The cross has been used as a symbol since the dawn of time due to its simplicity. It has been thought to represent two sticks used to create fire when rubbed together or the intersecting of the Sun with the earth as it rises and sets. Its significance for Christians is not linked to these early line drawings but to its use as a means of fear and humiliation by the Roman Empire and Jesus’ death upon one.
Before Rome
The cross was an execution device developed by the Romans but with roots in other ancient civilisations. It was widely used in varying forms by the Persians and in Carthage as well as by other groups. The Greek historian Herodotus mentions the execution of a Persian general by the Athenians who nailed him to a plank and hung him up.¹ Another example comes from a more surprising source: King Alexander Jannaeus, who was king of Judea 100 years before Jesus was born, crucified 800 Pharisees who rebelled against his rule. This did not go down well with the Jewish people who saw this form of death as abhorrent². There are other examples of the use of crucifixion outside of the Roman world but it is from within the empire that we see its greatest use.
Rome
The Roman empire had many ways of executing people and the method would often depend on the crime. The act of killing a close blood relative would see the Poena Cullei³ being used. Other means included beheading (seen as a noble death) or being sent to the colosseum for the amusement of others.
The use of crucifixion was saved for those people who the empire wanted to humiliate. Slaves and enemies of the state were usually the recipients of this form of death as it sent a particular message to everyone who saw it. The cross was a symbol of shame and it would never had entered polite conversation or its symbol used for anything positive.
The cross was the empire’s symbol of power and dominance over other nations and people. It was used to mock those who died upon it and warn anyone who might have ideas of rebellion or revolution what would happen to them. In 71BC Spartacus led a revolt against Rome which ended in defeat and historic accounts record 6000 survivors were crucified along the Appian Way from Rome to Capua4. A similar mass execution took place in 70AD during the siege of Jerusalem with Josephus reporting up to 500 a day being captured and crucified by the Roman army.
Other accounts of Roman crucifixions show how this form of punishment was used to humiliate the person and the causes they stood for. Suetonius writes of Galba, a ruler in one of Rome’s Spanish territories who became emperor for seven months following Nero’s death. He ordered a man to be crucified and when the man tried to claim Roman citizenship he ordered his cross be painted white and raised higher than the others to mock this claim.
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The titulus, which was the sign attached to the cross5, was also used to mock the person and their cause. In the Gospel accounts the title on the sign attached to Jesus’ cross read ‘Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews’6 in Aramaic, Greek and Latin so everyone could read it. The title given is purposeful, it would have said to anyone reading it, ‘this is what happens to those who want to be king of the Jews’. It mocks Jesus, but also the Jewish people who longed for a messiah- it is the empire’s way of saying it is in charge.
All this led to the cross becoming a great tool of humiliation, ridicule, torture, and eventual agonising death is for those who follow Jesus the most important symbol. Worn by many on necklaces, tattooed on skin or adorning our churches this symbol of defeat and death is for many a symbol of victory and life.