Book Reviewed: Eyewitness to Crucifixion: The Romans, the Cross, and the Sacrifice of Jesus by Stephen M. Miller

The cross, crucifixion and Jesus Christ Superstar

The author has discussed the history of the cross, and as how it rose as the religious symbol of Christian faith. Europeanization of the church was a major test in its struggle to emerge as a leading faith of 2.4 billion people on this planet. According to New Testament, Jesus was crucified on a cross, a very cruel death for the only son of God! Does that mean God is merciless and cruel? How could the creator of heaven and earth bring upon such a horrific end to his own son? What is the real message behind this? What is the theology of cross? In order to comprehend the nature and extent of this scandalous story, the author presents an academic style debate about the beliefs and acceptance of the Roman empire and its cultural biases.

One of the most interesting fact is that writers of the gospels didn't say that Jesus; carried a T-shaped cross; carried a crossbeam; fell while carrying cross; hung on a T-shaped cross; or nailed to anything. Christian scholars presumed this after the description of crucifixion was added by the church leaders a century later. The Jesus Seminar, a group of biblical scholars concluded that Jesus was a Jewish sage and faith-healer who preached liberation from injustice through his parables and aphorisms. He broke Jewish traditions in his teachings and his behavior. Jesus was mortal and he did not perform miracles nor die for sins of others. He was executed as a public nuisance, and not for being the Son of God. The belief in the resurrection is based on the visionary experiences of Paul, Peter and Mary Magdalene, says Jesus Seminar.

I strongly recommend reading chapters 22 and 23 of this book that summarizes some key points. In the first half of the book, the author describes the practices of Roman empire and how it may have impacted the evolution of gospels and the church narratives with respect to crucifixion.

There are numerous books in literature that presents the pulpit-based interpretation of the cross, but the author must be commended for his effort to present an unbiased discussion. This book is full of colored pictures, illustrations, visual art and artistic imagination of historical events surrounding the crucifixion. It helps to reconnect with this historical event. The author’s style of writing is objective and dispassionate, this makes reading so effortless.