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INTRODUCTION

There are varying beliefs regarding the device used for Christ's execution. Some believe Christ was killed using a simple, upright pole, others believe he was executed on a cross, and still others believe he was killed on an actual living tree. Each group presents evidence in support of their chosen belief. Though we at CommonTruth.com do not consider the device of Christ's death to be an issue of doctrine (we believe his actual death is a much more important issue ), we realize that some Christian groups do regard this as very important.

Therefore, since our job is to present scriptural truth, we have chosen to tackle this topic for those who are unsettled on the issue.

DIFFERENCES IN DOCTRINE

To start with, in the New Testament most bibles refer to "The Cross" as the device Christ was killed on. Some of the places in which this is mentioned is at Matthew 10:38, Matthew 27:32, 42 and Mark 8:34. Other bible versions use the term "Stake" instead. Versions that use the word "stake" include: The Complete Jewish Bible, The Scriptures (ISR), The New World Translation, and The Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition. The Bible also refers to Jesus as being hung on a tree (Galatians 3:13) (also Acts 5:30 and 1 Peter 2:24 in King James Version). Since there isn't complete agreement among the various bible versions, it is important to check the original language used in the bible in order to know which meaning is originally intended. This is where we need to use an interlinear bible text.

TRANSLATION MAKES A DIFFERENCE

We used the Interlinear bible at www.biblestudytools.com/interlinear-bible/ with their King James Strong's Version to look up the original Greek word for "cross" in the New Testament using the Strong's Concordance. We got this information:

#4716. stauros stow-ros' from the base of 2476; a stake or post (as set upright), i.e. (specially), a pole or cross (as an instrument of capital punishment); figuratively, exposure to death, i.e. self-denial; by implication, the atonement of Christ:--cross.

We also looked up the word "crucify" with the Strong's Concordance, and found this:

#4717. stauroo stow-ro'-o from 4716; to impale on the cross; figuratively, to extinguish (subdue) passion or selfishness:--crucify.

Next we looked up the word "tree" in the Strong's Concordance, and this is what we found:

#3586. xulon xoo'-lon from another form of the base of 3582; timber (as fuel or material); by implication, a stick, club or tree or other wooden article or substance:--staff, stocks, tree, wood.

We searched through the interlinear bible at www.scripture4all.org to see the various instances in which xulon was used. In scripture, xulon was used for a variety of meanings, all of which matched any one of the above definitions for "xulon". The word was used when speaking of staves/clubs (Matthew 26:47,55), the device of Christ's death (Acts 5:30, Galatians 3:13, 1 Peter 2:24), and stockades (Acts 16:24), as well as trees (Luke 23:31).

GATHERING IT TOGETHER

So far, now, this is what we have: The words "stauros" and "xulon" are both used for references to the device of Christ's murder. Both refer to singular wooden devices in some manner. Stauros means stake, pole, or cross; Xulon means beam, stocks, staff, or tree. In the various bible versions, Christ is referenced as being put on a cross, stake, or tree. At this point though, there is still no proof as to whether Christ was nailed to a simple stake, a living tree, or a two beamed cross. Therefore, let's investigate this further.

SCIENTIFIC PROOF

As for death resulting from being nailed up, the most popular thought is that Christ would die of suffocation/asphyxiation. Frederick T. Zugibe, (Adjunct Associate Professor of Pathology at Colombia University College of Physicians and Surgeons), performed extensive experiments to test this theory: He took volunteers and crucified them (they weren't actually nailed, they were suspended by belts and straps on a sturdily constructed cross). He conducted two variations of crucifixion: One with a suppedaneum (a wooden block upon which toes would be supported, helping a victim stay supported on a cross/stauros ) and one without a suppendanuem. The results can be read at these websites here: http://www.crucifixion-shroud.com/Turin2000.htm and http://www.west.net/~shroud/zugibe.htm. These experiments show that a man on a cross would NOT suffocate to death, with or without a suppedaneum.

By way of comparison, Hermann Moedder, a doctor of radiology from Austria, carried out an experiment in the 1940's in Cologne, Germany, with medical students. He strapped them with their wrists directly above their heads Within minutes the students grew pale, their lung capacity and blood pressure dropped significantly, and their pulse rates increased. Moedder concluded suffocation would occur in minutes if they were not able to stand and rest. Though we don't have complete information about this experiment, it appears that a suppedaneum wasn't used, neither was a sedile (a block of wood attached to the stauros to support the buttocks slightly). This makes a difference because such devices can act as supports that the victim on the stauros could use for support in the breathing issues involved.

Now this is where the comparison of the two experiments is interesting: According to the bible, a crucified man's legs were broken in order to hasten death (John 19:31-32). This would indicate, according to the results of the above mentioned experiments, that Jesus Christ and the two robbers were killed on singular poles . Breaking their legs would take away the usefulness of the suppedaneum's support, thus hastening their deaths by suffocation. This would not happen on a cross, according to Dr. Zugibe's experiments.

WHAT ABOUT THE SIGN POSTED ON THE BEAM?

Now we have the matter of the sign posted above Christ's head as stated at Matthew 27:37. If the sign was posted above his head, then that would imply a cross, otherwise it would be above his hands, right? According to scripture, the sign said something to the effect of "Jesus the Nazarene the King of the Jews". This sign was written in three languages: Hebrew, Latin, and Greek (John 19:19-20). Therefore, this couldn't have been a tiny sign. However, we need to understand that we, the readers, are simply assuming what the position of the sign was. All the bible says is that it was above his head, no indication of postion otherwise. It is possible that Jesus was nailed with his hands straight up, and the sign placed above his head, as indicated by the scriptures, but also slipped in behind his arms. If you hold your hands above your head and look in a mirror you can see that this is a feasible situation.

WHAT ABOUT THE NAILS?

What about the plurality of nails that were driven into his hands/wrists? (John 20:25). If Jesus were nailed to a stake, then only one nail would be used to nail his hands/wrists, right? Again, we are assuming only one view. It's reasonable to conclude that a single nail won't support the weight of an adult male. Either the nail would rip out of the pole, or the man's hands would rip off from the nail as the man was hanging there. It seems necessary that multiple nails would be required for a more secure hold.

WHAT ABOUT THE WEIGHT OF THE CROSS?

The bible states that Christ carried his stauros to the execution site (Luke 23:26). Although this would also do away with the idea of Christ being nailed to a living tree, most people still believe that this was actually just a patibulum - a cross beam for the arms - not the entire cross. But this isn't sensible, because Christ told us, according to the interlinear bibles, that we have to carry our own "stauros" (Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 14:27). If we are to translate "stauros" as "cross", then to carry solely the patibulum would be carrying only a part of it, not the whole thing. This would contradict the very thing Jesus himself told us to do. Also, as seen in scripture, a man named Simon was selected to help Jesus carry the stauros (Matthew 27:32, Mark 15:21). This implies something other than a patibulum. Also, if "stauros" were to be translated as an entire cross, according to some this could weigh approximately 200 - 300 pounds (about 91-136 kilograms) with the main beam weighing in at about 125 -175 pounds (57 - 80 kilograms). This could probably be managed with the two men, however scripture shows that Simon actually took the stauros to carry on his own (Matthew 27:32, Luke 23:26) (Note, the scriptures say he actually bore the stauros, not just simply helped carry it). However, having just the main stake without a patibulum would be much more manageable weight-wise. Of course, people in those days were much hardier because they had more physical labor to perform on a day-to-day basis, but still, 300 pounds is an awful lot for such a man to carry on his back through the streets of Jerusalem and up a hill.

HOW DID "STAKE" BECOME "CROSS"?

According to Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (available here), this is what it says:

Noun,# 4716,stauros: denotes, primarily, "an upright pale or stake." On such malefactors were nailed for execution. Both the noun and the verb stauroo, "to fasten to a stake or pale," are originally to be distinguished from the ecclesiastical form of a two beamed "cross." The shape of the latter had its origin in ancient Chaldea, and was used as the symbol of the god Tammuz (being in the shape of the mystic Tau, the initial of his name) in that country and in adjacent lands, including Egypt. By the middle of the 3rd cent. A.D. the churches had either departed from, or had travestied, certain doctrines of the Christian faith. In order to increase the prestige of the apostate ecclesiastical system pagans were received into the churches apart from regeneration by faith, and were permitted largely to retain their pagan signs and symbols. Hence the Tau or T, in its most frequent form, with the cross-piece lowered, was adopted to stand for the "cross" of Christ.

As for the Chi, or X, which Constantine declared he had seen in a vision leading him to champion the Christian faith, that letter was the initial of the word "Christ" and had nothing to do with "the Cross" (for xulon, "a timber beam, a tree," as used for the stauros, see under TREE).

SO, NOBODY DIED ON A CROSS?

We aren't saying that crosses were never used for execution, as execution methods varied according to time period and location. Archaeological finds have shown that sometimes a cross was actually used instead of a simple beam. One of the most famous finds was that of a man named "Yehohanan, son of Hagakol" found in Jerusalem in 1968.

SO, COULDN'T JESUS HAVE BEEN ON A CROSS?

No. If he and the other men with him were killed on a cross, they would have taken days to die (probably from dehydration) according to the above mentioned scientific information. However, scripture tells us they were dead within hours, not days (Mark 15:25-37). It is also notable that, in order to hasten death, the legs of the criminals were to be broken (John 19:31-33). If they were on a cross, according to the above mentioned science, broken legs wouldn't have made a difference in time of death; that would only work when a victim is nailed to a singular pole.

CONCLUSION

So this is what we have here: A full cross would be too heavy for a man to carry all the way to Calvary, whereas a singular beam would be much more manageable. Scientific evidence also supports the use of a simple stake instead of a cross in the case of Christ's murder. Since a cross would take days to kill, and scripture states that death happened within mere hours, this also points to a simple stake or pole. Along with this, it is known that the idea of Christ being killed on a two-beamed cross came about three centuries after Christ's death as a way to welcome in pagan converts. Couple these things with the original language used in scripture, the evidence shows clearly that the true instrument of Christ's execution was a simple stake or pole.

May God's peace rest upon you all.