INRI is an acronym of the Latin phrase IESVS·NAZARENVS·REX·IVDÆORVM, which translates to English as "Jesus Nazarene, King of the Jews." It appears in the New Testament of the Christian Bible in the Gospel of John (19:19). Each of the other accounts of Jesus' death have a slightly different version for the inscription on Jesus cross: Matthew (27:37), "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews"; Mark (15:26), "The King of the Jews"; and Luke (KJV), "This is the King of the Jews." Both Luke and John state it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, while Matthew and Mark describe it as the charge for crucifying Jesus.
In the Gospel of John (19:19-20), the inscription is explained:
And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. (King James Version)
In Hebrew, the phrase is commonly rendered[citation needed] ישוע הנצרי ומלך היהודים (Yeshua` HaNotsri U'Melech HaYehudim IPA: [jeːʃuːɑʕ hɑnːɑtseri meleχ hɑjːəhuðiːm]), which translates instead to "Jesus the Nazarite and King of the Jews." This version was most probably chosen in order that the acronym constitute the tetragrammaton (יהוה) name corresponding with Yahweh or Jehovah. It is possible that the titulus was written in Aramaic—the local vernacular—rather than Hebrew.
As Pilate was loath to crucify Jesus without justification, he used the standing Roman treaty with the Jews, which allowed them limited self-government (see Iudaea Province for details). When the Jewish priests complained that Jesus was interfering with that self-rule by claiming to be the Son of God (see Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus), Pilate challenged him to deny that he was the "King of the Jews." Jesus did not deny the accusation. Pilate's reluctance to crucify Jesus, according to Christian texts, stands in contrast to his willingness to crucify countless thousands of other Jews and Samaritans during his rule.[1]
Some believe that the justification for his crucifixion was his claim to an illegitimate title. However, John 19:21-22 implies that Pilate rejected the charge that Jesus was crucified because he falsely claimed to be king and instead stated that Jesus was crucified because he was the King of the Jews. Thus, some Christians as early as the second century[2] report that Pilate was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah.
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Within Western Christianity, many crucifixes and other depictions of the crucifixion of Jesus include a stylized plaque or parchment, called a titulus, or title, bearing only the Latin letters INRI, occasionally carved directly into the cross and usually just above the head of Jesus.
Many Eastern Orthodox Churches use the Greek letters INBI, based on the Greek version of the inscription, Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος ὁ Bασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων. Some representations change the title to "ΙΝΒΚ" ὁ Bασιλεὺς τοῦ κόσμου ("The King of the World"), or "ΙΝΒΔ" ὁ Bασιλεὺς τῆς Δόξης ("The King of Glory"), not implying that this was really what was written but reflecting the tradition that icons depict the spiritual reality rather than the physical reality. Some other Orthodox Churches (such as the Romanian Orthodox Church) use the Latin version, INRI. The Russian Orthodox Church uses ІНЦІ (the Church Slavonic equivalent of INBI) or the abbreviation Цръ Слвы ("King of Glory").
| Mark | Luke | Matthew | John | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verse | Mk 15:26 | Lk 23:38 | Mt 27:37 | Jn 19:19-20 |
| Greek Inscription | ο βασιλευς των ιουδαιων | ουτος εστιν ο βασιλευς των ιουδαιων | ουτος εστιν ιησους ο βασιλευς των ιουδαιων | ιησους ο ναζωραιος ο βασιλευς των ιουδαιων |
| English translation | The King of the Jews | This is the King of the Jews | This is Jesus, the King of the Jews | Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews |
| Languages | [none specified] | Greek, Latin, Hebrew | [none specified] | Hebrew, Latin, Greek |
| Full verse in KJV | And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. | And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. | And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. | And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. |
