crucifixion

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crucifixion hanging on a cross , in ancient times a method of capital punishment . It was practiced widely in the Middle East but not by the Greeks. The Romans, who may have borrowed it from Carthage, reserved it for slaves and despised malefactors. They used it frequently, as in the civil wars and in putting down the Jewish opposition. Crucifixion was probably at first a modification of hanging on a tree or impaling on a pole, and from such a connection come the synonyms tree and rood (i.e., rod or pole) for Jesus' cross. The Romans used mostly the T cross, the Latin cross, or St. Andrew's cross. Most ancient sources describe the cross Jesus died on as a Latin cross, the type most common in the liturgy of the West. It was common practice among the Romans to scourge the prisoner and to require him to carry his cross to the place of crucifixion. The prisoner was either nailed or tied to the cross, and, to induce more rapid death, his legs were often broken. Crucifixion was abolished when the empire became Christian. See also Calvary and Good Thief .

crucifixion A form of capital punishment used by various ancient peoples including the Persians, Carthaginians, and Romans for criminals, usually applicable only to slaves and other persons with no civil rights. The victim, nailed or roped to a crossbar, was hoisted on to an upright to form a ‘T’ or cross. SPARTACUS, with 6000 rebels, was crucified in 71 BC, as was JESUS CHRIST (c.30 AD). Romans regarded the cross with horror. Only after the emperor Constantine abolished this form of penalty did Christians adopt the cross as a symbol.

crucifixion. Infliction of death by nailing or binding to a cross. It was much used by the Romans as the extreme punishment for slaves, though it might also be inflicted upon any person who could not prove Roman citizenship. The crucifixion of Christ between two thieves is recorded by all four Evangelists.

Crucifixion. The punishment of death suffered by Jesus (and, traditionally, a few other Christian martyrs). Realistic crucifixion scenes emerged in the West with devotion to the passion, which developed in the 12th–13th cents.

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