Ever wondered, “What does INRI stand for?” This guide will give you all of the knowledge you need on the abbreviation INRI, including its definition, origin, usage examples, and more!
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Kevin
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March 11, 2021
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What does the acronym INRI mean?
According to Collins Dictionary, the Bible states that INRI stands for the Latin phrase “Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum.” This refers to Jesus Christ, also known as “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” This inscription was placed over Jesus the Nazarene’s head during the crucifixion. It was used in Luke 23:38, Mark 12:26, Matthew 27:37, and John 19:19-20 in the New Testament.
One might commonly see the letters INRI on Catholic crosses in peoples’ homes, on jewelry, or in a Catholic Church, or in Catholic paintings of the crucifixion. This Latin inscription is also commonly written “Iesvs Nazarenvs Rex Ivdaeorvm,” where the letter v replaces the letter u. According to Pampa Museum, this is because the use of the letter u did not come into use in English until the 18th century. Before this, Old Latin used the letter v for capitals and the letter u for lowercase. Therefore, any Roman building was inscribed with the letter v instead of the letter u. This is now considered to be a neoclassical style alluding to Latin times.
There are some alternate forms of INRI used in different places. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, many churches use the Greek letters INBI or ΙΝΒΔ based on the Greek version of the inscription on the cross. The Russian Orthodox Church uses ІНЦІ. In Hebrew, the phase is commonly seen as ישוע הנצרי ומלך היהודים.
While the acronym INRI only ever means Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum, one should be careful not to confuse it with the initialism I.N.R. According to The Free Dictionary, this acronym has a plethora of other meanings that do not relate to INRI.
- International Normalized Ratio
- India Rupee
- Item Not Received
- Bureau of Intelligence & Research
- Increment Register
- Information Request
- Institute for National Resources
- Invoice Not Received
- Interference-to-Noise Ratio
- Impact Noise Rating
- Image Navigation & Registration
- Iceland NATO Radar
- Interferometric Radiometer
- Institute of Neohellenic Research
What is the origin of the acronym INRI?
According to The Miscellany, the declaration of Jesus of Nazareth as The King of the Jews comes from Pontius Pilate. He ordered this declaration and placed it on the cross where Jesus was hung. Although most depictions of this cross only write the phrase in Latin, it was also represented in Greek and Aramaic on the cross. Other sources state that it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek instead. This phrase was written on the cross in three different languages so that everyone who saw it knew what Jesus was being charged with. People now use this to be reminded that Jesus is king, and they do not use it in a mocking way in modern times.
Pontius Pilate inscribed the phrase INRI to condemn Jesus for comparing himself to Caesar of the Roman empire and for rebelling within the Roman-occupied province. This is seen in the Gospel of John. After Jesus was captured in Jerusalem, Pilate asked Jesus if he was indeed King of the Jews, but he did not confirm or deny the claim. His ambivalence was taken as an admission of guilt so Pontius Pilate considered him a threat to the Roman empire. He was condemned to die by crucifixion. Therefore, we can see that INRI was inscribed to mock and ridicule Jesus and his followers. The chief priests of the Jews protested for Pilate not to write INRI on the cross, according to Kouya.
New World Encyclopedia states that this acronym of the Latin phrase is called a titulus crucis, which is Latin for “Title of the Cross.” This phrase is usually not translated into the English language when displayed as a monogram. Many western crucifixes include the titulus above Jesus’ head on the Cross of Jesus with the letters INRI. This is considered a Chrisogram, or a monogram that forms an abbreviation for Jesus Christ. This is considered a Christian symbol.
The letters INRI each stand for something different. According to Bible Study, the letter I stands for Jesus’ name in Latin spelled Iesus. Even though Latin does have the letter J, they decided to spell Jesus’ name beginning with an I. Greek and Hebrew do not have a letter J, so this may be why. The N stands for Nazarenus, which translates to Nazareth or Nazarene. The letter R stands for Rex, which means king in Latin. Finally, the letter I stands for Iudaeorum, which means “Jews.” This is also another circumstance in which Latin uses the letter I in place of J. Aleteia states that since the Catholic Chruch was originally based in the Roman Empire and Latin was the official language of the Roman Church, the Latin translation of Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews became the favored abbreviation over either the Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic spellings.
Overall, the acronym INRI stands for Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum. This is a Latin phrase that translates to Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. This phrase was inscribed on the cross of Jesus during his crucifixion. This phrase was used to mock Jesus about claiming that he is the King of the Jews. It was written in three different languages on the cross so that all of the onlookers could see his “crime.” Now, this is used as an abbreviation on representations of the cross in peoples’ homes and in churches.
Sources:
- https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/inri
- https://www.pampamuseum.org/-why-v-instead-of-u.html#:~:text=From%20Page%201B-,U%20didn’t%20actually%20come%20into%20wide%2D%20spread%20use%20in,V%20in%20place%20of%20U.
- https://themiscellany.org/2017/07/22/what-does-inri-stand-for/
- https://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/INR
- https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/INRI
- https://www.kouya.net/?p=1869
- https://www.biblestudy.org/question/what-does-inri-mean.html
- https://aleteia.org/2019/04/12/what-does-inri-mean/
