From Syriac Rabbula gospels, 586 CE. See here.

He took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.

On a lighter Easter note, an enterprising young adman, asked to come up with an ad for Chumley’s vinegar, used a painting of Christ on the cross averting his face from the proffered sponge, with the fine caption

Take it away—it’s not CHUMLEYS!

That was in the days before Aceto balsamico di Modena, “sourcing”, and “drizzling” were obligatory. “If Jesus were alive today…” See also Jesus jokes; and for John Wayne as centurion, click here.

No less tasteless is the use of a contemporary icon by the arms trade, providing Mark Thomas with the title for a fine book:

These heavy-duty leg-irons are made in South Africa, and are the same type used on the famous Nelson Mandela.

And here’s one from Fay Weldon, no less:

Vodka gets you drunker quicker

Elk lubricant may prove a harder market to crack.