What if the cross isn’t just a symbol—but a window into one of Rome’s most brutal systems of power
and punishment?
Crucifixion, immortalized as a method of execution through the Gospel narratives of Jesus' death, stands as one of history's most infamous and brutal punishments. The cross has become an enduring symbol of Christianity. But what is its history?
This class will examine the historical context and implementation of crucifixion within the Roman Empire, exploring not just its significance in early Christian texts but also its role in Roman penal practices. Key questions the class will address include: What were the legal and social prerequisites for someone to be sentenced to crucifixion? In what ways did the process of crucifixion and the treatment of the condemned vary across different eras of Roman history? And, finally, how were the victims of crucifixion buried?
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Dr. Andrew Henry
Dr. Andrew Henry is a scholar of late Roman religion and the creator of Religion for Breakfast. Andrew holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Boston University, where he focused on magic and demonology in the late Roman Empire.
His fieldwork includes excavations in Athens, Greece with the American School of Classical studies. He also served as the Educational and Cultural Affairs Research Fellow at the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem.
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