4, 5. (a) What does a dictionary say about the word stau·rosʹ, translated “cross” in some English Bibles? (b) Where did the use of the cross originate?

⁴ The instrument of Jesus’ death is noted in Bible passages, such as at Matthew 27:32 and 40. There the Greek word stau·rosʹ is translated “cross” in various English Bibles. But what did stau·rosʹ mean in the first century when the Greek Scriptures were written? An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, by W. E. Vine, says: “Stauros . . . denotes, primarily, an upright pale or stake. On such malefactors were nailed for execution. Both the noun [stau·rosʹ] and the verb stauroō, to fasten to a stake or pale, are originally to be distinguished from the ecclesiastical form of a two beamed cross. The shape of the latter had its origin in ancient Chaldea, and was used as the symbol of the god Tammuz (being in the shape of the mystic Tau, the initial of his name) in that country and in adjacent lands, including Egypt.”

6, 7. (a) From where does the word “cross” come, and why is its use in English Bibles not justified? (b) How does the Bible’s use of the word xyʹlon verify that stau·rosʹ was an upright stake?

⁶ The Companion Bible, under the heading “The Cross and Crucifixion,” notes: “Our English word ‘cross’ is the translation of the Latin crux; but the Greek stauros no more means a crux than the word ‘stick’ means a ‘crutch.’ Homer uses the word stauros of an ordinary pole or stake, or a single piece of timber. And this is the meaning and usage of the word throughout the Greek classics. It never means two pieces of timber placed across one another. . . . There is nothing in the Greek of the N[ew] T[estament] even to imply two pieces of timber.”

⁷ Another Greek word, xyʹlon, is used in the Bible to refer to the instrument upon which Jesus died. This word helps to show that stau·rosʹ was an upright stake without a crossbeam. As The Companion Bible states: “The word [xyʹlon] . . . generally denotes a piece of a dead log of wood, or timber, for fuel or for any other purpose. . . . As this latter word [xyʹlon] is used for the former stauros, it shows us that the meaning of each is exactly the same. . . . Hence the use of the word [xyʹlon] . . . in connection with the manner of our Lord’s death, and rendered ‘tree’ in Acts 5:30; 10:39; 13:29; Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 2:24 [King James Version].”

8. What do other sources say about the cross and its origin?

⁸ The French Dictionnaire Encyclopédique Universel (Encyclopedic Universal Dictionary) says: “For a long time we believed that the cross, considered a religious symbol, was specifically for Christians. This is not the case.” The book Dual Heritage​—The Bible and the British Museum states: “It may come as a shock to know that there is no word such as ‘cross’ in the Greek of the New Testament. The word translated ‘cross’ is always the Greek word [stau·rosʹ] meaning a ‘stake’ or ‘upright pale.’