24 votes

What was the most likely method of crucifixion that was used on Jesus?

That Christ's hands were nailed to the cross is firmly established by Scripture. Following the Resurrection, the Apostle Thomas doubted that Christ was alive: So he [Thomas] said to them, "Unless I ...
bradimus's user avatar
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19 votes
Accepted

Why didn't the Archangel Michael save Jesus when he was crucified?

Jesus' main purpose in coming to earth was to die on the cross in order to redeem mankind from their sins. He attests to this in a number of places in the Bible, and other writers of scripture also ...
DJClayworth's user avatar
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18 votes

According to Orthodox Christianity, did God die on the cross at Calvary?

From the Orthodox POV, the answer is unequivocally yes. The Orthodox understand John 1:14 literally: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only ...
bradimus's user avatar
  • 3,650
17 votes
Accepted

What crime was committed by the "thieves" crucified with Jesus?

Survey of Roman law A now deleted (near) duplicate of this question asked if a claim that the Roman law forbid the crucifixion of thieves, so I'll start with that question, which is highly relevant to ...
ThaddeusB's user avatar
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16 votes

Why didn't the Jews understand "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani"?

There are two basic theories here. The first is that the crowd misheard Jesus. The second is that they purposefully twisted his words to mock him. Commentators are fairly evenly split on which ...
ThaddeusB's user avatar
  • 7,743
16 votes
Accepted

Why is Pontius Pilate blamed for killing Jesus in the Apostles' Creed?

Piotr Ashwin-Siejkowski in his book, The Apostles's Creed: and its Early Christian Context, argues that Pilate was specifically mentioned primarily in order to argue for and defend the humanity and ...
Nathaniel is protesting's user avatar
15 votes

Did the early church believe that Jesus was crucified on a cross or on a stake?

[1] What Jehovah’s Witnesses believe regarding the cross and what they call a torture stake: Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the Christian cross is a pagan symbol. In their Kingdom Interlinear ...
Lesley's user avatar
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14 votes

Looking for an apologetic to the "Cosmic Child Abuse" objection

According to the doctrine of the Trinity, Jesus being the Son of God means that He is fully God made manifest in human form (John 1:14). Jesus is simultaneously both fully God and fully man. As such, ...
Cerulean Chelonii 's user avatar
13 votes
Accepted

If Jesus is God then how could he die?

This is where the doctrine of the hypostatic union is essential. Jesus the Son of God is one person, but he has two natures: the divine nature, and a human nature. The two natures cannot be divided, ...
curiousdannii's user avatar
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13 votes

Would salvation have been possible if Jesus had died without shedding His blood?

This is an impossible question to answer and not profitable to consider, IMHO. If Jesus could have died without bleeding and still saved us there are so many other aspects of the entire Scripture ...
Mike Borden's user avatar
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11 votes

What are the predominant Christian views on whether Jesus had to specifically die by crucifixion? Could he have chosen another kind of death?

I am mostly familiar with the evangelical perspective, which I think is shared with mainstream Protestant denominations, since they all rely on Bible evidence alone (instead of relying on the writings ...
GratefulDisciple's user avatar
10 votes
Accepted

What are the names of two thieves who were crucified along with Jesus?

Gospel of Nicodemus The earliest known record of the thieves' names occurs in the anonymous work which eventually (several centuries later) became known as the Gospel of Nicodemus. The work is ...
ThaddeusB's user avatar
  • 7,743
9 votes

What is significant about the torn curtain? What about Jesus' death impressed the centurion at the cross?

The Veil: Its meaning Most scholars are in agreement on the ultimate conclusion and meaning of the tearing of the curtain. Perhaps none are so succinct as Ezra Palmer Gould in A Critical and ...
James Shewey's user avatar
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9 votes

Does the delayed burial of Jesus attest to the fact that he had no close relatives other than his mother?

Jesus of Nazareth had been (supposedly) 'executed'. Actually he had yielded up his own life and 'expired', see all four gospels. As such, he was still 'in custody' and his body would, ordinarily, have ...
Nigel J's user avatar
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9 votes

Did the early church believe that Jesus was crucified on a cross or on a stake?

Further to the last point in an answer here, there is more information that can be used to show how the early Christian Church viewed the implement of Christ's death. Although not written in the era ...
Anne's user avatar
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8 votes

Why was Jesus not welcomed and carefully tested by the Jews if they were (and are) actually waiting for Messiah?

He was tested The Jews living in the time of Jesus did try to discern whether Jesus was the real Messiah that they had been yearning for, because they disliked living under Roman rule and wanted to ...
GratefulDisciple's user avatar
8 votes
Accepted

While on the cross, was Jesus abandoned by every human?

He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his ...
Mike Borden's user avatar
  • 14.7k
8 votes

Would salvation have been possible if Jesus had died without shedding His blood?

Would salvation have been possible if Jesus died without shedding His blood? The only answer is possibly, but this is what God willed. Ultimately God could have chosen another way to save mankind, but ...
Ken Graham's user avatar
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7 votes

Did the events of Good Friday take place during winter?

Good Friday is the traditional day of Jesus crucifixion. It takes place on the Friday afternoon before the Passover. Passover Timing The Passover was one of the most important holy days to the Jews. ...
Joshua's user avatar
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7 votes

What is the basis of the Jehovah's Witnesses' belief that Jesus died on a Stake instead of a Cross?

The Jehovah's Witnesses have addresses this issue. From their web site: https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/did-jesus-die-on-cross/ Many view the cross as the most common symbol of ...
Steve's user avatar
  • 7,530
6 votes
Accepted

Why was Jesus offered vinegar and gall on the cross, and why did he refuse it?

It was some sort of potion designed to dull the senses and lessen the suffering of those being executed. Biblehub contains several commentaries on this verse. One from Ellicott’s commentary reads in ...
User 14's user avatar
  • 7,085
6 votes

What was Jesus referring to when He said "it is finished"? What is "it" in this case?

Yes, victory over Satan and over sin, for HE had accomplished what had been promised since the beginning with Adam and Eve: First Promise of the Savior? Furthermore, note Jesus' prayer in John 17 ...
Nick Rolando's user avatar
  • 1,770
6 votes

Is there any evidence to support Matthew's gospel account of the curtain in the Jerusalem Temple being torn in two?

James Ussher, in his Annals of the World (first published in 1658), writes: “Phlegon stated that in the 19th year of Tiberius (as Eustathius Antiochus noted in Hexaemeron) and the fourth year of the ...
Anne's user avatar
  • 26.9k
6 votes

Do we know which side of Christ was pierced by the Roman soldier during His Passion?

The historical record does not provide a definitive answer to this question, but there is reasonable evidence suggesting it was His left side: The outflow of blood & water in John 19:34 ...
Hold To The Rod's user avatar
6 votes

According to Protestant belief, when did Jesus present His blood into the Holy of Holies as required by Law?

My reading of the chapter in Hebrews is that his version of "entering the Holy Place" was entering the presence of God. "For Christ has entered not into a sanctuary made with hands, a ...
Stephen Disraeli's user avatar
5 votes

What is the difference between "ransom theory" and "penal substitution"?

This question is a bit old, but there is an omission in the only answer. fi11222's answer states that both ransom and penal substitution theories of atonement view God as needing payment of some form. ...
Ian's user avatar
  • 1,190
5 votes

How Does Catholicism Refute the Reasons Muslims Claim That Jesus Was Not Crucified?

Muslims say that Christians changed the words of Jesus over time, hence inserted false statements into the Bible where Jesus claimed to be God. (See http://www.answering-islam.org/Morin/changed.html) ...
Paul Chernoch's user avatar
5 votes

What is the meaning of 'scandalous' associated with the crucifixion of Jesus?

Perhaps the closest biblical connection is to 1 Corinthians 1:23: we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles (ESV) Ravi Zacharias makes this connection in an ...
Nathaniel is protesting's user avatar
5 votes

Looking for an apologetic to the "Cosmic Child Abuse" objection

From a Christian perspective, your question contains two erroneous premises: first that every person will be saved (universal salvation) and second that “Jesus descended into the deepest depths of ...
Lesley's user avatar
  • 29.7k
5 votes

Was there a special Sabbath in addition to Passover when Jesus was crucified?

We in the western world have been raised in a culture dominated by a post-Constantinian Christian worldview of time, rather than one that is biblically Hebrew. Our days begin and end at midnight, ...
Bill Morehouse's user avatar

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