Where was Jesus Crucified?

Where was Jesus Crucified?

The Gospels record that Jesus was crucified on the Passover, and supposedly rose from the dead. Yet nobody witnessed the resurrection of Jesus, the stone was moved away, it was not a supernatural rising. Obviously, the stone was removed by one of Jesus’ closest followers (Luke 10:1). The witnesses to Jesus’ crucifixion were mostly his enemies. The disciples Mary Magdalene and Mary watched the crucifixion afar off.

And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedees children. (Matthew 27:55-56)

This passage has led scholars to believe that the crucifixion was a privatized event, only witnessed by a few people.

It is also curious that Jesus just happens to have been crucified next to a garden and a tomb, the latter at least owned by Joseph of Arimathea. This is all rather convenient to say the least. Could it be that the crucifixion itself was private? Perhaps in order to control witnesses to what was occurring? Luke (23:49) informs us that the crowds watching were standing at a distance. Perhaps they were kept at a distance? (Michael Baigent, The Jesus Papers, p. 130)

The Gospels record that the 12 apostles “forsook him and fled” at Gethsemane (Matt. 26:56), they disappeared from the Gospel story and did not witness the crucifixion. None of the disciples believed that Jesus rose from the dead (Mark 16:14, Luke 24:11). This means the early Christians did not believe Jesus had to die for their sins (Ps. 20:6, Matt. 16:22).

IF the disciples knew that Jesus had to rise, why didn’t they return to Jerusalem to see the resurrection? Yet the Gospels are clear that nobody witnessed the resurrection of Jesus. The concept of dying-rising Messiah was unknown to Judaism:

Jesus could not have foreseen his rejection, death, and resurrection, as the idea of a suffering, dying, and rising Messiah or son of Man was unknown to Judaism. (Israel Knohl, The Messiah before Jesus, The Suffering Servant of the Dead Sea Scrolls, p. 2)

Furthermore, the crucifixion did not even take place in Jerusalem! According to the book of Revelations, Jesus was crucified in Rome:

And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. (Revelations 11:8, KJV)

The Christians would probably argue that the “great city” refers to Jerusalem, yet the renowned Bible scholar John Gill disagrees:

And their dead bodies [shall lie] in the street of the great city,.... Not Jerusalem, which was destroyed when John had this vision, and which will; not be rebuilt at the time it refers to; nor is it ever called the great city, though the city of the great King; however, not in this book, though the new Jerusalem is so called, Revelation 21:10; but that can never be designed here; but the city of Rome, or the Roman jurisdiction, the whole empire of the Romish antichrist, which is often called the great city in this book; see Revelation 16:19. (online Source)

Here is what Biblical scholar Tom Harper says:

In Revelation 11:8, there is a most puzzling passage in which two “witnesses” are to be killed. “And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually pneumatikos is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified”, reads the text [my emphasis]. Once again, it must be stressed that the author is clearly concerned not with historical events…but with symbolism and allegory. (The Pagan Christ, p. 212)

The only explanation to this dilemma is that Jesus Christ was not crucified at all.

Let us expose the following facts:

Jesus made it clear that crucifixion was not his purpose (Matt. 9:13, 12:7, Mark 1:38, Luke 4:43, 19:10)

The apostles did not believe Jesus rose from the dead (Matt. 28:17, Mark 16:14, Luke 24:11).

The apostles did not expect Jesus to rise from the dead (Matt. 16:22, Mark 9:30-32)

Jesus never foretold his crucifixion (Psalms 20:6, 18:50, Matt. 26:39)

Jesus did not want to die, he was unwilling (Mark 14:26, Luke 22:42-43)

God promised to save the Messiah (1 Chron.16:22, 2Chron. 6:42, Psalms 28:8)

Christians believe the exact opposite of the Bible (Proverbs 21:18)

The Bible rejects human sacrifice (Deu. 12:31, 2 Kings 17:17)

The Jews wanted to kill Jesus to prove he was a false Messiah; they expected the Messiah to be victorious, and liberate Palestine from Roman rule. The Jews rejected Jesus because he was purely a spiritual teacher (John 1:11, 18:36), and not a political leader, as “foretold” in the Old Testament. The Gospels record that Jesus was crucified for false political charges, yet the Pharisees had charges of blasphemy (claiming to be God’s son, working on the Sabbath). The Romans considered Jesus a threat to the occupation; they assumed he was a political leader disguised as spiritual teacher.

The Holy Quran absolves Jesus of all these charges:

That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah.;- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:- (Al-Quran 4:157)

Secondly, if Jesus was crucified he couldn’t have been the Messiah. The Psalms clearly describe the Messiah as victorious (Ps. 18:50, 20:6, 28:8, 84:9). The Prophet David was the Anointed (Christ), a politico-religious leader, yet he was victorious over his enemies (2 Sam. 8:6, Ps. 144:10). The Prophet David himself slaughtered thousands of his enemies (1 Sam 27:9), so how can Jesus be any different? The Jews expected another Messiah like David to descend from his lineage. The Gospels deny the Jewish Messiah by teaching the crucifixion, the Bible says God would save the Messiah (Psalms. 20:6).

There is significant evidence from Jesus that crucifixion was not his purpose. Jesus is recorded to have said:

"Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." (Mark 1:38)

Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. (John 17:3-5)

Why did Jesus say “I have completed my mission” before he was even arrested? Why didn’t he say these words after the crucifixion? This means the crucifixion was not his purpose. Jesus’ mission was to preach the Torah, and the Gospel, the idea of “dying for the sins of mankind” was added later.

The Gospels provide further evidence:

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; (Luke 9:51)

There is no reference to the crucifixion, Jesus ascended to Heaven before the Jews could arrest him. The implication is that Jesus is not destined to be crucified.

According to the Gospels, Jesus was crucified outside Jerusalem:

As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). (Matthew 27:32-33)

And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. (Hebrews 13:12)

Jesus denied the crucifixion by saying:

In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! (NIV)

Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. (Luke 13:33, KJV)

The Messiah cannot die outside Jerusalem, therefore the Bible is wrong.

The Bible rejects the doctrine of Atonement:

The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin. (Deutronomy 24:16)

The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. (Ezekiel 18:20)

But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge. (Jeremiah 31:30)

"The multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?" says the LORD. "I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. (Isaiah 1:11)

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced; burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. (Psalms 40:6)

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. (Psalms 51:16)

To do justice and judgment [is] more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. (Proverbs 21:3)

Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:7-8)

Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert. (Psalms 28:4)

According to [their] deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence. (Isaiah 59:18)

"I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve." (Jeremiah 17:10)

For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them also: and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands. (Jeremiah 25:14)

The LORD has a charge to bring against Judah; he will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds. (Hosea 12:2)

When was Jesus crucified?

Christian scholars are in doubt concerning the exact date of Jesus’ crucifixion. Here a few quotes to substantiate my claims:

How long was Jesus on the cross before he died? I do not think anyone knows. Remember, those who might have noticed and relayed that information had all forsaken him and fled. he appearance of Joseph of Arimathea, the darkness over the land, the split in the temple veil, the ecstatic cry of faith from the centurion-all were elements of the developing legend. The hasty burial before the Sabbath was but a part of the burial legend. Thus no one knows how long Jesus lived on the cross, how he died, when he was taken down, or where he was buried, "for they all forsook him and fled." That means there was no first-day-of-the-week visit to the tomb by the women to anoint him, since there was no tomb and no sense of when he died or of where he was buried. (John Shelby Spong, Resurrection: Myth or Reality, p. 241)

The nativity was placed at the winter solstice, thus coinciding with the birthday of the Sun-god. And the date for the crucifixion was made to vary from year to year to conform to the astronomical principle which fixed the Jewish Passover. (J.M. Robertson, Pagan Christs, p. 68)

“It is impossible to give definite dates for all the events of the New Testament” (The World Book Encyclopedia, by World Book editors, p. 235)

The Shocking Truth:

Did you know that a huge crowd witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus, but nobody witnessed the resurrection of Jesus!

Did you know the symbol of Jesus’ crucified body was not used until the 6^th century?

Did you know the cross is a pagan symbol adored in Egypt thousands of years before Jesus was born?

Did you know that Paul, the earliest Christian writer, never mentions the ‘empty tomb’?

Did you know that Jesus’ resurrection accounts evolved over time?

Did you know that Mark, the earliest Gospel, never mentions the resurrection?

Did you know the early Christian sects rejected the crucifixion?

Did you know the disciples never witnessed the crucifixion?

Did you know that Pilate refused to believe Jesus was dead?

Did you know the ‘darkness’ and ‘earthquake’ are later embellishments?

Did you know that Jesus’ resurrection is not mentioned by the Jewish historian Philo (50 CE).

Did you know the early Christians identified Jesus as the Messiah and not “God the Messiah”?

Did you know the Jews suspected that the resurrection was a hoax? (Matt. 28:15)

Did you know the early Gnostics considered Jesus a symbolic character?

Did you know the Gospels are full of discrepancies?

Did you know Rabbi Wise searched the records of Pilate’s court, he found nothing about Jesus’ trial.

Did you know that you have no salvation?