Cross ? who came up with the idea ?

Question

who came up with the idea of crucifying and who developed this method of punishing people,back in Jesus` time?

Answer 1

First of all, the "Cross" as is called was the device on which Jesus Christ was executed is referred to by most of Christendom as a cross. The expression is drawn from the Latin crux. It proper name however as express in the Bible [Hebrew & Greek] is "upright Pole", "Stake", etc., an intrument used for impaling having no cross beam.

Hence, to help with this, The Greek word rendered “cross” in many modern Bible versions (“torture stake” in NW) is stau·ros′. In classical Greek, this word meant merely an upright stake, or pale. Later it also came to be used for an execution stake having a crosspiece. The Imperial Bible-Dictionary acknowledges this, saying: “The Greek word for cross, [stau·ros′], properly signified a stake, an upright pole, or piece of paling, on which anything might be hung, or which might be used in impaling [fencing in] a piece of ground. . . . Even amongst the Romans the crux (from which our cross is derived) appears to have been originally an upright pole.”—Edited by P. Fairbairn (London, 1874), Vol. I, p. 376.

Was that the case in connection with the execution of God’s Son? It is noteworthy that the Bible also uses the word xy′lon to identify the device used. A Greek-English Lexicon, by Liddell and Scott, defines this as meaning: “Wood cut and ready for use, firewood, timber, etc. . . . piece of wood, log, beam, post . . . cudgel, club . . . stake on which criminals were impaled . . . of live wood, tree.” It also says “in NT, of the cross,” and cites Acts 5:30 and 10:39 as examples. (Oxford, 1968, pp. 1191, 1192) However, in those verses KJ, RS, JB, and Dy translate xy′lon as “tree.” (Compare this rendering with Galatians 3:13; Deuteronomy 21:22, 23.)

So, actually the idea of the "cross" and its "name" came from the Christendom (those professing to be Christians) who borrowed it from pagan customs which origins were of ancient Chaldea.

Interestingly of its historical origins of Christendom’s cross Encyclopædia Britannica (1946), Vol. 6, p. 753 says: “Various objects, dating from periods long anterior to the Christian era, have been found, marked with crosses of different designs, in almost every part of the old world. India, Syria, Persia and Egypt have all yielded numberless examples . . . The use of the cross as a religious symbol in pre-Christian times and among non-Christian peoples may probably be regarded as almost universal, and in very many cases it was connected with some form of nature worship.”

Also note An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (London, 1962), W. E. Vine, p. 256: “The shape of the [two-beamed cross] had its origin in ancient Chaldea, and was used as the symbol of the god Tammuz (being in the shape of the mystic Tau, the initial of his name) in that country and in adjacent lands, including Egypt. By the middle of the 3rd cent. A.D. the churches had either departed from, or had travestied, certain doctrines of the Christian faith. In order to increase the prestige of the apostate ecclesiastical system pagans were received into the churches apart from regeneration by faith, and were permitted largely to retain their pagan signs and symbols. Hence the Tau or T, in its most frequent form, with the cross-piece lowered, was adopted to stand for the cross of Christ.”

“It is strange, yet unquestionably a fact, that in ages long before the birth of Christ, and since then in lands untouched by the teaching of the Church, the Cross has been used as a sacred symbol. . . . The Greek Bacchus, the Tyrian Tammuz, the Chaldean Bel, and the Norse Odin, were all symbolised to their votaries by a cruciform device.”—The Cross in Ritual, Architecture, and Art (London, 1900), G. S. Tyack, p. 1.

“The cross in the form of the ‘Crux Ansata’ . . . was carried in the hands of the Egyptian priests and Pontiff kings as the symbol of their authority as priests of the Sun god and was called ‘the Sign of Life.’”—The Worship of the Dead (London, 1904), Colonel J. Garnier, p. 226.

“Various figures of crosses are found everywhere on Egyptian monuments and tombs, and are considered by many authorities as symbolical either of the phallus [a representation of the male sex organ] or of coition. . . . In Egyptian tombs the crux ansata [cross with a circle or handle on top] is found side by side with the phallus.”—A Short History of Sex-Worship (London, 1940), H. Cutner, pp. 16, 17; see also The Non-Christian Cross, p. 183.

“These crosses were used as symbols of the Babylonian sun-god, and are first seen on a coin of Julius Cæsar, 100-44 B.C., and then on a coin struck by Cæsar’s heir (Augustus), 20 B.C. On the coins of Constantine the most frequent symbol is; but the same symbol is used without the surrounding circle, and with the four equal arms vertical and horizontal; and this was the symbol specially venerated as the ‘Solar Wheel’. It should be stated that Constantine was a sun-god worshipper, and would not enter the ‘Church’ till some quarter of a century after the legend of his having seen such a cross in the heavens.”—The Companion Bible, Appendix No. 162; see also The Non-Christian Cross, pp. 133-141.

Is veneration of the cross a Scriptural practice?

1 Cor. 10:14: “My beloved ones, flee from idolatry.” (An idol is an image or symbol that is an object of intense devotion, veneration, or worship.)

Ex. 20:4, 5, JB: “You shall not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven or on earth beneath or in the waters under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them.” (Notice that God commanded that his people not even make an image before which people would bow down.)

Of interest is this comment in the New Catholic Encyclopedia: “The representation of Christ’s redemptive death on Golgotha does not occur in the symbolic art of the first Christian centuries. The early Christians, influenced by the Old Testament prohibition of graven images, were reluctant to depict even the instrument of the Lord’s Passion.”—(1967), Vol. IV, p. 486.

Concerning first-century Christians, History of the Christian Church says: “There was no use of the crucifix and no material representation of the cross.”—(New York, 1897), J. F. Hurst, Vol. I, p. 366.

In Conclusion, does it really make any difference if a person cherishes a cross, as long as he does not worship it?

How would you feel if one of your dearest friends was executed on the basis of false charges? Would you make a replica of the instrument of execution? Would you cherish it, or would you rather shun it?
In ancient Israel, unfaithful Jews wept over the death of the false god Tammuz. Jehovah spoke of what they were doing as being a ‘detestable thing.’ (Ezek. 8:13, 14) According to history, Tammuz was a Babylonian god, and the cross was used as his symbol. From its beginning in the days of Nimrod, Babylon was against Jehovah and an enemy of true worship. (Gen. 10:8-10; Jer. 50:29) So by cherishing the cross, a person is honoring a symbol of worship that is opposed to the true God.

As stated at Ezekiel 8:17, apostate Jews also ‘thrust out the shoot to Jehovah’s nose.’ He viewed this as “detestable” and ‘offensive.’ Why? This “shoot,” some commentators explain, was a representation of the male sex organ, used in phallic worship. How, then, must Jehovah view the use of the cross, which, as we have seen, was anciently used as a symbol in phallic worship?

Answer 2

The cross is loved and respected by millions of people. The Encyclopædia Britannica calls the cross “the principal symbol of the Christian religion.” Nevertheless, true Christians do not use the cross in worship. Why not?

An important reason is that Jesus Christ did not die on a cross. The Greek word generally translated “cross” is stau·ros′. It basically means “an upright pale or stake.” The Companion Bible points out: "Stauros" never means two pieces of timber placed across one another at any angle . . . There is nothing in the Greek of the New Testament even to imply two pieces of timber.”

In several texts, Bible writers use another word for the instrument of Jesus’ death. It is the Greek word "xylon". (Acts 5:30; 10:39; 13:29; Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 2:24) This word simply means “timber” or “a stick, club, or tree.”

The apostle Paul says: “Christ by purchase released us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse instead of us, because it is written: ‘Accursed is every man hanged upon a stake [“a tree,” King James Version].’” (Galatians 3:13) Here Paul quotes Deuteronomy 21:22, 23, which clearly refers to a stake, not a cross. Since such a means of execution made the person “a curse,” it would not be proper for Christians to decorate their homes with images of Christ impaled.

There is no evidence that for the first 300 years after Christ’s death, those claiming to be Christians used the cross in worship. In the fourth century, however, pagan Emperor Constantine became a convert to apostate Christianity and promoted the cross as its symbol. Whatever Constantine’s motives, the cross had nothing to do with Jesus Christ. The cross is, in fact, pagan in origin. The New Catholic Encyclopedia admits: “The cross is found in both pre-Christian and non-Christian cultures.” Various other authorities have linked the cross with nature worship and pagan sex rites.

Why, then, was this pagan symbol promoted? Apparently, to make it easier for pagans to accept “Christianity.” Nevertheless, devotion to any pagan symbol is clearly condemned by the Bible. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) The Scriptures also forbid all forms of idolatry. (Exodus 20:4, 5; 1 Corinthians 10:14) With very good reason, therefore, true Christians do not use the cross in worship.


For more information go to:
http://www.watchtower.org/library/rq/article_11.htm
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/1998/3/15/article_01.htm

Answer 3

Criucifing on the Cross was a form of torture about 1000 years before Jesus' time. Tee reason was so that all could see the punishment - the higher you were off the ground, the more people that could see you suffer in the distance.

Around Jesus' time, crucifixion was not the main form of punishment. It was actually waning out. It was only for the most hardened of criminals (murderers and rapists).

Due to the fact that Jesus was considered a prophet by some, and a hinurance from others, the Romans needed to make a point - as did the Jews that saw Jesus taking away from their Temple, so they thought to make a spectacle out of him.

Crucifixion died off whaen Charlamagne outlawed it as a form of cruel punishment. At this time, the cross was used to signify his new religion, and replaced the fish that had been in common practice up to that time.

Answer 4

I'm not an expert, but this afternoon I happened to hear Mark Finley on It is Written tell that crucifiction was invented by Romans in the second century B.C. This method of punishment was continued until the Roman emperor Constantine, who became a Christian, stopped it. For what reason I don't know, maybe just because he became a Christian.

Answer 5

Linked below is a brief history of crucifixion. Some answers above are copied from this website (naming no names), but there's a lot more. Like who knew that an Archbishop was crucified upside down in 1920 in the USSR? It's short, but really worth a read.

Answer 6

it was the Romans that started this punishment. Thousands, if not millions of people were crucified before Jesus Himself was.

Of course, it was Pontius Pilate (spelling?) that crucified Jesus, and brought this punishment to an almost screeching halt.

Answer 7

Crucifixion is an ancient method of execution, where the condemned was tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang there until death.

This form of execution was widely practiced in the Roman Empire, though similar methods were invented in the ancient culture of Persian Empire

see here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucifixion

Answer 8

What the cross actually simbolizes is not only that Jesus died for our sins on the cross, because he did. But recently i learned that, the cross actually symbolizes, heaven and hell, and good and evil...kinda confusing i know. But if you seperate the cross into the two pices of wood, one is horizontal and one is vertical. The Vertical strictly seperates good and evil. And the horizontal strictly seperates heaven and hell. Now the history of the cross, i don't know much about. I was just excited that i can tell someone what i just learned.

Answer 9

It pre-dates Jesus' time. Crucifixion probably originated with ancient Persians. There is evidence, that captured pirates were crucified in the port of Athens in the 7th century BC. Alexander the Great introduced the practice throughout his empire. He once crucified a general who disagreed with his campaign plans.

Answer 10

It actually wasn't around Jesus's(A.S.) time that crucifixion was 'invented'. Decades, maybe even a few centuries before, the Persians were the ones who invented it and it eventually was adopted by the Romans.

Knowledge is power; power is freedom; freedom is peace.

Peace be upon you...

Answer 11

Not sure. I mean, it was bound to happen. It's just too terribly beautiful for people to wear torture devices around their necks. Isn't it? I'm thinking of getting a tiny electric chair around my neck. Granted, it would mean a lot more if my lord and savior had been murdered in it, but I think it'll still make its point.

Actually, I'm not up on the specifics, but I know it was huge and public to put fear in those who might choose to break the law.