Title of Jesus referred to in the New Testament
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 Hellenic of the New Testament, e.g., in , this is written as "Basileus ton Ioudaion" ().
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 Biblical Magi who come from the east 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.
The initialism INRI () represents the Latin inscription (in and ), which in English translates to "Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews", and states that this was written in three languages—Jewish tongue, Latin, and Hellenic (ΙΝΒΙ = Ιησούς Ναζωραίος Βασιλεύς Ιουδαίων)—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 Jews in the New Testament use the title "King of Israel" or the Hebrew word Messiah, which can also mean king.
Although the phrase "King of the Jews" is used in most English translations, it has also been translated "King of the Judeans" (see Ioudaioi).
In the nativity.
In the account of the nativity of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, the Biblical Magi go to King Herod in Jerusalem and (in ) ask him: "Where is he that is born King of the Jews?" Herod asks the "chief priests and teachers of the law", who tell him in Bethlehem of Judea.
The question troubles Herod who considers the title his own, and in he questions the Magi about the exact time of the Star of Bethlehem's appearance. Herod sends the Magi to Bethlehem, telling them to notify him when they find the child. After the Magi find Jesus and present their gifts, having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they returned to their country by a different way.
An angel appears to Joseph in a dream and warns him to take Jesus and Mary into Egypt (). When Herod realizes he has been outwitted by the Magi he gives orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who are two years old and under. ()
In the Passion narratives.
In the accounts of the Passion of Jesus, the title "King of the Jews" is used on three occasions. In the first such episode, all four Gospels state that the title was used for Jesus when he was interviewed by Pilate and that his crucifixion was based on that charge, as in , , and .
The use of the terms "king" and "kingdom" and the role of the Jews in using the term "king" to accuse Jesus are central to the discussion between Jesus and Pilate. In , , and Jesus responds to Pilate, "you have said so" when asked if Jesus is the King of the Jews and says nothing further. This answer is traditionally interpreted as an affirmative. Some scholars describe it as ambiguous and enigmatic. Other scholars say it was calculated not to anger Pilate while allowing the gospel reader to understand that the answer is affirmative. In , he hints that the king accusation did not originate with Pilate but with "others" and, in , he states: "My kingdom is not of this world". However, Jesus does not directly deny being the King of the Jews.
In the New Testament, Pilate writes "Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews" as a sign to be affixed to the cross of Jesus. states that the Jews told Pilate: "Do not write King of the Jews" but instead write that Jesus had merely claimed that title, but Pilate wrote it anyway. Pilate's response to the protest is recorded by John: "What I have written, I have written."
After the trial by Pilate and after the flagellation of Christ episode, the soldiers mock Jesus as the King of Jews by putting a purple robe (that signifies royal status) on him, place a Crown of Thorns on his head, and beat and mistreat him in , and .
The continued reliance on the use of the term "king" by the Judeans to press charges against Jesus is a key element of the final decision to crucify him. In Pilate seeks to release Jesus, but the Jews object, saying: "If thou release this man, thou art not Caesar's friend: every one that maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar", bringing the power of Caesar to the forefront of the discussion. In , the Jews then cry out: "Crucify him! ... We have no king but Caesar."
The use of the term "King of the Jews" by the early Church after the death of Jesus was thus not without risk, for this term could have opened them to prosecution as followers of Jesus, who was accused of possible rebellion against Rome.
The final use of the title only appears in . Here, after Jesus has carried the cross to Calvary and has been nailed to the cross, the soldiers look up on him on the cross, mock him, offer him vinegar and say: "If thou art the King of the Jews, save thyself." In the parallel account in , the Jewish priests mock Jesus as "King of Israel", saying: "He is the King of Israel; let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in him."
King of the Jews vs King of Israel.
In the New Testament, the "King of the Jews" title is used only by the gentiles, by the Magi, Pontius Pilate, and Roman soldiers. In contrast, the Jews in the New Testament prefer the designation "King of Israel" as used reverentially by Jesus' Jewish followers in and , and mockingly by the Jewish leaders in and . From Pilate's perspective, it is the term "King" (regardless of Jews or Israel) that is sensitive, for it implies possible rebellion against the Roman Empire.
In the Gospel of Mark the distinction between King of the Jews and King of Israel is made consciously, setting apart the two uses of the term by the Jews and the gentiles.
INRI and ΙΝΒΙ.
The initialism "INRI" represents the Latin inscription (), which in English translates to "Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews" (). states that this was written in three languages – Aramaic-Hebrew, Latin, and Greek – and was put on the cross of Jesus. The Greek version of the initialism reads ΙΝΒΙ, representing ().
Devotional enthusiasm greeted the discovery by Pedro González de Mendoza in 1492 of what was acclaimed as the actual tablet, said to have been brought to Rome by Saint Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine.
Western Christianity.
In Western Christianity, most crucifixes and many depictions of the crucifixion of Jesus include a plaque or parchment placed above his head, 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. 
The initialism INRI (as opposed to the full inscription) was in use by the 10th century (Gero Cross, Cologne, ca. 970).
Eastern Christianity.
In Eastern Christianity, both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Eastern Catholic particular churches "sui iuris" use the Greek letters ΙΝΒΙ, based on the Greek version of the inscription . Some representations change the title to "ΙΝΒΚ," (, "The King of the World"), or to (, "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.
The Romanian Orthodox Church uses INRI, since abbreviation in Romanian is exactly the same as in Latin ("Iisus Nazarineanul Regele Iudeilor").
Eastern Orthodox Churches that use Church Slavonic in their liturgy use (, the equivalent of ΙΝΒΙ for ) or the abbreviation (, "King of Glory").
Other uses of INRI.
In Spanish, the word denotes any insulting or mocking word or phrase; it is usually found in the fixed expression (literally "for more/greater insult"), which idiomatically means "to add insult to injury" or "to make matters worse". Its origin is sometimes made clearer by capitalisation .
The initials INRI have been reinterpreted with other expansions (backronyms). In an 1825 book on Freemasonry, Marcello Reghellini de Schio alleged that Rosicrucians gave "INRI" alchemical meanings:
Later writers have attributed these to Freemasonry, Hermeticism, or neo-paganism. Aleister Crowley's "The Temple of Solomon the King" includes a discussion of Augoeides, supposedly written by "Frater P." of the A∴A∴:
For since Intra Nobis Regnum deI [footnote in original: I.N.R.I.], all things are in Ourself, and all Spiritual Experience is a more of less complete Revelation of Him [i.e. Augoeides].
Latin literally means "Inside Us the Kingdom of god".
Leopold Bloom, the nominally Catholic, ethnically Jewish protagonist of James Joyce's "Ulysses", remembers his wife Molly Bloom interpreting INRI as "Iron Nails Ran In". The same meaning is given by a character in Ed McBain's 1975 novel "Doors". Most "Ulysses" translations preserve "INRI" and make a new misinterpretation, such as the French "he makes us innocent again".
Isopsephy.
In isopsephy, the Greek term () receives a value of 3343 whose digits seem to correspond to a suggested date for the crucifixion of Jesus, (33, April, 3rd day).
References.
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