Matt 10:38....Mounce Interlinear...
"38 And kai whoever hos does not ou take lambanō up · ho his autos
cross stauros and kai follow akoloutheō me egō is eimi not ou worthy axios of me egō."
Matt 16:24...
"24 Then tote · ho Jesus Iēsous told legō · ho his autos disciples mathētēs, “ If ei anyone tis resolves thelō to come erchomai after opisō me egō, he must deny aparneomai himself heautou and kai take airō up · ho his autos
cross stauros and kai follow akoloutheō me egō."
Matt 27:32...
"As they were going exerchomai out , · de they came heuriskō across a man anthrōpos named onoma Simon Simōn, from Cyrene Kyrēnaios. This houtos man they conscripted angareuō to hina carry airō · ho his autos
cross stauros.
Matt 27:42...
" and kai saying legō, “ You who ho would destroy katalyō the ho temple naos and kai rebuild oikodomeō it in en three treis days hēmera, save sōzō yourself seautou! If ei you are eimi the Son hyios of ho God theos, come katabainō down from apo the ho
cross stauros!”
Mark 8:34...
"34 · kai When he had called proskaleō the ho crowd oc

s with syn · ho his autos disciples mathētēs, he said legō to them autos, “ If ei anyone tis would thelō come akoloutheō after opisō me egō, he must deny aparneomai himself heautou, · kai take airō up · ho his autos
cross stauros and kai follow akoloutheō me egō."
What do you notice from the Interlinear about the word translated "cross"? It is "stauros", for which Strongs gives the primary definition....
"σταυρός, σταυροῦ, ὁ (from ἵστημι (root sta); cf. Latinstauro, English staff (see Skeat, Etymological Dictionary, under the word); Curtius, § 216; Vanicek, p. 1126);
1. an upright stake, especially a pointed one (Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon).
2. a cross;
a. the well-known instrument of most cruel and ignominious punishment, borrowed by the Greeks and Romans from the Phoenicians; to it were affixed among the Romans, down to the time of Constantine the Great, the guiltiest criminals, particularly the basest slaves, robbers, the authors and abetters of insurrections....."
The stauros' used for these executions had a few different configurations....
View attachment 29064 View attachment 29065 View attachment 29066
But it doesn't matter what configuration it was....since we are not to make images to use in our worship.
The cross emerged as a symbol for Christianity in Roman Catholicism.....it was unknown except in paganism for the first three centuries.....