17. The Crucifixionlogosdocs.s3.amazonaws.com/third-edition/009-john/017...cruciﬁed 6,000 cap8ve slaves, lining the Via Appia with them, and the historian Tacitus tells us that during

Lesson#17

TheCrucifixion(19:16b-42)

1TheCrucifixion

Judasisaproblema8ccharacterinScripture,viewedbysomeasasinistervillain,a“mo8velessmalignity,”asSamuelTaylorColeridgedescribedIagoinShakespeare’sOthello;byothersasapeKythiefwhostealsfromthemoneypurse,astheApostleJohnclaims(John12:6),andwho,mo8vatedbyavarice,betraystheSonofGodfor30piecesofsilver;andbyyetothers,asaloyalcharacterwhobelievesheishelpingJesus,andwhoisperhapsevenfollowingJesus’instruc8ons.

Adisciplefromthestart,JudaswaswithJesusforhisen8re3-yearpublicministry;JudaswitnessedJesus’teaching,preachingandhealing;JudaswaspresentatPeter’sconfessionoffaith;andJudasfirmlybelievedthatJesuswastheMessiah.

SowhydoesJudasbetrayJesus?

InLesson#16weexploredthecharacterofJudas,hearingtes8monyfromallfourevangelists:MaKhew,Mark,LukeandJohn.

2TheCrucifixion

ThePersiansintroducedcrucifixionasacapitalpunishmentasearlyasthe6thcenturyB.C.,andtheCarthaginians,MacedoniansandRomansemployeditun8ltheEmperorConstan8neoutlawedcrucifixioninA.D.337,outofdeferencetoChrist.

TheGreekshadanaversiontocrucifixion,althoughthehistorianHerodotustellsofthecrucifixionofthePersianGeneralArtayctes,whocommandedforcesinthe2ndPersianinvasionofGreeceunderXerxes(acentralcharacterintheBookofEsther),480-479B.C.

TheRomansusedcrucifixionfrequently,however;indeed,Crassus,theRomanGeneralwhodefeatedSpartacusintheslaverevoltof73-71B.C.crucified6,000cap8veslaves,liningtheViaAppiawiththem,andthehistorianTacitustellsusthatduringthesiegeofJerusaleminA.D.70nofewerthan600,000JewsfoughttheRomansandthosecapturedwerecrucified,upto500perday.

TheCrucifixion 3

FedorBronnikov.TheCursedField,PlaceofExecu=on(oiloncanvas),1878.TretyakovGallery,Moscow.

[Crassus,commandingeightRomanlegions,defeatedSpartacusandhisarmyinA.D.71.MostofSpartacus’menwerekilled,but6,000werecapturedandcrucified,liningtheApianWayfromRometoCapua.]

4TheCrucifixion

5TheCrucifixion

TheViaAppia,orthe“AppianWay,”oneofthemoststrategicallyimportantroadsinancientRome.

(117milesfromRometoCapua)

Crucifixioninvolvedaprolonged,excrucia8nglypainfuldeathbybeingnailedtoacrosswithtaperedironspikes,generallytakingthreeormoredaystodie.

InLesson#17weexamineJesus’crucifixionindetail,asJohnpresentsit.

6TheCrucifixion

7TheCrucifixion

“So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross himself he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew [actually, in Aramaic], Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, ‘Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.’ Now many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, ‘Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that he said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’ Pilate answered, ‘What I have written, I have written.’”

(19: 16b-22)

AndreadiBartolo.WaytoCalvary(temperaonpanel),c.1415-1420.Thyssen-BornemiszaMuseum,Madrid.

8TheCrucifixion

Whereexactlywas“thePlaceoftheSkull,”Golgatha?

9TheCrucifixion

Goodques8on!

Theexactloca8onofJesus’crucifixionisuncertain,buttradi8onholdsthatitwaswheretheChurchoftheHolySepulcherstandstoday.

ThechurchhistorianEusebius(c.360-340)notesinhisLifeofConstan=ne(Book3,Chapters26-40)thatHadrian,the2nd-centuryRomanemperor,builtatempleinJerusalemdedicatedtothegoddessAphroditeinordertocoverthecaveinwhichJesuswasburied.AroundA.D.325,Eusebiuscon8nues,Constan8nereplacedHadrian’stemplewithachurchtohonortheplacewhereJesuswascrucifiedandburied.Constan8ne’smother,St.Helene,waspresentinJerusalemduringthechurch’sconstruc8on.

10TheCrucifixion

!AntoniaFortress

! PlaceofCrucifixion

Temple(notvisiblefromthisangle)

11TheCrucifixion

! Temple(DomeoftheRocktoday)HolySepulcherChurch"

OldCitv

12TheCrucifixion

EasternWall

!DomeoftheRock(TempleinJesusDay)

! ChurchoftheHolySepulcher(siteoftheCrucifixion)

13TheCrucifixion

ApproachingtheChurchoftheHolySepulcherontheViaDolorosa.PhotographybyAnaMariaVargas

14TheCrucifixion

InsidetheChurchoftheHolySepulcherat“Golgotha.”PhotographybyAnaMariaVargas

JesusontheCross"

15TheCrucifixion

TheEmperorConstan8nebuilttheoriginalChurchoftheHolySepulcherinA.D.326.Ithasbeendestroyed/damagedandrebuiltmany8mesthroughouthistory.

16TheCrucifixion

AnotherpossiblesiteforJesus’crucifixionandburialisthe“GardenTomb”inJerusalem,justsouthoftheDamascusGate.

In1867excavatorsdiscoveredarock-cuttombadjacenttoalimestoneescarpmentknownas“SkullHill.”Since1894aBri8shcharitabletrust,TheGardenTombAssocia=on,hasmaintainedthesiteasaplaceofChris8anworship.EachyeartheBBCbroadcastsalovelyEastersunriseservicefromtheGardenTomb.

Tradi8onally,RomanCatholicandOrthodoxChris8ansiden8fytheChurchoftheHolySepulcherastheloca8onofJesus’crucifixionandburial,whilemanyProtestantdenomina8onsembracetheGardenTombastheloca8on.

17TheCrucifixion

! Temple(DomeoftheRocktoday)

! GardenTomb(limestonequarry&cemetery)

DamascusGate"

HolySepulcherChurch"

OldCitv

18TheCrucifixion

OneofsevengatesleadingintotheOldCity,theDamascusGateisthebusiest.TheroadoutsidethegateleadstoNablusandfromtheretoDamascus,135milesnorth(St.Paul’s“Road

toDamascus”).Thecurrentgate(above)wasbuiltbySuleimantheMagnificentin1537.

19TheCrucifixion

PhotographybyAnaMariaVargas

Golgotha,the“PlaceoftheSkull,”oppositetheGardenTomb,Jerusalem.

20TheCrucifixion

WethenreadthatamertheRomanscrucifiedJesus,Pilatehadaninscrip8onaffixedtothecrossinHebrew,La8nandGreekthatread:“JesustheNazorean,theKingoftheJews.”

InLa8ntheinscrip8onwouldreadIesusNazarenusRexIudaeorum;hence,thesignweomenseeaboveJesusonthecross:INRI.

21TheCrucifixion

PeterGertner.Crucifixion(oilonpanel),1537.WaltersArtMuseum,Bal8more,Maryland.

[Thisistheportrai=stGertner’sonlyknownreligiouspain=ng.Notethedetailedfacialexpressions.]

22TheCrucifixion

INRI

Ofcourse,John’sgospeliswriKeninGreek,andtheGreekphrase,“JesusofNazareth,theKingoftheJews”is: jIhsou:ß oj Nazwrai:oßoj basileu;ß tw:n jIoudaivwn.SometeachthattheHebrewwouldthushaveread:“YeshuaHaNazareivMelechHaYehudim”—YHWH,thenameofGod(“v”is“w”inEnglish),whichiswhytheJewswanteditchanged.Ifthatwerethecase,thesignwouldbeastunningirony,indeed!1

Asneatasitsounds,however,thisisincorrect.Gramma8cally,theGreekconstruc8onusedonthesignisanapposi8ve;thereisnoconjunc8ve“and”intheGreek.InordertomaketheYHWHacros8cwork,theGreekneedstheconjunc8veand,orwawinHebrew(“JesusofNazareth,andtheKingoftheJews”—sugges8ngthereweretwopeopleonthecross!).ButtheGreekdoesnothave“waw.”Thuscorrectlytransla8ngtheGreekintoHebrewformstheacros8cYHHH,notYHWH.1ThisisbaseduponChris8anapologistChuckMissler’sasser8oninhisTheCreatorbeyondTimeandSpace(1995).

23TheCrucifixion

Onceagainweseehowimportantthedic8onandgrammarareinJohn’sgospel.

24TheCrucifixion

Thatwassoerudite!

Showoff!

OurhistorianJosephuswritesinhisSiegeofJerusalemthat“thesoldiersoutofrageandhatrednailedthosetheycaught,onea[eroneway,andanothera[eranother,tothecrosses,bywayofjest,”sugges8ngthattherewasnostandardizedwaytocrucifyaperson:whateverworkedatthe8meandplacewoulddo.

Caravaggio.CrucifixionofSt.Peter[upsidedown](oiloncanvas),1601.

SantaMariadelPopolo,Rome.25TheCrucifixion

Jesuswaslikelycrucifiedinamannersimilartothis,not8edbythearmsashere,butwithhiswristsnailedtothecrossbeamsuppor8nghisweight.No8ce,too,thathisheelswould

probablyhavebeennailedtothesidesoftheuprightthroughtheheelbones.

26TheCrucifixion

HeelboneofJehohanan,acrucifiedmaninthe1stcentury,whoseossuarywasdiscoveredin1968ineastJerusalem.IsraelMuseum,Jerusalem.Thenailis4.54inches.


27TheCrucifixion

28TheCrucifixion

“When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four shares, a share for each soldier. They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top down. So they said to one another, ‘Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be,’ in order that the passage of scripture might be fulfilled [that says]: ‘They divided my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots.’ This is what the soldiers did.”

(19: 23-24)

WilliamBlake.TheSoldiersCas=ngLotsforChrist’sGarments(watercolor),1800.TheFitzwilliamMuseum,Cambridge,England.

29TheCrucifixion

Althoughallfourgospelsmen8onthesoldierscas8nglotsforJesus’clothing,onlyJohnmen8onstheunderlyingpassageinPsalm22:19.ItisaverydemmoveonJohn’spart,subtlydisplayinghispoe8cskills.

Psalm22isbuiltonafounda8onofparallelism;thatis,astatementmadeandthenrestatedinana/b/b/aora/b/a/bfashion:Theydividedmygarmentsamongthem;

A BB A

andformyvesturestheycastlots.

30TheCrucifixion

Intheverysameway,JohnovertlypointsustowardPsalm22:19andthenheimitatesthe2-partparallelstructureofverse19inanA/B/A/BpaKern:

WhenthesoldiershadcrucifiedJesus,

[they]tookhisclothes(A)anddividedthem(B)intofourshares,ashareforeachsoldier.

Theyalsotookhistunic(A),butthetunicwasseamless,woveninonepiecefromthetopdown.Sotheysaidtooneanother,‘Let’snottearit,butcastlotsforit(B).

31TheCrucifixion

That’ssuperbcramsmanship!

32TheCrucifixion

Itsureis!

SalvadorDali.ChristofSt.JohnoftheCross[detail],(oiloncanvas),1951.KelvingroveArtGalleryandMuseum,Glasgow.

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34TheCrucifixion

“Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold. Your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I thirst.’ There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’ And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.”

(19: 25-30)

Wehaveanintriguinggramma8calambiguityin19:25—

“StandingbythecrossofJesuswerehismotherandhismother’ssister,MarythewifeofClopas,andMaryofMagdala.”

Dowehavethreewomenatthefootofthecrossorfour?Agoodargumentcanbemadeforeitherreading.It’smorelikely,though,thatwehavefour.

1.   Wejusthadfoursoldierscas8nglotsforJesus’clothing;

2.   Wejusthadthestructuralparallelismofthe“cas8nglots”story,withfourelements;and

3.   Jesus’disciplesarefrequentlylistedinpairs.4.   So,ifitisfour,theywouldbe:Jesus’mother,

Mary;Mary’ssister(Salome,thewifeofZebedeeandmotherofJamesandJohn);MarythewifeofClopas;andMaryMagdalene.

35TheCrucifixion

Fourwouldmakesense,too,sinceJamesandJohnareJesus’cousins,soSalomewouldhaveareasontobeatthefootofthecrossaccompanyingMaryand

herson,John.

36TheCrucifixion

Remember,too,thatJesus’brothersdidn’tbelieveinhim

(7:5),sothatexplainswhyJesusentrustsMarytohiscousin,

John—thebeloveddisciple.

SimonVouet.Crucifixion(oilonpanel),1622.MuseumofFineArts,Lyon,France.

MaryMagdalene"!Jesus’motherMary

!ApostleJohn

MarythewifeofClopasSalome,John’smother

37TheCrucifixion

• Knowingthat“everythingwasnowfinished,”Jesussaid,“Ithirst.”RecallthatJesushasbeenbeatennearlytodeathandcrucified;hehassufferedseverelossofbodilyfluids,andheiscertainlyinhypovolemicshockatthispoint.Theyofferhim“commonwine,”orjoxoß,[ok’-sas],amixtureofcheapwineorvinegarmixedwithwater,acommondrinkofthesoldiers.

• Thesoldiersraiseaspongeonahyssopstalk[u›sswpoß,hoo’-so-pos],whichMarkcallsa“reed”[kavlamoß,ka’-la-mos].Hyssopisadelicateplantandcouldnotsupportaheavy,wine-soakedsponge.PerhapsJohnusesthewordtoalludetothehyssopthatwasusedtosmearbloodonthedoorpostsatthefirstPassoverinEgypt(Exodus12:22).

• AmerJesusdrankhesaid,“Itisfinished.”Thewordtelevw [te-le’-o],isbeKertranslated,“Itisaccomplished.”

38TheCrucifixion

Hyssop,commonlyusedliturgicallyfor“sprinkling.”

Incontroltotheend,Jesus“handedover”or“gaveup”hisspirit.Thewordthereisparadivdwmi [pa-ra-de’do-

me].Nice!

39TheCrucifixion

You’regexngpreKygoodatthisGreekstuff!

It’sALLGreektome!

40TheCrucifixion

“Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and they be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may [come to] believe. For this happened so that the scripture passage might be fulfilled: ‘Not a bone of it will be broken’ [Exodus 12: 46] And again another passage says: ‘The will look upon him whom they have pierced’ [Zechariah 12: 10].”

(19: 31-36)

Crucifiedinthisfashion,apersonhadtostanduponthenailsthroughhisheelsinordertobreathe.Breakingacrucifiedman’slegs,hewoulddieofasphyxia8onveryquickly.TheossuaryofJehohanan,the1stcenturycrucifiedmanwhoseheelbonewasdiscoveredin

1968ineastJerusalem,containedbadlyfracturedlegbones.

41TheCrucifixion

WhenasoldierthrustalanceintoJesus’sideandbloodandwatergushedforth,itmeantthatJesuswasmostassuredlydead.Johnemphasizesthefactofhisdeath.

Later,thebloodandwaterfromJesus’sidecametosymbolizetheEucharistandbap8sm.

42TheCrucifixion

43TheCrucifixion

“After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body. Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by.”

(19: 37-42)

PietroPerugino.JosephofArimathea[detailfromLamenta=onovertheDeadChrist],(oilonpanel),1495.

PalazzoPix,Florence.

44TheCrucifixion

RogiervanderWeyden.TheDescentfromtheCross,(oilonpanel),c.1435-1438.PradoMuseum,Madrid.

45TheCrucifixion

Nicodemus" !Joseph

Jesus’tombbeneaththerotundaintheChurchoftheHolySepulcher.TheAediculewasoriginallybuiltin1555bytheFranciscans,rebuiltin1810amerafiredestroyedtheoriginal,

andreinforcedbyironscaffoldingsince1947.

46TheCrucifixion

TombofJesusinsidetheAediculeattheChurchoftheHolySepulcher,Jerusalem.

47TheCrucifixion

GardenTombinJerusalem

AlthoughtheChurchoftheHolySepulcherhasagreaterclaimtoauthen8cityasthetombofJesus,theGardenTomb(seenhere)makesamuchbeKervisualaid!


48TheCrucifixion

A“rollingstone,”sealedthetomb.


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InterioroftheGardenTomb,whereJesus’bodywouldbeplaced.


50TheCrucifixion

“Caiaphus”limestoneossuarydiscoveredin1990inJerusalem.IsraelMuseum,Jerusalem.


51TheCrucifixion

EmptyGardenTomb:“Heisnothereforheisrisen.”


52TheCrucifixion

1.   Whatdoes“Golgotha”mean?

2.   WhywouldthesignonthecrossaboveJesusbewriKeninthreelanguages:Hebrew,La8nandGreek?

3.   WhatisthesignificanceofthesoldiersdividingJesus’garmentsbycas8nglots?

4.   WhydoesJesusentrusthismothertoJohn?

5.   WhatisthesignificanceofbothbloodandwatercomingfromJesus’sidewhenthesoldierpierceshim?

53TheCrucifixion

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54TheCrucifixion

17. The Crucifixionlogosdocs.s3.amazonaws.com/third-edition/009-john/017...cruciﬁed 6,000 cap8ve slaves, lining the Via Appia with them, and the historian Tacitus tells us that during

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