Impaled on a stake — a result of sectarian bias?

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<strong>Impaled</strong> on a stake - a result of sectarian bias? 20 Use of Greek word xylon The Greek noun xylon was used by Luke, Paul and Peter (Ac 5:30; 10:39; 13:29; Gal 3:13; 1 Pet 2:24) in reference to the instrument of Jesus’ execution. Is it possible that an understanding of xylon can give us a clue as to the shape of this stauros? According to the dictionaries, xylon means, “tree”, “something made of wood” etc 69 . However, they also say that in some contexts having to do with execution, it means “stake”, “upright pale”. Let us therefore investigate how xylon is to be understood in this context. In LXX the Hebrew ´ets, or the corresponding Aramaic ´a, is translated with xylon. In Ezra 6:11, the LXX reads xylon as description of a beam from a house that was to be used for execution. Further, in Esther 5:14 we read that Haman commanded that a xylon should be made for Mordechai’s hanging. We therefore have scriptural evidence that xylon not only meant a “tree”, but likely was a “stake”. 70 ´There is absolutely no evidence from the 1 st century that xylon, when used in connection with executions, had a technical meaning different from a pole of tree. Josephus confirms this in his comment to Esther 5:14, 6:4, and 7:9,10. Where LXX uses xylon, Josephus uses stauros. (Interestingly, in Esther 7:9 LXX uses stauroô in naming the form of execution). Genesis 40:19 is also interesting, Joseph prophesizes that the baker’s head would be hung on a xylon. Josephus describes this as anastaurothenta (from the verb anastauroô). These examples from Josephus indicate that xylon and stauros was regarded as synonym in the 1 st century in some contexts. One interesting place for us in this discussion is Gal 3:13 where Paul used xylon for Jesus’ stauros in his quotation of De 21:22,23 where LXX uses xylon. How should 69 xyŒlon means living or dead “wood,” anything made of wood, e.g., a “stick,” “cudgel,” or “club,” also a “bench” or “table.” As an instrument of punishment or restraint it is a kind of wooden collar. It is also used for the “stake” or “tree” to which malefactors are fastened. Figuratively xyŒlon is an “unfeeling” person. The LXX often uses xyŒla for trees, but also has xyŒlon for wood, used for cultic or secular purposes. Theological dictionary of the New Testament: Translated from Theologisches Wörterbuch zum Neuen Testament. 70 (Ezra 6:11) A beam from a house must be taken as a “stake” (Esther 5:14). Persians administer the execution, and they used stakes, see Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary: An Authoritative One-Volume Reference Work on the Bible with Full Color Illustrations (Electronic edition of the revised edition of Nelson's illustrated Bible dictionary; Logos Library System; ed. R. F. Youngblood; Thames & Hudson, 1995). and The Anchor Bible Dictionary.
<strong>Impaled</strong> on a stake - a result of sectarian bias? 21 xylon be understood here? TNDT states in a footnote: “Xylon. ”(...) Deut 21:22 refers to the dead body, which after execution in some other way (stoning, beheading etc) was hung to a tree or stake (kremahte auton epi xulon) in order to expose the condemned to the shame of public exposure even after death.” So we see that TDNT regards xylon as “a tree or stake”. In line with this many translators choose “tree” for xylon, but there are also some translators of Gal 3:13 who sees xylon as more than a mere tree and use “stake” or “pale” instead. A very recent example of this we find in the new 1999 translation of the Bible by the Swedish Bible Society, which uses “träpåle” (wooden pole). 71 In conclusion we can say that there is no doubt that the generic meaning of xylon is a tree, and that there is no indication whatsoever that it has ever meant anything like a pole with a crossbeam. On the contrary, xylon can in some contexts be found as a synonymous with stauros, so even if the word in it self does not make it a stake, a 1 st century reader may have understood it as such in the context of passages like Gal 3:13. 72 Henry Ward concludes, “Zulon and stauros are alike the single stick, the pale, or the stake, neither more nor less, on which Jesus was impaled, or crucified.” 73 Should stauros be translated with “stake” or “cross”? After having discussed the meaning of stauros and crux, we have seen that their primary meaning in the NT is a “stake”. In Modern Greek stauros can still mean a stake, but this understanding is now secondary; the primary meaning is a cross. So we see than on the stream of time, stauros has changed from meaning “stake” to primarily meaning “cross”. We can illustrate the case of stauros with the case of the English word “worship”: 71 The 1993 German Einheitsübersetzung has “Pfahl” (pole/stake). See also the translations of Schindler (Danish) and Brun (Norwegian). 72 “I think I am right in saying that the word staurov" does not properly mean what we understand by a cross. It has indeed been doubted by some whether the staurov" on which Christ was put to death was anything more than an upright beam or log of wood fixed in the earth. The use of the word ‘tree’ (xuvlon) by Peter and Paul seems rather to favor this view. It is, in fact, only in later Greek that the word staurov" is used to denote the Roman instrument to for inflicting the death penalty.” J. Palmer, "Cross Bearing," The Expository Times 14 (1903) 288. 73 H. D. Ward, History of the Cross: The Pagan Origin, and Idolatrous Adoption and Worship of the Image (London: Nisbet, 1871) 14.
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Impaled on a stake — a result of sectarian bias?

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