Another controversy brewing in the Hebrew Roots Movement is the cross or stake debate. Here is a good article exploring this whole discussion, which includes some references to the “mark”.
Used with permission by the author.
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Cross or Stake?
Is the term “execution stake” or “torture stake” an accurate rendering of the Greek word stauros, which appears in the New Testament texts? Many groups such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and The Way International, both who deny the Divinity of Christ, as well as some Hebrew roots teachers, use the term “stake”.
The Complete Jewish Bible, a translation used by many Messianics also uses the term stake in place of the more commonly translated cross. Many have said that they do not use the word “cross” because it is a pagan symbol that was brought into the early church by Constantine. The problem with this errant teaching, is that inscriptions of crosses have been found in archaeological excavations that pre-date Constantine in early Jewish Christian tombs, both on the walls, and also written on the burial ossuaries.
Although the Greek word found in some passages of the New Testament is stauros (G4716), which can mean stake, there is another word xulon (G3586) used in such passages as Acts 5:30, 10:39, 13:29, and Galatians 3:13 which quotes from Deuteronomy 21:23 (H6086) which is often translated as “tree”.
Historical reports and archaeological evidence pertaining to first century execution by the Romans does not support “stake” as a valid translation. The stauros was a vertical pole that was permanently installed at the crucifixion site, and the ones being crucified were forced to carry the cross beam up the hill to the site as a form of punishment. Once they reached the site, they were nailed to the crossbeam, and then hoisted up onto the vertical pole (stauros), where their feet were then nailed. The epistle of Barnabas, which is not included in the canon, and is pseudopigraphal in nature, discusses a tau shaped cross as the method of execution of Jesus.
Below are four different translations of the passage:
Barnabas 9
7 For the scripture saith; And Abraham circumcised of his household eighteen males and three hundred. What then was the knowledge given unto him? Understand ye that He saith the eighteen first, and then after an interval three hundred In the eighteen ‘I’ stands for ten, ‘H’ for eight. Here thou hast JESUS (IHSOYS). And because the cross in the ‘T’ was to have grace, He saith also three hundred. So He revealeth Jesus in the two letters, and in the remaining one the cross.
8 For he saith, And Abraham circumcised out of his household eighteen and three hundred. What, then, was the knowledge that was given by this? Learn ye, that he mentioneth the eighteen first, and then, having made an interval, he mentioneth the three hundred. In the eighteen, IH, you have Jesus; and because the cross in the letter T was about to convey the grace of redemption, he mentioneth also the three hundred. Therefore, he showeth Jesus in the two letters, IH, and the cross in the one, T.
8 For it says, “And Abraham circumcised from his household eighteen men and three hundred.” What then was the knowledge that was given to him? Notice that he first mentions the eighteen, and after a pause the three hundred. The eighteen is I (=ten) and H (= — you have Jesus — and because the cross was destined to have grace in the T he says “and three hundred.” So he indicates Jesus in the two letters and the cross in the other.
8 For [the Scripture] saith, “And Abraham circumcised ten, and eight, and three hundred men of his household.” What, then, was the knowledge given to him in this? Learn the eighteen first, and then the three hundred. The ten and the eight are thus denoted–Ten by I, and Eight by H. You have [the initials of the, name of] Jesus. And because the cross was to express the grace [of our redemption] by the letter T he says also, “Three Hundred.” He signifies, therefore, Jesus by two letters, and the cross by one. He knows this, who has put within us the engrafted gift of His doctrine. No one has been admitted by me to a more excellent piece of knowledge than this, but I know that ye are worthy.
I am not in any way endorsing the epistle of Barnabas as Scripture, but merely presenting it as a historical writing that mentions the tau cross in reference to the crucifixion of Jesus.
The Mark and its possible meaning.
In the book of Ezekiel, we find this passage:
Eze 9:4 And YHWH said to him, Pass through in the midst of the city, in the midst of Jerusalem, and mark ,<8427> a mark <8420> on the foreheads of the men who are groaning and are mourning over all the abominations that are done in her midst.
Eze 9:6 Slay the aged men, the young man, and the virgin, even children, and
women, all to destruction. But to every man who has the mark <8420> on him,
do not come near. And begin from My sanctuary. And they began with the
aged men who were before the house.
In the book of Revelation, we also find this:
Rev 7:3 Do not harm the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, until we seal <4972> the slaves of our God on their foreheads.
Rev 9:4 And it was said to them that they should not harm the grass of the earth, nor every green thing, nor every tree, except only the men who do not have the seal<4972> of God on their foreheads.
Eph 4:30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed <4972> for the day of redemption.
What is this mark that we find mentioned in Ezekial 9:4 and also in 9:6? Lets take a look at the Hebrew word:
H8420
BDB Definition:
tâv
1) desire, mark
1a) mark (as a sign of exemption from judgment)
Strongs:
tawv
From H8427; a mark; by implication a signature: – desire, mark.
It is interesting to note, that the modern Hebrew tav looks like a doorway, but the ancient Hebrew tav was a “T” or an “X”. These are the two shapes of the crosses that the Romans used for crucifixion.
Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament has a chart that illustrates the ancient Hebrew tav “T”, which became the letter tau (T) in Greek. A copy of this page can be viewed here:
http://hebrewresources.com/ancient-Hebrew-2.html
In a number of the Dead Sea Scrolls, various types of markings appear in the margins to denote Messianic Prophecies. In the scroll of Isaiah, which is dated to 100 bce, the Messianic Prophecies were marked in the side column by the scribes by using the ancient Hebrew letter tav. As an example, if one examines Isaiah 32:1, in the side column, you will see the tav, which is used to denote the Messianic Prophesies. This tav is written in the form of a slanted “t” which also can appear as an x or + with unequal arms .
The sect at Qumran who kept the scrolls, believed that the tav mark was a sign of future Messianic salvation in reference to Ezekiel 9:4. Below is an English translation of what is written in one of their commentaries on scripture known as the “Damascus Document”:
19:12 These [people]shall escape in the time of visitation, but they that hesitate shall be given over to the sword when the Messiah of Aaron and Israel shall come. As it happened in the epoch of the visitation of the forefathers, which He said by the hand of Ezekial “to set the mark (ha Tav) upon the forehead of such as sigh and groan.”
The tav became the letter tau in Greek, and also the letter T in Latin. Because of its shape, the tav was also considered the equivalent to the Greek letter Chi (X) which is used as the first letter in the word Christos (Christ).
Sealing the 144,000
Below are some different translations of the verse in the book of Revelations that prophetically speaks of the Name with which God seals the 144,000. Both the King James Version, the LITV, as well as the YLT and other reformation Bibles translated from the Textus Receptus, state that only the Father’s name is written in their foreheads, while the modern versions state that two separate names will be written.
Revelations 14:1
KJV ” . . . having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.”
LITV ” . . . with the name of his Father having been written in their foreheads.”
NIV ” . . . who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads”
NASB “. . . having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads”
ESV “. . . who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads”
Stephens 1550 Textus Receptus
kai eidon kai idou arnion esthkos epi to oroV siwn kai met autou ekaton tessarakonta tessares ciliadeV ecousai to onoma tou patroV autou gegrammenon epi twn metwpwn autwn
Alexandrian
kai eidon kai idou to arnion estos epi to oroV siwn kai met autou ekaton tesserakonta tessares ciliadeV ecousai to onoma autou kai to onoma tou patroV autou gegrammenon epi twn metwpwn autwn
As you can see in the comparison of the Greek texts above, the top text lists only one name highlighted in red, while the bottom one lists two. There are also other variations between the two texts that are bolded.
Taking the Mark
So if we are told in scripture that God’s people are marked by Him, then as with all things of God, satan will always attempt to have a counterfeit.
Rev 13:16 And it causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark on their right hand, or in their foreheads,
Rev 14:9 And a third angel followed them, saying in a great voice, If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark on his
forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10 he also shall drink of the wine of the anger of God having been mixed undiluted in the cup of His wrath. And he will be
tormented by fire and brimstone before the holy angels and before the Lamb.
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. And they have no rest day or night, those who worship the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.
Rev 15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire. And those who had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
Rev 16:2 And the first went and poured out his vial on the earth. And a bad and grievous sore fell on the men who had the mark of the beast, and on those who worshiped his image.
Rev 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet doing signs before it, (by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast), and those who had worshiped his image. The two were thrown alive into the Lake of Fire burning with brimstone.
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast nor his image, nor had received his mark on their foreheads, nor in their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 13:16 And it causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark on their right hand, or in their foreheads,
Rev 13:17 even that not any might buy or sell except those having the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of its name.
The translations from the Textus Receptus state that there are three forms of allegiance given to the beast in addition to worship. They are the mark, or the name, or the number of his name. The modern versions derived from the Alexandrian texts only interpret it as two, being the name or the number of the name.
Stephens 1550 Textus Receptus
kai ina mh tiV dunhtai agorasai h pwlhsai ei mh o ecwn to caragma h to onoma tou qhriou h ton ariqmon tou onomatoV autou
Alexandrian
kai ina mh tiV dunhtai agorasai h pwlhsai ei mh o ecwn to caragma to onoma tou qhriou h ton ariqmon tou onomatoV autou
As you can see in the comparison of the Greek texts above, the top text has the Greek “ay” (h ) highlighted in red, which does not occur in the bottom text. This is why it appears as “or the name, or the number”, instead of the combined “number of the name”
The Strong’s Concordance definition for “mark” in reference to Revelation 13:16-17, applies exclusively to the references of “the mark” found in the book of Revelations. This definition does not apply to the term “mark” as it is found in any other books of the Bible. Here is the breakdown:
5480- charagma, (khar’-ag-mah); from the same as 5482; a scratch or etching, i.e. stamp (as a badge of servitude), or sculptured figure (statue):-graven image, mark.
5482– charasso-(to sharpen to a point, akin to 1125 through the idea of scratching)…
1125–grapho( graf-o); a prim. verb; to “grave”, espec. to write; fig. to describe:– describe, write(-ing,-ten) [Eng. Dictionary def.– “grave” —Archaic. engrave; carve; sculpture. 2.impress deeply; fix firmly]
The CJB changes many words in the translation to reflect a Messianic view point. It’s the agenda to get people to believe the Bible needs a “Hebraic mind set” in order to discover what “God really said”.
Mr. Stern does not have any degrees in Hebrew or Greek. He took the King James Bible and inserted/changed words into what appears to be Hebrew, but many of the words are either Rabbinic creations or are Yiddish words. It is not an accurate translation.
Stake is not what the Romans used. Archaeologically, it can be proven that crosses were used to crucify men and women who were viewed as a threat to the Roman govt or for criminals. History proves this beyond a shadow of a doubt. I am not sure why the Messianic Movement wants to discredit the crucifixion of Christ. Mr Stern took a popular teaching in the Messianic movement and inserted “stake” so his version would appear more “Hebraic” and feed into the theological bias that his version appeals to. If Jesus had died on a stake, He would have been impaled, and that is definitely not what the Bible records. Perhaps Mr Stern was reading the Shem Tov …..
Of course Jesus died on a pagan execution device > the cross. He was crucified by pagans and was tortured with pagan devices and man-handled by pagans. This was God’s plan and choice to bring us into reconciliation to Him through Christ. There is nothing either pagan nor Hebraic about Jesus death – which I consider to be providential so that people would know that salvation has nothing to do with a cultural mind set, but through the plan and will of God.
Dear fortheloveoftruth,
Jesus was not laid in a pagan tomb, it was a Jewish tomb, Jewish High priest gave up his tomb for Jesus, because he was a secret follower of his. Reread that part in your bible, please. However, I enjoy what you said about CJB author just added certain Yiddish and rabanic words. Although as a Hebrew Christian I must say most of the words are Hebrew and some Aramiac too. Sorry if my English is bad, I’m Israeli.
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Thank you, Kepha. You are correct that Jesus was not laid in a pagan tomb, but in a Jewish tomb. I have edited that part out because what I wrote was in error. Thank you again for pointing it out!
Shalom,
Sheep
My question to you is why continue to use the “cross” if it is the representation of the thing Yeshua was killed on?? He is Risen!!!! By His death we are forgiven, by his ressurection we are Saved. I steer clear of doing anything and using anything from the Roman culture period because they are not the “Church” established by Yahweh! Nothing in the Word of Elohim says they are to be the leaders of our faith and in fact they have very blasphemous practices and have mixed pagan traditions in with the Word of Yah to confuse everything! Wearing a cross is a tradition of man that is not Biblical. You can still be a believer in Yeshua without it! We remember why he died, we believe in his Resurrection, and we are saved by Him!
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Thank you for your question and comments.
Why do we use the word “cross”? Because God chose it as the means for Christ to die and shed His blood; the atonement for the forgiveness of our sins, that is how we are saved. Resurrection insures eternal life because Christ died and was raised up from the dead, but salvation is of the cross for there is no forgiveness of sins without the shedding of blood [Heb 8 & 9]. God chose a pagan form of torture for His Son to die on and at the hands of the Romans. It was the fulfillment of prophecy and planned before the foundations of the world, by the Lord God Himself. People wear crosses because that is a symbol of Christianity. Christians/believers in Jesus Christ used crosses to designate their belief system since the first century, as we have seen in archaeological finds dating back to that time.
The words cross and crucifixion are used dozens of times in the NT directly referring to the manner in which Christ died. It is the most important part of salvation, His shed blood for us. It is and will always be critically important to Christians, as we see in the NT, because it was unique to the message of salvation.
As Jesus commanded:
Matthew 10:38
And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Matthew 16:24
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mark 8:34
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mark 10:21
Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
Luke 9:23
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Luke 14:27
And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Matthew 20:19
and shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.
Matthew 26:2
Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
Luke 24:
19 And he (Jesus) said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.
The angels spoke of Jesus’ crucifixion:
Matthew 28:5
And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
Mark 16:6
And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
Luke 24: 6
He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, 7 saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
Peter preached Christ crucified:
Acts 2:23
Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: . . .
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Acts 4:10
be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
Paul stated:
1 Corinthians 1:17
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
Galatians 5:11
And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.
Galatians 6:12
As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. . . . 14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
Ephesians 2:16
and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
Philippians 2:8
and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Philippians 3:18
(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
Colossians 1:20
and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
Colossians 2:14
blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Romans 6:6
knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
1 Corinthians 1:23
but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
1 Corinthians 2:2
For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
1 Corinthians 2:8
which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
2 Corinthians 13:4
For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.
Galatians 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Galatians 3:1
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
Hebrews 6:6
if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
The writer of Hebrews also speaks of the cross:
Hebrews 12:2
looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
John referred to Jesus’ crucifixion:
Revelation 11:8
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.