Jesus, King of the Jews

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 , this is written Basileus ton Ioudaion (βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων).

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 Judeans", 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 Judeans" title leads to charges against Jesus that result in his Crucifixion.

The initialism INRI (Latin: Iēsūs/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 — Aramaic, Latin, and Greek — during the crucifixion of Jesus. The Greek version of the initialism read ΙΝΒΙ, representing Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος ὁ Bασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων which is best translated, "Jesus the Nazorean, King of the Judeans."

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).

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