What color was Jesus' robe?

What color robe did the soldiers put on Jesus?

Matthew 27:28

They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him.

They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him.

The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe.

Most responses to this apparent contradiction argue that scarlet and purple refer to the same color. However, the words Mark and John use for "purple" and the word Matthew uses for "scarlet" are used together in Revelation to signify separate colors: "The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet" (Rev 17:4, John's word for purple), "purple, silk and scarlet cloth" (18:12, Mark's word for purple), "dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet" (18:16, John's word for purple).

The most likely solution to this apparent contradiction is that the robe was both purple and scarlet (e.g. it was striped or patterned in some way). It's also possible that more than one article of clothing was involved, and that one was purple while the other was scarlet.

Other responses (offsite)

Eric Lyons