What Shape Was Yeshua’s Cross?

John 20:25, Nails. The Greek word for nail is in its plural form. The plurality of the word nails is corroborated by the fact that all the major English translation of the NT whether from both the Alexandrian or Byzantine texts contain the Greek word helon (nails, plural) as opposed to helos (nail, singular). This is the case in the Aramaic NT as well (see the translations of Ethridge and Murdock, for example). William Mounce whose Koine Greek grammar book is used in the majority of seminaries in the U.S. in his Greek and English Interlinear NT designates this word as in the genitive case, plural form and masculine gender.

What is the point here? Yeshua was crucified on a standard t-shaped cross, not on an upright stake minus its cross arm. Had he been crucified on the latter torture instrument, only one nail would have been used to secure his hands to the one post, not more than one nail as this text indicates, which would have been required on the traditional t-shaped cross.

 

7 thoughts on “What Shape Was Yeshua’s Cross?

    • According to my studies of history, the Romans used many types of stakes to kill people on including I-shaped and t-shaped stakes. Logic dictates that one spike through the two hands on an upright stake would have been sufficient. Two would have been superfluous.

      In my many years of swimming in these spiritual waters, I have observed that some people (I’m cast no aspersion, since I don’t know you) so hate the Christian church that their hatred overlaps even onto the cross which is the misguided symbol of the church (it should be the menorah as per Rev 2 and 3), and which was co-opted by the satanic heathens and turned into a sun-god symbol. This was never originally the case. Rather, the t-shape was the ancient Paleo-Hebrew letter tav, which is the same mark the angel of YHVH placed as an honorary, distinguishing mark on the heads of those who sighed for the abominations done in Jerusalem in Ezek 9:4, the same shape as the configurations of the furnishings in the Tabernacle of Moses, the Israelite encampment around the same mishkan, and the configuration of Jacob’s arms when he blessed his two grandsons in Gen 48. In light of these facts, I find no need to believe that the Romans used two nails through Yeshua’s hands supposing he was nailed to an upright vertical stake when logic says this would have been unnecessary.

      I pray that you found this brief discussion informative. We try to prefer facts on this blog rather than speculation.

      Blessings to you in Messiah Yeshua!

      • Some also want to see hidden crosses where they can in the texts. When the pharisees shouted Crusify, crusify, my Strongs actually says stauros, which means a pole. That also is coherent with the Torah that says it is a shame for a man to be hung on a tree.

      • Stauros, the Koine Greek word for cross, like most words in all languages, has several meanings. To arrive at the true meaning of a word, we can’t just look at the first meaning in a list of dictionary definitions or choose the meaning that best suits our personal biases or theologies. Too determine which definition applies to a particular literary situation, we must consider all the meanings of a word and then look at the context of the literature in which the word is found, and then choose the meaning that best fits. Even then, well meaning people will have differences of opinions on this. This is the dilemma that scholars who translate literary documents from one language to another face. This is the case with the Koine Greek word, cross, which is found in the NT some 32 times. Stauros means “un upright, pointed stake used for fencing or in the construction of a stockade. It can also refer to a torture instrument, or a cross on which the Roman’s executed criminals. A stauros came in several basic forms: a vertical upright, pointed stake, or an upright stake with a crossbeam resembling our capital letter “T” or our small letter “t”, or it consisted of two intersecting beams of equal length like our letter “X”. Due to the sign that was attached to the top of Yeshua’s torture stake, it seems that his cross was shaped like a “t”; that is, the upright stake projected above the cross beam thus giving the Romans a place to attach the sign (The TDNT, vol 7, p. 572; International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol 1, pp. 826-827).

        The reasons that I lean toward the idea that Yeshua was crucified on a t-shaped cross are several. As noted above, such a cross gave a place for the Romans to attach their sign (Mattt 27:37, Mark 15:26, Luke 23:38, John 19:19). Additionally, more than one nail was used in Yeshua’s hands to attach him to the cross (John 20:25). The use of two nails would have been more necessary had the cross been t-shaped as opposed to an upright stake. Moreover, the Tabernacle of Moses is a symbolic and prophetic picture of the death, burial and glorification of Yeshua. It is literally a multi-dimensional gospel tract! As such, the furnishings therein are arranged in the form of a t-shape cross. Similarly, the tribal encampments around the tabernacle are laid out like a perfect t-shaped cross (see Num 2). This is a picture of the believer who, through the ritual of baptism for the remission of sins (see Rom 6:3–11) must symbolically identify with the death, burial and resurrection of Yeshua when coming to faith in him. Furthermore, the marks made by the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of the Israelites’ homes on their first Passover in Egypt made the outline of a perfect t-shaped cross (Exodus 12:7). There are several dozen aspects of this first Passover that prophetically pointed forward to Yeshua who was the Passover Lamb of Elohim slain from the foundation of the world for the redemption of man from his sin, and who fulfilled these symbols perfectly by his death. The t-shaped cross is but one of these prophetic symbols. An I-shaped cross would not have fit this symbology. Moreover, when Moses initiated the the tabernacle, his steps form a perfect cross——actually a cross with an arrow on it that points man into the holy of holies, which is a picture of YHVH’s heavenly throne room (Exod 40). Next, when the angelic messenger of YHVH went through Jerusalem before its fall to the Babylonians to search out those saints that would be spared from that judgment, he put a mark in the form of a Paleo-Hebrew letter tav (shaped like our small letter t) on their foreheads. This was another prophetic symbol that pointed to Yeshua, who, through his work on the cross, is our salvation (Ezek 9:4). Finally, when Jacob was prophetically praying over his two grandsons who whose descendants would largely become the Christian church, he crossed his arms in the shape of a Paleo-Hebrew letter tav, which, pictographically, some take to mean,”sign or seal of the covenant” (Gen 48:14).

        As far as the Scriptures that say that Yeshua was crucified on a tree, the Hebrew word for tree is etz, which can mean both tree and stick (e.g. see Ezek 37:16). A cross whether in a t or an I shape is still made of wood and both can fit the definition of the Hebrew word etz. But how many trees have you seen that don’t have branches? More trees in their natural state resemble a t shape than an I shape. Some trees even have trunks with branches that are opposite each other on the trunk like a t-shaped cross. So in light of these facts, it is not a logical stretch to call a t-shaped cross “a tree.”

        Personally, I don’t care whether Yeshua died on a t or an I shaped cross——only that he died for my sins. This is the main point! Let’s never stray from the importance of this point. I have no ax to grind in this argument. Furthermore, I could care less about defending any cherished doctrines or traditions of the church. I care only about finding and then believing the truth as a found in the Bible. The overwhelming evidence points to the fact that Yeshua was crucified on a t, and not an I shaped cross. That is the reason, and the only reasons, I subscribe to this idea.

      • Really good contexual studies. Though this argument will go on for a long time.. (Especially with the Jehovah’s Witnesses) Paul quoted from the Torah, “Cursed is anyone who is hanged from a tree”. 1 Peter I believe says He was “hung on a tree”. Paul again quotes “And He who knew no sin became sin so they we may inherit the Righteousness of Elohim” and Paul also quotes “He was nailed to the tree” (paraphrased) What is the Law? What is the Tree? The Tree of Life is the Law and it is also Elohim’s Name…YHVH. YHSHUA was nailed to YHVH. They are inseparable and have an Eternal Covenant of inseparability.
        Yeshua was crucified to the HOLY NAME (A.K.A the Tree of Life) There are four points on the Cross . Each point is one letter of Elohim’s Name. YHVH. He was crucified at “Golgatha”, the ‘place of the skull’…A.K.A. The “Keter” which in Hebrew means the crown part of the skull which in Hebraic thought is where the FATHER dwells..in the Crowning Sphere (or Safira) of Eternity. Putting all of our Trust in Yeshua’s crucifixion to the Tree gets us back to the FATHER which is the place of the Keter or the Skull.

  1. Correction from my last comment:

    It should read, ‘Paul said “the Law was nailed to the cross” (paraphrased) NOT “HE was nailed to the Law” sorry

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