Definition

Noun: 1. A representation of Jesus Christ wearing the crown of thorns: This term refers specifically to artistic depictions, typically paintings or sculptures, that portray Jesus Christ at the moment Pontius Pilate presented him to the crowd, wearing the crown of thorns. The phrase itself is Latin for "Behold the Man."

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The museum's collection includes a powerful ecce homo from the 17th century.
  • The damaged fresco, an ecce homo, was recently restored by experts.

Advanced Usage

• Theological and Historical Context: The term is used in academic and artistic contexts to categorize a specific iconographic theme in Christian art, focusing on Christ's suffering and humanity.
• Literary and Figurative Use: While primarily an art historical term, "ecce homo" can be used figuratively in literature or rhetoric to present someone as a symbol of suffering or unjust persecution.
  • The journalist's article presented the refugee as an ecce homo, a symbol of the conflict's human cost.

Variants and Related Words

• Passion of Christ: A broader term for the artistic and narrative depiction of the final events in Jesus's life, which includes the "ecce homo" scene.
• Man of Sorrows: Another common artistic theme depicting Christ, often contemplative and emphasizing his suffering, closely related to the "ecce homo" motif.

Synonyms

• Depiction of Christ
• Image of the suffering Christ

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Ecce Homo": The phrase itself, used as a title or exclamation, directly references the Biblical narrative (John 19:5) and is used to draw attention to a figure presented for judgment or pity.
  • The defense lawyer, pointing at his client, seemed to say to the jury, "Ecce homo"—behold a man broken by the system.

Noun

1. a representation (a picture or sculpture) of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns