What is the shape of the cross of Christ? Did Jesus die on a stake?

Author: Carlos Martins Nabeto

(3rd revised edition: 2020).
Translation: Bruno Valadão

"The Peace be with you all !!! I am a Catholic and I have a question: the other
day, Jehovah's Witness friends suggested to me that the Catholic Church lies,
saying that the cross as we know it is not true, that Jesus was killed on a stake.
I refuse to believe that the Catholic Church lies and I know that there must be
some explanation for this. Please answer me so that I can defend our Church and our
faith. This is already the second Apologetics website I write to. It was very
difficult to hear those things and not have a proper answer. I count on your help!
God bless you all! Thank you, Deborah Azevedo ”(São Paulo-SP).

Dear Deborah,

Pax Domini!

Jehovah's Witnesses, a Protestant sect that only appeared in the 19th century
(where were they before this?), like to talk a lot and “research” little. In fact,
their personal research stops at what his own magazines and books claim, which they
memorize especially to promote “cheap proselytism”, from door to door, for the
benefit of their denomination. They thus employ the detestable "parrot spirit"
method ...

Now, their strictly peculiar doctrines (denial of the Holy Trinity, denial of the
divinity of Jesus, prohibition of blood transfusion, prediction of the “exact” date
of the end of the world, etc.) make even other Protestant denominations refuse to
recognize him. the title “evangelical” or “Protestant”. Other than that, you don't
have to be an expert to know what they want - as if that were possible! - correct
the Holy Scriptures (obviously, so that they can support your particular unorthodox
beliefs), which is why your Bibles (the infamous “New World Translation of the Holy
Scriptures” [NWT]) have hundreds and hundreds of verses that “do not match” with
what appears in other Bibles, whether Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant or Jewish (in
the latter case, as regards the Old Testament)…

This is the case, for example, of the “instrument” that was used to bring about the
death of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior… ALL Christians - Catholics, Orthodox
and Protestants - categorically claim that Jesus died on the cross (legitimately
argued) its form: 'commissa' or 'immissa'); then the Jehovah's Witnesses, with
their credulity based on that NWT, come to affirm the opposite (including passing
over History and Archeology), defending the idea that the instrument used was a
“torture stake”…

As former Jehovah's Witness David A. Reed explains, “According to Jehovah's

Witnesses, the cross is a pagan religious symbol adopted by the Church when Satan,
the devil, took control of ecclesiastical authority. The cross had nothing to do
with Jesus' death, as Jehovah's Witnesses maintain that he was nailed to an upright
pole without a horizontal beam. Jehovah's Witnesses abhor the cross and new
converts are expected to destroy any crosses they may have, rather than simply
disposing of them ”(“ Jehovah's Witnesses Refuted Verse by Verse ”, ed. Juerp, 5th
edition , 1994, p.13).

And the same author adds further:

- “Denying that Jesus died on the cross is a basic doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses.
In fact, witnesses consider anyone who believes in the cross to be a 'false pagan
blessed'. Instead, the Watchtower Society teaches that Jesus was nailed to a
'torture stake' - a vertical pole, like a flagpole, with no horizontal beam.
Wherever the word 'cross' is mentioned in other Bibles, the New World Translation
uses the term 'torture stake'. The illustration of the Lord's death in his books
shows Jesus with his arms placed together, just above his head, with a single nail
nailing both hands to the stake ”(idem, p.78).

With the expression “the cross is a pagan religious symbol adopted by the church
when Satan, the devil, took control of ecclesiastical authority”, Reed alludes to a
“widespread urban legend” among Protestants, including non-Jehovah's Witnesses (and
that our Apostolate has already had the grateful satisfaction of refuting and
clarifying several times) that, with the arrival of Constantine to the Roman
imperial power (AD 313), the Christian Church (understand: the Catholic Church)
would have paganized, from then on adopting non-Christian customs, including the
cross itself to replace the “torture stake”.

Now, if this were true, then it would not be possible, then, to find references to
the cross or the sign of the cross before the year 313 AD. But this is not the case
... Quite the contrary, we find explicit references to this matter in renowned
Christians like Tertullian Carthage (+220 AD; v. De Corona Militis 3), Hipólito de
Roma (+235 AD; v. Apostolic Tradition 42) and the Acts of the Martyrs (2nd / 3rd
centuries). Indeed, the cross of Christ, as we recognize it in Catholic
environments, was indeed the full conscience of the early Christians (and not that
Jehovist “stake of torture”).

As if that were not enough, no serious encyclopedia - religious or profane - denies

that Christ was killed on a cross by the Romans; rather, they claim it. Let us use
only the profane here, as they are independent of an eventual “control” of the
Catholic Church (as perhaps the Jehovah's Witnesses would intend to accuse):

- “CROSS - An instrument of torture formed by two pieces of wood crossed, in which,

in the past, those condemned to death were nailed. Object representing the cross of
Christ, made a symbol of Christianity. // JESUS CHRIST - (…) Jesus appeared before
the high priest of the Jews, Caiaphas, and then before the Roman Justice,
represented by Pontius Pilate, who did not oppose his death sentence. Thus, Jesus,
on Calvary, died crucified between two thieves (…) ”(Digital Encyclopedia
KooganHouaiss, ed. HyperMedia, 2001).

- “CROSS - The sign of the cross, in various forms, predates Christianity and there
are doubts as to whether it was a mark of identification and property or whether it
corresponded to a sign of worship and veneration. In any case, it was as the symbol
of the Christian religion that the cross acquired its deep mystical meaning. Types
of cross: (…) The Christian cross took four fundamental forms: the ‘commissa’, in
the form of a capital ‘t’ (T), also called ‘cross of tau’ (Greek letter) or ‘Saint
Anthony’; the ‘quadrata’ or ‘Greek cross’, with four arms of the same size (+); the
‘latina’ or ‘immissa’, the bottom of which is longer than the other three (t); and
‘de Santo André’ or ‘decussat’, in the form of ‘x’ (X). (…) Although tradition
holds that the tree on which Jesus died was shaped like a Latin cross, historical
data seems to indicate that it was in fact a commissa cross. The cross in
Christianity: the cross has a profound symbolism in Christianity and was its most
representative sign since the early days, although it was sought not to expose it
publicly. The sign of the cross, traced by Christians on the body with two fingers,
was consigned already in the 3rd century by Tertullian. After Constantine's edict
in 313, which legalized Christianity, the cross, as well as the monogram of Christ
- formed by the Greek capital letters X (khi or aspirated k) and P (rô) - soon
reached popularity among Christians, as it is evident in artistic and funerary
representations (…) ”(Barsa Digital, ed. Britannica, 2000).

- “CROSS - [1] A torture instrument formed from two pieces of wood crossed, in
which, in the past, those condemned to death were nailed. [2] Instrument in which
Jesus Christ was entreated (in this case, capitalized). [3] Object that represents
the Cross of Christ, symbol of Christianity. (…) ”(Great Encyclopedia Larousse
Cultural, ed. Nova Cultural, 1998).

- "JESUS CHRIST - (...) Considered blasphemous, he is subjected to a religious

process and accused of conspiring against Caesar. He is crucified when Tiberius is
the emperor of Rome and Pontius Pilate the procurator of Judea ”(Almanac Abril em
Multimídia, ed. Abril, 1995).

- "CROSS - There are four kinds of crosses: [1] The cross without a top (crux
commissa or patibulata), which iconologists ordinarily call" T-shaped cross "or" in
tau ", because it affects the shape of this letter; according to a tradition
adopted by many archaeologists, the cross of Jesus Christ was a tau. [2] The cross
with a top and four branches (crux capitata, crux immissa), composed of a vertical
stem and a crossbar; there are two main varieties of four-branch crosses: the
'Greek cross' and the 'Latin'; the latter form is that of a man extending his arms;
it is also the one that is generally attributed to the cross of Jesus Christ. [3]
The double cross, called ‘episcopal cross’ or ‘patriarchal’ or ‘Russian’ or
‘Lorraine’; this cross is often found in the Christian monuments of Attica, Morea
and Mount Athos. [4] The triple cross, only used by the Sovereign Pontiff (…)
”(Great Brazilian Encyclopedia of Consultations and Research, ed. Blini, 1994).

- “CROSS - An instrument of torment in Antiquity, composed of two timbers, one

crossed in the other. Symbol of redemption for Christians (…) ”(Encyclopedia Badem,
ed. Iracema, 1976).

- “CROSS - In Antiquity, an instrument of torture. Crucifixion was the most painful

and ignominious ordeal of the Eastern peoples, with the exception of the Jews; the
Romans used it against ordinary slaves and criminals. As a symbol of Christ's
death, it is the sign of Redemption (…) ”(TESE-Encyclopedia Universal Ilustrada,
ed. Melhoramentos, 1976).

As can easily be seen, none of these encyclopedias cites the “thesis” of Jehovah's
Witnesses, not even from a distance, as a mere hypothesis or simple indication…

Of course, we could point out many other bibliographic sources, but what has been
described above is already more than sufficient, such clarity and objectivity. In
fact, the information collected - I repeat: taken from non-religious and non-
Catholic bibliographic sources - shows:

a) That the cross was an instrument of torture used in antiquity, including by the
Romans;

b) That this instrument was formed by two woods that crossed;

c) That the form of crossing could vary: + (immissa), T (commissa) or X

(decussata);

d) That Jesus was, in fact, crucified on one of these forms of crosses;

e) That this fact has been known since the beginning, even before the religious
freedom granted by Constantine;

f) That Constantine's religious freedom made it possible for the cross to be

presented openly and frequently to the world (that is, because it no longer implies
a risk of death for Christians).

Therefore, for complete and absolute exclusion: JESUS DID NOT DIE IN A “TORTURE
STAKE”, as Jehovah's Witnesses stubbornly declare.

But not only that. The idea that Jesus was begged at a stake contradicts the very
logic of the method described in the Bible ... Yes, because, in theory, Christ
could only have carried his cross to Golgotha in two ways:

1) Or he would carry the entire cross, that is, with its two beams (horizontal and
vertical) already attached to each other;

2) Or I would just carry the shorter horizontal beam over my shoulders.

This is because, otherwise, if it had to take the vertical beam (“torture stake”),
much longer, the only viable method would be to pull it (or drag it), as it would
not have adequate support on the tree to use his shoulder as an aid (and although
he could carry the vertical beam over his shoulders, the narrow streets of the Holy
City would prevent him from doing so, unless he carried the beam walking
“sideways”, which would certainly kill him by exhaustion before he even to get to
Golgotha !!!). Such a possibility runs counter to the descriptions of
transportation contained in the Gospels. Furthermore, as is well known, the horror
of the torment of the cross consisted, precisely, in making the condemned to die -
after long hours of indescribable suffering - by suffocation (or, perhaps, cardio-
respiratory arrest).

But where could the strange idea of a “torture stake” come from that Jehovah's
Witnesses are so attached? It certainly comes from the Greek term “staurós”, which
is used to designate the vertical beam that was planted (that is, fixed) at the
place of torment. Thus, when the victim arrived at the scene with the horizontal
beam (= scaffold or furcation) on his shoulders, he was nailed with open arms on
this beam, raised and fixed on the vertical beam, thus forming a “commissa” cross
(in the shape of a T) or “immissa” (in the form of +), depending on the position in
which this horizontal beam was fixed: at the top or a little lower, perhaps for
fixing the poster indicating the reason for the conviction.

In turn, the term “staurós” is quoted more than 40 times in the New Testament; and
in ALL Bible translations - Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant, with the exception
of NWT - the word is translated "cross". However, in 5 opportunities the term
“csilon” is used, which literally means “wood, timber”, but it is also usually
translated as “cross”, as it supports this understanding.

Now, "staurós" had the (ancient) meaning of "stake", as we read in Homer, SIX
CENTURIES BEFORE Christ, that is, when the cross was NOT yet known as an instrument
of torture. LATER, when the cross is adopted in the Greco-Roman world for this
purpose, the Greco-Roman writers refer to it by that same term, "staurós". As for
the term “csilón”, very little used, but also commonly translated as “cross”, as we
have seen, it has a generic meaning and depends on Deuteronomy 21,22-23: here, in
this passage, we do not speak of “stake”, but from “tree” (hence also to “wood” or
“wood”), when it is transformed into a “natural instrument of torture”, where the
condemned person is arrested (tied, nailed) until he dies.

As the term “stake” used by Jehovah's Witnesses to translate the Greek “staurós” is
so arbitrary and not very consistent with the form of torture, they were forced to
add in their translation of the Bible [NWT] the complement “of torture”, whose the
word is not found in the original Greek texts (see Matthew 27,40; Colossians 1,20
etc.).

And apart from all that, History and Archeology reveal that the Romans did not
"crucify" (the term is even contradictory here!) Their condemned on stakes, but on
crosses, long before the time of Christ; to give you an idea, in the year 71 BC six
thousand rebellious followers of Spartacus were crucified. The cross, moreover,
arrived in Palestine carried by the Romans in the days of Alexander Janeu (67 BC),
king of Judah. It is even known that the Roman soldiers enjoyed themselves by
varying their forms of crucifixion (cf. Flavius Josephus , “The Jewish War” 5,451;
published in AD 77). Saint Andrew, brother of Saint Peter, was martyred on a
Decussate cross (in the form of an X); Saint Peter, for his part, was crucified
upside down in Rome in the days of Nero; during the takeover of Jerusalem, between
AD 66/70, dozens of Jews were crucified in the most diverse positions. Such
variation in the form of torture was only possible because the cross was composed
of two timbers that combined in different ways (if it were only the “stake”, as
Jehovah's Witnesses want, there would be no great variation besides two: or the
convict was arrested upside down, or upside down, which goes against all history!).

And so the horizontal beam was used in the crucifixion, that Christ himself, when
revealing to Peter the way he would die, tells him (including in the infamous
NWT!):

- “I tell you in all truth: when you were younger, you used to gird you up and walk
wherever you wanted. But when you get old, you will EXTEND your hands and another
[man] will gird you and take you where you don't want to ”(John 21,18; quoted
according to NWT; emphasis added).

The word “extend” is only explained here by the fact that there is a second beam
(horizontal) in addition to the first (vertical); it is precisely by extending the
hands (and consequently the arms) that one can nail or tie the supplicant to the
horizontal tree, leaving him “with open arms”; if the only beam in the torture
instrument was the vertical, the victim would necessarily be fixed “with his arms
placed together, just above his head” (as depicted in the drawings made by
Jehovah's Witnesses) and not “extended”.

And even if the "outstretched" were interpreted as "stretched", as if the arms,

even if joined together above the head, were nailed in the highest possible
position in relation to the trunk of the body, as depicted by Jehovah's Witnesses
in one of their illustrated publications, we would have another problem here: only
one single nail would be used to hold both hands simultaneously at the top.
However, the Bible states in John 20,25 [any translation, including TNM]:

- “But he (Thomas) said to them (to the other Apostles): 'Unless I see IN YOUR
HANDS the sign of NAILS and put my finger on the sign of NAILS, and put my hand on
your side (opened by the spear of the Roman soldier), I certainly will not believe
”(John 20,25, cf. NWT; emphasis added).

Note the subtlety pointed out by the evangelist S. John: Thomas makes reference to
the nail marks (NO PLURAL!) On Jesus' hands (ALSO NO PLURAL!). Therefore, at least
1 nail for each hand !!! Indeed, Jesus died EVEN on a cross and not on a “torture
stake”! The Bible of Jehovah's Witnesses itself falls in contradiction with the
doctrine professed by its faithful (or is it Jehovah's Witnesses who fall in
contradiction with their own translation of the Bible ??).

Therefore, the NWT translators have no use replacing the word "cross" with "torture
stake" ... Jesus really died crucified, with open arms nailed to the horizontal
beam!

And more! Archeology also presents us with some very valuable evidence - prior to
Constantine - demonstrating the total connection between Jesus, the Cross and
Christianity, thus repelling the idea of the “torture stake” disseminated by
Jehovah's Witnesses:

- In the ancient Christian catacombs, symbols are found that resemble (conceal) the
cross, such as the anchor and tau, or with anagrams arranged in the shape of a
cross:

- The "inscription of Rufina", preserved in the catacomb of St. Callisto, in Rome,

contains an engraved 'Greek cross':

- In the Catacomb of San Genaro, in Naples, there is a fresco clearly depicting a

'Latin cross':

- The 'Palatino graffiti' features a character worshiping a man with a donkey's

head crucified on a 'Latin cross'; together, there is the inscription “Alessameno
adores his god” (and, in fact, there are records of pagans accusing Christians of
worshiping an “ass-god”):

- In Herculano, a city that was destroyed by an eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79,

archaeologists found, in 1937, during the excavations, a modest small room that, in
one of its walls, had the shape of a 'Latin cross'. As S. Paul was in Pozzuoli (cf.
Acts 28: 13-14), some decades before the eruption, a few kilometers from Herculan,
it is quite possible that the house found was a domestic Church:

Note: all of this well before the “conversion of Emperor Constantine to

Christianity”, which took place in 313 AD, the year in which radical sects (such as
Jehovah's Witnesses) point to the “beginning of paganization” of the Church by the
same emperor ….

Therefore, as can easily be seen from the images above (and we could add several
others well before the year 313 B.C.), Jehovah's Witnesses have no serious basis
for claiming that Jesus died on a stake. Therefore, they go in the opposite
direction of what the Church, the Bible, Tradition, History, Archeology and even
Logic reveals… All this just to counteract, to boast in their sectarianism…

Finally, be it in the “commissa” (T) or “immissa” (+) form, the fact is that Jesus
died EVEN with open arms, ON THE CROSS, to save us, as the Catholic Church has
always taught us, Mother and Master ... NEVER the way Machiavellians want
Jehovists.

It is good to say that the form “immissa” (+) enjoys the preference (and it really
has a good probability of being it) because the Bible reports that on the head of
Jesus there was the inscription “Jesus of Nazareth, King of Jews ”(cf. Matthew
27,37; Luke 23,38; John 19,19). In any case, the “commissa” (T) shape is not
completely discarded, it is also possible to fix a (small) sign over the head of
the crucified, depending on the opening angle used to nail hands on the horizontal
beam…

On the other hand, we suggest that you purchase the book “The Cross and the
Crosses”, by Fr. Egion ed. Ave Maria, which provides a more in-depth study of the
biblical terms used (“staurós” and “csilón”) and counters other Jehovist
accusations related to this theme, in addition to addressing some other
curiosities. By the way, as it is a “cheap” book, which costs around R$ 10,00 (ten
reais), you could present these “Jeovista friends” with a copy. After all, as the
Apostle S. Paul writes: “Discern everything and keep what is good” (1 Thessalonians
5:21). Who knows, contact with the Truth will not make you free? (cf. John 8,32).

I hope I have answered your question satisfactory.

* * *

PS - Due to an IMMENSE irony of fate, it appears that the magazines “The Watch
Tower” published in the United States by Jehovah's Witnesses, during the presidency
of its founder Charles Taze Russell, carried on their covers the figure of a LATIN
CROSS and a radiant crown. This means that Jehovah's Witnesses have already
respected the CROSS like all other Christians and the Apostles themselves. This
emblem only disappeared as a result of the 2nd president, Joseph Franklin
Rutherford, who did his best to erase every mark of his predecessor (of whom he was
a disaffected) and even implanted the idea of the “torture stake”. Did your
“Jehovah's Witness friends” know this? The downside is that this emblem adopted by
the so-called “Bible Students” was used by the Masonic Order of the Knights
Templar… Note the photos below:

1) Cover of the magazine “The Watch Tower” of January 1912. In highlight (in
yellow), the emblem of the “Latin cross and the crown”. Note that the “traditional
cross” is printed on the covers of the main Jeovist magazine, which demonstrates
that the invention of the “torture stake” was not professed by the first Jehovah's
Witnesses:

2) Detail of the cover of the magazine “The Watch Tower” of January 1912, expanding
the “Latin cross between the crown” at the top left. In the upper right corner, the
emblem containing the shield, helmet and three weapons belongs to the Masonic Order
of the Knights Templar of the Great Camp (USA):

3) Masonic emblem of the “Latin cross and crown” emblazoned on the pyramid-shaped
tomb of the founder of Jehovah's Witnesses, Charles Russell, erected by the
Watchtower Society itself:

4) A Masonic medal containing the “Latin cross and crown” emblem:

5) Masonic emblem of the “Latin cross and crown” printed in a 1994 Masonic
magazine. It is also possible to find the very same emblem in the first
publications of other “Christian-liberal” groups: Latter-day Saints (Mormons),
Christian Science and Salvation Army:
6) The emblem of the "Latin cross and crown" in a Masonic lodge of the York Rite in
Pennsylvania (USA):

The “other details” of this and other interesting cases about the JW's can be found
in the book “The Hidden Power behind Jehovah's Witnesses” (Robin de Ruiter, ed. Ave
Maria).

Sincerely,
God be with you
Carlos Nabeto