The name Pontius Pilate is instantly familiar to anyone who has read the Bible or has heard of the passion of Christ, but the man himself has mostly eluded biblical scholars and historians. As the Roman prefect in Judaea during Christ's life and death, Pilate played a central role in the ultimate crucifixion of Jesus, but he is best remembered for literally washing his hands as a symbol that he did not consider the blood to be on his hands.

Aside from being in the middle of one of the Bible's most important dramas, mystery surrounds Pilate, and as a result he has been portrayed in a number of different and contradictory ways. Pilate has been viewed as an ineffective and weak ruler by some, an iron-fisted ruler by others, and a completely oblivious one by still others. Other than being mentioned in the Gospels, a few other works in the noncanonical texts that comprise the apocrypha, and the works of a few ancient Roman historians, Pilate the figure has mostly been lost to history, even as his name has remained universally known.

Legends of the Bible: The Life and Legacy of Pontius Pilate discusses the facts, myths, and legends surrounding the life of Pilate, examining the Bible and historical records to piece together his life and legacy in an attempt to separate fact from fiction.