Holy Sponge

James Tissot's depiction. Here, the hyssop stick is used as a kind of straw, and "Stephaton" squeezes the sponge. (c. 1880, gouache over graphite on grey wove paper)

The Holy Sponge is one of the Instruments of the Passion of Jesus.[1] It was dipped in vinegar (Ancient Greek: ὄξος, romanized: oxos; in some translations sour wine), most likely posca,[2] a regular beverage of Roman soldiers,[3] and offered to Jesus to drink from during the Crucifixion,[2] according to Matthew 27:48,[4] Mark 15:36,[5] and John 19:29.[6]

  1. ^ Manseau, Peter (April 11, 2009). "Faith, Proof and Relics". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Davis, C. Truman (4 November 2015). "A Physician's View of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ". The Christian Broadcasting Network. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  3. ^ Wija, Tantri (September 18, 2019). "Oh, sure. Now it's trendy. But drinking vinegar was the taste that originally refreshed an ancient empire". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  4. ^ Matthew 27:48
  5. ^ Mark 15:36
  6. ^ John 19:29