Was Jesus hung on a cross?

Question

Acts 5:30,10:39 1Peter 2:24 Joshua 8:29
Galatians 3:13
and last but not least
Deuteronomy 21:22
I'm sure there are more

Hung or nailed isn't the question....read the verses in your Bibles..yup open those dusty old books just sitting on the book shelf...read chapter & verse then answer the question again....Cross or Tree

Answer 1

According to the Bible, he was fastened with nails to a xylon. The result was that he "hung" there. The Greek word for "wood" is "xylo" which is sometimes translated as "wood" or "tree". It can also be translated as "stake",because a stake, cross, tree, etc are all made of "wood".

The Bible doesn't describe the actual instrument of Jesus' death except to say it was a xylon (made of wood) and a "stauros (a torture instrument that is primarily a stake made of wood.) Some had crosspieces, some didn't. Either way, it was basically a "tree" because that's where the wood came from.

Answer 2

There can be no question that Jesus was indeed crucified on a cross. He was nailed, not hung, as that was the traditional form of crucifixion in the Roman culture. If he were indeed hung, the passage from John 20:27 would not make sense (where "doubting Thomas" is asked to stick his finger through the holes as proof that Jesus was resurrected).

The word "hung" is not meant to be literal as we might picture a noose, but it could be better understood if the word was "suspended" in the air. To explain this, St. Athanasius wrote in his book On the Incarnation: "...the Lord came to overthrow the devil and to purify the air and to make "a way" for us up to heaven, as the apostle says, 'through the veil, that is to say, His flesh'." Athanasius cites Hebrews 10:20 in that quote and his idea makes sense. Jesus' death not only built a spiritual bridge to God, but it also broke down the physical barriers between us and God.

I suspect your other question (based on the verses you listed) is exactly what this "cross" was. The passages above indicate that he crucified on a tree. Again, don't take this too literally. A cross would have been fashioned of wood (a tree), and most likely not carved any too delicately. Those that hung on the crosses were criminals, so I don't suspect the craftsmen would have put too much time into shaping a perfectly square cross like our mental image of one. The cross He hung on probably had some resemblence yet to that of a tree.

Specifically what the cross looked like, it's hard to say. Most people today have the image of a cross shaped like our lower-case "t." I can buy that; it makes sense because a the "King of the Jews" sign would have had to be placed somewhere. By this idea, that somewhere would be above His head. More common, a Roman cross would be shaped like our capital letter "T." However, this is a trivial debate and it doesn't make one bit of a difference either way.

Hope this has clarified, but remember why Jesus died on the cross - to offer us a salvation that we couldn't possibly obtain on our own. You seem pretty versed in the Bible from the passages above, so I'll leave you to investigate that Truth further on your own.

Answer 3

He was nailed to the cross..........

Mat 27:32, Mat 27:40, Mat 27:42, Mar 15:21, Mar 15:30, Mar 15:32, Luk 23:26, Joh 19:17, Joh 19:19, Joh 19:25, Joh 19:31, Gal 6:14, Php 2:8, Col 2:14, Heb 12:2 and 1Co 1:17

Peace be with you

Answer 4

Of the verses you make reference to, in the "old" testament, this is where someone is hung by the "neck." The references in the "new" testament they are referring to Jesus on the "tree" hanging there, and if you read HOW, he was "nailed" to it.

REF; John 20:25 and Colossians 2:14

Answer 5

Jesus built a bridge, with only 3 nails and 2 pieces of wood.

He was nailed to the Cross, not hung.

Answer 6

Yes,with 7 to 9 inch long spiked nails through his hands & both feet.But,prior to his crucifixtion,he was whipped 39 times with a Roman cat of nine tails whip,which had metal spikes in it,and,crowned with thorns by the Roman Pratorian guards in Jerusalem at that time under the jurisdiction of the Roman governor of Judea by the name of Pontius Pilate.

This was done to get a confession out of him.

Answer 7

Yes Jesus was hung on a cross. Any good historian, even if they are not Christian, would attest to that. Even enemies of Christianity will admit to it and some later tried to claim the disciples stole Jesus body from the grave.

Answer 8

I 'hung' a picture on my wall and didn't use a rope.

ps 22:16
zac 12:10
lk 23:33
mt 27:35
mk 15:24
jn 19:18, 20:27

Answer 9

I don't want to offend anybody but the terms "nailed" and "hung" are the same in this case.

For example

I hung a picture on the wall.

and I nailed the picture to the wall.

Answer 10

Yes Jesus hung on a cross. Those verses you listed indeed backs this up.