In the New Testament, Jesus was mocked as King of the Jews, both at the beginning of his life and at the end by the Romans, though Jesus rejected that title before Pilate in John 18:34. However, the chief priests correct the mockery, challenging Jesus as "King of Israel" in Matthew 27:42. In the Koine Greek of the New Testament, the mockery of King of the Jews, e.g., in John 19:3, this is written as Basileus ton Ioudaion (βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων).[1]
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 unfamiliar foreign Biblical Magi who come from the east mistakenly call Jesus the "King of the Jews", causing Herod the Great 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 title "King of the Jews" leads to charges against Jesus that result in his crucifixion.[2][3]
The initialism INRI (Latin: Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum) represents the Latin inscription (in John 19:19 and Matthew 27:37), which in English translates to "Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews", and John 19:20 states that this was written in three languages—Hebrew,[a] Latin, and Greek—during the crucifixion of Jesus.
The title "King of the Jews" is only used in the New Testament by gentiles, namely by the Magi, Pontius Pilate, and the Roman soldiers. In contrast, the Jewish leaders use the designation "King of Israel". They use the Hebrew word "Messiah," while 'Christ' is a Greek translation of the word.[7] Although the phrase "King of the Jews" is used in most English translations,[b] it has also been translated "King of the Judeans" (see Ioudaioi).[8]download
