Said text was also translated into
Aramaic and
Greek so that all people would be able to read it. Remember, the language of the day for most
Jews would have been
Aramaic, and therefore many would have been incapable of reading the
Greek, which would severely diminish the worth of the
crucifixion from the
Roman point of view, since those who passed by wouldn't know what
Jesus had been percisely
crucified over.
As for whether
Pontius Pilate was being
sarcastic, that matter is open to a great deal of debate. The
Gospel of John itself says that in response to
Jewish priest's suggestion that he write that
Jesus claimed to be king of the Jews rather than INRI,
Pontius Pilate replied, "What I have written I have written." (
St. John 19:22, King James version)
Of course, that is fairly vague and by no means definitive. There are indeed many different views as to what sort of man
Pontius Pilate was, and as to what he thought of
Jesus.