Here is one of the books I am reading for class right now.
I thought I would share a quote:
“[W]e must keep in mind that the cross was not a template for pretty jewelry in the Roman world. Rather…the cross was a sign of Roman power. Crucifixion was a way of punishing non-citizens who threatened the fabric of Rome by exposing them in public as the weight of Roman “justice” crushed their weakened bodies. No deity and no Jewish messiah worthy of his salt would be a crucified messiah or a crucified god.
Except one.”
