The Crucifixion by Andrea di Bartolo, tempera on wood, gold ground, circa 1389-1428. According to the accounts in the New Testament, Jesus, whom Christians believe to be the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally crucified. Collectively referred to as the Passion, Jesus' suffering and redemptive death by crucifixion are the central aspects of Christian theology concerning the doctrines of salvation and atonement. Jesus' crucifixion is described in the four canonical gospels, referred to in the New Testament Epistles, attested to by other ancient sources, and is firmly established as a historical event confirmed by non-Christian sources, though there is no consensus on the precise details of what exactly occurred.