Contrary to the assertions of anti-semites, Romans executed the Master Teacher.

As has already been said - it was down to a difference in law and punishment between the two major groups in Jerusalem at the time. I'm not a religious person, and I do not believe in any religious beliefs but I do accept that it is plausible the bible was based on a real person - just with some exaggerated stories to demonstrate a morale.

My question would be "Why do Catholics wear a cross?" If the Catholic faith was correct and he did come back, would he really want a bunch of fans to remind him of the thing they killed him on? If you were killed by a gun and came back to life would you really want a bunch of people to wear guns round their necks? Sorry if that's offended anyone, but it's something I've wondered for ages.

Its a Roman thing, you wouldnt understand.

The Romans were cross with him.

Legally, the Sanhedrin could not find Jesus guilty of any crime deserving death. A number of mosaic laws were broken during the trial by the High Priest and other pharisees. Technically (and legally) there was no law broken by Jesus that deserved the death punishment. But the rulers wanted Him out of the picture, so they took Him before the Romans and accused Him of incitement to rebel against the Empire, sedition and revolutionary, hoping that the Romans would find Him guilty and execute Him. When Pilate refused to condemn Jesus, the Sanhedrin blackmailed and cornered him until they got what they wanted.

This is a good historical question. Christ was tried and executed under Roman Law, and the cross was the Roman mode of execution for criminals. Pilate sent Jesus to the Jews and they sent him back to the Romans. Stoning was one of the Jewish methods of execution and used against transgressors of the Jewish Law. Note Stephen, the first martyr, who was stoned to death in the Acts of the Apostles. The Jews put him to death under Jewish Law.

So Catholics can cross themselves, rather than pound on their bodies with their fists.

What I can't figure out is why Christ was crucified/sacrificed at all.  Breezin' through the Old Testament, you get a clear sense that preserving and creating human life is the most significant thing we can do to honor the gift God bestowed upon us.  For example, Abraham was prevented from sacrificing Isaac while many surrounding civilizations still engaged in the practice.  The sacrifice was changed to circumcision (ouch), or sacrificing livestock only on holy days.  The brutal death of Christ was a departure from the monotheism being spread around by Hebrews and Israelites.

Ask the Romans...

Blue thanks for your enlightening and insightful comment!!!!!!!!

Christ was given a criminals death on the cross, because he took the place of Barabbas. Barabbas was a ruthless criminal, that was in prison. Barabbas was exchanged with Jesus at the will of Pontius Pilate, because that is what the crowd wanted; the crowd also wanted Christ to be crucified and so He was. Remember the Jews did not want blood on their hands, so they handed Christ to Punches Pilate, they knew that the crowds would rally against Christ. One thing more to add; The cross was the worst possible execution of the time and if you understand why Christ died, you will understand why God allowed Christ the die in that method. Just a hint read the Gospels, you can find allot out!!!!  Don't know how to rate this because it's not something that you can rate. I give 1 star.Updated due to spelling!!!04/25/2007

Does it really matter?  Either way would hurt like hell!

when you make it up you can have them croak anyway you want

Lots of people were crucified back then,especially rebels.

That the propechy of isaiah would be fullfilled saying that he would be hung upon a tree. I.E. cross, and we learn in hebrews that to hang on a cross is to be cursed and it is symbolic of him taking away our curse which is put on us through the law of moses. There is also the fact that none of his bones could be broken at the time of his sacrifice as he had to be a lamb without blemish.
As for the reader who ask why he had to die. it was not his death that was meaningfull, but the suffering he experienced to atone for our sins, his death was merely the final step on his putting on perfection. he shed this mortal coil after he had accomplished all, evidenced by his final words, So that he could sit on the right hand of god clothed in immortal glory having brought salvation to all exiled that they might not be lost. Why did it demand suffering, so that justice could be appeased. Even God is under the auspices of eternal law which cannot be robbed. Yes god is omnipotent, but without agency the final state we are to achieve, could never have been realized, thus God in his wisdom saw fit to give us agency. However, knowing we would fall, he sent us a savior that through mercy we might be able to return and in so doing accomplish his eternal design

Now, I know answering a question with a question makes for a fallacious response, but... Why was Martin Luther King, Jr. shot and not stabbed? Why did Sylvia Plath commit suicide and not die of a 108-degree fever? Why was the bug that was in our kitchen stepped on and not electrocuted? Because.

I believe it may have something to do with the fact that the Father didn't want Jesus' bones to be broken. I suppose one could say that crucifying Him would brake His bones, but it didn't because it was more controlled ie they could put the nails in a place where it doesn't brake any bones. But stoning to death will break bones. Besides, for Jesus to be pierced for our transgressions, to have the crown of thorns, to be whipped for our healing, to take the curse for us (he that hangs on a tree is cursed), He would of had to be crucified by cross. If He was stoned, then He wouldn't of been pierced for our transgressions! Maybe too, God wanted to show us just how much He was willing to suffer for us because stoning sounds like an easier death then being nailed to a cross. You would be dead in a matter of minutes if you were stoned, but Jesus died in a matter of hours. Just the fact that He was willing to be tortured shows us the love He has for each of you.

Not a deep question about a deep book (Bible) I'm pretty sure (but not positive) that the Romans took the idea of crucifixion from another culture that they conquered. . .the Romans loved theater (even the grotesque) and considered this form of punishment 'good' because it warned the masses in a real harsh fashion. The execution of Crestus (Roman word for Jesus) was a political execution more than anything else.

The early Christians died a variety of ways at the hands of their enemies. Some were thrown to the lions. Others were shot through with spears, beheaded, sawn asunder, beaten with clubs. And some were crucified, and some were indeed stoned (such as Stephen). Jesus could have been killed with stones, but then someone would just ask why he wasn't crucified instead. What possible difference does it make what method was used in putting Christ to death? The important thing was that he chose to be sacrificed to pay the price for our sins, and to die in our place. Instead of just winking at man's rebellion, he took the punishment for us. Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. And before his death on the cross, he spent years living among people, establishing a relationship with them. That's a much truer picture of a God of Love than to have a God just flippantly say, I forgive & then turn away while people continue living the wrong kind of life.

rocks dont' make good wall hangings.

So that Christian can have a neat little symbol representing the death. Kinda of hard to do that when he's been bludgeon to death with rocks.

This is a simple one. They stoned alot of people those days, they were probably having a shortage of rocks, and wood and nails were the next best thing.

Impaled dudes look way cooler on t-shirts and mugs.

If Christ had been stoned to death, rocks everywhere would be considered holy. It would have been blasphemy in the dark ages to desecrate so much as a pebble. Christian Palestinian children would refrain from winging rocks at Israeli soldiers, perhaps flinging fistfuls of hummus instead. Also, stoning was a Hebrew punishment. Christ was executed by Romans who preferred to nail outlaws to large wooden crosses and leave them to die of a combination of asphyxiation, shock, and dehydration. Interestingly, if the condemned were able to survive crucifixion for three days, they'd be taken down and set free, having been punished enough. As far as I know, no reliable statistics are available as to the number of people who survived this torture.

As a Catholic I'd rather make a sign of a cross instead of beating myself with stones at every Mass.

Most people would rather see murals and statues of Christ being crucified than see him get hit with big f***ing rocks.