Crucifixion of Jesus

The death of Jesus of Nazareth by crucifixion and his resurrection from the dead are central to Christianity.

"For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." (1 Corinthians 2:2)

In the centuries that followed the actual event, the cross came to represent the faith, finding its way into artwork and onto church steeples. However, it is important for us to be reminded about the original meaning of the cross... that it was a symbol of a slow, agonizing and ignominious death... a death that was faithfully accepted in silence.

Was Jesus of Nazareth Crucified?

The first question that must be answered is one of historicity. Did someone named Jesus of Nazareth actually come to his end on a Roman cross? Despite what some mythicists propose, there is more than ample evidence for the existence of Jesus of Nazareth, (see Jesus Outside the Bible). Interestingly, there are 40 separate accounts in the historical record for Jesus, an "obscure," back-water preacher in Palestine, and just 10 similar records for Tiberius, who was Emperor of Rome at the same time.

That Jesus was crucified is attested to by all four Gospels, the book of Acts and many of the New Testament epistles. These are joined by faith creeds that predated them all. When one examines the extra-biblical record it also becomes apparent that the life of Jesus ended with his crucifixion.

There are 5 key ancient, non-Christian sources for this:

Josephus-
"When Pilate ... condemned him to be crucified, those who had ... come to love him did not give up their affection for him."

Tacitus-
"Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of ... Pontius Pilatus"

Lucian-
"The Christians ... worship the crucified sage"

Mara Bar-Serapion-
"What advantage did the Jews gain from executing their wise king? It was just after that their kingdom was abolished."

Babylonian Talmud-
"On the eve of the Passover Yeshu was hanged."

New Testament scholar John Dominic Crossan states that the fact that Jesus “was crucified is as sure as anything historical can ever be.”

Explore the links at the right (or below), to learn about crucifixion in greater depth.