When Jesus Christ was crucified, was He nailed to a cross or a stake?

This world’s professing Christianity has traditionally taught that Christ died on a cross (a profane symbol that has been widely used by many pagan religions). Since Christ Himself warned against blindly following the traditions of men (Mark 7:6-7), we must not make assumptions.

In the gospel accounts, the Bible says that Christ was nailed to a cross. The Greek word used for “cross” is stauros, which means “stake, pole, upright post or cross.” Interestingly, other scriptures record that Christ was nailed to a tree (I Peter 2:24; Acts 5:30, 10:39, 13:29). The Greek word used in these verses, xulon, means “timber, stick, club, tree or other wooden article or substance.”

In ancient times, Roman soldiers used to crucify people using wooden structures of various shapes. Sometimes they used upright stakes or poles. Other times they used wooden crosses by attaching beams either at or just below the top.

The Bible does not specify the exact shape of the “stauros” or “xulon” on which Christ was crucified. If God thought it was important for us to know, He clearly would have recorded it, leaving us no doubts. The shape is not important, but Christ’s sacrifice is!