There is only one person in all of the Gospels whose existence is confirmed by hard evidence - Pontius Pilate. But who exactly was he, and what was his part in the killing of Christ? Expert historians discuss the various theories as to if and why Pilate ordered Jesus crucifixion. According to the Gospel, he offered the Jewish people a choice - to crucify Jesus or another prisoner - and the crowd chose Jesus, but the historical evidence suggests this would not have happened.
