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In Lesson #22 we focused on Jesus trial before an executive session

of the Sanhedrin at the home of Caiaphas the High Priest, whereJesus was found guilty of blasphemy. Since the Jews were not

permitted to carry out capital punishment, we then followed Jesus as

the Jewish leaders took him to the Antonia Fortress and presented

him before the Procurator, Pontius Pilate, where they accused him of

treason, of claiming to be a king, a capital offense under Roman Law.

Although Pilate found no evidence to support such an accusation, in

the end he acquiesced to the High Priests demands when the riot

everyone feared seemed imminent.

As we laid a foundation for a character study of Judas in Lesson #20,so we laid a foundation for a character study of Pontius Pilate in

Lesson #22, a study that will span all four Gospels: Matthew, Mark,

Luke and John.

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In Lesson #23 we witness the crucifixion, a brutal and extraordinarily

painful way to die. Persian impalement was its antecedent, but the

Romans practiced crucifixion from the 6thcentury B.C. through the 4th

century A.D., the practice being abolished by the Emperor Constantine

in A.D. 337, out of reverence for Christ.

Crucifixion was intended to punish an offender in the most painful waypossible and also to dissuade others from committing similar crimes.

The historian Tacitus records that in Rome the place of crucifixion was

outside the Esquiline Gate where there were upright beams

permanently fixed in the ground. The convicted criminal would carry

the crossbeam, which could weigh over 100 pounds. At the place of

execution he would be tied or nailed to it through the wrists and the

crossbeam would be raised and affixed to the upright; his feet would

then be nailed to the upright.

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Crosses today have been stylized in paintings, sculptures, jewelry and

other forms of art. Our historian Josephus writes in his Siege ofJerusalemthat the soldiers out of rage and hatred nailed those they

caught, one after one way, and another after another, to the crosses, by

way of jest, suggesting that there was no standardized way to crucify a

person: whatever worked at the time and place would do.

In this lesson we will examine Jesus crucifixion in detail, not just the

physical act of crucifixion, but we will examine crucifixion as seen

through Jesus eyes.

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Peter Paul Rubens. The Flagellation of Christ(oil on panel), c. 1617.

Church of St. Paul, Antwerp.

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El Greco. Christ Carrying the Cross [detail] (oil on canvas), c. 1580.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

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Cyrene, LibyaCyrene to Jerusalem is a 2-week journey by ship

and land of approximately 1,000 miles.

Jerusalem

Egypt

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Titian. Christ and Simon of Cyrene Carrying the Cross(oil on canvas), c. 1565-1570.

The Prado Museum, Madrid.

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Eastern Wall

Dome of the Rock(Temple in Jesus Day)

Church of Holy Sepulcher

(site of the Crucifixion)

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Antonia Fortress

Place of Crucifixion

Temple(not visible from this angle)

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The historian Tacitus records that in Rome the place of execution was in theSessorium, outside the Esquiline Gate, which led to Romes graveyard. There,

he says, upright beams were permanently fixed in the ground, suggesting that

slaves who were crucified carried the crossbeam, not the entire cross.

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Temple(Dome of the Rock today)

Garden Tomb(limestone quarry & cemetery)

Damascus Gate

Holy Sepulcher ChurchOld Citv

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Jesus was crucified near the Damascus Gate. One of seven gates leading into the Old City, it is

the busiest. The road outside the gate leads to Nablus and from there to Damascus, 135 miles

north. The current gate (above) was built by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1537.

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Golgotha, the Place of the Skull

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Salvador Dali. Christ of St. John of the Cross [detail], (oil on canvas), 1951.Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow.

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Our historian Josephus writes in

his Siege of Jerusalemthat thesoldiers out of rage and hatred

nailed those they caught, one

after one way, and another after

another, to the crosses, by way of

jest, suggesting that there was nostandardized way to crucify a

person: whatever worked at the

time and place would do.

Caravaggio. Crucifixion of St. Peter

[upside down] (oil on canvas), 1601.

Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome.

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Jesus was likely crucified in a manner similar to this, but with his wrists

nailed to the crossbeam, supporting his weight.

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Heel bone of Jehohanan, a crucified man in the 1stcentury, whose ossuary

was discovered in 1968 in east Jerusalem. Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas

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Mary was an extremely popular girls name during New Testament

times; the Hebrew is Miriam, the name of Moses sister.

The New Testament Marys include:

1) Mary, the mother of Jesus (at the cross, John 19: 25);

2) Mary Magdalene (at the cross, Matthew 27: 56, Mark 15: 40, John 19: 25);

3) Mary of Bethany (sister of Martha and Lazarus);4) Mary, the wife of Clopasthe other Mary, the mother of James the

younger and Joseph (at the cross, Matthew 27: 56, Mark 15: 40, John 19:

25);

5) Mary Salome, (Jesus mothers sister) and the mother of James and John,

Zebedees sons (at the cross, Matthew 27: 56, Mark 15: 40, John 19: 25);

6) Mary, the mother of John Mark (our gospel writers mother, Acts 12: 12);

and

7) Mary of Rome (a leader in the church at Rome, Romans 16: 6).

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1. Why would the Roman soldiers mock Jesus?

2. Why would Simon of Cyrene need to help Jesus carrythe cross?

3. From 9:00 AM until noon, Jesus first three hours onthe cross, Jesus suffers tremendous physical pain.

Drifting in and out of delirium, Psalm 22 flickers in andout of his mind. What are some of the verses fromPsalm 22 that he hears?

4. In Matthew 27: 45 we read: From noon onward,darkness came over the whole land until three in theafternoon. What do you think happened to Jesus

during that time?5. When Jesus died the Centurion in charge of Jesus

execution said: Truly, this was the Son of God! Whydid he think so?

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