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Ecce (EH-kay)

Latin for 'behold'
Common clues: ____ homo; Behold, to Brutus; Pilate's “Behold!”; “Look!” to Livy; Biblical trial word

Crossword puzzle frequency: 3 times a year
Video:
Jesus of Nazareth (1979) - Ecce Homo ~ Behold The Man


Ecce homo ("behold the man") are the Latin words used by Pontius Pilate in the Vulgate translation of John 19:5, when he presents a scourged Jesus Christ, bound and crowned with thorns, to a hostile crowd shortly before his Crucifixion. The Douay-Rheims Bible translates the phrase into English as "Behold the man!"[John 19:5] The scene has been widely depicted in Christian art.


Antonio Ciseri's depiction of Ecce Homo, 1871.


A scene of the Ecce Homo is a standard component of cycles illustrating the Passion and Life of Christ in art. It follows the Flagellation of Christ, the Crowning with thorns and the Mocking of Christ, the last two often being combined. The usual depiction shows Pilate and Christ, the mocking crowd and parts of the city of Jerusalem.


But, from the 15th century, devotional pictures began to portray Jesus alone, in half or full figure with a purple robe, loincloth, crown of thorns and torture wounds, especially on his head. Similar subjects but with the wounds of the crucifixion visible (Nail wounds on the limbs, spear wounds on the sides), are termed a Man of Sorrow(s) (also Misericordia). If the "Instruments of the Passion" are present, it may be called an Arma Christi. If Christ is sitting down (usually supporting himself with his hand on his thigh), it may be referred to it as Christ at rest or Pensive Christ. It is not always possible to distinguish these subjects.


This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ecce_homo".