Jesus wasn't alone
February 26, 2004 8:35 PM   Subscribe

Crucifixion in Antiquity. The Persians may have led the way, while 6,000 Spartacus followers lined the Appian Way. It was cruel, but common.
posted by F Mackenzie (23 comments total)
 
lol
posted by angry modem at 9:50 PM on February 26, 2004


Good links. Thanks.
posted by homunculus at 9:51 PM on February 26, 2004


How come hardly anyone remembers the 6000 rebel slaves along a dusty road, but you crucify one carpenter and people still talk about it 2000 years later?
posted by blindcarboncopy at 10:03 PM on February 26, 2004


How come hardly anyone remembers the 6000 rebel slaves along a dusty road, but you crucify one carpenter and people still talk about it 2000 years later?

Well, Stalin said it best: "You kill one person, it's a tragedy. You kill ten thousand people, it's a statistic."

[/quote-dropping]
posted by PsychoKick at 10:16 PM on February 26, 2004


I believe it's actually

"The death of one is a tragedy, the death of millions is just a statistic"
posted by angry modem at 11:03 PM on February 26, 2004


How come hardly anyone remembers the 6000 rebel slaves along a dusty road, but you crucify one carpenter and people still talk about it 2000 years later?

I don't know... maybe it has to do with lot of people believing that whole "Son of God" thing....


Beats me...
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 12:38 AM on February 27, 2004


Good Links by the way.

Thank you F Mackenzie.
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 12:39 AM on February 27, 2004


Shetah had 70 or 80 sorceresses hung in the city of Ashkelon.

That'll teach people to make jokes on census forms. Are you listening 'Jedi'?
posted by biffa at 5:38 AM on February 27, 2004


The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors (remember reading back in the BBS days - any religious-heads feel free to elucidate, debunk, etc)
posted by ao4047 at 6:01 AM on February 27, 2004


>How come hardly anyone remembers the 6000 rebel slaves along a dusty road, but you crucify one carpenter and people still talk about it 2000 years later?
Crucifixion was an embarassing thing back then; it was the most shameful form of execution that the Romans could subject a person to. People tried not to talk about crucifixion because it was such an uncomfortable subject.

Rome, c. 1 A.D.
"So what happened to old Gaius?"
"He was crucified."
"Oh." Uneasy silence. "Um, why?"
"He was bloody well crucified, so shut up."

The whole point of crucifixion was just as much about shaming the victim as it was about killing him, which is why the Gospels are so unique in that they actually glorify a crucified Messiah, where a normal religious account would play it down or omit it altogether.

Bruce Fisk's review of The Passion mentions the shame aspect of crucifixion in detail.

a04047, as for the 16 Crucified Saviors, I know that at least one of them, Krishna, certainly was never crucified in any Hindu text I know of -- at least, not before Christianity came about. J. P. Holding has an article on that, to the tune of Krishna!=Christ.
posted by brownpau at 6:32 AM on February 27, 2004


Jesus was the only one that rose from the dead.
posted by konolia at 6:52 AM on February 27, 2004


Jesus was the only one that rose from the dead.

The accounts linked by ao4047 beg to differ.
posted by PsychoKick at 7:08 AM on February 27, 2004


Apologist J.P.Holding has a series of texts debunking each of Kersey Graves' 16 crucifixees, but his site navigation is so mystery-meaty that I need to link to a Google site search to get everything.
posted by brownpau at 7:19 AM on February 27, 2004


Jesus was the only one that rose from the dead.
posted by konolia at 8:52 AM CST on February 27


This and the creation of the universe are two sharp points where rational faith seems close but impossible, as there is proof of neither the Resurrection nor the Divine creation of the universe. Hence faith alone.
posted by the fire you left me at 7:20 AM on February 27, 2004


However, rational faith is, to me, fascinating.
posted by the fire you left me at 7:21 AM on February 27, 2004


a series of texts debunking each of Kersey Graves' 16 crucifixees

Thanks for that !
posted by ao4047 at 7:24 AM on February 27, 2004


However, rational faith is, to me, fascinating.

How can faith be rational?

I thought faith = the belief in something when there is no proof, or the evidence points to the opposite being true. Maybe you're working from a different definition than the one I'm using, or something.
posted by beth at 10:19 AM on February 27, 2004


beth, maybe you want to search Amazon for Epistemology.
posted by the fire you left me at 10:37 AM on February 27, 2004


No thanks, frankly I'd rather you actually engage me in discussion. Am I completely off base? Misguided? Then tell me so, don't send me on an expedition involving a reading assignment.

I am curious. What is your definition of faith?
posted by beth at 10:40 AM on February 27, 2004


I believe it's actually

"The death of one is a tragedy, the death of millions is just a statistic"


Actually, I would guess that he said it in Russian.
posted by mr_roboto at 11:14 AM on February 27, 2004


How can faith be rational?

If I may blather on a bit, faith itself is not rational, but the usage of faith can be quite rational. Life does not always grant us the luxury of sufficient time to find the best possible solution for every situation. When there is simply not enough information yet an immediate solution is absolutely needed, faith permits decisive action to be taken, as well as provides a decent emotional coping mechanism if the end result is either extremely favorable or extremely unfavorable.

As with many things, the dangers of faith lie not so much in its inherent nature (in this specific case, conscious utilization of an inaccurate and contradictory model of reality), but rather in its overuse and abuse. If I may use a mechanical metaphor, jerry-rigging is a vital, essential practical skill, but it should never completely replace through repair & planned design.

In short, faith gets us through the times when we simply don't have the time nor resources to be 100% rational and sane. That's what it was developed for. Bad sh*t starts happening when it becomes a one-size-fits-all, no-questions-asked solution to every single problem for every single person.
posted by PsychoKick at 11:31 AM on February 27, 2004


Yes, crucifixtion was common, but don't tell that to the people Mel is evangelising to.
Why? if it's fact and they know their were two thieves crucified next to Jesus too.
posted by thomcatspike at 12:23 PM on February 27, 2004


Skallas, are you planning on seeing the movie?
posted by konolia at 1:25 PM on February 27, 2004


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