How high was Jesus’ crucifixion cross?
Traditional paintings, throughout the generations, have depicted him as lifted onto a high cross.
(There’s even an excellent hymn called “Lift High the Cross of Christ.”)
But was he really high up?
Conventional Thought
When we think of representations of Jesus’ death, the cross is usually depicted as very high off the ground.
Here’s one assessment:
The Christian Bible does not specify the actual dimensions of Jesus’ cross. The scriptures do give clues that allow an educated guess at the size and weight of the cross.
In Mark 15:36, the scripture reads that Jesus was offered a sponge with vinegar stuck to a hyssop reed. The average height of a male in that time period was approximately 5 feet. The reed of a hyssop averages 1 to 2 feet long.
These figures suggest the cross was approximately 7 to 9 feet tall. The “patibulum” [crosspiece] that Jesus’ arms were outstretched and nailed to was likely 5 to 6 feet long. The entire cross is estimated to have weighed well over 300 pounds.
Other questions have arisen about the above facts. During the first century AD, there was little excess wood in Judea.
As the first-century Jewish historian Josephus noted, wood was so scarce in Jerusalem during the first century A.D. that the Romans were forced to travel ten miles from Jerusalem to secure timber for their siege machinery.
The article explained that while artists depict Jesus carrying a full cross, the condemned usually carried only the crossbar.
The math and Jesus’ crucifixion cross.
Let’s start with simple logic.
How much did Jesus weigh at the time of his death?
No idea.
Joan E. Taylor, in her book, What Did Jesus Look Like?, estimates Jesus probably stood about 5 feet, 5 inches.
That was the average height of a Jewish man in the first century.
As for Jesus’s body, I’ve consulted experts on ancient skeletons in Israel. What I have learned is that Judaeans of this time were closest biologically to Iraqi Jews of the contemporary world. In terms of a color palette then, think dark-brown to black hair, deep brown eyes, olive-brown skin. Jesus would have been a man of Middle Eastern appearance. In terms of height, an average man of this time stood 166 cm (5 ft 5 in) tall.
What did Jesus Look Like?
This chart suggests a healthy 5′ tall man would weigh between 97 and 123 pounds. Let’s take the average, 110 pounds.
So, we have a 110-pound man nailed to a 300-pound cross that’s eight feet tall. There’s a cross piece about 5 feet wide. (I’m averaging the numbers for computation purposes.)
What type of wood?
In the Roman Empire of the 1st century, wood was the most common material used for crucifixion due to its availability and practicality (Samuelsson, 2013). The specific type of wood is not mentioned in the Gospels, and we should be cautious about speculating beyond what is known.
Olive wood or pine were commonly used in Palestine at the time; oak or cedar were also possibilities. The Romans often used whatever wood was locally available. The cross may have been roughly hewn, not the smooth, polished cross we often see in artistic depictions.
How hard would it be to set the cross into a hole in the ground?
I turned to my in-house engineer for this estimate.
We have a 110-pound man nailed to a 300-pound cross that’s eight feet tall. It includes a cross piece about 5 feet wide. (I’m averaging the numbers for computation purposes.)
A squad of Roman centurions is about ten strong men. Even six or eight could leverage the cross into place.
As they started lifting, half the weight was in the ground.
This is easier depending on the height of the cross.
How high was Jesus’ crucifixion cross?
Many sites estimate it at 7 to 9 feet high. That does not answer the question, though, of how deep the hole was.
The Romans tended to crucify criminals beside or near the main roads into town. This meant people walking by could look into the face of the crucified person without having to look very high.
For a modern fence, the recommendation is 1/4 to 1/3 of the pole length.
Thus, a 9-foot-tall pole would need to be buried in a hole a little over two feet deep.
Making it about 6.5-7 feet tall from the ground.
Remember, crucifixion was a warning to everyone else.
29 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!”
Mark 15:29-30 NKJV
This implies that those passing by were near enough to shout at Jesus and look him in the eye.
Wouldn’t the guards, who killed people this way all the time, like it to be simple and easy?
Rome designed crucifixion to humiliate the individual. Enabling him to hear people passing by suggests that Jesus’ cross may have been only six or seven feet high.
People walking by who could look him in the eye would be far less inclined to revolt against Rome.
His mother, waiting nearby, could have whispered words of encouragement and love as she prayed.
Remember, Jesus spoke to John, asking him to care for Mary.
Two older men, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, took Jesus off the cross that night.
Together, they carried Jesus’ body to a new tomb.
To have done that alone, the cross probably was no more than seven feet off the ground.
Does it matter?
No.
Jesus died.
He rose three days later.
That’s the real significance.
Thoughts? Reactions? Lurker?