Monday, June 27, 2011

MYTH #3 Jesus was crucified on a Stake not a Cross

The early publications or the watchtower had crosses all over it.

http://e-watchman.com/storage/wt_1912_color1.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1274378089220

Look in the upper left corner and all over the "watchtower"

They have a bigger problem with their bible. They forgot to remove the verse where Jesus tells St. Peter he will be crucified (Hands stretched out)

(NWT) John 21:18 Most truly I say to you, When you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk about where you wanted. But when you grow old you will stretch out your hands and another [man] will gird you and bear you where you do not wish.”

And here it says the print of the "nails" (Plural) in his hands (Plural).... this means that was a nail for each hand and not 1 nail for 2 hands as the JW's say he was place in a Stake.

(NWT)John 20:25 Consequently the other disciples would say to him: “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them: “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails and stick my finger into the print of the nails and stick my hand into his side, I will certainly not believe.”

6 comments:

  1. It is true that early Watchtower publications had pictures depicting crosses. However, once it was learned that the cross was a pagan symbol that predates Christianity by thousands of years, that symbol no longer appeared in later editions of the Watchtower.


    Was Jesus put to death on a cross or a stake? Here's what Bible authorities have said on the subject:

    "It may come as a shock to know
    that there is no word such as 'cross'
    in the Greek of the New Testament.
    The word translated 'cross'
    is always the Greek word [stau·ros']
    meaning a 'stake' or 'upright pale.'
    The cross was NOT originally a Christian symbol; it is derived from Egypt and Constantine."
    -Dual Heritage-The Bible and the British Museum

    "There is not a single sentence in any of
    the numerous writings forming the New Testament, which, in the original Greek,
    bears even indirect evidence to the effect that the stauros used in the case of Jesus was other than an ordinary stauros; much less to the effect that it consisted, not of one piece of timber, but of two pieces nailed together
    in the form of a cross."
    - The Non-Christian Cross; John Denham Parsons

    "If Jesus had been executed, mythically or historically, it would NOT have been with outstretched arms on a cruciform structure. Cutner reports that scholars have been aware of the error but have been unable to resist the TRADITIONAL MISTRANSLATION. In the 18th century - some Anglican bishops recommended
    eliminating the cross symbol altogether, but they were ignored. There is no cross in early Christian art before the middle of the 5th century."
    - Jesus: God, Man, or Myth (The Truth Seeker, 1950)


    "Another...tradition of the Church
    which our fathers have inherited,
    was the adoption of the words 'cross' and 'crucify'. These words are nowhere to be found in the Greek of the New Testament." (Koster, p. 29). -Koster, C.J. Come Out of Her My People. Johannesburg, RSA: Institute for Scripture Research, 1998.

    "Homer uses the word 'stauros' - of an ordinary pole or stake, or a single piece of timber. And this is the meaning and usage
    of the word throughout the Greek classics.
    It never means two pieces of timber placed across one another at any angle, but always of one piece alone. Hence the use of the word 'xulon'[which means a timber] in connection with the manner of our Lord's death, and rendered tree in Acts 5:30; 10:39; 13:29; Gal. 3:13; and 1 Pet. 2:24.
    . . .There is nothing in the Greek N.T. even to imply two pieces of timber. . . The evidence is thus complete, that the Lord was put to death upon an upright stake, and not on two pieces of timber placed at any angle."
    - The Companion Bible, published by the Oxford University Press.

    So, was Jesus put to death on a cross or a stake? Clearly, it was a stake.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sorry, again you have not supported your position, not even close.

    You have regurgitated what the watchtower has trained you to regurgitate.

    Address the scripture I posted if you can then you can post your distracting comments.

    Also please post the translators of your bible who says that is what the Greek says by name so we can verify their credentials.

    Ill give you a few days to amend your post, if not I will delete it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Funny you. The above quotes from Bible authorities were not quoted from any Watchtower publication. They clearly show that Jesus didn't die on a cross, but on a stake or pole. You can't dispute the quoted authorities, so the only thing you can say in your feable response is: "You have regurgitated what the watchtower has trained you to regurgitate." So sad for you.

    What I find odd is that I asked you to show me how the Bible verses that you supplied say that God is a trinity. You refused. I asked you to show me how the words of the Athanasian Creed agree with what Jesus said about God. You refused. Now, you want me to comment on Scripture that you believe shows that Jesus died on a cross. How ironic. Is this how you always react when you are backed into a corner that you can find no way out of?

    ReplyDelete
  4. "They have a bigger problem with their bible. They forgot to remove the verse where Jesus tells St. Peter he will be crucified (Hands stretched out)"

    Silly reasoning. When a person stretches out his hands, do they always have to be extended to the sides or can they be extended to the front or over his head? So, what have we forgotten to remove from our Bible?

    BTW, where in the Bible does it say that one nail was used to fasten both of Jesus' hands to the instrument of execution? Since the writs are considered a part of the hand, there is a possibility that one nail could have been driven through Jesus' wrists while another nail could have been driven through the palms of his hands. None of the verses you used can dispell that possibility.

    What is clear is that the instument used upon which Jesus was executed was a the Greek "stauros." In English, it is properly translated "stake." Even the Latin "crux" means "stake," NOT "cross." "Cross" didn't work its way into Bibles until after the apostate Roman Catholic Church became the state religion of the Roman empire under Constantine the Great.

    ReplyDelete
  5. >>BTW, where in the Bible does it say that one nail was used to fasten both of Jesus' hands to the instrument of execution?<<

    It doesnt, the watchtower says so.

    Seems you have a conflict with your society.

    >>one nail could have been driven through Jesus' wrists while another nail could have been driven through the palms of his hands<<

    The bible is specific, it was the hands alone, there is no mention of "wrist" wounds. That would cause the wound count to be greater than 5 which would not correspond with the prophecy on Psalms.

    You also have to contend with the sign being over Christs "head" and not over his "hands" as the watchtower portrays him.

    Again, if you are going to quote the Greek please post the translations names and qualifications.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What you fail to understand is that a "stauros" is not a cross, but a stake or pole. So, although the Bible is silent regarding how many nails were used in Jesus' execution, at least we know the kind of instument used to put Jesus to death was a stake. As the Companion Bible says: "There is nothing in the Greek N.T. even to imply two pieces of timber. . . The evidence is thus complete, that the Lord was put to death upon an upright stake, and not on two pieces of timber placed at any angle."

    ReplyDelete