Cross or Torture Stake?

[Berean]

Many have been plagued by the fruitless arguments of a well-known organization whose adherents make much of the question of what it was upon which Jesus was crucified (or "impaled"). One brother was accosted with the question at a fair booth: "Why do you have Jesus hanging on a pagan symbol?" His answer as classic: "Because it was pagans who killed him." Perhaps the matter is not worth the space for consideration. Yet, if any feel it is, there is both historical Scriptural support that Jesus was slain on a two-piece cross.

Strong's Concordance (as other lexicons) demonstrates that the Greek word is of no help in solving the question.

Archaeological findings of the period (see McClintock and Strong, Vol. 2, pp. 575-581) are strongly in favor of two piece crosses. One-piece crosses, when used, either had the victims tied to them, or the stake was run through the body. The descriptions of Jesus' death obviously do not meet these conditions. The term "impale" (used in a modern translation) is most unfortunate, as the term suggests running the pole through the person's body, not affixing the person to the stake. The Scriptural evidence, as usual, is the strongest available evidence. It is clear from John 20:25 that nails (plural) were used in Jesus' hands. (Also note prophetic references to plural nails, Psalm 22:16, and to piercing of hands and feet, Zechariah 12:10.) On a single upright the hands would have to be above the head and almost certainly upon each other fastened with a single nail. On a crosspiece, of course, plural nails are a necessity. Another evidence, a strong one, is suggested in Matthew 27:37 and John 19:19, 20.

A sign, large enough to be written clearly in three languages, was placed OVER HIS HEAD. Had Jesus been hanging with his arms over his head on a single-piece stake, the sign could not have been over his head, but over his hands. This problem disappears with a two-piece cross.

 

[Matthias]

There was a time when they didn’t, as the linked JW source acknowledges.

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/index/r1/lp-e?index-ref=1102014249%3A10%2C1102014249%3A36

 

[Pearl]

My cousin who was a JW told me they don't like or wear a cross because it is an instrument of torture.

Whether a cross or a stake matters not in terms of our Salvation. It is His death and resurrection that gives us new life nor the manner of His death,

 

[Jericho]

My cousin who was a JW told me they don't like or wear a cross because it is an instrument of torture.

I recall a forum post along those same lines. My response was that when Jesus was resurrected and appeared to His followers, He still had the crucifixion marks in his hands (John 20:24–29). He could have returned completely whole, but He chose to keep them as a reminder. In the same way, the cross is a reminder to us of Christ's ultimate sacrifice. I have no problem with Christians repurposing a pagan symbol. Moses did the same thing when he put a bronze serpent, also a pagan symbol, on a pole so that all who looked upon it would be healed (Num 21:4–9).

 

[Pearl]

I think the actual term 'crucifixion' means execution on a cross - crux.

 

[Berean]

My cousin who was a JW told me they don't like or wear a cross because it is an instrument of torture.

Actually, they claim that the cross is pagan. To that I respond, of course it's pagan, the people who killed him were pagan, so anything they used would have been connected to paganism.

Did Jesus die on a cross?

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Many view the cross as the most common symbol of Christianity. However, the Bible does not describe the instrument of Jesus’ death, so no one can know its shape with absolute certainty. Still, the Bible provides evidence that Jesus died, not on a cross, but on an upright stake.​

The Bible generally uses the Greek word stau·rosʹ when referring to the instrument of Jesus’ execution. (Matthew 27:40; John 19:17) Although translations often render this word “cross,” many scholars agree that its basic meaning is actually “upright stake.” a According to A Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament, stau·rosʹ “never means two pieces of wood joining each other at any angle.”​

The Bible also uses the Greek word xyʹlon as a synonym for stau·rosʹ. (Acts 5:30; 1 Peter 2:24) This word means “wood,” “timber,” “stake,” or “tree.” b The Companion Bible thus concludes: “There is nothing in the Greek of the N[ew] T[estament] even to imply two pieces of timber.”​

Is using the cross in worship acceptable to God?​

A crux simplex—the Latin term for a single stake used for impalement of a criminal​

Regardless of the shape of the instrument on which Jesus died, the following facts and Bible verses indicate that we should not use the cross in worship.​

1. God rejects worship that uses images or symbols, including the cross. God commanded the Israelites not to use “the form of any symbol” in their worship, and Christians are likewise told to “flee from idolatry.”—Deuteronomy 4:15-19; 1 Corinthians 10:14.
2. First-century Christians did not use the cross in worship. c The teachings and example of the apostles set a pattern that all Christians should adhere to.—2 Thessalonians 2:15.
3. Use of the cross in worship has a pagan origin. d Hundreds of years after the death of Jesus, when the churches had deviated from his teachings, new church members “were permitted largely to retain their pagan signs and symbols,” including the cross. (The Expanded Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words) However, the Bible does not condone adopting pagan symbols to help make new converts.—2 Corinthians 6:17.

 

[Rockerduck]

I have researched this topic and found that nobody has described a single crucifixion, including the Romans. No writings. Oh, they tell of crucifying people, but never describing the crucifixions. My conclusion: only Jesus died on a cross, as described in the bible. It was easier to tie some to a pole. One excavation found a heelbone with a spike through it. Nothing is said of the two thieves on a cross, only they were crucified with Jesus.

 

[ReChoired]

Actually, they claim that the cross is pagan. To that I respond, of course it's pagan, the people who killed him were pagan, so anything they used would have been connected to paganism. ...

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Actually the Cross belongs to God (first), and pagans (devil) stole the idea:

See APPENDIX 9 (page 526-550)- Michael The Archangel Who Is Like Unto God The Highest Messenger (BOOK) : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

 

[Berean]

My conclusion: only Jesus died on a cross, as described in the bible. It was easier to tie some to a pole. One excavation found a heelbone with a spike through it. Nothing is said of the two thieves on a cross, only they were crucified with Jesus.

Seems to be a contradiction there. If Jesus was the only one to die on the cross then why do you refer to the two thieves on a cross crucified with Jesus?

 

[Rockerduck]

Seems to be a contradiction there. If Jesus was the only one to die on the cross then why do you refer to the two thieves on a cross crucified with Jesus?

Because that's what the Bible says.