THE TRUE ORIGIN OF THE CROSS
Many of us are accustomed to seeing the image of Christ's death on a cross. Where did this image originate from? Was Christ crucified on a cross? What does the Bible say? The true origin of the cross is shocking and surprising once the facts from the Bible are learned. Christ's actual crusification is a LITTLE KNOWN FACT OF THE BIBLE.

The cross was different from what people show today -- The term "cross" means a stake, pole, or post set upright. There is no evidence given in the Bible that the stake used to crucify Christ had a crossbeam, as many people portray in the crosses that they use. Did you know that Jesus carried his own "cross" (stake) to his crucifixion?  See John 19:17. It is an interesting fact that if a person placed on a stake to be crucified did not die in a timely manner, the soldiers would break their legs, causing their body to drop, and thus suffocating that person. Christ died in a timely manner, and as such his legs were not broken, as was prophesied. See John 19:31-33, John 19:36, and Psalm 34:20.

The New Testament uses the words stauros ("stake"), stauroo ("crucify"), and xylon ("tree").

The history of the cross, and its worship and use as a religious symbol goes back long before Christ. It was a symbol used by pagan nations. Many historians claim the cross was originated by early Eyptians and Babylonians. For reference see The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop and research by John Gardner Wilkinson titled Wilkinson's Egyptians. The misconception of what the cross is has been carried over from the Egyptians and Babylonians and today taught as a symbol of worship. No where in the Bible is the cross discribed as a symbol of worship. The cross or stake was a torture method for the governments of that time. True Christians ought not to display Christ's torture method in their homes or to be worn around their necks. Today, if Christ were killed by a gun, would modern day religious merchants sell artifacts shaped like a gun for people to worship?