Titulus Crucis: What exactly did Pilate order to be written?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21906/rbl.3738Keywords:
Gospel of John, Jesus, Passion of the Lord, relics, tetragrammaton, titulus crucis, crucifixionAbstract
This article examines the wording and interpretation of the inscription placed above the crucified Jesus’ head. Although all four Evangelists refer to this inscription, each records its wording in a different form. Of particular significance is the version found in the Gospel of John, which broadly corresponds to the trilingual inscription on the wooden tablet preserved in a Roman basilica and venerated as the Titulus Crucis. An analysis of this relic does not answer the question of what form the Hebrew line of the inscription may have taken. The attempt made in the article to reconstruct the Hebrew wording of the inscription opens the way to a deeper theological interpretation of the text that Pilate ordered to be placed on the cross of Jesus.
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