# Pontius something-or -other a reference to Pontius Pilate,, the governor of the Jews at the time of the crucifixion of Jesus (ca. A.D. 29); he was an official of the Roman Empire, to which the Jewish nation belonged at that time. According to the gospels, Pilate did not consider Jesus guilty and wanted to release him. Under pressure from the crowds in Jerusalem, however, Pilate sentenced Jesus to death on the cross, having first washed his hands as a symbol of getting rid of his responsibility for Jesus' fate.