The CROSS........what is up with that?

Question

okay so the instument of jesus death is noted in bible passages such as at Matthew 27:32,and40. There the greek word stau-ros is translated "CROSS' in various english bibles. an expository dictionary of new testament words by W.E. VINE says "STAU-ROS.....DENOTES, PRIMARILY AN UPRIGHT PALE OR STAKE." plus what about the pagan leader CONSTANTINE who convened the counsil of nicaea in 325 C.E and influenced it to adopt the unscriptual doctrine that christ was god? the NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA SAYS "ON THE EVE OF CONSTANTINE'S VICTORY OVER MAXENTIUS IN 312 HE SAW A VISION OF THE HEAVENLY SIGN OF THE CROSS, WICH HE BELIEVED TO BE A DIVINE PLEDGE OF HIS TRIUMPH". IT ALSO SAYS THAT THEREAFTER CONSTANTINE PROMOTED VENERATION OF THE CROSS. HOWEVER WOULD GOD GIVE A SIGN TO A PAGAN LEADER WHO WAS NOT DOING GOD'S WILL, AND A PAGAN SIGN AT THAT? NO...I DONT THINK SO

even if we ignore the evidence and assume that jesus was killed on a cross, should it be venerated? no, for jesus was executed as a criminal, like the men impaled alongside him, and his manner of death was misrepresented in the worst way. Venerating the cross is glorifying the wrong deed comitted on it, the murder of jesus. the veneration of the cross is not christian, it does not show love for god or christ, but mocks what they stand for. FOR EXAMPLE IF YOUR BABY WAS EXECUTED....IT'S HEAD CUT OFF WITH AN SWORD FOR DOING SOMETHING WRITE...WOULD YOU WEAR THE SWORD AROUND YOUR NECK?

Answer 1

Wow, you hit that right on the head!

So very true!

Besides, I find wearing a cross a little bit repulsive and disrespectful.
Ex: What if my son saw a group of school children about to get hit by a bus. So he steps in front of them and sacrifices his life. Would that be showing respect to have a picture made of him getting hit by that bus (with the blood and grille of the bus stuck in him) like with Jesus dying on the 'cross'? That would be sick!
Surely God does not approve of seeing such going on with the wearing of the symbol that killed his son.

Answer 2

Jesus almost certainly died while impaled on a simple stake, rather than a cross of two intersecting beams. Of course the Romans had the ability to create such devices, and probably did. But ask yourself: why they would have bothered when a simple stake would have worked just as well or better?

It is also enlightening to examine other relevant Scriptures.

You may be interested to see how your own copy of the bible translates Acts 5:30, Galatians 3:13, Deuteronomy 21:22, 23, and Acts 10:39. The King James, Revised Standard, Dyaglott, and Jerusalem Bible translate the instrument of Christ's death simply as "stake" or "tree" because the original wording simply does not support the idea that this was more than a piece of upright wood.

It is also eye-opening to examine how the first-century Christians felt about idols of any kind, much less one that glorified an instrument of death.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/2005058a/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/rq/article_11.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/19960715/article_01.htm

Answer 3

Dear, the cross is indeed a pagan symbol - way before christians or even romans... It also represents the mystique union, but thats another story... For the romans, you say that you have read the term STAUROS, well, the letter "T" is called "TAU" in latin, and what we know as cross has not always been a cross, It at first was only a giant "T", but then the romans wanted to be economic, and started using trees nailed with just one piece of wood, and then it became a "crossy" symbol, yet, the christians prior to christ´s death already knew that symbol... It had a very deep meaning to them, the early christian mysticism. The fact that the cross came to be a representation of the tool by which christ died was only sadly coincidental. There are still some schools of tough which stilll take the cross by that meaning - Some are: The "Eclesia Gnostica Catholica" with their ritual of the "Gnostic Mass", the "Templars", etc...

Answer 4

What was the question? Are you asking who started the crucifixions? It was the Romans. Or are you asking about Constantine? Because God did give him a vision of the cross and Constantine did use the symbol of the cross on the shields of his armies and his armies did when the war. If you're asking if God would help a pagan then, yes. God would help a pagan and has helped pagans before and God will help pagans again. He is not the God of Christians. He is the God of all things. He is the ALL. No matter what gods people may worship, there is only One True God and He will help everyone.

P.S. You can say, "NO...I DONT THINK SO." all you want. But the truth is, God did help a pagan leader. Denying the truth won't change history and in won't keep the truth from being the truth. What happened is historical fact and your disillusionment won't deny the truth and the fact. Deal with it Missy.

Answer 5

Constantine was certainly confused. He was associating the sun (sol invictus - Pagan sun god) with the Christian God in his vision. And yes, the "trinity" was established at Nicea in 325 C.E. and not by scripture.

I suppose it's one of history's great "what ifs" - what if Constantine had lost the battle of Milvian Bridge? Constantine would not have associated the Christian God with battlefield success, and history might have been different.

As for the "veneration of the cross" - there's that Bill Hicks joke...

Answer 6

Had you also investigated the Roman culture. You would have found

CROSS

The two Greek words used for the cross are xylon ("wood") and stauros ("stake," or "cross"). In the Roman world the cross was used to execute only slaves and foreigners. Those with Roman citizenship were protected from the shame and the pain associated with crucifixion.

As practiced by the Romans, crucifixion involved either tying or nailing the convicted person to a crossbeam, which was attached to the stauros ("pole"). The cross might be in the form of a T or, as it is more traditionally represented, as a t.

Death came slowly to a crucified person, through exhaustion or by suffocation. And it came with great pain. Death by crucifixion was also considered a great disgrace. It is the theological implications of Jesus' crucifixion, however, that are of most concern to the Christian.

Answer 7

1) Constantine, though I believe that he did well with the gathering of scripture, implied many things that were to me, not very good at all.

2) Whether a stake or a cross, I am not affected by them. I do not put on nor do I have faith in crosses or stakes.

3) Jesus was crucified for the sins of the world. Or put to death, so that I could live. I like that, and it's that which I believe.

Answer 8

Constantine "believed" it to be divine 2 Corinthians 11: 14 says, "Satan keeps transforming himself into an angel of light." It was to Satan's advantage to do this, to confuse the issues. Cross worship is a pagan symbol not allowed by 1st century Christians.

Answer 9

We venerate the cross because Jesus used the cross to suffer for us so we would not suffer. The cross was something that was used to commit a horrible act against our Lord, Jesus Christ, but Jesus used the cross to attain salvation for us.

Yes, God would give a sign to a pagan leader. God used a pagan king to bring the Israelites out of Babylonian captivity.

If God only used the pure and holy to do His work, none of His work would ever get done.

Answer 10

First of all Constantine was a Christian. Second the bible teaches that Jesus is God. Anybody that teaches Jesus is not God is false. If Jesus is not God, then nobody is going to heaven period.
Do you know what a true Chrisitan is? The bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Therefore since God is just, and will not let any sin go unpunished, there must be a sacrifice or we are doomed. So that is why Jesus who was God manifested in the flesh came and died on the cross. What is God worth? God is worth an infinite value, therefore when Jesus died on the cross the sacrifice was worth everything. Jesus did not weep because of the mockings, slashing, or the cross, but because God was going to pour down his wrath upon Jesus, and crush him to death. For whenever God looked upon Jesus, he saw the sins of the world. Therefore in order for one to be a true Chrisitan one must turn away from sin, and receive the infinite sacrifice of Jesus. For if God did not spare his own son, how much worse will it be for the sinner who puts himself above the perfect sacrifice. Why do Christians look to the cross, because it was there are sins were paid for.

Answer 11

In answer let me ask you a question.

First of all lets set the scene. You are naked. You have been flogged with a scurge, a multi-tongued leather whip with nails and glass stuck into to tongues to rip into your flesh. You have had thorns pressed into your head (where they still stick). You have been forced to carry a huge lump of wood for a number of miles uphill. Now exhausted your legs are nailed to the wood through the bone and you are lifted upright such that you can only breathe by "standing" on the nails driven through your legs. You are going to die and you are going to die in agony.

Now the question:

DO YOU GIVE A FLYING **** WHETHER THIS IS A POLE, STAKE OR A CROSS?