the pilate of history is occasionally blood thirsty and can be very brutal. the pilate of the gospels is uncertain. a couple of the gospels suggest that the jewish authorities pressurized a reluctant pilate into sending jesus to the cross. are you the king of the jews? in reality, i think, this is not at all realistic. and i don t think it would have taken very much for pilate to be convinced that jesus had to be sent to the cross. we can see the gospel accounts of the trial of jesus in some ways as fictional courtroom dramas. then why does the pilate of the bible try to avoid crucifying jesus? i have the authority to set you free. the gospels are all written several decades of the death of jesus.