In antiquity crucifixion was considered one of the most brutal and shameful modes of death. Probably originating with the Assyrians and Babylonians, it was used systematically by the Persians in the 6th century BC. Alexander the Great brought it from there to the eastern Mediterranean countries in the 4th century BC, and the Phoenicians introduced it to Rome in the 3rd century BC. It was virtua...

The Gospels tell of Simon Cyrene/Jesus carrying a σταυρός on the way to crucifixion. In recent years influential scholars such as Gunnar Samuelsson and John Granger Cook entered discussion about what we can know crucifixion it was that Jesus carried. Often, assume common practice, refer few Greek sources parallels. Yet, do these speak cross-bearing? this article is argued possibly three could b...

Daniel Boyarin’s latest book explores the beginnings of Christianity and Judaism and the formation of Judaism and Christianity as two distinct cultural-religious systems. The book is structured in three main parts: Part I – Making a Difference: The Heresiological Beginnings of Christianity and Judaism; Part II – The Crucifixion of Logos: How Logos Theology Became Christian; and Part III – Spark...