looks kindly upon Jesus and is unwilling to kill an innocent man.
Academic text (2004) -
As tribune to Prefect Pontius Pilate, my task is to keep order in a city that is steeped in unrest.
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We have to cling to our crucified One and recall Our Lady's anguish at the decree of Pontius Pilate and at the foot of the Cross.
Blog text (15) -
In the New Testament, Pontius Pilate is depicted as the governor who authorized Jesus' death.
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Many historians discuss the decisions made by Pontius Pilate during his time as governor of Judea.
Synonyms
13
8.7
Roman governor of Judea in the Bible who ordered Jesus to be killed on a cross
Surface Forms
Morphology
Pontius + Pilate
This is a proper name referring to a specific historical person; the meaning (a Roman governor who presided over Jesus' trial) cannot be derived from the constituent name-parts. The parts are not compositional lexical items (one is not found in dictionaries), so a B1 learner who only knows the constituent names would not infer the historical role or events associated with Pontius Pilate.
Etymology
Pontius Pilate was a Roman governor in the Bible who, at Jesus' trial, is remembered for washing his hands in front of people to show he did not want the blame. Because of that image, his name is sometimes used for someone who 'avoids responsibility'.