But poets in these cases sometimes use s’ only; and Jesus’ is a well-known liturgical archaism. In quotations from Scripture follow the Oxford standard.[75]
Ancient words in -es are usually written -es’ in the possessive, e.g.
Ceres’ rites Xerxes’ fleet
This form should certainly be used in words longer than two syllables, e.g.
Arbaces’
Aristides’
Miltiades’
Themistocles’
To pronounce another ’s (= es) after these is difficult.
This applies only to ancient words. One writes—Moses’ law; and I used to alight at Moses’s for the British Museum.
As to the latter example, Moses, the tailor, was a modern man, like Thomas and Lewis; and in using his name we follow modern English usage.