THE TORTURE STAKE THEORY - EXPOSED!
         How Cults Have Staked Their Claim on Shaky Ground

                        by Paul R. Weathers

  "For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with
tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ." (Philippians
3:18, NIV)

  Many cults today attack the Christian cross. The allegation often
has been made that Jesus Christ did not die on a cross, but on a
"torture stake" or "pale." It is also said that the Christian cross
is of pagan origin.

  Much of the evidence used in support of this argument is
misquoted. An excellent example of this is the oft-used partial
quote from the book De Cruce Liber Primus by Justin Lipsius. This
misquotation has been exposed in the book Questions For Jehovah's
Witnesses Who Love The Truth by William Cetnar, 1983, pg. 14). Such
faulty evidence need not be addressed here, since a prudent person
is able to ascertain the difference between actual evidence and
mere quotes of unresearched opinions (Proverbs 14:15).

  Those who hold to the torture stake theory usually base their
conclusion on three arguments:

  Argument #1: "Prior to the time of Christ, various crosses were
used as religious symbols to represent the sun god or even
'Tammuz,' the false messiah of Babylon. This proves that
Christianity derived its cross from paganism."

  Rebuttal: The Babylonians also believed that Tammuz died and was
resurrected from the dead (A Dictionary of Non-Christian Religions
by Geoffrey Parrinder, pg. 273). But rather than conclude that the
Christian belief in Jesus and his resurrection originated in
paganism, Christians can conclude that Satan counterfeited the
birth and resurrection of Jesus just as he counterfeited the
Christian cross in pagan religions. One of Satan's most effective
schemes is to counterfeit God's truth (Exodus 7:8-12).

  Argument #2: "The cross did not become a permanent symbol of
redemption until the Edict of Milan in A.D. 313"

  Rebuttal: The Edict of Milan removed the need for secrecy among
Christians which had stood in the way of open symbols and worship.
(Handbook to the History of Christianity, 1977, pp. 38, 150).

  Argument #3: "The Greek word stau ros means 'stake' or 'pale.'
This proves Jesus was impaled on a torture stake rather than
crucified on a cross. Bible translators are being dishonest in
rendering stau ros as cross."

  Rebuttal: Early usage of the word stau ros together with research
into the manner of Roman executions shows that Jesus died on a
cross, and stau ros can refer to either a stake or cross, depending
on the context.

  Roman crucifixion went in this manner: The condemned man was
forced to drag his own stau ros (John 19:17) to the place of
punishment where the other stau ros already was upright in the
ground. The victim's arms then were outstretched to the stake, or
crossbeam, that he had dragged, and then nailed to it through the
wrists. The crossbeam then was lifted up, with the body on it, to
the vertical stau ros and attached by a long spike. Last, the feet
of the condemned man were nailed to the upright post (Encyclopedia
Britannica - Vol. 6, 1973, pg. 825; Encyclopedia Americana - Vol.
8, 1984, pp. 260-261; Jesus And His Times, 1954, Daniel Rops, pp.
540-541).

  Thus, the two stakes together make a cross. Stau ros is used in
the Bible to describe the crossbeam (Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:21;
Luke 23:26; John 19:17). It also is used to describe the cross
after both stakes were joined (Matthew 27:40, 42; Mark 15:30, 32;
John 19:19, 25, 31).

  The testimony of two early historical witnesses is quite strong
in favor of the Christian cross. Ireneaus spoke of the cross of
Jesus as having five ends as follows: two longitudinal, two
latitudinal, and a fifth to support the weight of the victim.
(Adversus Haereses, II, 24, 4) Barnabas testified that the cross of
Jesus was in the shape of a Greek letter Tau. (Epistle of Barnabas,
X, 8.)

  Finally, an examination of this subject would be incomplete
without the testimony of Thomas. Had Jesus been impaled on a stake,
there would be only one nail in both hands (De Cruce Liber Primus,
pg. 1155; also see The Watchtower, April 1, 1965, pg. 211). Yet
Thomas stated: "Unless I shall see in his hands the imprint of the
nails and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my
hand into his side, I will not believe" (John 20:25, NASV). Thomas'
statement clearly indicates a cross!

  The weight of the verifiable evidence has buried the "torture
stake" theory. Jesus did in fact die on a cross. The defense of the
Christian cross rests.

(Paul Weathers serves on the Founders Board of Mount Carmel
Outreach - Institute for Christian Apologetics, Inc.)