Crucifixion of Jesus Archive
No. Jesus Christ was crucified. Crucifixion was a Roman punishment, not a Jewish punishment. Additionally, it should not be forgotten that Jesus Christ was a Jew. His mother and disciples were all Jews. They, of course, were not responsible for Jesus’ death. Large numbers of Jews living beyond Galilee and Judea never met or heard of Jesus Christ. They obviously were not responsible for Jesus’ execution, which they did not have any say or knowledge about during their lifetime. Most first century Jews were totally unaware of his life and ministry and, therefore, had nothing to do with his death and were, therefore, not responsible for the actions of a few individuals (Judas—who handed him over to the arresting officers; the officers who handed him over to the Jewish High priest; Caiaphas—who handed him over to the Roman governor; and Pilate, who handed him over to the Roman execution squad). Of course, Jews living before the first century and those... Read the rest of this entry »
If the books of the New Testament were printed in the order in which they were originally composed, Paul’s letters would appear first. His earliest letters-1-2 Thessalonians, Galatians, 1-2 Corinthians, and Romans-were written sometime between A.D. 49 and 57 (perhaps even earlier for Galatians), before Matthew, Luke, and John were written and nearly contemporary with the Gospel of Mark. Therefore, the earliest written accounts of the Jesus Christ’s last hours on earth-the Last Supper on Thursday, the fateful crucifixion on Friday, and the glorious resurrection on the first Easter Sunday-are found in Paul’s letters.
The earliest explicit references to these events are found in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, written about A.D. 57. Paul noted, “I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: and when he had given thanks, he brake... Read the rest of this entry »
“The passion of Jesus, more than other parts of the gospel story, cries out for a theological commentary. While the uninitiated can easily appreciate scenes of Jesus’ ministry, in which he appears as compassionate healer and teacher, they will be less clear about what to make of a gruesome execution. The crucifixion made no sense to Jesus’ own followers, who had to start rereading their scriptures in an effort to discover why the mighty prophet of God the one God raised from the dead, died an ignominious death.” The Christian Century (9 March 2004), 5.
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The Passion Narratives were some of the earliest oral or written accounts of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. The term passion comes from the Latin for “suffering” (patior/passus) and is found in the King James Version of the Bible in Acts, “To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3, emphasis added). Although scholars differ on where the Passion Narratives begin and end in the individual canonical Gospels, they usually agree that the material dealing with the period from Gethsemane through the Grave is included (see Matthew 26:36-27:66; Mark 14:32-15:47; Luke 22:39-23:56). In the Fourth Gospel the material found in John 18:1-19:42 is often associated with the Passion.
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Crucifixion was an ancient method of execution the Romans adopted almost exclusively to deter criminal acts by non-roman citizens in the empire. Crucifixions were carried out on busy streets, particularly on roads that led into and out of city centers. The Romans hoped that as many onlookers as possible would see those crucified and reconsider acting against Roman provincial law.
One first-century example of a crucified victim demonstrates that the feet of the crucified were at least sometimes nailed sideways through the heel bones and that the feet were possibly nailed together, although recent commentators feel that side by side was the more common practice. Nailing the feet from the top through the bottom caused the feet to tear, providing little support for the victim and therefore hastening death-something the Romans sought to avoid. The hands were most commonly nailed, and although Christian art commonly depicts the wrists of crucified prisoners... Read the rest of this entry »
Many visitors to the Old City in Jerusalem take the opportunity to walk along a crowded pedestrian way that is marked in Arabic, English, and Hebrew as “Via Dolorosa.” The Latin name means “the Way of Sorrow,” “the Way of Grief,” or “the Way of Pain.” According to a tradition reaching back to Ricoldus de MonteCrucis in 1288, the Via Dolorosa as the route Jesus Christ trod from Pilate’s Judgment Hall, where Jesus Christ had been condemned, to Golgotha, the place of his execution (see Matthew 27:31-33; Mark 15:20-22; Luke 23:26-33; and John 19:16-17). During subsequent centuries, Stations of the Cross emerged, presumably marking specific spots where events in Jesus Christ’s last walk occurred, including the place where Simon of Cyrene was made to bear the cross, where Jesus’ face was wiped by Veronica, and where he fell a third time. Some of these events, however, like the three falls and... Read the rest of this entry »
The Gospels provides a detailed portrait of Jesus Christ’s last twenty-four hours, including his execution (Matthew 26-27, Mark 14-15, Luke 22-23 and John 18-20). Scholars are nearly unanimous in their interpretation that the Synoptic Gospels indicate that a Roman execution squad killed Jesus on Passover in Jerusalem sometime around AD 30. However, the authors’ of the Gospels highlight a conspiracy to arrest Jesus Christ that included some Jewish leaders in Jerusalem (Matthew 26:3-4); at least one of Jesus’ own disciples, Judas Iscariot (Matthew 26:14-16); and Pontus Pilate, the Roman governor. The New Testament contains additional references to Pilate’s involvement (see Acts 3:13; 4:27: 13:28; 1 Timothy 6:13).
Beginning with his arrest in Gethsemane, the Gospels note how Jesus Christ was handed over to various parties again and again and eventually handed over to those that physically put him to death.
From at least the Middle... Read the rest of this entry »
