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Why Were So Few Christians Crucified?
- Amsterdam University Press
- Source: NTT Journal for Theology and the Study of Religion, Volume 77, Issue 2, Jun 2023, p. 86 - 95
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- 01 Jun 2023
Abstract
Despite the presumed prominence of crucifixions of Christians in early Christianity, we have a surprising lack of sources on crucified Christians. While recent research collected a mere six sources—but not all are agreed upon—one would expect many more instances: after all, to be crucified like Jesus Christ would be the summum of the Imitatio Christi. Curiously, the reason why we have so few sources on crucified Christians has not previously been addressed. In this short Research Note, I suggest two possible answers that need to be explored further: (1) perhaps crucifixion was not as common as modern scholars tend to assume, and (2) because crucifixion was reserved for enslaved people, rebels and peregrini, the great spread of Roman citizenship in the third century likely reduced the chance of crucifixion.