Since it is Good Friday, with Holy Saturday just an hour away, I thought I’d share a couple trivia items. First, the legend of the Dogwood and then some information about crucifixion.
May we all be profoundly aware of how much our Jesus went through for us.
(all the following information comes from a website called www.gotquestions.org which has a lot of biblically based information in a question/answer format)
The Legend of the Dogwood
Question: "What is the legend of the dogwood tree? Was the cross Jesus was crucified on made of dogwood?"
Answer: The Bible does not tell us what type of wood the cross Jesus was crucified on was made of. Roman history does not go into specifics as to how the crosses were made or what type of wood they were made of. As a result, we cannot know for sure what type of tree was used to make the cross. There is a legend that it was made of dogwood. This is unlikely considering the typical size of a dogwood tree. The legend of the dogwood tree, author unknown, is as follows:
In Jesus' time, the dogwood grew
To a stately size and a lovely hue.
'Twas strong & firm it's branches interwoven
For the cross of Christ its timbers were chosen.
Seeing the distress at this use of their wood
Christ made a promise which still holds good:
"Never again shall the dogwood grow
Large enough to be used so
Slender & twisted, it shall be
With blossoms like the cross for all to see.
As blood stains the petals marked in brown
The blossom's center wears a thorny crown.
All who see it will remember me
Crucified on a cross from the dogwood tree.
Cherished and protected this tree shall be
A reminder to all of my agony."
Again, this is just a "legend." It is a nice poem, but there is no Biblical basis to it. The legend of the dogwood tree is very likely not accurate. (But, you never know…)
Information about crucifixion
Question: "Was Jesus crucified on a cross, pole, or stake?"
Answer: The Bible clearly and undeniably teaches that Jesus died on a cross (Matthew 27:32,40,42; Mark 15:21,30,32; Luke 23:26; John 19:17,19,25; Acts 2:23; 1 Corinthians 1:17-18; Colossians 1:20; 2:14-15). The Greek words in those Scriptures specifically identify a cross, not a pole or stake. The most common method of execution by the Romans in Jesus’ time was crucifying a person on a cross, with nails through their hands/wrists and feet/ankles. Sometimes people were tied to the cross in addition to being nailed to it. There were instances where people were crucified to poles, stakes, trees, x-shaped crosses, etc. But this was not the case with Jesus – He was crucified on a cross.
Crucifixion was a form of punishment that had been passed down to the Romans from the Persians, Phoenicians, and Carthaginians. It was designed to be a lingering death. Roman executioners had perfected the art of slow torture while keeping the victim alive. Some victims even lingered until they were eaten alive by birds of prey or wild beasts. Most hung on the cross for days before dying of exhaustion, dehydration, or, most likely, suffocation. When the legs would no longer support the weight of the body, the diaphragm was constricted in a way that made breathing impossible. That is why breaking the legs would hasten death (John 19:31–33), but this was unnecessary in Jesus’ case. The hands were usually nailed through the wrists, and the feet through the instep or the Achilles tendon (sometimes using one nail for both feet). None of these wounds would be fatal, but their pain would become unbearable as the hours dragged on.
The most notable feature of crucifixion was the stigma of disgrace that was attached to it (Galatians 3:13; 5:11; Hebrews 12:2). One indignity was the humiliation of carrying one’s own cross, which might weigh as much as 200 pounds. The soldiers would escort the prisoner through the crowds to the place of crucifixion. A placard bearing the indictment would be hung around the person’s neck.
May we all be profoundly aware of how much our Jesus went through for us.
(all the following information comes from a website called www.gotquestions.org which has a lot of biblically based information in a question/answer format)
The Legend of the Dogwood
Question: "What is the legend of the dogwood tree? Was the cross Jesus was crucified on made of dogwood?"
Answer: The Bible does not tell us what type of wood the cross Jesus was crucified on was made of. Roman history does not go into specifics as to how the crosses were made or what type of wood they were made of. As a result, we cannot know for sure what type of tree was used to make the cross. There is a legend that it was made of dogwood. This is unlikely considering the typical size of a dogwood tree. The legend of the dogwood tree, author unknown, is as follows:
In Jesus' time, the dogwood grew
To a stately size and a lovely hue.
'Twas strong & firm it's branches interwoven
For the cross of Christ its timbers were chosen.
Seeing the distress at this use of their wood
Christ made a promise which still holds good:
"Never again shall the dogwood grow
Large enough to be used so
Slender & twisted, it shall be
With blossoms like the cross for all to see.
As blood stains the petals marked in brown
The blossom's center wears a thorny crown.
All who see it will remember me
Crucified on a cross from the dogwood tree.
Cherished and protected this tree shall be
A reminder to all of my agony."
Again, this is just a "legend." It is a nice poem, but there is no Biblical basis to it. The legend of the dogwood tree is very likely not accurate. (But, you never know…)
Information about crucifixion
Question: "Was Jesus crucified on a cross, pole, or stake?"
Answer: The Bible clearly and undeniably teaches that Jesus died on a cross (Matthew 27:32,40,42; Mark 15:21,30,32; Luke 23:26; John 19:17,19,25; Acts 2:23; 1 Corinthians 1:17-18; Colossians 1:20; 2:14-15). The Greek words in those Scriptures specifically identify a cross, not a pole or stake. The most common method of execution by the Romans in Jesus’ time was crucifying a person on a cross, with nails through their hands/wrists and feet/ankles. Sometimes people were tied to the cross in addition to being nailed to it. There were instances where people were crucified to poles, stakes, trees, x-shaped crosses, etc. But this was not the case with Jesus – He was crucified on a cross.
Crucifixion was a form of punishment that had been passed down to the Romans from the Persians, Phoenicians, and Carthaginians. It was designed to be a lingering death. Roman executioners had perfected the art of slow torture while keeping the victim alive. Some victims even lingered until they were eaten alive by birds of prey or wild beasts. Most hung on the cross for days before dying of exhaustion, dehydration, or, most likely, suffocation. When the legs would no longer support the weight of the body, the diaphragm was constricted in a way that made breathing impossible. That is why breaking the legs would hasten death (John 19:31–33), but this was unnecessary in Jesus’ case. The hands were usually nailed through the wrists, and the feet through the instep or the Achilles tendon (sometimes using one nail for both feet). None of these wounds would be fatal, but their pain would become unbearable as the hours dragged on.
The most notable feature of crucifixion was the stigma of disgrace that was attached to it (Galatians 3:13; 5:11; Hebrews 12:2). One indignity was the humiliation of carrying one’s own cross, which might weigh as much as 200 pounds. The soldiers would escort the prisoner through the crowds to the place of crucifixion. A placard bearing the indictment would be hung around the person’s neck.
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