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For 2,000 years the crucifix has been a potent symbol of both Jesus
Christ's death and Christianity. Now one Swedish theologian says that
despite the crucifix's proliferation in art and literature, there is
scant evidence in the Bible or other ancient sources to indicate that Christ was killed on a cross.
Gunnar Samuelsson, an evangelical preacher and theologian, says he
spent three years combing thousands of ancient texts to research his
recently completed 400-page doctoral thesis "Crucifixion in Antiquity."
What he discovered, he said, "came as a shock." While there were
numerous references to "suspension devices" used for executions at the
time of Christ's death, he could find no explicit references to the
classic T-shaped cross.
"There is no distinct punishment called
'crucifixion,' no distinct punishment device called a 'crucifix'
anywhere mentioned in any of the ancient texts including the Gospels,"
he told ABCNews.com.
Samuelsson devoutly believes the story of
Jesus' death and resurrection, but says for generations people have
misinterpreted and mistranslated the Greek word "stauros" to mean
crucifix, when really the term just means a suspension device, which
might have been anything such as a "pole or a tree trunk." The earliest
versions of the New Testament were written in Greek.
"If you
chose to just read the text and ignore the art and theology, there is
quite a small amount of information about the crucifixion. Jesus, the Bible
says, carried something called a stauros out to Calvary. Everyone
thought it meant cross, but it does not only mean cross. We cannot say
every instance of this noun, stauros refers to a cross," Samuelsson
said.
Suspension devices, basically tall polls or pikes, were
routinely used in the ancient world, by the Romans and their
contemporaries, both as execution devices and for displaying the bodies
of executed criminals and enemies as a public warning.
Part of
what tipped Samuelson off to the apparent mistranslation, were routine
references to things like fruits and dead animals being "crucified" in
ancient texts, when translating the word as "suspended" makes more
sense.
For Samuelsson, a 44-year-old pastor who is completing his research at the University of Gothenburg, his faith leads him to believe in the tradition that Jesus was suspended on a cross.
However, he says, "We don't know how those wicked people next to him on
the right and on the left, were executed. Or what the devices looked
like for people the day before or the day after."
"I am not
saying no 'crucifixions' took place I the ancient world. But we cannot
find evidence of them in the ancient texts," he added.
Given
that the Romans were careful record keepers who wrote detailed and
gruesome histories about their military conquests and lengthy legal
treatises, it is strange that they would not have written plainly about
their execution methods, he explained.
Samuelson says the idea
of suspension devices would have been understood in the ancient world
and by the contemporaries of Jesus.
"If you were walking around
Galilee and heard Jesus say he will be suspended in days. People would
have an understanding of the kind of torture involved."
While
the Gospels mention Jesus' suspension, none specify a cross, according
to Samuelson. Furthermore, the passion is described differently in
different Gospels and has been depicted in various ways throughout
history.
"In the movie
the 'Passion of Christ,' Jesus carries the whole cross on his back. In
some scholarly works, he just carries the cross beam. Nails are not
mentioned before the passion and only mentioned in one book after he is
executed," he said.
Samuelson said he never expected the
international reaction his thesis has already received. He originally
printed just 200 copies that he thought would be read by family and
friends. He said he hoped scholars would be intrigued by his work, but
has been surprised by the worldwide attention.
"I'm just
another boring pastor. I think Jesus is the son of God. I read the New
Testament every day. I'm filled with the Holy Spirit. I keep telling
people, this does not mean we have to tear down the crosses in all the
churches."
Source -Abc News
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