What title did Pilate have placed on Jesus' cross?

• A. JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS
• B. JESUS OF NAZARETH
• C. THE KING OF THE JEWS
• D. JESUS THE CARPENTER

Answer: (A)

Pilate’s sign on Jesus’ cross identified both who Jesus was and the claim associated with him. The inscription read Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews, a full phrase that Romans used to publicly state the charge or claim against someone. This exact wording appears in the Gospel accounts (often noted as INRI: Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum) and was intentionally put in multiple languages to be read by everyone passing by. The priests asked him to change it to say he claimed to be king, but Pilate stood by what he had written. The complete line is the best answer because it includes both Jesus’ identity and the official title attributed to him, rather than a partial version or an unrelated description.