A name that is still barely known: Stephaton, witness to the Crucifixion

In the visual depictions of the Christian story of the Saviour, the so-call ed "Crucifixion in the Throng" takes a special place. Beyond the usual figu res of Jesus, Mary, and John, numerous other figures appear, including the Roman soldiers who cast lots for Christ's raiment and the lamenting women o f Jerusalem. Tow of these figures have a special place. One is the Roman ce nturion who thrusts a spear into the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a man who has b een called "Longinus" since the time of the early Apocrypha. The other is t he man who offers Jesus a sponge soaked in vinegar on a pole. The author in vestigates the very rare naming of this sponge-carrier as "Stephaton."