Title on cross

It was customary in the Reman empire, when a criminal was going to execution, for a board (ciilled ffoWs), on which the ground of condemnation (airla, causa) was written, to be carried before him or hung round his neck — the inscription being known as titutus (Gr, tItXos). Instances of this custom will be found in Suet. Caluj. 32 — ' pncrcdcnCe litulo qui causam picnm indiiaret,' Domit. 10; Eusebius, HE v. 1 (see Swete, St. Mark, p. 359).

All four evangelists mention that the custom was observed at the cruci- fixion of Jesus Christ, though they describe the title as attixed to the cross, without referring to its being carried on the way to Golgotha. They have various styles of indicating it. As usual, St Mark's description is the fullest. He calls it ' the superscription of his accusation ' (^ {itiypaif>^ TTit airias airov, Mk 15-'') ; in the First Gospel it i.

i ' his accusation ' (aiViai' avroO, Mt 27") ; and in the Third it is simi)ly ' a superscription ' {i-nypa'p^, Lk 23^). The Fourth Gospel calls it by the technical name (titXos), and states that it was wTitten in three languages — Hebrew {i.e. Aramaic, the lanOTiage of the Jews of Palestine), Latin (the official language), and Greek (the language cur- rent throughout the East), Jn 19'»- ^o. The four Gospels also vary in their statements of the words of the title, viz.

: — Mk = 'Tlie king of the Jews' (4 /Soo-iXfis ruy 'lovSaiiov). Mt=' This is Jesus the king of the Jews' (oDt6s i(7Tiv 'lijaoi'S 6 ^affi\eus rCitf *lov5a.iii3v). Lk='Thi8 is the king of the Jews' (6 j3airiXei)s TU3V 'loi'Saiwi' otn-os). Jn=' Jesus of Nazareth the king of the Jews' 'YovSaifjjv). It is not ea.sy to determine which of these was the original form of word.s.

The instance from the Letter of the Churclies of Vienne and Lyons, where the martyr's name is given (out6s ^a-Tii' "AttoXos 6 XpiffTioi'is, Tusebius, HE v. 1), would suggest (1) that Mt and Lk are right in giving the word ' this' (oCros), and (2) that Mt aad Jn are right in giviu" the name — 'Jesus.' Since Mt is the only Gospel that has both the forms found In the passage cited from Eusebius, ths preference seems to lie with the I)hrase as given in that Gospel.

But then we cannot be sure that the same form of words was used in all cases, or that the Letter of the Churches of Vienne and Lyons gives it with verbal accuracy. Moreover, it may have been variously phrased in the three languages. The following arrangement has been suggested : — OYTOC ecTiN iHroyc o BACiAeyc toin loyia^iWN. KEX JUDAEORUM. (See Geikie, Life and Words of Christ, ch. Ixiii. note e). The variations are quite immaterial. In all four accounts the essential words are the same.

The title describes Jesus as ' King of the Jews.' It makes no mention of sedition or usurpation ; the phrase is absolute. Phiinly, it was a sarcastic expression ; but it was perceived at once that the point of the sarcasm was against the Jews rather than against their Victim. This is shown by St. John, who njirrates how the chief jiriests requested Pilate to ch:inge the title to ' He said, I am king of the Jews,' and how Pilate h:uiglitily refused to alter what he had written (Jn ISI-'- -). W.

F. Adkn'kv.