Mark Woods 

CHRISTIANTODAY CONTRIBUTING EDITOR 18 March 2016

We're nearly at Good Friday, when we remember the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. We know what happened: he was fastened to a cross with nails that pierced his hands and his feet, and died after hours of torment. 

为了记念被钉十字架的主耶稣的受难节马上就到了。受难节的时候耶稣被用钉子穿透手脚钉在了十字架上，受尽几个小时的痛苦后而死亡。

At least, that's what we think happened. In the Gospel accounts of the  moment of crucifixion, what happened is not described. We're just told "he was crucified". And while it was an appalling punishment by any standardand however it was done, "crucifixion" doesn't necessarily mean what we think it means.

至少这个是我们所知道的发生的事情。福音书里并没有很详细的描述钉十字架的那一刻。我们只知道“祂被钉十字架”。无论根据什么标准钉十字架的酷刑都是最残忍的一个，但是具体是怎么做的，也许并不是我们所想的那样。

According to John Dennis in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels it was designed to humiliate and was violent, sadistic and cruel. While the Romans didn't invent crucifixion – it was practised by the Persians, Assyrians, Indians, Celts, Britons and Carthaginians, among others – they embraced it enthusiastically. Varrus, the Roman governor of Syria, crucified 2,000 Jews, and Jews were crucified in the amphitheatre of Alexandria for the amusement of the population. Cicero called it supplicium servile,the punishment of slaves. A Roman citizen would not be crucified.

据约翰·丹尼斯的《耶稣和福音词典》，十字架酷刑定义为羞辱，暴力，虐待和残忍的刑罚。在罗马人没有发明十字架酷刑的时候，波斯人、亚述人、印度人、凯尔特人、英国人和迦太基人及其他国家就已经普遍的实施这个酷刑。罗马驻叙利亚总督瓦如斯曾经把两千名犹太人钉死在十字架上，犹太人在亚历山大的半圆形剧场里被钉在十字架上供人娱乐。西塞罗称之为“supplicium servile”对奴隶的惩罚。罗马市民是不会被钉十字架的。

But the word itself refers to an upright pole or stake, to which the victim could be tied or nailed – or on which he or she could be impaled."Crucifixion" as it was practised by the Romans could be any of these. The punishment varied according to the ingenuity of the executioner.Seneca wrote: "I see before me crosses not all alike, but differently made by different peoples: some hang a man head downwards, some force a stick upwards through his groin, some stretch out his arms on a forked gibbet. I see cords, scourges, and instruments of torture for each limb and each joint; but I see death also."

“十字架”本身的意思是指直立的柱或是桩，受害者可以被绑在或是钉在其上，又或是让受害者被穿在其上的。罗马人实行的十字架酷刑可能是其中的任何一种。根据刽子手的独创性实行起来也不同。塞尼卡写道：“我看到的十字架不是全部相同的，不同的人做的十字架不同，有些把人倒挂，有些穿过腹股沟，有些把人的胳膊钉在分叉的绞刑架上。我看到绳索，鞭子，还有能够折磨到每个肋骨和关节的其他工具，但是我也看到了死亡。”

Even the shape of the cross might not be what we always assume. We're used to the Latin cross, with the upright projecting above the cross beam. It might have been just an upright, or a T-shape, or an X-shape – hence Seneca's "crosses not all alike". After all, this was just an instrument of execution. It didn't have to be a standard size or shape, it just had to do athoroughly unpleasant job. Depending on what form it took it might have had a small wooden foot rest on which the victim could push himself up relieve the strain on his arms and chest, but not necessarily.

虽然十字架的形状也许不是我们所常想到的。我们熟悉的是拉丁式十字架，那种横竖垂直的。可能是竖直的，T-型或是X-型的，也就是塞尼卡所谓的“十字架各不相同”。毕竟只是施刑的一种工具。它不需要标准的大小或是形状，只是一种让人很不高兴的工具。根据十字架的格式，有的十字架会有一个小的木头脚凳用来让受害者缓解胳膊和胸部上的承受力。

It's been estimated that the Romans crucified around 30,000 people. However, there's only set of remains from someone crucified at this period to give us an idea of what they might have done to Jesus. The remains of a man named Jehohanan were excavated from a cave just north of Jerusalem. His arms appear to have been tied rather than nailed to a cross, but a nail was driven through his right heel bone. It is often suggested that Romans did not allow victims of  crucifixion to be buried, instead throwing them into limepits or leaving the mas carrion; Jehohanan's burial is an indication that they sometimes did.

据统计罗马人用十字架大概钉死了3万人。但是只有一种在那个时期的十字架酷刑能让我们了解他们到底对耶稣做了什么。约哈难的遗骸在耶路撒冷北的一个洞穴中被挖出来。他的胳膊不是被钉在十字架上而是被绑在上面，但是他的右脚后跟却是被钉的。通常罗马是不允许被十字架酷刑处死的人被埋葬的，而是把他们扔向坑中或是让尸体腐烂。约哈难的例子说明有时候罗马人也是允许埋葬十字架受刑的人的。

So how was Jesus crucified – and why don't the Gospels tell us? It's probably because they are not interested in giving a purely factual record, but of telling a story that means something. Details are included when they add to the meaning, and knowing the shape of the cross or whether Jesus' arms were tied orexactly where the nails went isn't important.

所以耶稣到底是怎么被钉十字架的—为什么福音书没有告诉我们? 也许是因为作者并不想要只是记载一件事情，而是要传达某种有意义的信息。在传递意义的时候提到了细节，而关于十字架的形状，耶稣的胳膊是否被绑，钉子到底钉在了哪里并不是重要的。

We believe Jesus was crucifed with nails through his hands and his feet not because of the Gospels' description of the act itself, but because of what they say about his post-Resurrection experiences. There are two relevant Scripture passages. In Luke 24:39 the risen Jesus tells his disciples, "Look at my hands and my feet ! It is I myself." In John 20:27 he says to Thomas,"Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side."

我们相信耶稣是被钉子把手和脚钉在十字架上并不是因为福音书里对十字架酷刑的描述，而是因为作者讲到的耶稣复活后的经历。圣经中有两处相关的经文。路加福音24章39节中复活后的耶稣对祂的门徒说：“你们看我的手，我的脚，就知道实在是我了。”约翰福音20章27节，耶稣对多马说：“伸过你的指头来，摸我的手。伸出你的手来，探入我的肋旁。”

So the biblical witness is clear; there was something to see on Jesus' Resurrection body, and it looks as though there were wounds in his hands and feet. But far more important than what was done was why it was done.

所以圣经的见证非常清楚；在耶稣复活的身体上有证据，祂的手和脚上都有伤痕。但是最重要的不是发生了什么而是为什么发生。

So why did they do it? We can answer that question in two different ways.

他们为什么要钉耶稣十字架呢？我们可以从两个方面来回答。

1.     From the Roman point of view: The Romans killed Jesus because they believed he was setting himself up as a Jewish political leader.They thought he wanted to challenge their authority and they would not permit that. They crucified anyone who rebelled against them, as a punishment and as adeterrent. Because Jesus had entered Jerusalem at the head of a crowd on Palm Sunday, because it was Passover time when national feelings ran high, and because he had caused a commotion in the Temple, they had every reason to fear a disturbance and take strong action. The Jewish leaders deliberately stoked their fears because they feared and distrusted Jesus too.

从罗马人的角度：罗马人杀死耶稣是因为他们相信耶稣自立为犹太人的政治领袖。耶稣要挑战他们的权势，这个是罗马人不允许的。他们把一切反抗的人都钉十字架，作为一种刑罚也是一种警示。因为耶稣在棕树节主日在众人的簇拥下进入耶路撒冷，因为是民族情绪高涨的逾越节，还因为耶稣在圣殿里引起了躁动，所以罗马人受到了很大的威胁，他们必须采取强烈的行动。犹太人领袖故意激起罗马人的恐惧是因为他们自己也害怕不信任耶稣。

2.     From God's point of view: The death of Jesus was part of God's plan to bring about the redemption of humankind. While there were human agents involved, it represented the culmination of the mission for which he was born. The Scriptures portray him as the suffering Messiah, an atoning sacrifice, a fulfilment of prophecy, the victor over Satan and the expression of God's love.

从神的角度：耶稣的受死是上帝救赎人类计划的一个部分。作为人类而死亡也是耶稣出生意义的诠释。圣经上描述了耶稣是受难的弥赛亚，挽回祭，预言的成就，战胜撒旦的胜利者，也是神的爱的彰显者。

We have a lot to learn from why the Romans did what they did. In a way, they were right to be afraid of Jesus. He didn't want to start a political revolution,but  he was even more dangerous to them than that: he challenged every kind of unjust rule and preached the Kingdom of Heaven instead.

从罗马人钉死耶稣的原因和做法上我们可以了解很多。某种方式上，他们很害怕耶稣。耶稣并没有想要掀起一场政治革命，实际上，祂所做的比政治革命更能威胁到罗马人：祂挑战了一切的不公义的规则，传扬了天国的福音。

But we have even more to learn from why God sent him to die.

但是我们从神差遣耶稣受死的事情上反倒可以学到更多。

As Paul told the Corinthians: "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 God" (1 Corinthians 1:18).

正如保罗告诉哥林多教会的：“因为十字架的道理，在那灭亡的人为愚拙。在我们得救的人却为神的大能。”（哥林多前书1章18节）

整理：云嫣