Discovery – April 2021

You have probably seen some people wearing a cross around their necks. If you have ever asked a person why he wears a cross, the person may have explained to you that the cross represents Christianity. What does a cross have to do with Christianity?

In about 500 B.C., the Persian Empire invented a form of punishment we call crucifixion. It was passed down for hundreds of years and used in the first century by the Roman Empire. It was a form of capital punishment that was often applied to criminals and prisoners of war. Capital punishment occurs when the person being punished is sentenced to death for his crimes. Crucifixion often involved nailing a person to pieces of wood that formed the shape of a cross. The point of the punishment was to keep the criminal alive for many hours and cause him as much pain and humiliation as possible. Sometimes criminals would hang on a cross for several days before they died.