Jesus, King of the Jews
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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In the New Testament, Jesus is referred to as the King of the Jews, both at the beginning of his life and at the end. In the Koine Greek of the New Testament, e.g. in John 19:3 this is written Basileus ton Ioudaion (Template:Lang).
Both uses of the title lead to dramatic results in the New Testament accounts. In the account of the Nativity of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, the wise men (i.e. Magi) who come from the east call Jesus the "King of the Jews", causing King Herod to order the Massacre of the Innocents. Towards the end of the accounts of all four Canonical Gospels, in the narrative of the Passion of Jesus, the use of the "King of the Jews" title leads to charges against Jesus that result in his Crucifixion.
The acronym INRI (Iēsus Nazarēnus, Rēx Iūdaeōrum) represents the Latin inscription which in English reads as "Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews" and John 19:20 states that this was written in three languages: Hebrew, Latin and Greek during the crucifixion of Jesus. The Greek version reads ΙΝΒΙ, representing Template:Lang.
In the New testament, the "King of the Jews” title is used only by the gentiles, namely by the Magi, Pontius Pilate and the Roman soldiers. In contrast, the Jewish leaders use the designation "King of Israel". The phrase has also been translated King of the Judeans (see Ioudaioi).
See also
