THE CROSS, a pagan symbol

 

THE CROSS, a pagan symbol

Please take the time to learn more about it. 

Christ was not crucified on a traditional cross, but on an upright stake or tree.  The cross has pre-Christian pagan roots. The explanation is based on historical records, biblical language, Roman practices, and archaeological insights.

1. Biblical Language Shows it was a Stake (Upright Pole)

Key Greek Word: Stauros (σταυρός)

• The New Testament was written in Greek, and the word used for the instrument of Christ’s death is σταυρός (stauros).
• Meaning of stauros in early Greek:
• Originally meant an upright stake or pole.
• It wasn’t until later Roman periods that it could refer to a cross-shaped device (T-shaped or †-shaped).

Lexical Sources:

• Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words:
  "Stauros denotes an upright pole or stake. To it the Romans nailed those who were thus to be executed… The shape of the two-beamed cross had its origin in ancient pagan religions."
  
• The Companion Bible (Appendix 162, by E.W. Bullinger):
  “The word stauros means an upright stake, and not a cross. There is nothing in the Greek of the New Testament even to imply two pieces of timber.”
  

Scripture Example:

• Acts 5:30 –
  “The Elohim of our fathers raised up Yeshua, whom you slew and hanged on a tree (xulon).”
• The Greek word xulon (ξύλον) means timber, wood, or a tree, not a cross.

2. Pagan Origin of the Cross Symbol

The cross symbol predates Christianity and is found in many pagan religions.

Examples:

• Tammuz (Babylonian deity): Worshippers used the T-shaped cross (Tau) to honor him.
• Egypt: The Ankh (☥), a cross with a loop, symbolized life and was associated with sun worship and deities like Osiris.
• Rome and Greece: Crosses and similar shapes were used in mystery religions and fertility cults.

Church Historian Evidence:

• The Catholic Encyclopedia:
  “The cross was used as a religious symbol long before the Christian era and among non-Christian peoples.”
  
• John Denham Parsons, The Non-Christian Cross (1896):
  “The evidence is thus complete, that the cross was originally no Christian emblem, but a pagan symbol of life and fertility.”

3. Why the Cross Was Adopted Later

• After Christianity began spreading into the Roman Empire, it became more syncretic, blending with local pagan customs.
• The Emperor Constantine in the 4th century adopted the cross as a military and religious symbol after his claimed vision ("In this sign, conquer").
• Cross veneration developed gradually and officially became part of Christian symbolism centuries after Christ’s death.

Conclusion

The evidence shows that:

• Christ was crucified on a simple upright stake or tree, not a two-beamed cross.
• The Greek stauros and xulon used in Scripture describe a pole or tree, not a cross.
• The Romans commonly used upright stakes for crucifixion.
• The cross was a pagan symbol adopted into Christianity long after Christ’s death.

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Some point out this MISTRANSLATION In First Epistle to the Corinthians 1:18,

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of Yahweh."

 the Greek word translated “cross” is:

σταυρός (staurós)

The word originally referred to:

• an upright stake,
• pole,
• or pale used for executions.

The related verb:

σταυρόω (stauroō)
means “to fasten to a stake” or “impale.”

Other scriptures also use terms such as:

• “tree” (xylon in Greek)
  — Acts of the Apostles Acts 5:30
  — Epistle to the Galatians Galatians 3:13
  — First Epistle of Peter 1 Peter 2:24

The Greek word there is:

ξύλον (xylon)
meaning:

• wood,
• timber,
• tree,
• wooden beam,
• or stake.

Regarding the cross as a symbol:

• The cross symbol existed in various pagan cultures long before Christianity.
• Historically, the widespread use of the cross as a Christian symbol developed gradually centuries after Yeshua’s death, especially after the time of Constantine the Great in the 4th century.

A literal rendering of First Epistle to the Corinthians 1:18 should therefore be understood as:

“For the message of the stake/pole is foolishness to those who are perishing...”