Report on Crucifixion
Joshua Hwang

What exactly is crucifixion? Why was Jesus crucified? Where did it originate? This report is to tell what crucifixion is.

Crucifixion is a style of execution in Rome, and a fairly brutal execution it is as well. It was a slow, painful death of slow asphyxiation and pain (Americana Encyclopedia volume four). The victim was nailed to the cross, legs on the bottom, and arms stretched out across the cross arms, then he slowly dies of lack of oxygen.

The cross is a long upright stake in the floor called the stipe with the patibulum three or two feet below it. That is the Latin cross. The one Jesus was crucified with was the Tau cross, shaped like a T, with the patibulum on top of the stipe. A small sign, or titulus, with the victim’s crime on it, was nailed above the victim’s head. (Truman)

But sometimes, victims were crucified for the pleasure of the crowd, as Pilate crucified Jesus (Matthew 57). Most of the time, Christian martyrs and priests received crucifixion, but not every time.

Who came up with this terrible execution anyways? Surprisingly enough, it originated not from Rome, or Greece, or anywhere on the Mediterranean. It came all the way from Persia (Truman).

Alexander and his troops found out about crucifixion when they were marching around conquering Asia. When they conquered Persia, they knew how to crucify. Later, Alexander died of a fever, and the generals took the method of crucifixion back to Greece. Later, when the Romans conquered Greece, they found out above it and took it back to Rome. After a few practices, the Romans perfected it. (Truman)

Every crucifixion had to have some preparation. First, the victim was scourged (Britannica volume three) and then the victim was forced to carry out the patibulum, which weighed about 110 pounds. (Truman) The stipe was always already upright in the ground when they get there. Then the patibulum is nailed to the stipe, and the victim then nailed to the cross. And then the soldiers and the common people just stand there and watch him die slowly and painfully. (Americana Encyclopedia volume four)

What is scourging? Before the execution on the cross of a victim, soldiers strip him of his clothe, slap him, spit on him, and even make a crown of thorns that pierce through the scalp like a knife cuts through butter. (Matthew 57) Then the soldier ties him against the wall, and whip his back continually with heavy thronged whips tied with stones. (Britannica volume three)

The soldier will keep beating the victim with his victim with his stones and whips until the meat starts to wear in. The soldier will still keep relentlessly beating until his meat wears all the way down, and then the soldier will stop beating him and shove him out with the patibulum to be crucified.

Jesus was a famous man who founded Christianity and was executed with the Tau crucifixion. He was believed to be the Son of God, as all the Christians believed. But the Jews believed he was a fraud who is lying, and the messiah will come. They keep waiting and waiting, but they don’t realize that he already came. (Matthew)

Jesus was crucified the Tau way, as I already mentioned before. That was when he sacrificed himself for us. After his death, his disciples, or apostles, went on and kept spreading his word. A lot of them were crucified as well, especially Peter, who was crucified upside down, as legends say.

Jesus suffered on the cross greatly. He was in terrible pain, as he didn’t take the medicine to keep down the pain and stop him from hollering and bellowing. (Matthew 57) In fact, he was in such distress and pain that his sweat glands burst and he sweated out his blood slowly. (Truman) Jesus was in great pain, so before long he lifted his head, cried to heaven, then slumped down and died.
So, I’ll say one thing about crucifixion: it is a painful, scary execution to watch, and a very painful death it is, even if you take the medicine to halt most of the pain.

Work Cited
Danbury. “Americana Encyclopedia Volume four” Grolier Publishing Company. 1949 Conneticut
“Britannica Volume three.” Encyclopedia Britannica corp. Page 762. 1990 Chicago.
C. Truman http://www.konnections.com/kcundick/crucifix.html 4/14 1976
Matthew “Holy Bible” International Bible Society. Page 56, 57, 58. 1973, 1978, 1984 Hong Kong