Pontius Pilate is one of the Bible's best-known villains - but up until the tenth century, artistic imagery appears to have consistently portrayed him as a benevolent Christian and holy symbol of baptism. This book looks at the shifting visual and textual representations of Pilate throughout early Christian and medieval art.

"This textual and visual barometer of Pontius Pilate reveals a highly complex picture of a mysterious figure. The chronological span of the book is breathtaking."--Dorothy Verkerk, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
"The figure of Pilate has long fascinated the public. The book discusses the historical and traditional textual presentations of Pilate, and includes art from Christian antiquity through to the end of the Middle Ages. The scholarship is sound and extensive."--Robin M. Jensen, Vanderbilt University
"This is a major contribution to the growing examinations of anti-Jewish representations in medieval and early modern art and literature. The author's lively and engaging consideration of the sources, both pictorial and literary, is careful and thorough."--Debra Higgs Strickland, University of Glasgow

"[T]his book is a multifaceted treatment of the iconography of Pontius Pilate and provides a useful compilation of textual and visual representations of his role in the Passion."---Vivian B. Mann, Speculuma Journal of Medieval Studies