Crucifixion of Jesus

Jesus, a Jewish preacher active in 1st-century Judaea, was executed by crucifixion, a Roman method of capital punishment. The instrument used was a cross (Latin: *crux*), typically an upright beam with a transverse beam added to form a T or cruciform shape. This event likely occurred in AD 30 or AD 33. Accounts of the crucifixion appear in the Bible's four canonical gospels, are referenced in New Testament epistles, and are supported by other ancient writings. While historians almost universally agree that Jesus was crucified, the specific details remain debated.

According to the gospel narratives, Jesus was arrested, tried before the Sanhedrin, and then sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged and crucified by Roman soldiers. At a site called Calvary (or Golgotha), he was stripped, offered a drink of vinegar mixed with myrrh or gall (likely posca), and then hung between two convicted thieves. The Gospel of Mark places the crucifixion at the third hour (around 9 a.m.), with death occurring at the ninth hour (around 3 p.m.). A sign reading "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" was affixed to the cross, written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek according to the Gospel of John. The soldiers divided his garments and cast lots for his seamless robe. After his death, one soldier (later named Longinus in tradition) pierced his side with a spear to confirm death, and blood and water flowed out. The gospels record seven statements Jesus made on the cross, along with several supernatural events.

These events, collectively called the Passion, are central to Christian theology, focusing on Jesus' suffering and redemptive death as the basis for salvation and atonement.

The earliest surviving source mentioning the crucifixion is Paul's letters, which scholars use to help date the event. However, the most detailed accounts come from the four canonical gospels. In the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus predicts his death three times. All four gospels describe his arrest, trial before the Sanhedrin, trial before Pilate, flogging, condemnation, and journey to the crucifixion site—initially carrying his cross until Simon of Cyrene was forced to help. After arriving at Golgotha, Jesus was offered wine mixed with myrrh or gall, which he refused according to Mark and Matthew. He was then crucified between two convicts (possibly bandits or Jewish rebels). Mark states he suffered from the third to the ninth hour. A sign above his head proclaimed him "King of the Jews," and soldiers divided his garments, casting lots for his seamless robe. Unlike the other two convicts, Jesus' legs were not broken, as he was already dead. Each gospel records different last words, totaling seven statements.

After his death, Joseph of Arimathea requested the body and buried it in a rock-cut tomb (Matthew alone says it was Joseph's own tomb). The Synoptic Gospels mention Simon of Cyrene carrying the cross, a mocking crowd, darkness from the sixth to the ninth hour, and the temple veil tearing. Witnesses included a centurion and several women, two of whom were present at the burial. Luke omits the sour wine drink but includes Jesus' words to mourning women, one criminal rebuking the other, and the crowds leaving "beating their breasts." Mark alone gives the time of crucifixion and the centurion's report. John uniquely mentions the request to break legs, the spear wound, and Nicodemus helping with burial. According to 1 Corinthians 15, Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day.