Bible Figure
Pontius Pilate wife
Pilate's wife is an unnamed woman mentioned only in Matthew's Passion narrative. While Pontius Pilate sat in judgment over Jesus, she sent him a warning to have nothing to do with 'that righteous man' because she had suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.
Biography
Matthew 27:19 provides the only canonical reference to Pilate's wife. During Jesus' hearing before the Roman governor, while Pilate was seated on the judgment seat, his wife sent him an urgent message concerning Jesus. She described Him as a righteous man and said that she had suffered much that day in a dream because of Him. Matthew does not give her name, explain the dream, or state what she later believed about Jesus. Later Christian traditions supplied names and biographies, most famously Procla or Claudia Procula, but these are not part of the New Testament account. For AVWJ, the safest presentation is therefore to retain her as the unnamed wife of Pontius Pilate and clearly distinguish later tradition from Scripture.
Biblical Significance
Pilate's wife's warning adds another testimony to Jesus' innocence within Matthew's Passion account. Her dream also contributes to Matthew's recurring theme of significant divine warnings through dreams, while Pilate's subsequent actions emphasize the tragedy of recognizing innocence yet yielding to pressure.