The Gospels testify: did Jesus die on the cross?

The Gospels testify: did Jesus die on the cross? Miscellaneous Martijn Linssen, MA The Holy Bible, Berean Literal Bible, BLB Copyright ©2016 by Bible Hub Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Martijn Linssen 1-4-2021 The Gospels testify: did Jesus die on the cross? 2021 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1 The final hours of Jesus ....................................................................................................................2 The Gospel of Matthew ................................................................................................................2 The Gospel of Mark ......................................................................................................................2 The Gospel of Luke ....................................................................................................................... 3 The Gospel of John....................................................................................................................... 4 The (dis)agreements among the four Gospels ............................................................................... 4 Matthew ........................................................................................................................................5 Mark ..............................................................................................................................................5 Luke ...............................................................................................................................................5 John ...............................................................................................................................................5 The Church fathers ...................................................................................................................... 6 The sudden death of Jesus ............................................................................................................... 9 Figure 1 ENGRAVING OF A VERTICAL IMPALEMENT BY JUSTUS LIPSIUS ..................... 10 Figure 2 PALACE AT KALHU (NIMRUD) OF ASSYRIAN KING TIGLATH-PILESER III (720-741 BCE): IMPALEMENT DURING ASSAULT ON A TOWN ........................................ 11 Aftermath ........................................................................................................................................ 12 Martijn Linssen 01/04/2021 The Gospels testify: did Jesus die on the cross? 2021 Introduction Enter a search for "Did Jesus die on the cross" on Google and there are 121 million results returned; undoubtedly it's a topic that has attracted a very large attention. What is there to add on top of all that? A concise, conclusive, irrefutable demonstration of what - according to the four Gospels - exactly went on, going by textual criticism of the four combined narratives This paper will demonstrate, simply by quoting verses from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, what the writers of the Gospels had in mind when they wrote what is written; and their minds were unified Martijn Linssen 01/04/2021 Page 1 The Gospels testify: did Jesus die on the cross? 2021 The final hours of Jesus The Bible used is Berean Literal Bible, one that takes the Greek and translates it literally, or, as they say themselves "A word for word translation that takes the reader to the core of the Greek and Hebrew meanings". The four Gospels that narrate the last hours of Jesus are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The relevant parts will follow, with emphasis: The Gospel of Matthew Matthew 27:31 And when they had mocked Him, they took off Him the robe, and they put His garments on Him and led away Him to crucify Him. 32 And going forth, they found a man of Cyrene, named Simon. They compelled him that he might carry His cross. 33 And having come to a place called Golgotha, which is called Place of a Skull, 34 they gave Him wine to drink, mingled with gall; and having tasted, He was not willing to drink it. 35 And having crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they were guarding Him there. 37 And they put up over His head the written accusation against Him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 38 At the same time two robbers are crucified with Him, one at the right hand, and one at the left. 39 And those passing by kept railing at Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “The One destroying the temple and building it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, also descend from the cross!” 41 Likewise also, the chief priests with the scribes and elders, mocking, were saying, 42 “He saved others. He is not able to save Himself. He is King of Israel! Let Him descend now from the cross, and we will believe in Him. 43 He trusted on God. Let Him deliver Him now if He wants. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 And likewise even the robbers, those having been crucified with Him, were upbraiding Him. 45 And from the sixth hour, darkness was over all the land, until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” That is, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” 47 And some of those who were standing there, having heard, began saying, “This man calls Elijah.” 48 And immediately one of them, having run and having taken a sponge, and having filled it with vinegar and having put it on a reed, gave Him to drink. 49 And the rest were saying, “Let it be. Let us see whether Elijah comes to save Him.” 50 And Jesus, having cried again in a loud voice, yielded up His spirit. The Gospel of Mark Mark 15:20 And when they had mocked Him, they took off Him the purple and put on Him His own garments. And they are leading Him out, that they might crucify Him. 21 And they compel one passing by, Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, coming from the country, that he might carry His cross. 22 And they bring Him to a place, Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23 And they were offering Him wine, having been mixed with gall; but He did not take it. 24 And having crucified Him, they also divided His garments, casting Martijn Linssen 01/04/2021 Page 2 The Gospels testify: did Jesus die on the cross? 2021 lots for them, who should take what. 25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. 26 And there was the inscription of the accusation against Him, having been written: THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27 And with Him they crucify two robbers, one at the right hand, and one at His left. 29 And those passing by were railing at Him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! The One destroying the temple and building it in three days, 30 save Yourself, having descended from the cross!” 31 Likewise also the chief priests, with the scribes, mocking among one another, were saying, “He saved others; He is not able to save Himself. 32 The Christ, the King of Israel, let Him descend now from the cross, that we might see and believe!” And those being crucified with Him were upbraiding Him. 33 And the sixth hour having arrived, darkness came over the whole land, until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” Which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 35 And some of those standing by, having heard, were saying, “Behold, He calls Elijah.” 36 And one having run and having filled a sponge with vinegar, having put it on a reed, gave Him to drink, saying, “Let be; let us see if Elijah comes to take Him down.” 37 But Jesus, having uttered a loud cry, breathed His last. The Gospel of Luke Luke 23:26 And as they led Him away, having laid hold on Simon, a certain man of Cyrene coming from the country, they put upon him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. 27 And a great multitude of the people were following Him, and of women, who were mourning and lamenting for Him. 28 And having turned to them, Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never did bear, and breasts that never nursed.’ 30 Then ‘they will begin to say to the mountains, “Fall upon us,” and to the hills, “Cover us.”’ 31 For if they do these things in the green tree, what might take place in the dry?” 32 And two other criminals also were being led away to be put to death with Him. 33 And when they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right, and one on the left. 34 And Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they cast lots, dividing His garments. 35 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also were deriding Him , saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself, if this is the Christ of God, the Chosen One .” 36 And the soldiers also mocked Him, coming near, offering Him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” 38 And there was also this inscription over Him: THE KING OF THE JEWS. 39 And one of the criminals having been hanged was railing at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” 40 And the other answering, was rebuking him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, that you are under the same judgment, 41 and we indeed justly? For we are receiving things worthy of what we did, but this man did nothing wrong.” 42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” 44 And now it was about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 45 The sun was darkened, and the Martijn Linssen 01/04/2021 Page 3 The Gospels testify: did Jesus die on the cross? 2021 veil of the temple was torn in the middle. 46 And having called out in a loud voice, Jesus said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.” And having said this, He breathed His last. The Gospel of John John 19:16 So then, he delivered Him to them, that He might be crucified. Therefore they took Jesus. 17 And bearing His own cross, He went out to the place called the Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha, 18 where they crucified Him, and with Him two others, on this side and on that side, and Jesus in between. 19 And Pilate also wrote a title and put it on the cross. And it was written, JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Therefore many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 Therefore the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” 23 Then the soldiers, when they crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was seamless, woven from the top all throughout. 24 Therefore they said to one another, “Let us not tear it up, but let us cast lots for it, whose it will be,” that Scripture might be fulfilled that said: “They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast a lot.” So indeed the soldiers did these things. 25 Now His mother, and the sister of His mother, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene, had been standing by the cross of Jesus. 26 Therefore Jesus, having seen His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing by, says to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” 27 Then He says to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her to the own. 28 After this, Jesus, knowing that now all things had been accomplished, so that Scripture might be fulfilled, says, “I thirst.” 29 A vessel full of sour wine had been set there . So having put on a stalk of hyssop a sponge filled with sour wine, they brought it to the mouth. 30 Therefore when Jesus took the sour wine, He said “It has been finished.” And having bowed the head, He yielded up the spirit. The (dis)agreements among the four Gospels There are minor differences among the four Gospels with regards to the emphasised parts: • • • • • • Jesus is led away to be crucified; he is crucified; a time is mentioned; another time is mentioned (when darkness comes across the land); another time is mentioned; Jesus speaks / cries; and dies. Crucial to the narrative are the moment in which Jesus is crucified, the two times that are mentioned, and the last act of Jesus, followed by his death. Those five points will be summarised in a condensed version for each Gospel: Martijn Linssen 01/04/2021 Page 4 The Gospels testify: did Jesus die on the cross? 2021 Matthew 27:35 And having crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots. 45 And from the sixth hour, darkness was over all the land, until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” That is, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” 50 And Jesus, having cried again in a loud voice, yielded up His spirit. Jesus is crucified at an unmentioned time, but it is certain that at least three hours pass. When Jesus cries out in a loud voice 'about the ninth hour' immediately someone fills a sponge with vinegar and offers it for Jesus to drink, after which Jesus again cries in a loud voice, and dies. Mark 15:24 And having crucified Him, they also divided His garments, casting lots for them, who should take what. 25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” Which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 37 But Jesus, having uttered a loud cry, breathed His last. Jesus is crucified at the third hour, and exactly six hours later Jesus cries out in a loud voice. Someone fills a sponge with vinegar and offers it for Jesus to drink, but Jesus (again) utters a loud cry, and dies. Luke 23:33 And when they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right, and one on the left. 44 And now it was about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 46 And having called out in a loud voice, Jesus said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.” And having said this, He breathed His last. Jesus is crucified at an unmentioned time, but it is certain that at least three hours pass. When Jesus cries out in a loud voice around the ninth hour, he speaks, and dies. John 19:18 where they crucified Him, and with Him two others, on this side and on that side, and Jesus in between. Martijn Linssen 01/04/2021 Page 5 The Gospels testify: did Jesus die on the cross? 2021 30 Therefore when Jesus took the sour wine, He said “It has been finished.” And having bowed the head, He yielded up the spirit. Jesus is crucified at an unmentioned time, and dies at an unmentioned time. He speaks, and dies Four Gospels, four stories. What is the timeframe for Jesus' execution and his death, and how does he die? Although there are differences in the times mentioned, there is only a lack of agreement, and there is no disagreement, which is to say that the stories don't necessarily contradict each other. It is best to start with the one source that mentions the timing of the crucifixion as well as that of death: Mark. According to Mark, Jesus is crucified at the third hour and dies at the ninth hour. Darkness arrives at the sixth hour, which is the first indication of time mentioned by Matthew and Luke, and they also mention the last indication of time, that of the ninth hour, that Mark uses to indicate the moment that Jesus dies: six hours have passed in between the moment of crucifixion and the moment of dying. John mentions no hour(s) whatsoever, and the combined narrative could thus very well be that Jesus was crucified at the third hour and died six hours later, at the ninth hour. With regards to the dying, there is disagreement when the action and content of speaking are considered; when the time between that speaking and the final moment is evaluated, there is complete agreement. Jesus cries out in Matthew and Mark (“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” Which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”), in Luke 'calls out in a loud voice', and says 'I am thirsty' in John. That is followed in Matthew and Mark by another crying out loud, whereas in Luke and John he speaks (quite different sentences). In all four Gospels, after Jesus cries or speaks one last time, he dies Concluding this short summary, two major focus points draw our attention: Jesus spends (up to) six hours (and possibly more) on the cross, and cries or speaks a very coherent sentence right before he dies The Church fathers Where there is smoke, there is fire. Many Church fathers have written much about all of the Gospels, and more; yet none of them ever made a case for Jesus being male, for instance. The most straightforward presumption for that must be that the gender of Jesus was not up to debate; and it naturally follows that whatever they wrote about, indeed was so - like, for instance, the death on the cross. Is it debated that Jesus died on the cross? No, not at all, to the Martijn Linssen 01/04/2021 Page 6 The Gospels testify: did Jesus die on the cross? 2021 best of my knowledge, in the first few centuries CE no one questioned whether Jesus died. Yet many of them address 'the cross', and to name a few: Tertullian in Ad Nationes Chapter 12, Irenaeus in Adversus Heareses Book II Chapter 24.4, and Justin Martyr, next to his elaborate address of 'cross' / 'crucified' in Dialogue with Trypho Chapters 40, 86, 89, 90, 91, 97, 103, 105, 108, 111, 131, 134, 138, addresses it in in his First Apology Chapter 35, and 55 - and that last chapter is very interesting, and picked as the single example out of them all (emphasis mine): Justin Martyr, First Apology, Chapter 55. Symbols of the cross ... For consider all the things in the world, whether without this form they could be administered or have any community. For the sea is not traversed except that trophy which is called a sail abide safe in the ship; and the earth is not ploughed without it: diggers and mechanics do not their work, except with tools which have this shape. And the human form differs from that of the irrational animals in nothing else than in its being erect and having the hands extended, and having on the face extending from the forehead what is called the nose, through which there is respiration for the living creature; and this shows no other form than that of the cross. And so it was said by the prophet, "The breath before our face is the Lord Christ". And the power of this form is shown by your own symbols on what are called vexilla [banners] and trophies, with which all your state possessions are made, using these as the insignia of your power and government, even though you do so unwittingly. And with this form you consecrate the images of your emperors when they die, and you name them gods by inscriptions. Since, therefore, we have urged you both by reason and by an evident form, and to the utmost of our ability, we know that now we are blameless even though you disbelieve; for our part is done and finished. The emphasised part in Greek: τὸ δὲ ἀνθρώπειον σχῆμα οὐδενὶ ἄλλῳ τῶν ἀλόγων ζώων διαφέρει, ἢ τῷ ὀρθόν τε εἶναι καὶ ἔκτασιν χειρῶν ἔχειν καὶ ἐν τῷ προσώπῳ ἀπὸ τοῦ μετωπίου τεταμένον τὸν λεγόμενον μυξωτῆρα φέρειν, δι’ οὗ ἥ τε ἀναπνοή ἐστι τῷ ζώῳ, καὶ οὐδὲν ἄλλο δείκνυσιν ἢ τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ σταυροῦ. Oddly, the form that Justin Martyr is describing here is the staurogram: ⳨ - as if he were pointing to a written text, while trying to make a case for the cross: σταυροῦ - but let's not dwell on that. Stauros: σταυρός, according to LSJ: A upright pale or stake, σταυροὺς ἐκτὸς ἔλασσε διαμπερὲς ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα πυκνοὺς καὶ θαμέας Od.14.11, cf. Il.24.453, Th.4.90, X. An.5.2.21; of piles driven in to serve as a foundation, Hdt.5.16, Th.7.25. II cross, as the instrument of crucifixion, D.S.2.18, Ev.Matt.27.40, Plu.2.554a; ἐπὶ τὸν σ. ἀπάγεσθαι Luc.Peregr.34; σ. λαμβάνειν, ἆραι, βαστάζειν, metaph. of voluntary suffering, Ev.Matt.10.38, Ev.Luc.9.23, 14.27: its form was represented by the Greek letter T, Luc.Jud.Voc.12. Martijn Linssen 01/04/2021 Page 7 The Gospels testify: did Jesus die on the cross? 2021 b pale for impaling a corpse, Plu.Art.17. A stake? What is the word in the Gospels then? According to the Blue Letter Bible, it is exactly that, and occurs 27 times in the Textus Receptus as such: σταυρὸν — 10x σταυρόν — 1x σταυρὸς — 1x σταυροῦ — 12x σταυρῷ — 4x How about the verb, to 'crucify'? Likewise, according to the Blue Letter Bible, it occurs 48 times in the Textus Receptus: ἐσταυρώθη — 5x ἐσταυρωμένον — 4x ἐσταυρωμένος — 1x ἐσταύρωσαν — 7x ἐσταυρώσατε — 2x ἐσταύρωται — 1x σταυροῦνται — 1x σταυροῦσιν — 1x σταυρωθῇ — 3x σταυρωθῆναι — 3x Σταυρωθήτω — 2x σταυρῶσαί — 1x σταυρῶσαι — 2x σταυρώσαντες — 2x σταυρώσατε — 1x σταυρώσετε — 1x Σταύρωσον — 4x σταύρωσον — 3x σταυρώσω — 1x σταυρώσωσιν — 1x One doesn't need to know Greek in order to see how this verb is formed of the same root as the noun: to stauros-ise would be a crude translation. So Jesus is stauros-ised on a stauros in the four Gospels (and the rest of the NT), Jesus is staked on a stake. Or is the word ambiguous and is its primary meaning stake, yet can it also be explained meaning cross? If there was confusion whether Jesus perhaps died on a stake or a cross, that would explain the elaboration by - among others - Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian. The ancient Greek writings all use it as a stake: Homer (Odyssey, Iliad), Thucydides (History of the Peloponnesian War), Herodotus (Histories), Xenopho (Anabasis) - yet that stake is a cross throughout the NT? Fortunately, the Gospels testify to it all, and explicitly describe the manner in which Jesus died Martijn Linssen 01/04/2021 Page 8 The Gospels testify: did Jesus die on the cross? 2021 The sudden death of Jesus As summarised above, there are two striking features about the last hours of Jesus: he was penalised for a period of six hours as attested by Mark, and Matthew and Luke describe at least half of that period. And moments before his death, he cried out or spoke - in very lucid sentences. And then suddenly, he dies - as if struck by lightning. If one wouldn't know any better, it would seem that someone delivered the coup de grace by shooting him through the head or the heart; it is that instantaneously: (Matthew 27:50) And Jesus, having cried again in a loud voice, yielded up His spirit. (Mark 15:37) But Jesus, having uttered a loud cry, breathed His last. (Luke 23:46) And having called out in a loud voice, Jesus said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.” And having said this, He breathed His last. (John 19:30) Therefore when Jesus took the sour wine, He said “It has been finished.” And having bowed the head, He yielded up the spirit. Four Gospels, four testimonies: and remember that in Matthew and Mark Jesus ousts the miraculous combination of Hebrew and Aramaic “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” just moments before. What does one die of, suspended on a cross as we envision it today, with Jesus hanging on the crucifix - for at least 3 to 6 hours? Blood loss? Fatigue? No wounds are afflicted after the crucifixion, and the flogging that Jesus receives beforehand, is mentioned as an afterthought but still, blood loss from flogging would be a primary suspect. Would there be any others? Pilate is even surprised in Mark, given his Mark 15:44 And Pilate wondered if already He were dead. And having summoned the centurion, he questioned him whether He had died already. 45 And having known it from the centurion, He granted the body to Joseph. Pilate likely wasn't an expert in the medical field, nor am I; but I do know that blood loss (and / or fatigue) leads to a slumbering death, slowly sinking into unconsciousness long before the heart finally stops beating. It is a very gradual death, a very quiet one, without any sudden movements or outbursts, and it is best compared with a state of sleep. And that seems impossible to combine with being so very, very lucid only moments before death. What exactly went on when one was impaled on a stake? Wikipedia describes it as Impalement, as a method of torture and execution, is the penetration of a human by an object such as a stake, pole, spear, or hook, often by the complete or partial perforation of the torso Martijn Linssen 01/04/2021 Page 9 The Gospels testify: did Jesus die on the cross? 2021 The picture that is on that same page speaks volumes, and testifies to a slow, painful death: FIGURE 1 ENGRAVING OF A VERTICAL IMPALEMENT BY JUSTUS LIPSIUS A guaranteed death, and one that is guaranteed to be very, very painful: once the victim is impaled the point of no return is reached; the stake can be removed but the damage done is irreversible and the internal organs as well as the body are mortally wounded once the stake has entered. Impaling goes back many centuries BCE, with examples in the Near East that go back as far as 1700 BCE: The earliest known use of impalement as a form of execution occurred in civilizations of the ancient Near East. The Code of Hammurabi, promulgated about 1772 BC[27] by the Babylonian king Hammurabi specifies impaling for a woman who killed her husband for the sake of another man The stake could be placed in other parts than the rectum shown above, and the abdomen or chest were locations that achieved the same result; a guaranteed, slow death: During Dynasty 19, Merneptah had Libu prisoners of war impaled ("caused to be set upon a stake") to the south of Memphis, following an attempted invasion of Egypt during his Regnal Year 5.[33] The relevant determinative for ḫt ("stake") depicts an individual transfixed through the abdomen. That is Egypt, and there is evidence of impaling in the Neo-Assyrian Empire as well: From Sennacherib's father Sargon II's time (r. 722–705 BCE), a relief from his palace at Khorsabad shows the impalement of 14 enemies during an attack on the city of Pazashi. A peculiarity about the "Neo-Assyrian" way of impaling was that the stake was "driven into the body immediately under the ribs" Martijn Linssen 01/04/2021 Page 10 The Gospels testify: did Jesus die on the cross? 2021 FIGURE 2 PALACE AT KALHU (NIMRUD) OF ASSYRIAN KING TIGLATH-PILESER III (720-741 BCE): IMPALEMENT DURING ASSAULT ON A TOWN Struggling with impending death for at least 3 to 6 hours, while being completely lucid, and speaking or crying out very coherent sentences just moments before death: being impaled is perfectly feasible for such a scenario, and the impaling likely took place in the abdomen or chest, with Jesus suspended on a stake, and the stake piercing his body or even protruding from it - and then suddenly that stake penetrates the body just one more fraction of an inch, piercing a crucial organ. Resulting in a loud cry, and sudden death The death in case of impaling would be relatively dynamic, with the weight of the body exerting pressure on the stake for many hours, and organs and / or bones (very) slowly giving way. There would be blood loss as well but the stake would fill the gaping wound and prevent the free flowing of the blood; more importantly so the death would be guaranteed upon the very moment of execution, it would take only one single pole of wood, and whoever delivered the punishment could go about his business immediately afterwards without having to wait until the victim was dead. It would be an excruciatingly painful death, and a horrible picture. A death on the cross as imagined via the image that most of us know today, with a Jesus hanging almost gracefully (compared to the pictures above) from the cross, would be none of that: it would take double the amount of wood and the executioner would have to sit it out, and wait Martijn Linssen 01/04/2021 Page 11 The Gospels testify: did Jesus die on the cross? 2021 until the victim was dead; in the meantime anyone could come up to the victim and take him off, and the victim would have very high chances of surviving the ordeal - crucifying someone in the manner that has been relayed via the dogma of the Church is very uneconomical, extremely time-consuming, it carries a very high risk of the survival of the victim, and it is by far not as painful as it could be. No one in their right minds would crucify someone as the Church has made us believe Aftermath Whichever way one reads the Gospels, either Matthew came first or Mark did - yet both describe the exact same manner of death: a lucid sentence is being uttered, cried out loud, likely in pain, followed by another loud cry, and instant death. And the rest is history, a history that was continuously being rewritten, but the texts that we have are clear: this is the way that Jesus died, and in all four cases death is immediately following a very coherent sentence spoken by someone perfectly lucid. Why was the stake turned into a cross by the Church fathers, among others? We can only guess, but it can be an educated guess: at some point in time, the death of Jesus became more important than anything, or at least a very important part of it all - and depicting the death of Jesus, in writing or in symbolics, became a frequent exercise. And someone being impaled on a stake doesn't make for a great icon, it certainly isn't fine "marketing material" - no one likes to boast about his idol having died for his sins, and then proudly portraying the truly horrid pictures like those above. The Gospels omit any and all details about the way in which Jesus was impaled: where exactly did the stake enter his body? Even if one fancies seeing a crucifixion in them, there are no details whatsoever on anything - and that is the reason for the Church fathers filling in those details in a relatively pleasant way, in order to do away with the horrible image(s) of their idol being staked like a pig in just about every way possible. It simply had to change, the image of the icon had to change, and the Church fathers felt free to do as they pleased. It isn't until John that the word 'nails' appear, but those words are spoken by Thomas, and John doesn't have his Jesus say anything other than: John 20:27 Then He says to Thomas, “Bring your finger here, and see My hands; and bring your hand, and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing.” The way that Jesus died couldn't be rewritten, but the device that was used, not described in any other way than a mere σταυρός, could be argued to have had a certain form other than the impaling stake, in order to portray their icon in a more dignified dying way - and so it was done, many (many) times, and in the end it was done successfully; and it has allowed the Martijn Linssen 01/04/2021 Page 12 The Gospels testify: did Jesus die on the cross? 2021 Church to market the sacrificial death of Jesus for over 1,500 years and build a world religion on top of it The Gospels disagree on the words spoken by Jesus yet as much as they lack to agree on some matters in the last hours of the life of Jesus, they are unanimous about the final moments: a very lucid Jesus utters (a) coherent sentence(s) and dies immediately afterwards Martijn Linssen 01/04/2021 Page 13